Kyuuketsuhime Miyu

Vampire Princess Miyu is an interesting case, beyond just being a fun vampire anime. As each decade of anime has its strengths and weaknesses, this OVA stands as a quintessential representative of the 80s, with all its ups and downs. While bearing this identity of the time in which it was made, it manages to tell a rich, action-packed story that remains engaging to this day. Indeed, it remains superior to the full-length anime it would receive nearly a decade later, which would dilute the personality of Miyu and the general mystique of the OVA. This stands as a testament to the quality of the ... original, which I will review here. Right off the bat, the story is my favorite aspect of this show. It builds an intricate world without going into laborious detail, which nonetheless obeys certain rules and keeps everything in relative context. It deftly unfolds across its 4 episodes, revealing things at the perfect moment for story progression and viewer satisfaction. As Himiko unravels the mystery of Miyu, the viewer is taken along each step of the journey, resulting in pitched battles and confrontations with unique challenges, each one distinct from the last. Speaking of which, the art is quintessentially 80s. That is to say, it features painstakingly detailed backgrounds, electric fight scenes, and a tactile sense of presence, all the while suffering from noticeable production artifacts and subpar facial animation . Characters here suffer from what I term the 'dreaded mask', a fairly common problem in anime which appears throughout its history, where character's faces often fail to portray sufficient emotion, despite its obvious presence in a given scene. However, the best aspect of the art has to be the design of the Shinma, who appear visually striking and well-designed throughout. The sound design is competent, with the music being a good, if sometimes cheesy, accompaniment. The voice acting and sounds of life meet the standards of the time in which they were made, but the music elevates the whole thing and makes for a more engaging experience. The work of Kenji Kawai, his style shines through in spades, and is reminiscent of the work he would later do for Higurashi. While it does date this show quite a bit, with heavy synthesizer and motifs common at the time, the fact it dates it doesn't really detract from the experience. As I said before, it elevates it, and lends the show a certain aesthetic quality that is unique to itself. The characters are tailor-made for the world in which they inhabit, embodying that 80s stylistic flare coupled with an outlook on life which is nuanced in the face of unknown horrors. My favorite characters have to be Miyu and Himiko, which may be expected given that they receive the vast majority of screentime. Their interplay lends a lot of interest to the OVA and provides a driving force which moves the story along. At first, I didn't really like Miyu's character, but as she develops she becomes a more multifaceted, tragic character, and is as a result far more interesting by the end. Overall, Vampire Princess Miyu is a solid watch that I can easily recommend, especially if you're a fan of the time period.

This has to be the most unique vampire story I've known so far in anime. The narrative is so rich it could branch out and nest other narratives within the main plot, but there isn't enough awareness and craftsmanship in the execution to reach those higher levels, but we are content.

What I love about this story, as I mentioned in my other comment on the TV edition, is the gentle and eloquent situating of sadness, both in the images and the stories within, and it's crucial to mention that the "visual poetry" is of higher caliber on the OVA, while in the TV edition the ... "narrative poetry" is far more prevalent. In this version, we are missing an ingredient most important, that is the Western shinma and their connection to Larva, only a brief and sketchy appearance of one in the third episode, unlike the memory embossing and haunting passages we have of them in the TV edition (that blonde girl with a conch on the flying sea ship). On the other hand, the traditional calligraphy role is far more better here, giving some of the most chilling and almost dancing-like performance of fighting scenes, resembling the movement of brush and paper cutting, emphasizing the Kabuki reference, it's almost talismanic and ceremonial at one point. The only parts of the narrative here that I can applaud are the ones in the first and second episodes, I can contemplate on such stories and images all day.

I'm quite aware that not many see what I'm seeing in this anime, and despite the technical inconsistency here and there; I guarantee it's worthy of your time to meditate on these ephemeral streams of blood, ink and tears, try giving it a chance. I'm crossing my fingers that the original manga will be the one nearing or attaining perfection.

Kyuuketsuhime Miyu is an OVA series that features a compelling, unpredictable plot and interesting characters all shrouded in a cloak of mystery. The animation is of high quality, but the excessive panning and zooming techniques undermine the talent of the animators, resulting in missed opportunities for dynamic scenes. The main character is complex and well-written, contributing to the series’ appeal and making her a standout character. However, while the plot is engaging and builds up suspense, it remains unresolved, adding to the air of mystery but leaving the viewer feeling dissatisfied and yearning for a more conclusive ending. Ultimately, Kyuuketsuhime Miyu is a peculiar series ... that meets expectations in all aspects but fails to truly distinguish itself, ending up as a competent but forgettable production.