Vampires are the shining light in the darkness of my moth-like existence. A dangerous thing, but something that I’m drawn to regardless of consequences- much like a certain vampire’s obsession with anime. Extending on Julietta Suzuki’s one shot of the same name, Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite volume 1 isn’t just vampires and otaku… okay, maybe that’s about 95% of it, but still. Despite thinking I had a read on what this series would be like in hand, I’ve left the first volume comfortably surprised and very excited for its follow up, and I’d love to explain why.
Hina Alucard was a tiny NEET vampire once upon a time, much to the worry of her father. After (perhaps too much) of a push by handing her an anime DVD to watch, she lands in Japan and is right next door to an almost exact look alike to her favorite character. The same face, the same hair and mannerisms… but not the same personality. Much of Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite volume 1 centers on this lookalike- named Kyuuta Amanatsu- and the butting of heads between mega fan and regular person. It’s a great dynamic, but as I’ll touch on later has a bit of a sour point to it. Regardless, the story centers on the pair’s relationship largely after Amanatsu discovers the truth about Hina.
The result is a lot of hijinks and references to fictional anime Vampire Cross, and honestly it’s a lot of fun. In my eyes, it’s a solid reminder of how much originality matters than scenery. Manga about obsessive idol fans are surprisingly common, but can fail to be recognizable or unique. Turns out, all they have to do is make the lead a massive otaku (and potentially a vampire with a cute pair of glasses). Either way, that bit of a step off the beaten path brings a lot of life to Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite volume 1, as well as a delightfully creative spin on some shoujo tropes.
First and foremost just has to be the rival trope. Rather than it being girls vying for Amanatsu’s looks, Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite substitutes in vampires after his sweet, sweet blood. It’s a lot of fun as the first volume abstracts a lot of those rivalries to their simplest forms and then builds around them with pieces that better fit their nature as vampires. In this volume alone you get the yandere, as well as the female lead’s best friend in love (though more importantly, otakudom).
While on the topic of straying from the beaten path, it’s really fun how much Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite volume 1 enjoys doing so. Yes, on the surface there’s quite the road to follow in terms of story- but you can’t rely on that alone. Every so often it’ll throw a curveball. Is Amanatsu and otaku hater because he’s got a NEET relative, or does he not want anyone getting close to him for some secret reason? Will Hina make Amanatsu hers, or will we be strung along for all of eternity? It’s a very nice helping of subversions that keep the overall narrative fresh, and end up pairing really well with the humor of the series.
Keeping with art, Suzuki did an incredible job with Hina in Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite volume 1. Shoujo protagonists must be pretty- it’s a rule as old as time. However, Hina is also very nerdy and surprisingly childish. It presents an interesting challenge, but Suzuki meets it head on with a perfectly malleable design. With a lot of external factors like Hina’s (really cute) glasses, more reserved and casual clothing, and silly expressions, Suzuki is able to effortlessly present Hina as a little goofball of a girl (though really, the characters of this series are college age). The inverse is true as well, though. Don the right clothings, and find her at the right moment, and Hina’s otherworldly and vampiric beauty will appear. It’s definitely important to note though, regular Hina is still very pretty- just in a less ethereal and traditional sense.
I suppose rather than listing off every little bit that I’ve enjoyed with Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite volume 1 I should just say the following. You don’t have to be a big vampire fan like myself to enjoy this manga. Of course, it’s what brought it to my attention, but I’m here now and can very comfortably say that it’s a riot of a romcom that has quite a bit going for it. Which is to be expected, really, of the mangaka for Kamisama Kiss (I couldn’t fit it in anywhere else). All the same, if you like romcoms you should read Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite. And if you like vampires, you should really read Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite.
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