Vampire Princess Miyu Anime Review

Quick Review

• Reviewer: Marc
• Review Date: 2004-06-27 (updated 2011-08-23)
• 5 stars out of 5 (?)

More unsettling than horrific, Vampire Princess Miyu is a refreshing take on the vampire horror genre, with the focus on creepy, surreal stories instead of angst, gore, and screaming. The art is sharp, the stories and characters deep and well developed despite the short length, and the acting impressive.

Though fans of more standard horror may be bored and disappointed, as a slow, unnerving ghost story with a strong traditional Japanese flavor, Vampire Princess Miyu is an unmatched work of art.

Read the full-length review...

Full Review

• Reviewer: Marc
• Review Date: 2004-06-27 (updated 2011-08-23)
• 5 stars out of 5 (?)

Vampire Princess Miyu is often called gothic horror, but it would be more accurate to say it is a delicate and finely-crafted work of unsettling suspense clothed in traditional Japanese artistry. Regardless of the label, it is an unusual and understated series of impeccable quality.

The story may be about vampires and demons, but Vampire Princess Miyu never resorts to gore or shock factor, relying instead on disturbing implications, unsettling situations, and creepy settings to provide more chills than horror. Nor does it wallow in supernatural angst; the emotional focus is on character exploration and the relationships between Miyu, the Shinma, and the humans they manipulate, revealing the series' shoujo manga roots.

Despite the shoujo undertones, Vampire Princess Miyu is not traditionally soap-operatic. Though the tragedy is often heavy, the emotional drama is far more subdued and traditionally Japanese in flavor, with a sense of melancholy and distance evoking classic Noh-flavored storytelling in place of the raw emotion of many shoujo stories.

One of the series' strongest points is the smooth, even-handed writing and directing, managing to use the short time available in each episode to develop ample depth in the stories and characters while maintaining a steady, unhurried pace. Nothing is wasted, nor is anything rushed, making the episodes feel full and seem longer than they actually are.

At the center of it all is Miyu, an impressively mysterious protagonist with a confident and knowing personality beneath her childlike facade. Interestingly, Miyu is kept at a distance through most of the series. Instead of experiencing the story from her point of view, we follow the spiritualist Himiko as she tries in vain to keep up with Miyu and discover her secrets. Himiko provides an interesting contrast to Miyu--she is an adult, but, despite knowing more than most, is still involved with powers well beyond her control.

Narumi Kakinouchi's artwork in the original manga is worth noting for its extremely unorthodox frame layout--the loosely-drawn lines flow between borderless panels on most of the pages, giving it an unusual but attractive look. While this anime adaptation is somewhat more concrete, it does an exceptional job of capturing some of the feel in a very different medium. The art is striking and beautiful, and the character designs translate the sharp, elegant look of the manga version quite well.

Where the series particularly stands out visually, though, is its distance from standard vampire action fare; instead of darkness and gothic architecture, the locations are often stark and mildly unsettling, featuring a mix of traditional Japanese settings and surreal locales. Likewise, the action in the encounters with the Shinma is more Noh performance than fist fight; precise, dance-like motions make up in artistic beauty what they lack in excitement. The animation is also well done, though the stories are slow enough that there isn't much of it and, being an older OAV, it isn't notably smooth.

The subdued Japanese acting is of consistently high quality. Kenji Kawai's musical score is somewhat less so. The closest thing the series has to a weak point, the background music is sufficiently creepy and has a Japanese flavor, but it sounds slightly too modern and synthesized for my taste, and doesn't always do as much as it could have to back up the style.

Overall, Vampire Princess Miyu is a refreshing take on the vampire horror genre, with the focus on creepy, surreal stories instead of angst, gore, and screaming. The art is sharp, the stories well-crafted, and the acting nuanced. If you're a blood-and-scares-style horror fan, you'll be bored and disappointed. It's also very different from Interview With the Vampire-style stories, although fans of those may enjoy it for the character development. As for what it is--a slow, unnerving ghost story with a strong traditional Japanese flavor--Vampire Princess Miyu is an unmatched work of art.

Have something to say about this anime? Join our newly-resurrected forums and speak your mind.

Related Recommendations

Not entirely unlike some other supernatural suspense shoujo stories, with the CLAMP series Tokyo Babylon and X coming to mind first. Also sharing elements is the intricately constructed story of Boogiepop Phantom and the more action-oriented but similarly-themed Shamanic Princess. Finally, for a more creative match, there is the traditional Japanese-themed surreal mecha action of Gasaraki.