Blood of Zeus is an adult animated series. It was written by the duo Charley and Vlas Parlapanides and directed by Shaunt Nigoghossian. Everything was produced by Powerhouse Animation studio (also responsible for Castelvania ).
The animation tells the story of Heron, an orphaned boy by his father, a member of a small community in the forgotten Greek polis. One night, the boy is accidentally caught up in a fight with demons, after which his whole life is turned upside down. Heron must leave the polis to confront the ghosts of the past, discover the truth about his father and face his destiny.
In the short prologue to the story, we read that the plot of the series will focus on a story that has been forgotten and omitted in the canon of myths (i.e. Heron’s fate). As you can guess, it allowed the creators a lot of artistic freedom. The lack of a solid literary basis prompted the duo of scriptwriters to draw plots and motifs from many myths, and the effect of this work is not very spectacular.
The story itself is quite predictable, mainly due to the very clear division into good and bad characters. There is a lack of a gray area and a figure of questionable morality here. One can get the impression that Heron’s plot was treated quite superficially. In eight episodes, the creators wanted to include the interwoven stories of several characters that finally merge in the grand finale, but this procedure makes it difficult to get to know any of the characters well, not to mention sympathizing with them.
Technically, the show is very pleasing to the eye and ear. The created sceneries help to feel the atmosphere of the ancient polis, the animation is fluid and perfectly fits the plot, and the fight scenes are captivating. The phenomenal soundtrack helps in building the atmosphere, and the cast of actors perfectly brings the characters to life.
Another plot element that took away a lot of my viewing pleasure is treating Hera quite harshly and putting her at the head of the evil camp . Knowing the dynamics of the accounts of the rulers of Olympus from various sources, I expected a slightly more progressive approach to their battles. But in Blood of Zeus Hera is the main cause of all the misfortunes that befall not only Heron but also his father. The treachery of the ruler of Olympus has been treated almost as a privilege, and his wife has been made a hysterical woman who is able to resort to the most hideous deeds to get back at her unfaithful spouse. Zeus becomes a tragic hero, incomprehensible by the gods closest to him, while the real victim of his antics is presented in a bad light, which in my opinion is not the best idea in our time.
All in all, if you’re not looking for something super deep, Blood of Zeus can be quite a good item for long fall evenings, especially now that escapism is the only way to deal with reality. The animation is pleasant to watch, you don’t have to focus too much on the story, the musical setting is impressive and the drama chases the drama. Nothing but watch!
