Written by Mamoru Oshi
Published by Dark Horse
Price: $8.95
Blood: The Last Vampire came out in 2000 as an anime movie with top notch animation mixing standard and digital techniques. It managed to do something a little new with the much mined vampire myths by setting the action in 1960s Japan. Stunning visualisations, fantastic rhythm and speed left you wanting more. Clocking in at just over an hour, and with no real prospect of sequels, the balance of creating a “perfect” film against the demands of its fans became the film’s biggest plus, and biggest minus. For Western audiences this has been more marked as all we ever got was the movie as opposed to the Japanese market.
One of the creators of the film, Mamoru Oshi, who had previously directed Ghost in the Shell is the author of this novel and it does take the story of Saya, the “good” vampire from the film, forward. However it’s not as progressive in terms of developing the plot or pushing us into new directions as much as it is explaining the backstory. When I say explaining I mean Exposition City. In the back of the novel there is a small bibliography referencing books on subjects such as the Rothschilds, burial and hunting throughout history. How Oshi uses these texts is in large exposition blocks within the text. 30 pages with a bit of characterisation in the middle on burials for example. Now it is interesting stuff, but for people expecting the gorgeous action of the movie it’s very weird.
The story itself deals with a student radical in 1969 Tokyo who witnesses a fight between Saya and some other vampires. From there he gets roped into investigating what has gone on and how it relates to the discovery of the bodies of other student radicals.
What this adds to the original anime is a detailed look at the back story of the main character and the setup. This does lend itself to potential for future stories, but not if they keep Saya and her associates at arms length in the same manner again. When you are looking to see more of a character there is some mileage in keeping them keen by being frugal in what you allow to be seen, but I think that this is done to such an extent in this novel that - although you discover a lot about Saya and the setup for this whole shadow world - you are just there as a spectator. Next time we need to see rather than just be told about it.
The book itself is not particularly long at just under 300 pages and, even with the exposition, it does rattle along at a fair pace. If you’re looking for a lot of action then this really isn’t for you. If you’re after some nice ideas, which are a little too explored for my taste, then I would recommend it. I didn’t expect to enjoy a book that does focus on student life and politics in 1960s Japan as much as I did and that’s even with the reservations I have.
http://www.bloodthemovie.com/ has the trailer and a synopsis for the original movie.
Mark Peyton – has a MA in History and Research from the University of Hull specialising in the Hundred Years War. In a complete departure from that he now runs communications and membership for a UK based Trade Union as well as being a part time writer/journalist.
He is a founding member of Millarworld acting as a moderator and as an editor for Fractal Matter.