Vampeerz

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At the time of writing there are 17 chapters out. This is another story from the mangaka behind Prism, a yuri manga cancelled after only a very short run, but that is still highly regarded in the genre. So far, Vampeerz is quite a cute manga, that offers a nice change of pace from typical yuri manga by offering a plot outside of the relationship between the two girls. Of course, that plot relates to the vampires in the story, in this case revolving around their interest in an ancient knife, however it is too early to comment on how that story will develop.

In many ... ways, this manga reminds me of some earlier harem manga such as Tenchi Muyo or Ah! My Goddess! - well, the latter I do not really consider harem, but similarly involves a main character being introduced to more fantastical characters as the story progresses, and living with some. Vampires are similarly introduced at a regular rate in this manga. At the time I found those stories charmless, but reading a manga like this in 2020 feels comfortable and nostalgic.

The main characters are sweet, although the relationship has been a bit one-sided, which I do not enjoy in yuri manga, but it is still early days. The artwork is absolutely delightful as well, probably some of the nicest art in a yuri manga I have ever seen.

So far, I don't think this is anything groundbreaking as a manga in general, but for the yuri genre it really stands out by offering a less standard plot, amazing artwork and well-paced intimacy between the two girls. I will look forward to the rest of the releases.

//Mild spoilers for the sake of discussing themes//

Sometimes, it's not fun to be a yuri fan. There's a dearth of good shoujo ai works, and whatever glimmers amidst the wreckage of this industry must be gold, right? I'll say it right now, I both liked Vampeerz, and am almost certain that the author is into underage girls, based on their other works and the fanservice in this one. No matter how much I liked Prism, and this, I can't really let that go unexamined.

So Vampeerz is about a girl named Ichika, and her love for a 200+ year old vampire named Aria, and... honestly, ... there's a plot going on sometimes, and it's okay, but so far it doesn't seem to be going anywhere, nor does it take itself seriously in the slightest. The closest thing to a theme so far seems to be Aria's growing feelings for Ichika vs her desire to kill herself, though that's apparently extremely difficult for vampires in this setting. And she'd need Ichika to do it, which isn't happening anytime soon, since the girl loves her to death. So... there's an attempt at a plot outside the main pairing, and it's not exactly offensive or anything, but it's not exactly noteworthy either. Overall, it reads like a fluffy, semi-slowburn slice of life romance with vampires, and its occasional lapses into what in other manga would be 'dark themes' are not handled with any kind of weight. Overall, it's cute but a little immature, kind of like its protagonists.

Likewise, there are a fair few characters, most of whom are enjoyable to read, but they're not exactly a bunch where you could point at one individually and say 'this is a strong, well developed character'. Ichika and Aria are believable, and cute as hell together, and the romance is handled pretty well. Extremely well, for this industry, where 'teacher on student rape' and 'friends holding hands and not much else, it's totes gay guys' walk side by side. The vampire who becomes the school nurse is freaking creepy, though, and definitely a pedophile, though this is played for mild comedy, yay. Thanks Japan.

Now then, the art. I am of two minds about it. Much like Prism, the art looks gorgeous, with clean, well-defined lineart and shading. Also much like Prism, there's some real issues with sameface going on. Don't get me wrong, it still looks good, and it's gotten better since Prism, but... yeah, characters still look veeery similar, face-wise. I mean, it's only realistic, since Japanese people all look the sa-
... jk, please don't crucify me. But seriously, it's kinda bad for a work with otherwise really standout, amazing art. Likewise, because the art is good, we're treated to amazingly detailed panels of 14 year old girls making out, which is uncomfortable, even if the story context makes you want to cheer them on for being so brave.

Yeah, they're 14. Even Aria, who's been around for at least 200 years, acts 14 in terms of maturity due to likely being turned at that age. On the one hand, at least she doesn't act like an adult, but on the other hand... damn, that's uncomfortable. Like, teenagers be horny. I get it, you get it, most people who remember being teens get it. The romance is pretty cute, and I'm jaded as hell, but I can't say I'm 'okay' morally with seeing a 14 year old have an implied orgasm from her teen girlfriend's vampire bites. Looking at the author's other works... yeah, they like lolis, no question. They write preteen hentai. So that puts me in a bit of a bind, to be honest. Vampeerz is pretty good by shoujo ai's incredibly low standards, but it's also low-key gross, because the author almost certainly gets off to this. Not incredibly gross, adult-on-toddler gross, but it has enough 'fanservice' shots of underage people for literally no reason that it's still pretty gross.

Basically, if this industry wasn't kinda trashy, this would be a mildly controversial fluff story with good art, because anime at large cares not one iota if you like children. It's like Berserk, in that sense. Fairly well written, with a lot of dodgy 'why, Japan?' moments that make you wonder if the mangaka needs to go to jail. If, like me, you're starved for GL content and will read nearly anything, I'd say go for it. You could do a hell of a lot worse than Vampeerz, as much as the fanservice gets pretty disgusting in places. After all, it's not like Jousei GL is going to suddenly become mainstream, right?

For clarity up front, I have read 21 chapters at the time of this review and have no intention of reading any more.

Vampeerz is a perfect example of two things I always try to avoid in media; specifically, two things that I try to avoid in any stories about lesbians. The first and, in all fairness, the most egregious thing is the sexualization of young girls. I didn't get the same feelings to this degree when I read Prism, Show Higashiyama's other major non-hentai work. In Prism, while a bit questionable in how prevalent the kissing and touching scenes are with children, nothing was explicit ... enough to set off alarms for me to look into its author. I should have when I read Prism, as Vampeerz is not the same kind of story.

In Vampeerz, there are consistently shots of children's panties, incredibly explicit French kissing panels between young girls, an open pedophile played off as a joke, numerous shower/bath scenes between the children or characters of unknown age, etc. Vampeerz rides a very fine line between child pornography and an otherwise sort of OK romance. Unfortunately, it finds itself on the wrong side of that line far far far too often.

The other thing I try to avoid that Vampeerz is a perfect example of is the male gaze in stories about women; especially the male gaze in stories about gay women. Similarly to the movie Blue Is The Warmest Color, a movie about two young gay women having sex with each other directed by a man, Vampeerz exists to pander to the desires of its male creator and his presumed male audience.

The most difficult thing about being a woman trying to find stories about gay women is avoiding straight male fetishization of lesbians. This story doesn't explore or address any truths or hardships about being a gay woman because the author is a straight man. If you are looking for something by and for us, look elsewhere.

The art in Vampeerz is, for the most part, very well done, though the characters all have a near-identical face. Also, most characters don't outrageously suck, if you're reading this and still interested. I personally cannot condone anyone read an author who draws child porn.

And, in case anyone wants to object to me giving this a 1: the lowest numerical score possible to give to something is exactly what that thing deserves when its content, creator, themes, and morals are repulsive. Vampeerz has no value to anyone not interested in watching little girls be sexualized for the sake of a creepy straight dude.