Vampeerz

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//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.

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.

So long as there are cute girls and a form of passionate love that defies societal conventions, starved yuri fans will flock to a work like moths to a flame. Vampeerz fulfills those benchmarks by having ample intimacy scenes that grow more intense as the pairing falls deeper in love, excellent chemistry between two likeable leads and some mystery in the backdrop that promises more to come.

The dynamic between Ichika (human) and Aria (Vampiress) is that of equal footing - instead of one side dominating over the other (usually the supernatural being in vampire/human love tales), they work to complete each others vulnerabilities. Ichika is ... more honest in her emotions and acts upon her immediate impulses. Her continued passion towards an initially cold Aria helps to give her a renewed purpose for a life she once wished to end. Likewise, Aria being a figure shrouded in mystery provides light to Ichika's previously dull life. She commits herself to Aria entirely in hopes of being rewarded in the same way.

The age of Ichika is 14 years old. This can perhaps be a problematic for some readers who prefer romances with sexual themes to feature matured characters rather than young teens. However, I'd argue that this is relevant to Ichika's growth as she comes to terms with her sexual preferences and undergoes puberty. She is not taken advantage of by someone older, on the contrary is the one who initiates with the one target of her desire. The girl whom receives her advances is also inexperienced in the realm of love in Aria, allowing them to mutually grow through each others experiences together.

The cyclical reward in their relationship makes the intimacy scenes all the more enjoyable. As their feelings progress, so does the intensity by which they express their desires for one another. The artwork during such scenes is very well detailed; instead of two mouths fusing together and tongues fighting DBZ style the characters will target bottom and upper lips in a realistic kissing motion. This is not to say that their relationship is entirely sexually charged - there are many moments of comedy involving the two in their daily adventures as they began to learn more about each other. Such as Aria being afraid of ghosts, something you certainly wouldn't expect from a being of supernatural power. In many other ways does Aria's behavior contradict that of the legend of vampires, usually played for laughs.

Despite the aforementioned tangent on realistic kissing motions, this is not a fanservice heavy manga. though there are a number of promiscuous shots that serve no greater purpose other than to show off the appeal of the designs. Not so blatant to offend those who abhor ecchi, but not so subtle for those who love ecchi to feel as though the content is too tame. Vampeerz strikes a nice balance here.

As of writing, there is little to no drama or angst. No conflicts that threaten to divide the lovers nor forces that are trying to cause havoc in their relationship. All of the vampires thus far are relatively docile, at worst being a sexual deviant, who are trying their best to assimilate into a human environment. But, there is a hint of more to come with the mysterious power of a knife possessed by Ichika that can kill the immortal. The mere existence of this knife guarantees that it will be used for some purpose and become a point of emphasis later. For what purpose is to be determined.

This appears to be a quality entry into the girls love catalog. A same sex romance that doesn't beat around the bush or toy with the fans emotions. The character artwork is good and the characters themselves are super likable. Perhaps later on it'll succumb to stupidity as many romances tend do, but far so good. Totally worth the investment of those who falls into the target area of romance/yurii/supernatural enthusiast.

My initial impression of Vampeerz - having gone in completely blind, and currently only two volumes in - is that it's fun, but flawed. Charming and funny at times, but awkward and hard-to-follow at others. It's trashy, and knowing who wrote it kinda sours the whole thing, but I wouldn't write it off completely. It's no Shakespeare, but if the concept really appeals to you, it may be worth a look.

The concept is incredibly simple; a girl meets a vampire at a funeral, the vampire moves in, hi-jinks ensue. What is immediately noticeable - and what drew me in originally - is that some of ... the art is absolutely gorgeous. The kissing scenes have some wonderful details (the spit trails especially), and the blood sucking scenes feel great. The artist genuinely has some real talent, and it shines in the more overtly erotic panels. Though, I feel rather conflicted praising him. That being said, anything that isn't meant to be erotic can be pretty hit or miss. The style and quality randomly changes, and while the author's got a knack for human designs, most of the background and environments are pretty dull.

The story however is practically non-existent. Dialogue is choppy, and hard to follow. Each chapter feels disconnected from the others, and plot points are brought up, resolved or ignored, and then dumped a chapter later. At times, it almost feels like entire pages were ripped out. Characters act spontaneously, dialogue is suddenly dropped, motivations turn around on a dime. The story is just serves as excuses for the erotic scenes and attempts at comedy. If you're someone who wants narrative-heavy yuri that follows complex characters, I'd really recommend that you skip on Vampeerz.

The elephant in the room is that Vampeerz is written by A) a guy, B) who has a history almost exclusively in hentai (it seems, primarily with schoolgirls), and C) involves some explicit and erotic stuff between teenage main characters. Letter A is the big one, in my opinion, especially because it feels like Vampeerz tries to hide it. The pseudonym it's published under, "Akili," is typically read as a woman's name. And whenever the author is gendered in the manga, they/them is used exclusively. I do think knowing that Vampeerz is made by a guy and not a girl changes the context quite a bit. Personally, I read through the first two volumes thinking the author was a woman, and looking back, a lot of the erotic scenes do feel a bit more predatory. It's difficult to explain, although I'm sure anyone who's gone read a lot of yuri understands the feeling.

Ultimately, I don't think this kills my interest in Vampeerz. I know my own limits, and - at least as of volume two - they haven't been crossed. And I do intend to keep reading. But I'm not sure I could really recommend Vampeerz to anyone else as anything more than problematic trashy fun. Use your own judgement - if the above sounds really off-putting to you, then skip this one. You're not missing much.

This is the perfect mesh of horror, comedy, and romance. It has gay vampire girls! You will really enjoy this manga if you read GL, horror, or anything about vampires, as said. The main character, Ichika, is really funny. I'm only 2 volumes in, but so far it has been a super cute story: a tale of a girl's first love with a "bloody" twist. The art style is lovely and there are many entertaining characters throughout the story. There is a fun sleepover scene with the friends at one point and it's really sweet. However, underlying it all, is a dark request of Ichika ... made by her love interest, Aria, the vampire who appears to her after her Grandmother's funeral at the beginning of the story. I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes!

I started reading this by recomendation of some random person on the internet and this may be the last time I do that.

The story itself wasn't terrible, if thats all it was then I likely would've finished it but i couldn't handle the constant sexualization, I can only put up with so much "fanservice". As others have said, the constant sexualization - and sometimes nudity - of the underage characters made me very uncomfortable. The characters themselves were mostly fine, I liked Aria and Khara, but the way they acted sometimes was too much. It's even called out sometimes by other characters that it's ... weird for middle school girls to be acting this way.

I don't want to ramble on with the same things others have said so to keep it short, don't read this if you want actual storytelling, theres more softcore-porn than story. The art was great, I liked the worldbuilding, but everything else made me unconfortable. Anyone who would reccomend it is probably a weirdo.

sexy as hell!
i dunno it has genuine way to convey different technical aspects of story telling and stuff. art is very pretty and prolike but also slightly balanced so u dont have that feeling as if u in the freaking museum.
if u there for yuri then u will be pleased. also the vampire concept is the golden abyss for yuri ideas maaan, its like nine tales in naruto all over again.
although i dont like certain parts how story is moving but main plot still rocks and it is really intresting to read, u actually wanna know what will be next.
i think that this ... manga is in any case a must read, so enjoy.

Skip to the conclusion for a TL;DR.

~Intro~

I happened upon this work when the bright red cover caught my eye from the sidebar of a manga site. It had a timeless look that frankly set my expectations too high. I'm usually more of a shoujo/josei yuri reader, but I'm a sucker for vampires and I think it does well enough with what it's trying to accomplish.

~Art~

- The quality of the composition varies throughout, ranging from utilitarian and flat to bursting with creativity to borderline confusing to cluttered mess.
- The backgrounds are almost exclusively 3d objects or filtered photos, which I found distracting for most ... of the experience.
- Facial expressions remain consistent for most of the series and are occasionally exaggerated or stylized for comedic effect. But there are several instances where they just look awkward, like the artist can't take the expression far enough and its stuck in an uncomfortable limbo.
- There's a stiffness to some of the poses that's mainly noticeable during action scenes. Some of the fights in the later chapters look BAD. The lines of action are off, the poses aren't just stiff but also awkward, there's no sense of depth or momentum, the pacing of the action and dialogue seems unnatural, and I could probably go on. I wouldn't be surprised if you told me this artists draws over photo or 3d character references.

+ The character designs are simple, but they stand out enough that I wasn't ever uncertain about who was who.
+ The quality of the character illustration is great. Accurate proportions and clothing. Besides the manga-esque faces, the style aims for photorealism.
+ There are some panels and pages that are very memorable (and not just ecchi ones).
+ As you would expect, a disproportionate amount of care and detail is spent on the ecchi scenes, to the point of becoming hyperreal in the detail of the kissing. There's also a strong emphasis on the eroticism of blood sucking shown skillfully through facial expressions and body language.

Overall, the combination of photorealism, 3d/photo backgrounds, and stiffness left the art generally feeling sterile in a clinical way. Plenty of panels look fantastic, but the space between them felt bland.

~Writing~

The comedy landed more often than not. The emotional beats of the later chapters were effective. The dialogue is decent. The themes center around immortality, which is explored from start to finish. There's a seriousness and gravity afforded to some of the scenes that balance out the ecchi and comedy to form a more well rounded whole.

~Plot~

There are elements that are introduced and later dropped, time spent on things that ended up not mattering, and inconsistent pacing. It starts off slow and seemingly aimless, but overtime develops a narrative destination as well as internal vampire lore. For the first half, things are just happening without much information given to the reader. The latter half begins tying these threads together. The ending hinges on factors that feel convenient rather than satisfying, but it did look cool.

The story is okay. Its serviceable as a backdrop to the relationship and romance of the two main characters. There are a variety of locations spanning several continents which was fun to see.

~Characters~

The main character, Ichika, is our point of view for most of the manga. Unfortunately, she has limited agency, so the plot is happening around her for most of the story. She's impulsive, sincere, and kindhearted, and acts as a foil to Aria, who is reserved and apathetic after living for so long. The supporting characters are pretty one note, with the exception of two who get an extended flashback sequence that was one of the highlights of the manga for me.

The characters don't develop much through the story, and their motivations aren't always clear. The racial diversity of the supporting characters is notable, which includes an Indian woman and an Arab woman.

~Conclusion~

If "male-gazey yuri vampire erotica with plot" sounds good to you, give it a shot. Otherwise, skip it. Cute girls kissing and sucking blood is the focus of this manga. Everything else is secondary. That’s not to say there's nothing else of value, but that should be the reason you choose to pick this manga up.

If you tend to have reactions like "ugh, why is anime/manga like this?", then give this one a pass. There are things that will definitely trigger a reasonable disgust response in many people.

It's kinda like a queer version of Twilight – toxic romance with toxic character tropes –, except that the characters are in their early teenage years, and there is no love-triangle. Plus a lot of Ecchi.

The story is pretty shallow. Nothing really happens. The characters pretend there's some kinda dramatic event going on, but it's just all exaggerated, really. Similar to politicians; they can't answer a simple question directly, but have to talk around the bush. That's basically the plot. Unnecessarily put into length. At times it is at least entertaining, but mostly just boring. One of the major backstories literally came in volume 8. ... 8!!!
If you love those lengthy stories, then sure, you probably wouldn't mind reading through 8 volumes to get to the main plot. Not my cup of tea though.

What I also really don't get is Aria. Why is everyone so eager to protect her? Other than the other Lilus just doing their job as her servants, I seriously don't get what's so great about her. Everyone is praising her, but for what?
Another "wonderful" example why authors should show, not tell.

Vampires are one of my favorite mythology creatures, so I was thrilled when I found a GL vampire story, but this really is just disappointing. I will probably continue reading, merely bc of curiosity, but won't actively follow it. I doubt my rating towards this series will get better, but if, then I might update this review.
Other than that, I don't really recommend it, unless you're into shallow plot with toxic characters.

//POSSIBLE SPOILERS//
so as someone who finds it hard to find a good sapphic romance this is amazing, the writing is good, and the art is amazing, but however, morally not great, if youre in your mid-early teens its less bad, but as a young adult its morally hard to read given the frequent nudity of the 14 year old characters(jesus why), not to mention a more than questionable adult character close by which i wont mention for the sake of spoilers. however, as someone who just came out as a young adult, and didnt get to have any queer experiences and was a late bloomer, ... its satisfying to read to live through the characters and their romance and i cant help but be happy for them. But as an adult i cant help but be upset at the sexualization of teens/children in media, by the adult creators of this manga, and no this isnt just a japan issue as someone said, but given the standards for queer media and how insanely hard it is to find anything out there at all and that ISNT morally wrong or questionable this is a very good read if you can push morals aside, especially if you love vampires like me. other than the horny teens, kissing and nudity, nothing is too bad about it, nothing bdsm or anything like that so thats good, however at first their relationship is a little questionable, unconsensual kisses(yikes).