VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia
MANGAKA: Akaza Samamiya
TRANSLATION: Katherine Schilling
LETTERS: Sabrina Heep
EDITOR: Erica Yee
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9809-3; paperback (March 2018); Rated “T” for “Teen”
166pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK
Bloody Mary is a shojo vampire manga from creator Akaza Samamiya. The manga was serialized from 2013 to 2017 in the Japanese shojo manga magazine, Monthly Asuka. VIZ Media published an English-language edition of Bloody Mary in a series of graphic novels from 2015 to 2018.
Ichiro Rosario Di Maria is a high school student and a priest, but he also has the “Power of Exorcism,” which enables him to kill vampires. He meets the vampire, Bloody Mary, who is unlike most vampires because he is both immortal and has red hair. Bloody Mary wants to die, and Ichiro offers to kill him, but first... Ichiro wants to kill every other vampire on Earth, and Mary will be his bodyguard.
As Bloody Mary, Vol. 10 (Chapters 37 to 39 to Final Volume) opens, the secret of Mary and “Mary” has been revealed. Bloody Mary was once a boy named Maria, who had a twin brother named Mary, a weak and ailing boy. Bloody Mary's alter-ego, “Mary,” a vicious vampire, was an attempt to revive Mary. In a bid to save Bloody Mary/Maria, Ichiro will make a choice with tragic consequences. Can Bloody Mary save Ichiro? And what of Hydra, the female vampire who loves “Mary?”
[This volume includes a postscript and the bonus story, “And Then.”]
In my previous reviews of the Bloody Mary manga, I stated that I liked the series because I liked vampire manga, especially of the “Shojo Beat” variety, which Bloody Mary is. I found that, over time, the narrative grew stronger as the number of personalities, living and deceased, grew.
Bloody Mary Graphic Novel Volume 10 is the final volume of the series. It actually ended March of 2018, but I lost track of the series and of my copy of Vol. 10. Well, it was good to get to the end, although I think that there is back story in this series still to be mined.
The translation by Katherine Schilling makes the most of these final chapters by creator Akaza Samamiya, emphasizing the themes of redemption and resolution. The lettering by Sabrina Heep captures the lyrical and dream-like quality of this final go-round of Bloody Mary. Hopefully, new fans of vampire manga will discover this unique spin on vampire fiction.
A
8 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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