Vampire Game by Jubal

Most villains are fumbled by dumb henchman or their own egos. They have to contend with heroes who are there to upset their plans. So what could be more frightening than an impulsive hero who wants to help the villain's quest? And the hero doesn't even know it?

"Vampire Game" by Jubal take a page from "Record of Lodoss War" in which an epic battle between two legendary forces creates a saga that in the future will return again. The legendary King St Phelios battled the great Vampire King Duzell and won, however, St Phelios sacrificed his life in the process with a destructive spell. There a curse was placed, in 100 years time both Kings would be reincarnated and battle once again. Fast forward to the 99 1/2 years after the incident, and King Phelios great- granddaughter Lady Ishtar (oh, the naming in this book...) is the heir to the throne. Unlike the king, Lady Ishtar is willful, stubborn, and will get her way. She also doesn't have the highest respect fro her ancestor either, thinking him foolish to end his life in battle. When a demonic catlike creature attacks an outskirt of a village draining people of blood, Lady Ishtar goes to investigate and ends up coming back with a kitten that she promptly names Durzell. Unknowingly she had given the proper name to the creature, as it *is* the demonic vampire king...

The story seems to have all of the trappings of a good tale, however it seems like the artist didn't pull them off with enough force. Most of the characters are standard cookie cutter sword and sorcery manga archetypes, with little about their personalities revealed. In contrast, Ishtar's spoiled attitude and disrespect for almost everything around her makes it hard to relate to her. It is only when most of the plot starts to run heavily along that you get to see the glimpses of a more responsible core and a not-so annoying personality. Durzell in his kitten form is adorable, but does not suffer from the cute sidekick personality. Durzell has a mouth on him and although he cannot communicate verbally, his thoughts are entertaining to read. Unfortunately, for all of the bright spots, the effect is like mixing tofu and hot chili; with every spicy bite you get a mouthful of bland story to go with it. However, there are hints of something much larger; a tale of great beauty and sacrifice and of desire gone wrong. Those bits make the reader anticipate more.

The artwork itself is similar in tone to "Dragon Knights", with the strange proportions and the overly long necks. The paneling itself is easy to follow, however it suffers from the common manga problem of taking quite a bit of pages to cover part of a story. If this story picks up a bit (which could happen; some series seem to take off on the second or so volume) this does have at least the earmarks of turning into something very good, a true epic. Although lukewarm now, it is one of the better titles being released right now and at least worth a look. This series might be a gamble, but at least it seems it will be a good bet.

Love it? Hate it? Buy it.