By Benkyo Tamaoki
Viz, 200 pp.

Before Blood+ there was Blood: The Last Vampire. Created back at the turn of the century, the anime was the centerpiece of what would become a multimedia franchise of anime, manga, and video games, each revealing and focusing on different aspects of the world, characters, and story of Blood. As of this writing, only three pieces of the original Blood franchise ever received an official US release. The original anime, Blood: The Last Vampire, one novel, Blood: The Last Vampire: Night of the Beasts, and this manga, Blood: The Last Vampire 2002.

Blood: The Last Vampire 2002 is set decades after the anime. Non-stop hunting and killing of the Chiropterans is taking its toll on Saya, as is the demeaning attitude of her current handler. Assigned to investigate and hunt down a cell of Chiropterans operating near a Japanese high school, the weary Saya is unknowingly about the discover the truth behind her existence and that of the Chiropterans.

One of the big criticisms of Blood: The Last Vampire was the lack of information given. The characters weren’t fleshed out, too many questions were unanswered and so forth. Well, Blood: The Last Vampire 2002 is here to give you that information. The truth behind Saya’s existence is revealed and it echoes the story given in Blood+.

In terms of fleshing out, well, there’s a little progress on that front. The cold-blooded killing machine from the anime has all but vanished and what remains is an immortal girl who’s tired and weary from the decades of carnage. Her current handler, the successor of David from the anime, isn’t helping matters either. His attitude towards her is cold and cruel, it’s clear that he views her as nothing more than a trained dog. He puts her to work tailing Akiko, a young Japanese high school girl who’s been in contact with the Chiropterans Saya’s currently hunting. Akiko has her own set of problems which loosely parallel Saya’s. She’s bullied at school, a disappointment in her parents’ eyes, and subjected to scorn and bullying from her younger sister as well. Additionally both are being used and manipulated by rival forces for their own selfish ends.

I found Benkyo Tamaoki’s art to be wonderfully dark and perfectly suited to the material. Thick and heavy lines help give the manga a dark and gritty feel that’s similar to the original anime. Tamaoki’s got a good handle on the character designs and just about everyone looks distinct (and not just in the faces, either). Tamaoki utilizes a number of different body types, ranging from the thin and almost waif-like form of Akiko, to the lean muscular form for the Chiropterans, to the thicker, almost chubby look of a school girl who appears only briefly. Tamaoki also does a fantastic job at getting across the characters emotional states as well. Saya’s misery in her current predicament isn’t openly stated beyond a simple “How long will this go on?” at the beginning of the book. Most of it shown through her body language and eyes. The frustration of her handler, the madness in the eyes of a brainwashed Akiko, and more come through clearly thanks to his skilled hand. Action junkies may be a bit disappointed at the way the fights are handled. They’re generally simple, quick, and brutal, accompanied by flying limbs and geyser of blood. I loved the art myself; I really felt it worked wonderfully with the material and I’d like to see more of his work. Sadly, that probably won’t be the case as he’s primarily known for hentai, which actually brings me another aspect about this book: its age rating. There isn’t one.

Blood: The Last Vampire 2002 was originally published by Viz in 2002, well before age ratings really began to appear on manga. One look at it, however, and it should be clear to anyone that it’s most definitely “mature readers” material. In addition the graphic violence, we also get quite a bit of nudity (all girls ‘natch), a few girl/girl sex scenes, and a whole lot of profanity. All of this combines to give the book the feel of a R-rated horror flick. There are a few other signs of its age as well, the two most notable ones being its price tag ($16 for 200 pages) and its left-to-right orientation.

All in all, though, I found it to be a nice addition to the original Blood franchise. Tamaoki’s artwork is lovely, we learn the origin of Saya and the Chiropterans, plus a nice ominous ending too boot. If you can find it, aren’t offended by the sexual content, and enjoyed the original anime, then I think it’s probably worth a read if not a buy.

Blood: The Last Vampire 2002 is available now.