Mizushiro Setona - Black Rose Alice, vol. 01-03 (Chi. trans.)
In 1908 Vienna, opera singer Dmitri [I can't figure out how to transliterate his last name レヴァンドフスキ] is a bit in love with his best friend Theo's fiance, the angelically beautiful Agnieska. Unfortunately, he gets run over by a carriage and unknowingly turned into a vampire. One hundred years later, Kikukawa Azusa is a teacher being romanced by her student (why, manga, why?!)...
I am not entirely sure how much plot to give away, since the first volume and a half or so feel like set up. However, what I thought was going to eventually be the plot (Alice living with four vampires in fun domestic bliss) is... not quite the plot. Or at least, it's less of a set piece than I thought, and much more dark, which suits the tone of the set up much more.
Also, leave it to Mizushiro to come up with a very new take on the vampire mythology. In this, vampires are called 吸血樹 (pronounced the same, but with the final kanji changed to the kanji for "tree" instead of "ghost/monster"). So I am not sure if I should call them "vampire trees"? I hope this gets licensed just so I can see how the translator and adaptor figure that out! The vampires' bodies are shells for the tree/plant-like-organism, even though they retain memories and etc. I am not exactly sure how becoming a tree affects the person's psyche; so far, it doesn't seem to much. However, the tree lives off of human blood and dead flesh, so really, it is kind of a vampire/zombie hybrid tree. Also, these vampires don't have fangs-instead, they house a variety of insects, including giant tarantulas, inside of themselves. When they feed, the insects climb out of their mouths to feed for them, then return. Tarantulas are best for providing nutrients and energy, but the vampires can also heal and enspell people with assorted other bugs.
And yes, Mizushiro draws the bugs-especially the tarantulas-in extreme detail, which I found disturbing, to say the least. Reading about spiders crawling from a romance heroine's mouth? Fun! Actually seeing it drawn in great detail? Gross!
That said, no matter how bizarre the worldbuilding sounds, Mizushiro makes it extremely compelling and not at all hilarious (except when I read "vampire tree," I still laugh to myself). Her vampires are driven by the need to reproduce and plant their seed in someone, but just like many insects, they die as soon as the deed is done. Thankfully, this is played out in the manga as extremely disturbing, which is how I managed to make it through several scenes that were very non-consensual. Mizushiro still comes closer to excusing it than me, but I'm glad that the overall tone of the manga is creepy and disturbing. Her vampires are very much not sexy and hot, and no matter how good they look, you're reminded of that pretty much anytime bugs crawl out of their mouths.
Spoilers!
After Azusa takes Dmitri's deal and resides in Agnieska's body (creepy!), I thought the set up was going to be Alice and the four vampire guys, each of them trying to win her over in a sort of dark, creepy Ouran High School Host Club way. Instead, Leo has already died, I suspect only tragedy will come of the twins' courting Alice more determinedly, and it mostly looks like heartbreak and trauma ahead for most of the characters. I rather like that, and I like that Alice didn't ever pick Leo, that Kai (or was it Reiji?) admitted Leo was wrong for keeping information from her. I wish there were more admission that he was wrong when he crawled into her bed both times (ew!), particularly that last time, but I like the reek of desperation to it all, the way it's really not hot or anything but disturbing and wrong.
I also hope Mizushiro will dig more into Dmitri's feelings about Azusa and Alice and Agnieska, because wow, there is a load of therapy he needs right there!
I partially want to see if Kouya ever comes back into the picture; I got the sense that he wouldn't and was pleased the teacher-student thing wouldn't continue, but it also feels odd for Alice to move on so quickly after giving up her life for this guy.
In conclusion: well worth reading, very compelling and disturbing, and much like After School Nightmare, I can see how this can go terribly wrong, but I also have no idea if it will. If After School Nightmare serves as an example, I hope Mizushiro will continue to surprise and not do the expected.
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I am not entirely sure how much plot to give away, since the first volume and a half or so feel like set up. However, what I thought was going to eventually be the plot (Alice living with four vampires in fun domestic bliss) is... not quite the plot. Or at least, it's less of a set piece than I thought, and much more dark, which suits the tone of the set up much more.
Also, leave it to Mizushiro to come up with a very new take on the vampire mythology. In this, vampires are called 吸血樹 (pronounced the same, but with the final kanji changed to the kanji for "tree" instead of "ghost/monster"). So I am not sure if I should call them "vampire trees"? I hope this gets licensed just so I can see how the translator and adaptor figure that out! The vampires' bodies are shells for the tree/plant-like-organism, even though they retain memories and etc. I am not exactly sure how becoming a tree affects the person's psyche; so far, it doesn't seem to much. However, the tree lives off of human blood and dead flesh, so really, it is kind of a vampire/zombie hybrid tree. Also, these vampires don't have fangs-instead, they house a variety of insects, including giant tarantulas, inside of themselves. When they feed, the insects climb out of their mouths to feed for them, then return. Tarantulas are best for providing nutrients and energy, but the vampires can also heal and enspell people with assorted other bugs.
And yes, Mizushiro draws the bugs-especially the tarantulas-in extreme detail, which I found disturbing, to say the least. Reading about spiders crawling from a romance heroine's mouth? Fun! Actually seeing it drawn in great detail? Gross!
That said, no matter how bizarre the worldbuilding sounds, Mizushiro makes it extremely compelling and not at all hilarious (except when I read "vampire tree," I still laugh to myself). Her vampires are driven by the need to reproduce and plant their seed in someone, but just like many insects, they die as soon as the deed is done. Thankfully, this is played out in the manga as extremely disturbing, which is how I managed to make it through several scenes that were very non-consensual. Mizushiro still comes closer to excusing it than me, but I'm glad that the overall tone of the manga is creepy and disturbing. Her vampires are very much not sexy and hot, and no matter how good they look, you're reminded of that pretty much anytime bugs crawl out of their mouths.
Spoilers!
After Azusa takes Dmitri's deal and resides in Agnieska's body (creepy!), I thought the set up was going to be Alice and the four vampire guys, each of them trying to win her over in a sort of dark, creepy Ouran High School Host Club way. Instead, Leo has already died, I suspect only tragedy will come of the twins' courting Alice more determinedly, and it mostly looks like heartbreak and trauma ahead for most of the characters. I rather like that, and I like that Alice didn't ever pick Leo, that Kai (or was it Reiji?) admitted Leo was wrong for keeping information from her. I wish there were more admission that he was wrong when he crawled into her bed both times (ew!), particularly that last time, but I like the reek of desperation to it all, the way it's really not hot or anything but disturbing and wrong.
I also hope Mizushiro will dig more into Dmitri's feelings about Azusa and Alice and Agnieska, because wow, there is a load of therapy he needs right there!
I partially want to see if Kouya ever comes back into the picture; I got the sense that he wouldn't and was pleased the teacher-student thing wouldn't continue, but it also feels odd for Alice to move on so quickly after giving up her life for this guy.
In conclusion: well worth reading, very compelling and disturbing, and much like After School Nightmare, I can see how this can go terribly wrong, but I also have no idea if it will. If After School Nightmare serves as an example, I hope Mizushiro will continue to surprise and not do the expected.
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) | Link