The incredibly acclaimed Platinum Games title Bayonetta has been re-imagined in the form of a Japanese anime film thanks to Funimation and Gonzo. The film does a fantastic job of covering most of the game, with some slight changes here and there. Gonzo also did a beautiful job bringing Bayonetta into 2D animated form.

Bayonettea: Bloody Fate is a 2014 anime film, it is produced by Studio Gonzo, and licensed by Funimation. It is available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Bayonetta is one of my favorite video games (having previously been a fan of the Devil May Cry style games), so I became ecstatic when word got out of an animated film. While it’s a bit of a downer seeing that Bloody Fate is a re-imagining of the original game, rather than a gap briding Bayonetta 1 & 2, it was still a blast seeing the titular heroine in the form of an anime.

Bayonetta in anime form.

THE GOOD: The first thing you notice and have to commend Gonzo for is capturing Bayonetta into a near perfect 2D anime light. The character designs looked like they were actually painted over wit 2D animation instead of 3D. This is an re-imagination of the original Bayonetta game, so if you’ve played the game, then the story is pretty much the same with a few changes.

Bayonetta with Luka.

THE BAD: I would have really preferred Bloody Fate being a sort of interquel between Bayonetta 1 & Bayonetta 2, but given the then uncertainty of Bayonetta 2 after Sega cancelled the project midway through development at the time, it’s understandable that Gonzo didn’t have much to work with in terms of story. Fans might also have a big problem with the edited lore, though small as it may be.

Jeanne as she appears in Bloody Fate.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Bloody Fate is a great incarnation of Bayonetta in anime form, but only Bayonetta die-hards will likely see anything worth while due to it being an animated remake of the first entry in the franchise. Gonzo did fantastic work animating the Bayonetta universe into 2D. It would have been more fun had this been a bridging between Bayonetta 1 and Bayonetta 2, but given the situation with the sequel at the time of development it’s understandable. Otaku Dome gives Bayonetta: Bloody Fate am 75 out of 100.