Creative Staff
Story/Art: Shiwo Komeyama
Translation: Mari Morimoto
What They Say
Half angel, half demon, Tsukimiya must drink pure demon blood to stave off the curse that will eventually claim her life. When she meets an angel named Hinata, he’s eager to team up with the half-blood to take down a vampire that has been attacking humans. Tsukimiya is surprised to find that Hinata is a capable partner, but when the vampire is slain, it is Hinata who claims its demon blood, leaving Tsukimiya to be taken by the curse.
In a last-ditch effort to save herself, Tsukimiya tries to drink Hinata’s blood, now mixed with the vampire’s pure demon blood. But in taking the blood that will save her, Tsukimiya has also transmitted the curse that will kill her. Hinata and Tsukimiya now share the curse… and they’re running out of time.
Technical:
The front cover is a picture of the main heroes of the book embracing in a somewhat mischievous manner over a plain white background. It’s not a fantastic image, but it’s also not a terrible one either. The back cover is just a synopsis and logo, as well as a few blood splatters, causing it to look a little plain. A few colored pages are included at the start of the book, and a short bonus comic appears at the end. Sound effects are left in their original form and subtitled, text reads smoothly, paper quality feels solid, and honorifics are not used.
The book’s art is decent, but a bit flat. Characters feel a tad stiff and unexpressive for the most part, but not exceptionally so. Shading is also very rarely used, giving the book a kind of sketchy look. Backgrounds appear here and there, and look decent. It’s not a looker, but the art is at least serviceable.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Though the half vampire, half angel girl known as Tsukimiya is a strong fighter, all her power is useless in fighting against the curse gained through her heritage. Unless she drinks the blood of a pure blood demon, the curse will kill her, and unfortunately for our heroine time is of the essence. As she feels herself falling apart she hunts down the elusive Lord Brass in order to drink his blood and gain salvation. While trying to track him down she runs into Hinata, an angel who’s been dreading trying to take down Brass on his own. Though Tsukimiya can tell he’s an untrustworthy liar thanks to her abilities, when he proves that he can suppress the pain she’s feeling from the curse, she agrees to team up with him. Together they’re able to track Brass down, and though he puts up a powerful offensive they’re able to take him down with their combined power. However, when Tsukimiya finally sees the end of her plight in view, Hinata revokes his help and leaves her suffering, revealing that he’s also a half-breed. He takes the blood and ends his own curse, but when Tsukimiya asks him for one last kiss he obliges, allowing her a chance to suck the blood back out of him. Though this prevents Tsukimiya from dying, it ends up leaving them with a shared curse between them, buying them time instead of rescuing either fully.
Later on, we rejoin Tsukimiya as she searches for an artifact known as “God’s Prophecy Book,” the power of which she hopes can prove an alternative method of lifting the curse. However, Hinata is also on the scene, and the pair end up playing a dance between cooperation and inevitable betrayal. When a demon known as Momose gets her hands on the book, though, they end up cooperating at least temporarily in order to take her down. Of course, the second they take her down they begin backstabbing one another again, until a powerful angel appears before them and demands they tell him the location of the book’s key.
Left with little choice, they decide to play along and go after the key for the angel, a pureblood named Tsuzuki. However, at his prompting they’re forced to kill one another, with the winner getting their curse cured. An intense battle ensues and when Hinata comes out on top, he finds death waiting for him rather than his reward. Fortunately, though, our heroes actually thought ahead and faked both the fight and their deaths, allowing them to steal both the book and the key, which actually possess enough power to cure them both.
When the forces of heaven and hell come chasing after them, will they be able to hold onto their prize or will it instead slip through their fingers?
In Summary
Thanks largely to the unorthodox main characters, this book makes for a fairly enjoyable read. Rather than band together in times of hardship they instead bicker, squabble, and backstab one another constantly. It’s an interesting dynamic that can be a lot of fun. Though the supporting cast certainly makes for solid villains, the heroes are fighting one another as often as they’re battling their enemies. Add in some fun fight scenes and the setup for an interesting world, and you have a nice kickoff to the series. Hopefully it can follow through, as this opening volume definitely shows potential.
Content Grade: A-
Art Grade: B
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 17+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: December 17th, 2013
MSRP: $11.99
