Vampire Princess Miyu

Publisher
MVM
Director
Toshiki Hirano
Production
AIC, Group Tac, TV Tokyo
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
26 episodes
Year
1997

Vampire Princess Miyu Volume 1 - Initiation

By Adam Cook
23rd May 04

The 26 episode series is based on the manga and OVA of the late 1980's of the same name. Vampire Princess tells the story of Miyu, a teenage vampire that by day goes to school, but by night has to fend off the evil Shinma's. Shinma's are shape shifting monsters that live among humans only to cause havoc and destruction. Miyu is aided in her quest, by a reformed Shinma that goes by the name of Larva and a young Shinma that looks strangely like a Jigglypuff Pokemon.

The first volume in the series features the opening three episodes as we watch the ageless Miyu begin life at her new school that has begun experiencing some strange occurrences.

Vampire Princess differs from most anime series as each episode is a self contained story with very little reference to the events that occurred during previous episodes. This is perhaps one of the strongest aspects about the series as it means that episodes do not necessarily have to be watched in chronological order. However the decision to structure the series in this way results in less emphasis on character development. I only hope that the character of Miyu and her companions will be expanded upon in later volumes in order to give greater substance to the series rather than it appearing to be a rather shallow episodic adventure.

Sadly there is very little enjoyment to be had in watching volume 1 of Vampire Princess. Whilst its structure is refreshing for an anime there are very few other redeemable qualities. Each episode follows a well trodden and predictable path that goes something like this: strange events begin to occur; Miyu investigates and discovers a Shinma is involved; Miyu then destroys said Shinma and everything is resolved nicely. Now I apologize if that sounded boring, but it feels boring whilst you are watching it too. There is no deviation from this cliched and formulaic way of expressing the narrative. Perhaps I am being a little harsh on the series as it certainly isn't alone in using this direction in story telling, but it would be nice to see some diversity. The script too is rather obvious and lacks any real flair.
The fight scenes are both repetitious and poorly choreographed with very little excitement or the prospect of uncertainty. At least the fight scenes are only short so you are not subjected to their tedium for long. It is surprising that the fight scenes appear to have had such little time given to them considering that the Shinma's are quite unique and imaginative in their design. Whilst they are not particularly scary or threatening, they are different to the usual run of the mill antagonists that populate these types of series and this should be applauded.
Another positive is the lack of sentimentality. Whilst it is evident in each episode it is refreshingly underplayed. Miyu does not appear to be dedicated to the humans (barring a few close friends) and her quest is deemed more as a job of necessity rather than an emotional crusade. Perhaps some people would count this as a negative as it lacks any real emotional power, but the coolness of Miyu adds to the intrigue and separates the series from most other action series.

The character design on the whole is interesting and surprisingly varied. As mentioned earlier the Shinma designs are very unique, but recognition should also be given to the design of the locations and of Miyu herself. It is a shame that the animation couldn't have been given the same effort. Whilst it is not particularly bad most scenes lack any artistic flair or merit.

The music suffers from the same problems that beset the animation and the narrative; it is all far too average and formulaic for the genre. The music for the majority of the time sounds like it has been taken straight out of another horror/suspense movie, therefore it works but is further proof of how mundane and ultimately boring the series is.
The English dub is also weak but this seems to be an inherent problem in practically all anime so it would appear churlish of me to be overly critical of it here.

Vampire Princess - Initiation is not the greatest start to a series. Barring some interesting Shinma design the series wreaks of ordinariness. The series ticks all the right boxes but does not appear to strive to try and create something unique or remotely special. Its episodic structure is a bonus, but if subsequent volumes do not explore the core characters in more detail it will also be its downfall. I guess the series can only improve from this point on. Can't it?

R2 DVD Notes

Features: Ratio 1.33:1, Original Japanese and English 2.0, English subtitles, Original Japanese Opening titles, Shinma image gallery

Release information: UK release date: 11 August 2003, MVM

Notes: The DVD features offer the usual bunch of extras. Dual language with English dub and subtitles, there is the Japanese opening titles, and a gallery of Shinma production designs which is quite good.

-- Adam Cook 23rd May 04

Vampire Princess Miyu Images