Written by the same author as the immensely popular Durarara!! and the acclaimed Baccano!, Vamp! is.... surprisingly under the radar. It has similar characteristics of Narita's other works including a ridiculously unique cast of characters and pretty solid plot twists but for some reason nobody has ever heard of it.
I for one had a ton of fun reading it and very much enjoyed it.
Story: 9/10
The story revolves around Waldstein Castle, a castle in Germany that is also a tourist attraction on the Island of Growerth. What most of the tourists don't realize is that the castle is also inhabited by Viscount Von Waldstein and his
...
adopted children Relic and Ferret, who happen to be vampires. Narita drives inspiration from literally every kind of vampire mythology and runs with it. Unlike every other vampire series I've seen, Vamp! doesn't limit vampires to anything. There are some that drink blood, and others who might prefer a cheesburger. Literally anything is possible. I'll talk about that more in the character section.
Each of Vamp!'s volumes has a different story, except for volumes 2 and 3 which are 1 arc. I found the stories in each volume to have a very nice plot for each, which manages to incorporate scores of characters without getting bogged down by them. I laughed many times and even cried a few times, too. While the series as a whole starts out lighthearted, it often takes a darker turn, similar to Durarara!!
The only reason I didn't give the story a 10/10 is because a certain female character is held hostage a few more times than I would prefer. Other than that, the story definitely manages to keep up with a characters, not an easy task considering how many there are, and be interesting and entertaining.
Characters: 10/10
The characters have always been a strong point for Narita. Like I said earlier, Vamp! is full of vampire mythology of all shapes and sizes. Before Vamp! I did not know that watermelon vampires existed, but after reading it and with a little bit of research, I discovered that it is actually derived from the Romani people in Eastern Europe. Not only has the author clearly done his research, he has managed to incorporate it into such an entertaining read.
I don't have the time to talk about all of the characters unfortunately, but I'll talk about some very important ones, who may also be my favorites. Relic Von Waldstein is pretty much exactly what you would expect in a vampire. Weakness to sunlight. He's got it. Immortal and incredibly powerful. Yep, although it does take a psychological toll. If Vamp! every got popular I feel like the majority of people would want to marry Relic or at least wrap him in blankets and give him hot chocolate. Next up is Relic's twin sister Ferret, who unlike her brother has no vampire powers whatsoever, but she also doesn't have any weaknesses. Ferret is just about the definition of a tsundere and may be my favorite character.
Next, are Val and Selim, who are in the running for most original vampires in the series, although they might not win. While I can't say much about Val, I will say that he might be considered the linchpin in this series and is a huge sweetheart.
There are so may characters I want to talk about but I'll just mention a few more. Watt is the mayor and may seem like a huge asshole but you get used to it and a lot of people love him. Doctor, although not coming up until the second volume, is probably the most well-written character in the series, who also deserves some blankets and hot chocolate. Michael is one of the few humans, but that doesn't stop him from interacting with vampires, and even loving a few. There's the Viscount, who runs this whole setup to begin with and while being eccentric, is a regular gentleman (also in the running for most unique vampire). And there is the mysterious vampire Organization with its own eccentrics, and the vampire hunter Shizune, who eats any vampire she catches.
Art: 8/10
Enami Katsumi is a wonderful artist, and I thoroughly enjoyed his work in Baccano! Unfortunately, because of the long gap between novels in Vamp! many of the characters in the illustration, despite being wonderfully drawn, have inconsistent designs between novels. Its probably not noticeable unless you use them for reference pictures like I do....
Enjoyment: 10/10
Vamp! was thoroughly enjoyable. I would have said tons of fun, but despite the fact that I often laughed, there were also parts when I felt like being run over by a truck. Which, is a good thing... sort of. At any rate, this story was wonderful.
Overall: 9/10
Despite some issues with the art, Vamp! was an excellent read, and I would give it a 9.5/10. Since MAL doesn't have decimals, I've decided to round down. Honestly, what Vamp! would benefit the most from is exposure. Unlike Baccano! and Durarara, Vamp! despite being written similarly, does not receive the popularity it deserves, which is why more volumes are not published often. If you're interested in reading it, but can't read Japanese, the blog Untuned Strings has done an excellent job translating it into English. I would consider it a must read for fans of Baccano!, Durarara!!, or Etsusa Bridge, and even if you haven't read/seen any of those, but are interested in a vampire story that avoids just about every cliche possible, give it a look!
All (6)FriendsAlso Available atRSS Feeds |
Jan 10, 2015
Written by the same author as the immensely popular Durarara!! and the acclaimed Baccano!, Vamp! is.... surprisingly under the radar. It has similar characteristics of Narita's other works including a ridiculously unique cast of characters and pretty solid plot twists but for some reason nobody has ever heard of it.
I for one had a ton of fun reading it and very much enjoyed it. Story: 9/10 The story revolves around Waldstein Castle, a castle in Germany that is also a tourist attraction on the Island of Growerth. What most of the tourists don't realize is that the castle is also inhabited by Viscount Von Waldstein and his ... |
