462nd G-View: Vampire in the Garden

After years of pining for more vampire yuri when it is sparse in the animated world I got another one. Also it looked like a darker version of a story I loved very much. Question is whether it was worth the wait after a delay the year prior? Let us find out as we take a look at Vampire in the Garden.

Genres: Action, Dark, Drama, Romance, Supernatural, Yuri

Theme: Vampires, War

Number of Episodes: 5. Time varies between 24-30 minutes per episode. Think of it like a big movie split into five parts.

G-Rating: 9/10

Objectionable content: Brutal and violent action scenes. Not gory though.

Plot Summary: A vampire queen, Fine, and a human girl, Momo, join forces against all odds in search of “paradise” , a place where humans and vampires peacefully coexist.

Momo the human and Fine the vampire queen.

Coming into this show after seeing trailers and descriptions it sounded like a darker Izetta: The Last Witch. I was right but it also contained some elements of Vampire: The Masquerade in its story of humans and vampires living among each other with their own societies and cultures. Ah yes, culture, especially music. That plays a big role in differentiating the humans and vampires. At first glance one would thing one is greater than the other but give it time and it is made crystal clear neither side is truly dominant. It is a war where two ladies despite coming from different worlds and not under the best circumstances are brought together by a big similarity and common goal, freedom.

The interesting thing I noticed each episode is they personally reminded me of other stories. For example, the premiere gave me Izetta vibes while Episode 2 oozed Beauty and the Beast. The same can be said for the other three episodes. They took themes from other stories and wove them together to tell their own tale that, though, familiar, was very well executed. Naturally it was not perfect but in this day and age what is? Even Mouretsu Pirates, the anime I described as perfect was because it catered to every single one of my anime viewing needs, not that it was flawless. My point being Vampire in the Garden has things that could have been better but for the story they wanted it was excellently executed. I will get to the main event in a bit but the story can be best described as dramatic and somber but with a light of hope. Bittersweet basically. There are many times my heart ached for the heroines and even some side-characters but somehow at the end of it all I did not regret watching this at all, possibly because I knew going into this show to expect my heart to hurt while watching.

I am convinced the dance scene was to immediately show viewers the vampire queen, she gay yo.

I like the difference in blossoming and experienced gayness between the main duo.

Humans are presented as understandably angry and miserable but though one would expect the vampires to be the “hoity toity” snobbish types. While some of them are, like all societies in existence it pertains to a fortunate few. It is interesting to see throughout Momo and Fine’s journey how humans and vampires’ habitation differs per location. There are similarities in certain cities but the differences are clear to see. As far as vampire tropes go only the ones relevant to the story are used, meaning no weakness against garlic or holy crosses. Sunlight remains their mortal enemy though plus they have more feral forms when enraged or pushed to the limit. As far as side-characters go most of their stories are given just enough clues to tell viewers what they are about be it through flashback snippets, their duties or where they were born.

Not the best shot but the point is to show battles are brutal and bloody as expected from a dramatic vampire story.

The presentation is excellent from the character designs to the brutal and bloody battles with lots of it shed on both sides. Not gory though so no worries there for people uncomfortable with gruesome mutilations. When it comes to the soundtrack once again yuri and classical music come together to form a great pair. There is no main theme till the very end so most of it is music that soothes as well as it thrills one’s veins or aches their soul. There is one song that is not classical though that is vibin’.

Longtime followers know how much I love Finé X Izetta. As mentioned above Fine X Momo are a more dramatic version of FiZetta. They go through many hurdles but rest assured their love and development solo and together carry similar vibes. One becomes stronger the hard way while the other confronts their past and present in an effort to find true happiness. The answer of course is each other.

Overall Vampire in the Garden is a very well done show. It is dark, dramatic and somber but at the same time a light of hope shines. Whether bright enough or not depends on the viewer. The presentation is excellent, the side-characters do their jobs well, the action brutally awesome and the main couple’s story an emotional roller coaster worth experiencing for viewers who can handle the drama. Worth the wait for sure.

PS: I posted a tweet saying I would be annoyed were there not a Part 2 based on how it ended. That is more a personal desire. However, others understandably say the ending was satisfactory. Basically it is one of “those” endings. Viewers who saw it may know what I mean.