rhodrymavelyne

Just when I think nothing I will discover can rival my old obsessions of the past, I stumble across something which completely captivates me.

I almost didn’t watch Seraph of the End at FanimeCon. To think I almost missed this and it’s an anime that felt like it was made just for me. Vampires, demonic weapons with sentience, absolutely beautiful shounen ai potential between a pair of star-crossed bishounen rivalling CLAMP’s, great characters, great villains, and a complex plot loaded with intrigue. All of this was depicted in exquisite animation which captivated my eye from the beginning. I couldn’t look away from the opening credits for the first season and its techno opening played in my head for days afterwards.

Happily I was able to find the first and second seasons which I watched during convention crash (a state I often find myself in after a convention) and the illness which caught up with me after not getting enough sleep. I also bough Volumes 1-2 of the manga in the dealer’s room. (Later I got my hands on Volumes 3-7 and I’ve ordered Volume 8.) I’ve cleared off some of my shelves, donating a bunch of manga to an LGBT+ youth center I hope will enjoy the gift. (It’s good manga; Demon Diary, Il Gatto Sul G, Angelic Runes, Hybrid Child. I experienced some pangs giving it away, but like I said, they’re good manga which I’m hoping will find other readers who’ll enjoy them as much as I did.)

There’s some about duality, parallel mirrors in pairings which draws me to the interaction of a couple of characters. Yuichirou and Mikaela are almost like mirrors of each other, two beautiful boys on very different paths which diverged from each other, only to reconnect once more. Yu is dark-haired and green-eyed, Mika is blonde and blue-eyed (until the latter gets red eyes). Yu is a member of the Imperial Demon Army who wears a black uniform, Mika wears the white uniform of the vampire noble elite. Mika has a sword that gives him power from drinking his blood. Yu’s is a demon that keeps trying to take over his body. Both boys grew up as ‘livestock’ in a vampire ruled city until Yu escaped into the waiting arms of Lieutenant-Colonel Guren Ichinose of the Imperial Demon Army, thinking Mika was dead. Mika was rescued and turned into a vampire by the queen Krul Tepes and has thought of nothing since other than getting Yu back.

The two of them would be enough to suck me into this series. As it happens, I love the other characters, too. Shinoa is delightful, a type of character I enjoy a great deal, the playful tease who hides her true feelings behind her mischief. Youichi is a sweet, utterly huggable bishounen who’s developing layers as we go along. Kimizuki, the ‘telephone’ pole and Mistuba are also growing and developing into interesting individuals. Now that I’m reading the novels as well as the manga, I developing even more appreciation for Guren Ichinose, not just as Yu’s mentor and father figure, but as a devious and interesting character in his own right. No wonder Ferid Bathory was interested in him. Ah, Ferid Bathory, he’s definitely my kind of villain! Enigmatic, stylish, flirting with our little heroes (both of them) along with his vampire queen, never letting anyone know what he’s up to, I’m never bored whenever he shows up.

I’m still enjoying this series, how Yuichirou grew as a character over the length of it, his reunion with Mika, how he helped his former family turned vampire climb out of the darkness. Not that either seraph is out of the darkness. Yu and all his friends are on the run from the demon army and I doubt Ferid will forget about either Mika or Yu. I’m still wondering why Krul Tepes was interested in them. I’ve got many an unanswered question about this series, which is why I’m reading everything about it I can get my hands on. I really enjoyed the dynamic of Yu, Shinoa, Yoichi, Kimizuki, and Mitsu, plus I’m curious to see how Mika will interact with them.

Yes, I’m definitely going to need to make sure I prepare plenty of shelf space for this series. (wry grin)