Lament of the Lamb

Rating:
Summary: Pretty nifty take on Vampirism....
Review: I will admit I am pretty big fan of vampire stuff, and I used to condemn anything with vampires, but being the horror fan I am, I was gradually drawn into them. So when my brother purchased "Lament of the Lamb" and told me it was a "different" take on vampires, I had to check it out. Of course I'm no vampire expert, but I have seen enough to know that I've never seen it done like this before. haha

Most the time vampires are often glorified, but anyway you look at its more of a curse then a blessing. In this manga however, there is no immortality, no people biting you and turning you into a vampire, no in this, vampirism is a genetic disease/curse that will eventually kill you, possibly drive you mad if you resist it.

Kazuna is your typical high school student, he's not sure what to do with his life after he graduates, he has no plans. One day he finds himself reacting strangely to blood, he passes out at the sight of it while sitting in as a model for a friend whom is painting him. He has no idea what is going on and can't figure out why he'd react to it like that. He soon finds himself having strange and terrifying dreams, he is drawn to his old house, and there he discovers many hidden secrets.

I really enjoyed the art style and story in this. It was very well-drawn and very well-written. I look forward to the next volume, I think it will only get better because things can only get more complicated as it goes on. :D

So, I hope this intrigued to and encourages you to check out "Lament of the Lamb", especially if you're tired of the same ol' vampire tales that litter media.

God Bless & *enjoy* ~Amy

Rating:
Summary: Pretty nifty take on Vampirism....
Review: I will admit I am pretty big fan of vampire stuff, and I used to condemn anything with vampires, but being the horror fan I am, I was gradually drawn into them. So when my brother purchased "Lament of the Lamb" and told me it was a "different" take on vampires, I had to check it out. Of course I'm no vampire expert, but I have seen enough to know that I've never seen it done like this before. haha

Most the time vampires are often glorified, but anyway you look at its more of a curse then a blessing. In this manga however, there is no immortality, no people biting you and turning you into a vampire, no in this, vampirism is a genetic disease/curse that will eventually kill you, possibly drive you mad if you resist it.

Kazuna is your typical high school student, he's not sure what to do with his life after he graduates, he has no plans. One day he finds himself reacting strangely to blood, he passes out at the sight of it while sitting in as a model for a friend whom is painting him. He has no idea what is going on and can't figure out why he'd react to it like that. He soon finds himself having strange and terrifying dreams, he is drawn to his old house, and there he discovers many hidden secrets.

I really enjoyed the art style and story in this. It was very well-drawn and very well-written. I look forward to the next volume, I think it will only get better because things can only get more complicated as it goes on. :D

So, I hope this intrigued to and encourages you to check out "Lament of the Lamb", especially if you're tired of the same ol' vampire tales that litter media.

God Bless & *enjoy* ~Amy

Rating:
Summary: Family Ties of Blood and Hunger
Review: Lament of the Lamb is a haunting and atmospheric manga by Kei Toume, one of Japan's hottest manga artists. With this first volume of an unusual vampire series, Tokyopop has brought Kei Toume's work and artistry to the North American audience. Kazuna Takashiro is a young high school student who is haunted by a mysterious past, and the secrets of the family who left him behind. Now, his long-lost sister has returned, just at the time when Kazuna discovers that he too bears the curse of the Takashiro clan, and only his sister can help him. For the Takashiros . . . are vampires.

Kei Tome has created an intense and unusual story of two vampire children, trying to cope with their condition and the bloodlust it causes before it can destroy them. This horror/fantasy manga deals with the curse of vampirism differently than many other versions. Kazuna and Chizuna live in the modern world, and Kazuna has grown up an ordinary teenager, dealing with school and his adoptive parents-the intrusion of this strange family curse into his life is met with confusion, and skepticism. The story arc encompasses Kazuna's struggle as he tries to understand who and what he is, and reconnect with his long-lost sister. Highly emotional, serious, and intense, this manga focuses on the variety of relationships existing between brother and sister and those they care about. The action remains low-level, taking a back seat to the emotional exploration and internal battles. While I enjoyed reading this manga, as I am a fan of vampire stories, I found the pace dragged a little, and the text sometimes didn't clarify what was going on. Perhaps this was a problem of translation. This is a fairly adult manga, there are some instances of violence, mostly involving blood, but nothing terribly graphic, and there is no nudity or sex.

The artwork is elegantly drawn, with clear lines, Spartan backgrounds and fairly contemporary looking characters. Rather than the outlandish hairstyles and art of many shoujo, the look is basic, but dark. Sometimes this works to the artist's benefit, allowing the story to maintain a very serious and shadowy feel. However, at times it is difficult to discern the differing characters-the hair styles are so similar that it can be difficult to figure out which character is talking, which makes the story progression harder to follow. There are no "chibi" moments to this manga intended to lighten the mood there are no comic or funny scenes-the mood remains dark and angst-ridden.

If you enjoy vampire stories such as Vampire Princess Miyu, this series may appeal to you. But those who prefer action, magic, or mecha will probably not find this story line to their liking. A decent, if somewhat limited first volume of a new vampire series, you may want to check this manga out prior to buying to see if it will appeal to you.

Happy Reading! ^_^ Shanshad

Rating:
Summary: Family Ties of Blood and Hunger
Review: Lament of the Lamb is a haunting and atmospheric manga by Kei Toume, one of Japan's hottest manga artists. With this first volume of an unusual vampire series, Tokyopop has brought Kei Toume's work and artistry to the North American audience. Kazuna Takashiro is a young high school student who is haunted by a mysterious past, and the secrets of the family who left him behind. Now, his long-lost sister has returned, just at the time when Kazuna discovers that he too bears the curse of the Takashiro clan, and only his sister can help him. For the Takashiros . . . are vampires.

Kei Tome has created an intense and unusual story of two vampire children, trying to cope with their condition and the bloodlust it causes before it can destroy them. This horror/fantasy manga deals with the curse of vampirism differently than many other versions. Kazuna and Chizuna live in the modern world, and Kazuna has grown up an ordinary teenager, dealing with school and his adoptive parents-the intrusion of this strange family curse into his life is met with confusion, and skepticism. The story arc encompasses Kazuna's struggle as he tries to understand who and what he is, and reconnect with his long-lost sister. Highly emotional, serious, and intense, this manga focuses on the variety of relationships existing between brother and sister and those they care about. The action remains low-level, taking a back seat to the emotional exploration and internal battles. While I enjoyed reading this manga, as I am a fan of vampire stories, I found the pace dragged a little, and the text sometimes didn't clarify what was going on. Perhaps this was a problem of translation. This is a fairly adult manga, there are some instances of violence, mostly involving blood, but nothing terribly graphic, and there is no nudity or sex.

The artwork is elegantly drawn, with clear lines, Spartan backgrounds and fairly contemporary looking characters. Rather than the outlandish hairstyles and art of many shoujo, the look is basic, but dark. Sometimes this works to the artist's benefit, allowing the story to maintain a very serious and shadowy feel. However, at times it is difficult to discern the differing characters-the hair styles are so similar that it can be difficult to figure out which character is talking, which makes the story progression harder to follow. There are no "chibi" moments to this manga intended to lighten the mood there are no comic or funny scenes-the mood remains dark and angst-ridden.

If you enjoy vampire stories such as Vampire Princess Miyu, this series may appeal to you. But those who prefer action, magic, or mecha will probably not find this story line to their liking. A decent, if somewhat limited first volume of a new vampire series, you may want to check this manga out prior to buying to see if it will appeal to you.

Happy Reading! ^_^ Shanshad

Rating:
Summary: A different take on vampires
Review: Rather than going for a straight horror tale (a la Nosferatu), or a glamorization of the vampire (like Interview with the Vampire), this tale treats vampirism as a disease, something that eats you up inside and will eventually kill you, something that you can tell no one about, a dark secret.
Kazuna lives with his Uncle and Aunt. He does not remember his father, his mother is dead. He knows he has an older sister, but he has not seen her since they were little. He goes to school, has friends, and tries to lead as normal a life as possible. Then everything changes. It begins as a small thin - dizziness, a fainting spell. Then, a chance encounter with his sister changes everything. He finds out what he is, the dark disease he has, and life will never be the same for him.
This is a dark, slow moving but engrossing drama, character rather than action driven.

Rating:
Summary: Vampirism as a Disease
Review: The genre is one of the -characters aren't what they seem, plot is progressed by figuring out what is going on- that you see often in anime and manga. The manga deals a lot with why we have relationships (whether it be selflessness or not) as well as a general 'coming of age' theme. No action so far, and some romance. One of handful of mangas thats not just a load fanservice and/or gore, it is worthy of note for this alone.

In this world, vampirism is a kind of hereditary disease and doesn't really have any benefits, at least none that we see. Just a craving for blood and severe depression as a result. Kind of a what-if - if vampires weren't evil, but just trying to make it in society.

Most of the manga is dialogue between the characters and flashbacks to their respective pasts. I do rather like the art as its not generic. The manga-ka makes good use of using different art styles.

I've read the first two volumes, I look forward to reading the next. The plot and characters seems to be progressing nicely so far.

Rating:
Summary: one of the best mangas I've ever read
Review: There are no special powers, no kid discovering these "powers", no mecha, no slapstick comedy, no chibi, just straight up story-telling with a dark/sketchy (resembling of Hiroaki Samura's style of Blade of the Immortal fame) art style, dealing with a depressing issue, but not gothic just to be gothic. When I read the first volume and up to three, I thought "Why do they have a Parental Guidance issued out?", barely any bad language, no nudity, no violence (unless you consider blooddrinking violent). Here's a spoiler however...

I've read volumes 1-3 of Angel Sanctuary and saw the anime.... there's a hint of why there's Parental Guidance.

Pretty much the subject matter is very deep into seeing depression and how the logic of depressed people think. "If I told my friend's my problems, and involve them, will it make a difference other then worry them? Why bother, no one can help my circumstance?" This is the main thought processes of Kazuna and Chizuna, being the only ones to help each other.