Vampiric squee!
Vol 1 of RH Plus arrived this morning! I'm trying not to read it for too long, as doing some work might be a good thing. However, I have skim-read the first two chapters, and then (predictably enough) skipped to the scene of extreme vampiric angst, with Kiyoi and the dying Douzan.
Just skimming for now, but there are some clear differences between the manga and the TV series, with the manga being both cuter and bloodier. The cross-dressing hunt for the schoolgirl killer is pretty perfunctory, with Ageha being a lot more pissed-off about making such a pretty girl! This is played up a fair bit, and the girl who teases him about being girlish ends up as one of the killer's victims. Bonus amusement:
Makoto: Hey, you've really taken a fancy to Kiyoi, haven't you?
Ageha: *goes scarlet* Um. He's like a father to me!
Makoto: (thinks) He reacts like a little girl!
The next chapter is the "Makoto gets kidnapped by a vampire wannabe" story - the girl doesn't seem to get named here (though I'll call her Ami, as in the TV series), and there is a scene back in Eternal Moon Manor of Kiyoi and Ageha getting worried over Makoto's disappearance, after which they go to the school, knock out the security guards and find out where he's been taken by examining the security video footage. The manga explicitly notes that Ami's cross does work on Makoto, though not on the others (him being a good Catholic boy, not to mention an extremely traumatised Catholic boy, I'm assuming). Girl flees up the stairs, Kiyoi jumps through the window in a foul humour - and let me just say, the TV series significantly tones down what happens next. By the time Makoto has managed to beg Kiyoi to stop (by appealing to his selfish side, not his we don't have to be monsters side), Kiyoi and Ami are both drenched in blood and when he does let her go (by throwing her aside) Kiyoi pauses to suck blood from his hand before ripping the chains off Makoto and taking the boys home. Ami does not show up the next morning in love with Kiyoi, which is a thousand times better and less skeevy than the "hilarious" scene in the TV episode.
Kiyoi/Douzan FTW! This is quite a long scene, starting as in the TV episode, with Kiyoi meeting Michitaka in the tea-house and Michitaka being grumpy about "playing families". At which Kiyoi gets his bitch on, and snarks about who he'd rather have played families with, for all eternity (cue Michitaka looking uneasy) and how he's been useful to three generations of Michitaka's family. We then get the flashback - Michitaka notes he was thirteen when he first met Kiyoi, and he gets to be embarrassed by Kiyoi fussing over his grandfather. Kiyoi notes that Michitaka looks like Douzan when he was young, and shakes his hand. While in the episode (AFAICR) Michitaka says his hand felt cold, like he was dead, here he thinks This ice-cold hand . . . the skin feels like a dead person's, which is somewhat creepier (and Kiyoi doesn't have the reassuring smile, either).
Douzan: It's perhaps too early for him . . .no matter. If he's smart enough, he'll understand.
Michitaka: *looks confused*
Kiyoi: *overly knowing and creeptastic smile* Douzan and I have a give-and-take relationship. It's extremely good. Perhaps I'll be useful to you too . . . after . . . Douzan has died.
Michitaka: 0.0 (thinks) He's definitely not Grandfather's assistant or secretary . . .
Michitaka's father makes an appearance, ranting about Kiyoi as a devilish influence, and there's a note that Michitaka's father was afraid Douzan had become an unaging monster, and there seems to be open family talk about Douzan being damned.
Michitaka then meets Kiyoi carrying white roses.
Kiyoi: *meek and hesitant* Do you think I might be allowed decorate his hospital room with these?
Michitaka: No way! The scent's too strong! Dad and the others would freak out!
Kiyoi: . . . ha ha. You are childishly blunt. Well, perhaps his bedroom in the house? When he comes back he won't be part of this world anymore, but . . . *starts to cry* These flowers are like the best of him.
Michitaka: *thinks* To me he was just my wrinkly old Grandpa, but for Kiyoi he meant something else.
Kiyoi: *buries face in the bunch of roses* What should I do? If he dies, I'll be all alone in the world . . . *sobs* *drops roses and staggers away, not reappearing for ten years*
The ten year gap is then sort of explained, back in the tea-house:
Kiyoi: While Douzan still lived I said I'd be useful to you.
Michitaka: *sulks* (thinks) Just lipservice. When you vanished I thought that wasn't applicable any more.
Kiyoi: I did go to see your father . . . but I believe I'm simply too uncanny and strange for him.
Michitaka: Yeah he was always that way, he abhors you, says you're a devil. I don't think you're anything special, but I'm not as pig-headed as him.
Kiyoi:Ha ha . . . That's really terrible! To hear that sort of thing while looking at Douzan's exact face is really hurtful! *snickers at Michitaka's shocked expression*
Michitaka: (thinks) You're really different than before *flashes back to Kiyoi sobbing into the roses* Back then you were unhappy and bereaved, now so cold and calculating. *goes on the attack* My grandfather was old and wrinkly and finally he died - while you're always young, good-looking and cheerful. My poor grandfather!
Kiyoi: . . . *looks sad* *resolutely goes back to business, cheerful, smiling and unwoundable*
Michitaka: (after Kiyoi leaves) *flashes back to Kiyoi and the roses* Am I the only one who can't get this scene out of his mind?
Flicking though, Michitaka seems to appear a few more times, briefly and there is a hilarious sketch of him and Kiyoi drinking apparently competitively, with Kiyoi winning as Michitaka flees, looking very much the worse for wear.
Other amusement: Kiyoi calls Michitaka "du", while Michitaka maintains some distance by calling him "Sie".
Just skimming for now, but there are some clear differences between the manga and the TV series, with the manga being both cuter and bloodier. The cross-dressing hunt for the schoolgirl killer is pretty perfunctory, with Ageha being a lot more pissed-off about making such a pretty girl! This is played up a fair bit, and the girl who teases him about being girlish ends up as one of the killer's victims. Bonus amusement:
Makoto: Hey, you've really taken a fancy to Kiyoi, haven't you?
Ageha: *goes scarlet* Um. He's like a father to me!
Makoto: (thinks) He reacts like a little girl!
The next chapter is the "Makoto gets kidnapped by a vampire wannabe" story - the girl doesn't seem to get named here (though I'll call her Ami, as in the TV series), and there is a scene back in Eternal Moon Manor of Kiyoi and Ageha getting worried over Makoto's disappearance, after which they go to the school, knock out the security guards and find out where he's been taken by examining the security video footage. The manga explicitly notes that Ami's cross does work on Makoto, though not on the others (him being a good Catholic boy, not to mention an extremely traumatised Catholic boy, I'm assuming). Girl flees up the stairs, Kiyoi jumps through the window in a foul humour - and let me just say, the TV series significantly tones down what happens next. By the time Makoto has managed to beg Kiyoi to stop (by appealing to his selfish side, not his we don't have to be monsters side), Kiyoi and Ami are both drenched in blood and when he does let her go (by throwing her aside) Kiyoi pauses to suck blood from his hand before ripping the chains off Makoto and taking the boys home. Ami does not show up the next morning in love with Kiyoi, which is a thousand times better and less skeevy than the "hilarious" scene in the TV episode.
Kiyoi/Douzan FTW! This is quite a long scene, starting as in the TV episode, with Kiyoi meeting Michitaka in the tea-house and Michitaka being grumpy about "playing families". At which Kiyoi gets his bitch on, and snarks about who he'd rather have played families with, for all eternity (cue Michitaka looking uneasy) and how he's been useful to three generations of Michitaka's family. We then get the flashback - Michitaka notes he was thirteen when he first met Kiyoi, and he gets to be embarrassed by Kiyoi fussing over his grandfather. Kiyoi notes that Michitaka looks like Douzan when he was young, and shakes his hand. While in the episode (AFAICR) Michitaka says his hand felt cold, like he was dead, here he thinks This ice-cold hand . . . the skin feels like a dead person's, which is somewhat creepier (and Kiyoi doesn't have the reassuring smile, either).
Douzan: It's perhaps too early for him . . .no matter. If he's smart enough, he'll understand.
Michitaka: *looks confused*
Kiyoi: *overly knowing and creeptastic smile* Douzan and I have a give-and-take relationship. It's extremely good. Perhaps I'll be useful to you too . . . after . . . Douzan has died.
Michitaka: 0.0 (thinks) He's definitely not Grandfather's assistant or secretary . . .
Michitaka's father makes an appearance, ranting about Kiyoi as a devilish influence, and there's a note that Michitaka's father was afraid Douzan had become an unaging monster, and there seems to be open family talk about Douzan being damned.
Michitaka then meets Kiyoi carrying white roses.
Kiyoi: *meek and hesitant* Do you think I might be allowed decorate his hospital room with these?
Michitaka: No way! The scent's too strong! Dad and the others would freak out!
Kiyoi: . . . ha ha. You are childishly blunt. Well, perhaps his bedroom in the house? When he comes back he won't be part of this world anymore, but . . . *starts to cry* These flowers are like the best of him.
Michitaka: *thinks* To me he was just my wrinkly old Grandpa, but for Kiyoi he meant something else.
Kiyoi: *buries face in the bunch of roses* What should I do? If he dies, I'll be all alone in the world . . . *sobs* *drops roses and staggers away, not reappearing for ten years*
The ten year gap is then sort of explained, back in the tea-house:
Kiyoi: While Douzan still lived I said I'd be useful to you.
Michitaka: *sulks* (thinks) Just lipservice. When you vanished I thought that wasn't applicable any more.
Kiyoi: I did go to see your father . . . but I believe I'm simply too uncanny and strange for him.
Michitaka: Yeah he was always that way, he abhors you, says you're a devil. I don't think you're anything special, but I'm not as pig-headed as him.
Kiyoi:Ha ha . . . That's really terrible! To hear that sort of thing while looking at Douzan's exact face is really hurtful! *snickers at Michitaka's shocked expression*
Michitaka: (thinks) You're really different than before *flashes back to Kiyoi sobbing into the roses* Back then you were unhappy and bereaved, now so cold and calculating. *goes on the attack* My grandfather was old and wrinkly and finally he died - while you're always young, good-looking and cheerful. My poor grandfather!
Kiyoi: . . . *looks sad* *resolutely goes back to business, cheerful, smiling and unwoundable*
Michitaka: (after Kiyoi leaves) *flashes back to Kiyoi and the roses* Am I the only one who can't get this scene out of his mind?
Flicking though, Michitaka seems to appear a few more times, briefly and there is a hilarious sketch of him and Kiyoi drinking apparently competitively, with Kiyoi winning as Michitaka flees, looking very much the worse for wear.
Other amusement: Kiyoi calls Michitaka "du", while Michitaka maintains some distance by calling him "Sie".