Customer Reviews

Vampire Princess Miyu - Dark Love (TV Vol. 5) [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Many of the episodes so far have focused on the fact that Miyu's destiny, returning stray Shinma to the dark is a curse, not a blessing. Rarely is being rescued from a Shinma any better a fate than falling victim to one. For all the participants, Shinma, victims, and Miyu the results are usually bittersweet at best. The fact that 'living happily ever after' is the exception, not the rule, keeps Miyu's tales an interesting mix of romance and Gothic horror, where duty and destiny often result in tragedy.

In 'The Moray Boat' an author, unable to cope any longer with a high pressure gives it up. He meets Mayumi, a Shinma who appears as an attractive young woman. Mayumi wishes only to serve the man, but the fate of humans who love Shinma is inexorable, and bitter. Miyu becomes the agent of a tragic destiny.

I found 'The City of Illusions' a bit confusing. Buildings and other structures in the city begin to distort and dissolve into sand. Somehow, this is related to a giant statue of the Buddha that wanders about causing disasters. While Reiha deals with the statue, Miyu takes on an eerie spider Shinma that has its own intentions for the town.

'Love of Dolls' introduces us to Kusumi Kimihara a skilled doll maker who is happier with her creations than she is in her dealings with humanity. When her agent sends he a young girl named Yuki Fujimora, the two find themselves competing for the love of a doll. Miyu plays only a small part in this story of a love triangle where the viewer gets to try to guess who the Shinma is.

In ' Butterfly Enchantment,' Miyu senses something strange about Ruri Sone, a new student at the school. She befriends Ruri and learns that her father has become infatuated with a butterfly fairy named Moru. However, there is no such thing as a butterfly fairy, although Shinma really do exist.

The final episode, 'Flag of Shinma,' is another break from the general run of the episodes. Miyu wonders into a village and discovers that it is being terrorized by three Shinma brothers, who are seeking the Chief's daughter, Sato, for a bride. Joining up with Reiha, in the fight, Miyu's efforts have unexpectedly grim results, despite her efforts to the contrary.

The DVD provides both English and Japanese, with English subtitles. This is the first DVD where the dubbing missed a some of the narrative. So I recommend following the subtitles.

This was my favorite tape of episodes in the Miyu TV series. The art is fantastic, the music heart braking with its beauty and sadness, and the story with Moru the butterfly girl and the dollmaker were my absolute two favorites. Yet I have these episodes in a subtitled version in Japanese.
It is my experience that seldom does the dubbed version of anime do justice to the original. In fact, most of the time the dubbed versions in English turn beautiful anime like VPMiyu into stupid dialogue which ruins the show.
The most beautiful thing in Miyu is the wisdom in all the words and dialogue, and any other version than the Japanese will most likely ruin the overall feel of the show.
Buy this video if you want beautiul animation and a great story board, but I promise you that until these episodes are brought out in Japanese version with subtitles, you will never fully enjoy Vampire Princess Miyu.

"Vampire Princess Miyu" the TV series is no longer in print and hard to find. The entire series is a classic and as such all the volumes (including this one - Vol. 5) are neccessary to get the complete intensity and understanding of the series. I highly recommend this DVD vol. 5 of "Vampire Princess Miyu" as a part of the total series but not as a stand alone DVD.

Vampire Princess Miyu is deceiving as a Anime Series, it first appears it was written for 13 year old girls to enjoy, how ever that is not the case. This series explores some very zen-like realities on many levels, such as the choice of being "captured" or "Killed" . To appreciate this series at it's fullest one should view all 26 episodes and 4 Ova's. I feel wanting for more, yet this series never leaves you "hanging" to expect more. Thus is the Beauty of VPM as a "Self Contained" package of a Show. I do hope they come out with a Japanese version that's subbed in English, however I feel the voice actors in English had the correct accents for a very Japanese show and I am really pleased with that! This is one series you do not want to miss, being out of print, I urge those with set of this to invite your friends over to enjoy a viewing.