Back to Neatlight's Profile Neatlight's Profile

This manga was canned after a meager 11 chapter run. Each chapter bounces from 10 to 15 pages. The longest one is 22 pages (the first chapter). Why land emphasis on this, you ask? Because even if it wasn't given the chance to run before it could walk, nothing much is done to lay down the "dangerous" power struggle relationship it promises.

Killing Me reduces the premise to playful lashing between both parties and lame levels of introspection. The story is told almost exclusively through the vampire hunter's eyes, and most of her inner thoughts and reasonings come off as surface level. Little flashes of background ... we get for both leads don't do much to create a good sense of their personalities. All of this plays into a lack of truly standout moments. While you can blaze through it in an afternoon, it lingers akin to a mediocre gum which loses its flavor after 30 minutes.
Cute art and characters. Reasonably tolerable, but not much there.

The original 1996 one shot was clunky and saccharine. It suffered from rough sketches of 2 mostly stereotypical characters. This was foreseeable as it was a debut and not really a finalized idea. Over in the updated full version we get something with darkness to it. The dynamics shift now to 2 characters who are apathetic and cynical, finding themselves in a fitting situation. It's interesting to see how their attitudes evolve in this life and death contemplation. The supporting cast is near nonexistent but luckily both main characters balance each other out enough. Their exchanges and just "walking around and doing stuff" is the ... main bulk of the story, but drama is exercised at the right times.

Before the reader had to make some narrative concessions but now there's some real urgency and maturity to what should be a dire, dire situation. I'm all for subversive and emotionally charged romance stories. This delivers hand over fist for the most part. Yuuki's oversexualized unnecessarily at some junctures. excusing the YA moments of intimacy which are actually touching. It should be noted it keeps it in check contrasted to many other ecchi counterparts.

Despite the added depth, key moments of inconsistency poke holes through what is otherwise a bittersweet and brief story with surprising wisdom and life lessons.