Hina Arukado is a modern vampire who drinks blood from bags instead of humans. But she’s also a complete shut-in who hasn’t left the house in 30 years. In an effort to reach her, Hina’s worried dad does something that changes her life—he gives her the complete box set of the Vampire Cross anime series! Hina is instantly obsessed with everything about the show, especially the character Mao. But it’s hard to fan as hard as she wants from her bedroom in Romania, so now Hina is out of the house and off to Japan to live her otaku dream!
Japan is otaku heaven for Hina, and she’s so busy collecting as much merch as her new apartment can hold that she almost doesn’t feel bad about missing out on the special menus at Vampire Cross cafes. If only she had a human friend who could eat all the themed food for her! But connecting with humans isn’t easy until Hina literally bumps into her neighbor Kyuta, a prickly boy who looks just like Mao. Having her best friend live next door will be so convenient! If she can just convince him to actually be friends…
I absolutely adore everything Suzuki Julietta does. I’ve been reading her since Akuma to Dolce, then Karakuri Odette, Kamisama Kiss… I had to put together my own PDFs of Akuma to Dolce because it seemed like no English version would ever release.
And now I get to enjoy her latest work at last!
This series is just adorable. Hina is so cute. She’s a former hikikomori whose father turned her onto anime… and then she became a hardcore otaku. I love the adaptation of vampires into the modern day and how silly this take is. It’s very much in Suzuki Julietta’s style: a sort of slow burn romance that sees a pair value one another for their strange quirks and entire personhood, while maintaining a great balance between upbeat comedy and dark feelings.
Hrrrgh I love this.
