Creators: Kiyo Kyujyo (cartoonist) Sunao Yoshida (original story) with Christine Boylan (English adaptation) and Beni Axia Conrad (translation)
Publishing Information: TOKYOPOP, B&W, paperback, 188 pages, $10.99 (US), $13.99 CAN
Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-4278-1638-2Action; Rated “OT” for “Older Teen Age 16+”
Trinity Blood was a series of science fiction novels by author Sunao Yoshida who died at the age of 34 before he could finish the series. Trinity Blood takes place in a distant future, after Armageddon and during a time called the Second Moon. A seemingly perpetual war rages between vampires and humans. Using character designs by Thores Shibamoto, manga-ka Kiyo Kyujyo created the Trinity Blood manga.
As Trinity Blood, Vol. 11 begins, Esther Blanchett, the Lady Saint, has joined forces with the rebellious vampire, Scheherazade (“Schera”) al-Rahman. But wait! Schera just attacked Esther! Why has the Lady Saint betrayed the Vatican?
Now, the Vatican is using this supposed betrayal to create another martyr and has sent Monica Argento a.k.a. the Black Widow to the city of Istvan to kill Esther and Schera. Father Abel Nightroad (Trinity Blood’s star), at the behest of the young Pope who loves Esther, races to Istvan to save Esther. Many other players, however, plan on joining the chase, but whose side will each new player take?
Some years ago, I read a Trinity Blood manga for the first time. Back then, I’d already seen a few episodes of the Trinity Blood anime and had also read two of Sunao Yoshida’s original novels. Although I enjoyed the manga, Trinity Blood, Vol. 1, I found it wanting compared to the anime and novels. However, I find this 11th volume of the manga to be a huge improvement over that first volume.
First of all, the four chapters found herein (Chapters 39-42) are actually coherent, which is a bit unusual for a franchise that seems to suffer occasionally from narrative wanderlust. While these chapters have the usual palace intrigue and court conspiracies, there are also cool fights and cleverly staged action sequences, including one that is right out of a Hollywood action blockbuster. Plus, Kiyo Kyujyo (who also uses the name Kiyo QJO) creates kinetic art that is as beautiful as ever.
The first time I read a Trinity Blood manga, I didn’t feel the need to read more. Now, I have to hope that Vol. 12 isn’t out of print.
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