Vampire and His Victim Move In Together
About:
Warning:
This review will contain spoilers for the manga and anime series Bite Marks and Fluorite. While the manga may vary slightly from all other forms of media, it may have similar story elements and could be considered spoilers.
Content Warning: There may be references to blood, violence, self-harm, implied child abandonment, being orphaned, blood drinking, religion, prejudice, mentions of war, and death, as they appear in the manga.
Synopsis:
Haru is your average retail employee. On his way home after a long day on the sales floor, he wants nothing more than to take a bath and hop into bed, only to do it all over again. But things don’t quite go as planned. While walking home, he sees someone being stalked by a dangerous-looking person. Assuming there is about to be a mugging, Haru steps in, only to end up being mortally wounded in the process.
Haru assumes this is the end, and while he doesn’t want to die, he doesn’t have much choice in the matter. That is until the person he saves approaches him in his final moments. Rather than calling for help or providing first aid, this stranger does something odd. He bites him. As it turns out, this person is a vampire, and after being bitten, Haru will turn into one, too, saving and prolonging his life in the process. But the change isn’t instantaneous.
His biter is Akihito, and Akihito explains to him that right now, Haru is in an in-between stage. He is what is known as a ‘tank,’ a human in the process of turning who can easily and freely give blood and is coveted by already-turned vampires. Haru is in danger, but thankfully, Akihito fully intends to take responsibility for the second life he’s given Haru.
Review:
This is a rare instance where I don’t think the cover does the artwork justice. I feel like the muted colors of the characters on the cover make them look weird more than it gives them an aesthetic. Plus, our sweet bottom’s face, Haru’s face, looks really weird to me. I feel like it’s something about the alignment of the eyes along with the shape of the face, but here we are. The art in the story itself isn’t perfect. Haru does suffer from a larger and longer face on occasion, which I think again is due to both the alignment of his eyes and his slicked-back up-do. He’s very cute overall, but he is the most inconsistent throughout the work. Still, the series is very clean and pretty, which is always so nice to see.
However, while the art is nice, I’m a bit put off by the text in this title. It’s shocking how many grammar mistakes and oddly spaced text there are in this manga. For a Tokyopop title, I expect it to be pretty high quality, and while I wouldn’t say it’s the worst I’ve seen in the world, it’s still disappointing. It is worth noting that I did read this digitally, so there is a chance that the alignment issues are exclusive to the digital version, and I know part of it is probably to ensure no bleeding off the side on various devices. Still, there are some moments where it makes no sense for the text to be so far off-centered within the bubble. Add in a few grammar mistakes, and it makes for a distracting read.
But enough about the technical stuff. I wanted to get into what’s most important: the story. I have to admit that I’m a sucker for the aloof, introverted, and gloomy vampire type. Is it a cliche? Sure, but I love it. I especially love it when that archetype is paired with a sunshine character. I like the grumpy-and-sunshine dynamic, too, but there is nothing like a gloomy guy meeting a sunshine. This makes Akihito and Haru the ideal couple for me. If you love a gloomy-and-sunshine pair, this is a good one. But Haru is much more complex than your standard sunshine character. He is bright and positive, but he comes from a complex background with what is implied to be childhood abandonment and this neverending expectation of displacement. This positivity toward moving away and getting rid of things is not only because he’s a happy guy but because that is what he’s grown used to, having to leave things behind and move on whether he wants to or not. It’s quite powerful.
But where this really shines is the foundation for this story. Vampires are cool and all, but they are pretty well-established creatures, which can make them feel predictable and uninspired. But we get some unique lore here with the introduction of the Tank. I like the idea that there is an in-between point when a person is going through “the change” where they become this beefy human variant that can be fed upon without turning any more humans. It gives vampires this perception of wanting to avoid all responsibility, which makes Akihito’s sense of responsibility and guilt all the more impressive and loveable. Unfortunately, we get very little else about this vampire world beyond that interesting plot point. Since this is a one-shot, the amount of world-building that can be done while developing the romance is far less than I would like. You will be disappointed if you’re hoping for a lot of world exploration in this semi-dystopian, vampiric future.
Results:
This was cute! I loved the setup and what little world-building we get, but it also made me crave a lot more. This had a ton of potential to be a win, but ultimately, it left me a bit wanting. I do still think this is worth reading. Just be aware that the focus is all on the relationship, so what little vampire lore there is is minimal at best. I’m happy I read it, but I would love to get more entries in this universe.
Have you read Bite Marks and Fluorite? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!