Title: Honey Blood
Author: Miko Mitsuki
Paperback (also available in eBook format.)
Pages: 192
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
ISBN: 9781421573373
Release Date: 10-07-14
Book Details: This is a Manga that reads from Right to Left. There are instructions on how to read it at the back of the book.
Where To Find It: I got my copy at Barnes and Noble.
Time that the story takes place? Current day, at least for 2014
POV? Third person with moments of First person. Can Manga be third person?
What caught your eye? Originally the title and then the description. I mean, duh, Vampires!
Did you enjoy it? I did.
Was it predictable? Yeah, kind of.
Was it sexy? Tame? Well, it wasn’t tame, but it wasn’t entirely sexy. I only say that because at several times in the story we’re skirting the edges of appropriately sexy and inappropriately sexy. The suggested reading age is 13-17 years, honestly, I think 13 might be a touch too young, 15 would be more doable. And I do mean we are really skirting that fine line on particular themes.
Did you find it funny? Entertaining? Certain frames of the Manga are drawn in a very cute and adorable manner that adds to the levity of the moment. I was pretty entertained for the whole book.
Would you read it again? Absolutely.
Is this part of a series? Of course it is! And I only bought Volume One! There are three books in total, so you won’t be strung out for years wondering what happens.
Manga is such an interesting art form. You have the benefit of dialogue and pictures, which is really unfair to say as Manga reads almost like frames of a film. You have shading, artistic lighting, particular characters to show the emotional state of a character. There’s a very good reason why a great many Mangas are turned into Animes, the medium lends itself to the adaptation.
There’s also something odd about many of the storylines in Manga. A great many things that wouldn’t be socially (legally) acceptable in American culture are commonplace in another. I’m not excusing it or saying I approve of it; I just have to accept that these are the parameters of the story and just live with it.
Which is what I had do with Honey Blood.
Our lead characters are Hinata, a high school student, and Junya, a very popular novelist. Hinata’s mother suggests that her daughter take Junya around town and show him around. After all, he’d enjoy it more with a pretty young girl than an older woman—no joke, that’s what was said, by the mother. H is initially not impressed; she had no interest in hanging out with some “old” man.
Junya is the creator of a popular Vampire novel that has also been turned into a hit television show. Everybody in the world—save for Hinata—is obsessed with this book.
The other element of this story are strange attacks that are happening in the city and the newspapers are actually reporting on “Possible Vampire Attacks!?”
Now I won’t go into every little detail of the story, because again, this is only Volume One, who knows how this will turn out—however, the story, for what it is, is interesting. The concept of Vampires in this world are very interesting. They aren’t the sexy seducing every pretty young thing they come across. In fact, Vampires don’t kiss their “donors” as that would enter both Vampire and Human into a contract. Once a Vampire kisses a Human, they are bound together until the Human dies. The Vampire can only drink from that Human, and when the Human dies, so does the Vampire. I mean, that’s a new for me. So, I’ll give it points for new and interesting.
The predictability of the story comes in the form of we know how this is going to turn out. You know by the time you get to that last frame what’s going to happen, but even then, I was still kind of going, “Wow, okay . . . we’re doing this.” Seeing this is only three volumes, I don’t think it’s going to drag on with pointless plot lines and characters. Even still, I must admit, gentle reader, I’m on the fence about getting the remaining two volumes. Thoughts? Should I go ahead and get them and see how this ends? Has anyone read this series? Is it worth it? No spoilers though!
As far as the art goes, it is truly lovely and stunning. Even my husband commented on it when he flipped through it earlier today. I’m just shocked that there isn’t more available from this creator—don’t get me wrong, there is a lot more by this creator, just not available to English speakers. * But I am curious, is anyone else familiar with this author? Love their work? Please let me know, I’m a sucker for reader recommendations.
*In trying to find other books by Miko Mitsuki, I saw one title called Virgin Blood and I made the mistake of just typing in that title into the Barnes and Noble search bar and WOW! When will I learn to not do that
