Falling for Mr. Tall, Handsome and Definitely Dark: Moon and Blood vol 1 by Nao yazawa

So, there I was, sitting on Twitter thinking about this particular manga, when the publisher’s Twitter representative AND the mangaka who created this came on. I decided to ask them this question: “What made you decide to write about vampires this time?”. Her previous works have all been magical girl heroes, and this one is, well, different. I admit I was somewhat amused at Yazawa’s straightforward reply: “They asked me. Whatever you can as long as it was about Vampire(s). “ Well, her “whatever”  happens to be this:

High school student Sayaka is surprised to get up one morning and find that not only is her father and brother sitting at the breakfast table, but a rather good looking stranger about her own age. His name is Kai , and it seems that he is here to stay awhile while his family sort out undisclosed issues. Why here? Well, dad says he is old friends with Kai’s father. Sayaka accepts this, but her younger brother however is suspicious, and with good reason. Classmate and childhood friend Takeshi has issues with Kai as well, though more for reasons of jealousy. Sayaka however just wants everyone to get along, and takes it into her head to “help” Kai with his personal troubles, many of which she imagines. It makes things awkward for Kai , but what about Sayaka Is she falling for this mysterious stranger? And is he getting attached to her as well?

While her past efforts in the shoujo genre have featured protagonists who are girls with some sort of supernatural powers, this time around, the heroine is an ordinary girl who meets, and falls in love with, a vampire. A vampire I might add, who comes with a hidden companion, the feline shape-shifting  vampire female who turned him. She’s an intriguing character as we don’t really know much about her at this point, save that she turned Kai and her “human” form looks like a 10 to 12 year old child in goth loli wear. That’s not the only departure either, as the “monster of the day” feature is conspicuously absent. This is a straight up suspense filled romance. So instead of page after page of action packed fight scenes, we get a lot more character development and emotional exploration. With her not so bright heroine and genius male lead living under one roof, comparisons have been made to Tada’s Itazura na Kiss, but it is a superficial resemblance, though they are admittedly very much within the same type of romance sub-genre (only with vampires).

Tone wise though, this rom com stays away from the overtly slap stick, gaining its humour from subtle sight gags (check out the manga on the desk on the last page for an example) and pithy repartee. Her brand of humour tends to seem very British, which is unsurprising given that during an interview I did previously with her she revealed a passion for British comedy TV. It makes all that more accessible to the UK reader, as it is definitely not too foreign in tone to quickly settle into and empathise with. It’s not too foreign though for North American readers, being jokes of the type I find most my North Americans “get” quite easily and appreciate.

As for her art, this too is a little more mature in looks than seen in her Wedding Peach and Mizuki releases. Her simpler clean lines remain evident, but with the clothing and accessories we get to see a bit more of her skill in drawing and applying tones shown off. It’s also worth mentioning that her character types tend more to the shonen style instead of shoujo. What this means is that her males, while attractive, avoid that “pretty” look. Kai is good looking, but he is definitely not androgynous. He exudes youthful masculinity, and it is no wonder poor Sayaka and her female classmates are smitten. Sayaka’s design is also affected by this. She is pretty enough and her eyes are large, showing off her youth and innocence, but she’s not Manga Barbie either. It’s all more Ishinomori and Tezuka infused and it brings a breath of fresh air to a genre that is all too often filled with carbon copies of specific character type tropes. The current shoujo market is filled with these, so I was quite happy to see a distinct style present.

It is a fun read and has its fair share of fluff, but there are also darker undertones. Again, this reminds me somewhat of Tezuka but also of Otomu Katuhiro. This is because of the parallel realities characters are living: the larger set of people living ordinary lives in an ordinary manner, but alongside of them is a hidden reality co-exisitng. The second is a world of twilight and violence, and it is hidden only because those who live in it choose to hide their activities. It is often ruthless and violent, and poor Kai is shown to have been raised for that world, and now walks it (albeit on the other side of the fence than his family intended). It gives a promise of more adventure to come; as Sayaka and Kai draw closer their worlds are not just likely to touch each other as they do now, but collide. I doubt it will go all dark and gloomy as this IS a shoujo manga, but having seen bits of this mangaka’s seinen work, Shinku-chitai, I look forward to seeing how she marries the elements together for this particular tale.

Moon and Blood vol 1 is available as a paperback as well as an e-edition to own and read via Emanga.com. No Kindle or other e-reader device platforms are available at this time nor are there any announcements of any forthcoming (sadly). I’d like to thank Digital Manga for providing me with my review copy. I also would like to extend my deep appreciation to sensei for taking the time to answer my questions. You can chat with herself via Twitter (@Naoyazawa) or friend her on Facebook as they are intended for the public.

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