Warning, this series has a few pages that would not be appropriate for minors and is classified Older Teen 16+.Dance in the Vampire Bund is a series I have only relatively heard of. I watched one episode of the manga and put it down due to the weirdness of it and lack of overall appeal. However I found the manga version, and wanting to read a story about vampires that do not glitter in the sunlight and break the hearts of innocent teenage girls that seems to be slowly coming in as the official vampire stereotype (Yes, you know the book series) instead wanting to read something a bit more classic vampireish, the true blood sucking ones! So yes, read on for my review of Dance in the Vampire Bund, Volume 1.
After millennia in hiding, Mina Tepes, the Princess of the ancient covenant and ruler of all vampires, wants change. Using the vast wealth of the Tepes line, she has paid off the entire gross national debt of Japan and in doing so, gained the authority to create a “special district” off the coast of Japan that is to become the future haven to vampires the world over! Now, on the eve of the landmark press conference announcing the existence of vampires to the world, terrorists and rival factions plot of assassinate Mina before she has a chance to make her world-changing announcement!
So yes, it is the big day, vampires intergrating themselves into mainstream society and with it, escaping all the negativity surrounding their normal lives. Mina Tepes is the one responsible for it all, offering the Japanese government the money to pay off the national debt in order to take over Landfill #0, to build the vampire society, which shall be a safe haven for them all. The story however follows Akira, a member of the Earth clan, one of the clans of werewolves (Don’t worry, not related to that book) and is now a servant of Mina.
The storyline of this volume basically follows the terrorist attacks before the meeting, and then the conference announcing vampires to the world. Both of these chapters are actually very well planned out, providing enough information to keep you wanting to read the next chapter and providing the bloody action and storyline to follow on from it. Besides those two events, it also gives you the background behind the city and its residents and the relationship between Akira and Mina, showing that whilst she is violent in battle and becomes a blood-thirsty vampire, she has a legitimate concern for her people and will protect them at any rate, all the while not harming innocent humans. Character development is constant and not only focuses on the two, but the number of characters, both good and bad that appear in the first volume. Overall, I am very satisfied.
There are a few pages within the volume which would be considered not appropriate for minors, since there is light nudity involved. That being said, it is not noticeable for the most part and I found myself distracted by the surrounding events that it was hard to notice. Also, they would usually use a back shot or some sort of cover to cover any areas which would be considered untasteful. Getting away from that, the artwork within this volume is absolutely great, with both the environments and character designs having a lot of detail put into them. Even the side characters had character designs which would make you think they are main characters and all designs have a uniqueness to them which suits the characters personality. Also, regarding backdrops… there is a lot of detail put into them, with most of the panels having some personalization done to them. Simply put, fantastic artwork in this series so far!
There are not that many extras put into this volume, however with a book this satisfying, I can overlook it quite fine:
- Some sort of poem or similar used as a title page, very effective and unique.
- Dance with the Vampire Maid 4koma strips.
- No advertising (This is so rare that this must be a feature!)
This series is not for everyone, with the pages of nude battles and all that, however if you overlook that, you can actually find a really well paced and structured series with interesting characters and lots of battles. A tribute to the classic, original and true vampires!
Overall Score
Storyline: 9
Character Development: 9
Artwork: 10
Extras: 5
Personal Opinion: 9
Overall Score: 9
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