Manga Review: He's My Only Vampire, Volume 5, by Aya Shouoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: 2015

Volumes: 10.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 4. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

"Forget all love and thirst only for blood..."
Acquiring a third Stigma took a heavy toll on Aki's body. To help him recuperate, Kana and the others plan a trip to a cozy hot-spring resort deep in the mist-shrouded mountains. Little do they know, this outing will open the sinister door of Aki's "original sin," and his hidden past will finally come to light!!

Review:

We’re finally getting some development here!

There’s some fighting, some fluff, some politics in the first half of the volume. But the really interesting stuff is when we get to see what happened between Kana and the twins when they were little, as she finally gets to remember what happened.

It’s dark and sad, and I feel so bad for Aki. It makes me wonder about Eriya, as well. It ends with a cliffhanger, and I’m sure it’s going to go in a new direction in the next volume, as Kana wakes up and something comes of what she remembers now.

I’m not in love with this, and I’m only slowly continuing the series. I want to love it, but it’s just okay to me. I am intrigued, though, by this new development. I hope to read the next one at some point.

Manga Review: He's My Only Vampire, Volume 4, by Aya Shouoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: September 2015

Volumes: 10.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

"Take care... for your blood...is sweet... "


The angels Isuka and Hitaki have been targeting Aki all along! In order to "purge" the pureblood vampire, they bring their Swords of Judgment down upon him! Will Kana be able to help Aki out of what appears to be a life-threatening situation...for them both?!

Review:

I will admit I’m having a harder time following and enjoying this series than Shouoto’s others being released. It’s darker, which I don’t mind, but I think I’m not connecting as much to the characters or the storyline, and I’m not remembering it as well. And we’ve met so many new characters in the last couple volumes who I don’t really care about… I don’t know what exactly it is.

I’m intrigued by the bond between Kana and Aki, and what powers she’s starting to have. I like the confidence she has with her power and her position with Aki. I also like that Aki has to bite her and the romantic feelings forming there.

After the angels introduction completes, there’s a school play that Kana and Aki get thrown into, then Aki works on collecting a new stigma.

I’m just not feeling this series, even if I really want to. I might give it a pause before coming back to it.

Manga Review: He's My Only Vampire, Volume 3, by Aya Shouoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: June 2015

Volumes: 10

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Upon Eve's invitation, Aki agrees to attend the Soiree on his own. However, Kana and Jin aren't far behind, trailing him in secret. Then, at the climax of the blood-drenched ceremonies, Kana's "Awakening" begins at last!

Review:

This series is definitely taking a darker turn than her others, and more than I expected.

We meet Aki’s fiancé, and then Aki goes to a vampire ball. Aki leaves Kana and Jin behind, for good reason, but they mess that up. The vampires are trying to work behind Aki’s back. He handles it rather well, in really the only way he can. And then we get another cliffhanger.

I like Aki and Kana’s relationship. I’m intrigued to find more out about their past. I like how serious their thrall/vampire relationship is turning out to be, and intrigued to find out how much darker the series gets with it. This volume was violent, and I liked that. The cliffhanger has me interested, but only mildly. We’ll see what happens with this new threat.

This seems like a much more mature series than Shouoto’s other two, and I like it. The artwork is harder, mature and more intricate. It fits the themes and tone, which I’m impressed by.

The next volume is always on my list.

Manga Review: He's My Only Vampire, Volume 2, by Aya Shouoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: March 2015

Volumes: 10

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

When Dealer suddenly appears, Kana learns in the ensuing scuffle just what it means to be a Pureblood vampire's "thrall." With the werewolf Jin now fighting beside Kana and Aki as an ally, the three begin their search for the other Stigmas in the second volume of this dark vampire adventure!!

Review:

A little off topic to start: I don’t understand why Aya Shouoto has suddenly had so many releases. She’s had at least three series picked up at once. Doesn’t that seem weird? Did something happen for her rise in popularity that I missed? Not a complaint, mind you, as I am enjoying her series and art, but it just seemed odd to me.

Now, for the actual manga.

This volume had a very different feel than the first one. Here, we get full on school life mode.

Kana goes back to school, along with Aki and Jin, mostly with Aki learning what her normal day life is like. Kana figures out what to do with her club situation, and decides to start her own. Jin is kind of adorable, and pretty much just follows them. Aki gets popular, for a while, but everyone else is afraid of/dislikes Kana and Jin, though Kana is determined to change her public image.

We officially meet Kana’s younger brother in this volume, and I like him. I’m interested to see more of him, and hope he gets a bigger presence in the series. We also got more of an idea of how the whole thrall and vampire, and the stigma hunting thing works. I’m intrigued to see where it goes next.

Then there was a cliffhanger, and I’m interested to see where that goes. I feel like there’s still a lot to learn and develop in this series. I’m looking forward to reading more, though.

Manga Review: He's My Only Vampire, Volume 1, by Aya Shouoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: December 16, 2014

Volumes: 10

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 2.

Wishlist Thursday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

You are my "thrall"--mine and mine alone...
When Kana, a student at St. Agatha Academy, lays eyes on her long-lost childhood friend Aki amid the throng of the metropolis, the gears of destiny begin to turn!
Meeting with an unfortunate accident not long after, Kana finds herself pulled from the arms of death by a vampire--Aki. Now Kana must give herself over to Aki, body and soul, as his "thrall," and soon she is trust into a dangerous game to obtain demonic powers known as "STIGMA," which could very well spell the end for her all over again!

Review:

I’m pretty sure this is a newer of Shouoto’s series, and the art does look a little different. It also didn’t pull me in quite as much as Kiss of the Rose Princess did. I’m still sticking with it, though.

The vampire plot is a little dark already, with some underground things already clearly happening. There is some explanation, but I’m sure there’s more to come.

We meet Kana, an overachieving high school girl, who was friends with these boys when she was younger. Then one of them, Aki, shows up. He saves her by biting her, turning her into his thrall, now the only one he can drink from. He has some hidden goals, though. We meet one of Kana’s classmates, who is entwined in this, though ends up in a rather cute position.

I’m intrigued, a little confused, but definitely picking up the next one. I like what I’ve seen so far, and am curious to see what happens next. I especially look forward to getting to know the characters more.