DVD Corner

Seraph Of The End: Vampire Reign Volume 1 Manga Review

“Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign” is off to a decent start.

Written by Takaya Kagami and drawn by Yamato Yamamoto, the first volume of “Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign” manga reveals that a manmade virus that has apparently wiped out every human over the age of 13. All of the children under the age of 13 have by enslaved by uber strong vampires and are used for their blood. The story focuses on two children named Yuchiro and Mikaela. Yuchiro is a fearful, impatient, angry, dreamer while Mika is a street smart kid. The two friends stick together and hope to someday break free of the vampires. To say anything more than this would be revealing some major surprises and plot twists, but readers can expect to see storylines involving a vampire named Lord Ferid, the Japanese Imperial Demon Army, and the vampire extermination outfit known as The Moon Demon Company.

Like many manga series, “Seraph of the End” does suffer from many trite elements such as the high school plot device and the fact that the series could potentially devolve into yet another action adventure involving characters fighting with giant weapons (in this case it would be demonized weaponry called cursed gear). If you can get past that, however, you’ll find a relatively fresh take on the vampire genre.

Now, we all know the vampire genre has been done to death as of late, but “Seraph of the End” offers up an intriguing concept that focuses more on world building and themes rather than blood sucking beasts. Via the deep character Yuchiro, readers get a nice entry way into the universe and also get a surprisingly heartfelt story that tackles themes and ideas such as family, friendship, survival, teamwork, and change. Granted, the dialogue and exposition can be a tad bit repetitive, rushed, and clumsy at times, but by the time the enticing cliffhanger ending rolls around, I think many readers will overlook the flaws.

Note: This manga contains a fold out poster.

December 20, 2014 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Book review | Seraph Of The End: Vampire Reign Volume 1 Manga Review, Viz Media