Blood: The Last Vampire 2002 [Paperback]

Benkyo Tamaoki (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 5, 2002

This graphic novel is based on Blood: The Last Vampire, once the fastest-selling title in the history of Manga Entertainment. Benkyo Tamaoki updates this Vietnam War–era anime story to present-day Japan. The immortal Saya returns — still clad in her trademark sailor suit and armed with an ancient Samurai sword — to continue her holy war against the vampiric Chiropterans. Like Buffy the Vampire Slayer in tone but with graphic violence, this book is recommended for mature readers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Original edition (November 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569317798
• ISBN-13: 978-1569317792
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,200,914 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth your look!!!, January 14, 2003

By 

Mr.E52s (Inland Empire, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood: The Last Vampire 2002 (Paperback)

I read the reviews on the video and decided to rent the movie before I came to a decision to purchase it. I'm glad I rented as opposed to buying it. The DVD version was excellent when it came to production, but really lacking when it came to the heart of the matter, a plot.

This book is far superior to the movie. In the beginning, the story places you somewhere in the middle of a story and to other parts unknown. This makes for difficult reading, but the further you read the more the scattered events come together. The story keeps you wondering what the heck's going on and compels you to read on.

The artwork is very good and take note, not for the younger crowd due to it graphic violence and nudity.

If you enjoy manga of a different sort, then I highly recommend this book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful and bitter, March 16, 2003

By 

Timothy Perper (Philadelphia PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood: The Last Vampire 2002 (Paperback)

Not for kids, Tamaoki's graphic novel is sexually explicit, very violent, and tragic all at once. It's drawn in Tamaoki's trademark realist style, edgy, gritty, and very unpretty. But then Saya, the anti-heroine, lives in a nasty world, and the ogres she is hunting down are even nastier than the Americans who have bred her as a ogre-hunter.

A note -- Japan doesn't really have vampires, those Transylvanian relatives of Count Dracula who want to drink your blood. Saya's enemies are flesh-eating monsters, cannibals and ogres. I thought the ending was about as perfect as it could be -- bitter and yet thoroughly satisfying.

If you like gothic horror and noir, or better yet, Japanese horror manga, you'll find Blood top-notch. But be warned -- it's not a nice story. Powerful and elegantly drawn, but not nice.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shakey But Fun, December 26, 2002

By 

Here-and-faraway (Sunny California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blood: The Last Vampire 2002 (Paperback)

Even though the film, Blood: The Last Vampire, is visually stunning and created by a top-animation team it does have some "clunky" parts. That said, it remains a popular anime title and for good reason. Despite its flaws, there is a certain charm that keeps audiences (including myself) coming back for more. The same can be said about this manga, which starts in the present day with Saya still alive and hunting things that go bump in the night for the US government. (If you are not familiar with the film, you should still be able to follow this new storyline.) Tamaoki (the writer and artist of this book) has an original and energetic style that I really enjoyed. The book is worth buying for the artwork alone. Be warned though, he doesn't hold anything back! The book contains graphic (but in my opinion not gratuitous)sex and violence.
The story starts out strongly, but I feel that it has a few too many predictable twists at the end. That said, I have found myself re-reading this book for its sheer original style and (at the beginning) strong storyline. Blood: The Last Vampire 2002 may have a few clunks, but like the film, there is a certain charm that keeps me coming back for more.