Summary
From October 10th until November 14th,Tokyopopis releasing their newest set of graphic novels under theirLoveLove Imprintbrand, which targets readers ranging from teens to young adults. Most notably, their newest releases target LGBT readers to provide a more inclusive experience for manga and romance enthusiasts alike.
Moreover, with the inclusion of Western mangaka and authors, Tokyopop strives to ensure that audiences get the most bang for their buck. With these newest additions to their catalog, there are four graphic novels,The Black Cat & The Vampire,Undead: Finding Love in the Zombie Apocalypse,Sating The Wolf, andLullaby of the Dawn.
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The Black Cat & The Vampire
Rated for older teens,The Black Cat & The Vampiretells the story of Yuki Hasegawa, a first year student at an all-boys boarding school, where rumors of the charming but mysterious class president, Jean Michel begin circulating, after one of the students is reported having “bug bites” and anemia with no recollection of it. Before he knows it, Yuki who was once an introvert, finds himself entangled with Jean and soon discovers that vampires may be more than just a myth.
Something To Sink Your Teeth Into
Nikke Taino manages toencapsulate the readerby telling the story solely from Yuki’s perspective, initially making it a horror mystery. Along with Yuki, we only know so much about Blanc College, and that it’s just a prestigious school where everyone is expected to be “gentlemen”. Like with any place, there are always going to be rumors about something sinister going on behind the scenes - and because the reader is in the same book as Yuki, both are left wondering if there truly is weight to the students' suspicions.
Halfway through, when Yuki and Jean find themselves in a compromising situation where Jean (as seen on the cover of the first volume) is revealed to be a vampire, the genre leans more towards romantic drama. Here the reader learns that Jean, along with some other students are vampires and have been attending the school in hopes of finding a coexistence with humans. Though Yuki initially feels betrayed, he develops feelings in return for Jean, and the boy who initially got bit discovered love of his own, even if it was at an all-boys-school. During the first half of the story, we were walking in Yuki’s footsteps, curious to know what was happening at Blanc College, but upon finding out, our perspective switches to Jean, who is far from threatening.The Black Cat & The Vampiregoes back to the roots of vampire lore stemming from the originalDraculain 1931, in which they are seductive in nature and their bites being ecstatic for the victims. For readers who are fond of the traditional vampire but with amodern romantic twist, this 2 volume manga will be well worth the read.
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Mostzombie survival horrorhave a moderate degree of romance, though it’s usually told through subtext.Rated for mature audiences,Undeadis about Hikaru Asahina, a 19-year-old survivor who lost his family during the zombie apocalypse. Now with a small group of survivors, including his childhood friend, Ai, they struggle to survive in a dying world.
Undying(?) Loyalty
As with any story in the zombie genre, the main cast will be introduced to another group of survivors at one point or another. As previously mentioned, Hikaru and Ai were a pair before meeting the other two in their group, Yukio and Kaname. In the beginning, the two are separated, taking on zombies (or “infected”, as the story calls them). Though upon reuniting, Hikaru notices Ai acting more aggressive than usual. Later that night, he discovers Ai with one of their comrades, implying that the two are in a much deeper relationship. Overtime we see Hikaru’s psyche deteriorate, as he processes that the end of the worldhas changed his best friend beyond recognition. Moreover, the latter begins making moves on him after Hikaru has a dangerous run-in with another group of survivors. It’s at this time that we learn the two have feelings for each other.
Fumi Tsuyuhisa holds no bounds throwing the reader into theUndead, putting the readerdirectly in the sequence of events. It’s a chaotic story in a chaotic world. And as the story progress, we come to learn how Ai and Hikaru grew so close, going as far to consider themselves family. What made Ai’s actions so erratic over the course of everything, now makes sense; he wanted to repay Hikaru in strength by protecting him. But this joyous revelation doesn’t last for long when one of the survivors gets bitten and Hikaru finds himself conflicted in his feelings. Tsuyuhisa manages to give hope to the viewer in that he’ll survive, but with the knowledge that it’s doomed to end in tragedy. By the end of the first volume, Ai’s debt has been repaid in full and similar to Hikaru, we ask ourselves, “what will we do without him?”.
Undead’sart styleis arguably the best of the bunch. Hikaru and Ai are drawn with detail but not made too realistic. The appearances of the zombies as well are left up to the audience’s interpretation, making the situation even more unsettling.Undeadis perfect for those craving a good love-story between childhood friends, even if you’re not big on the zombie genre.
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Sating The Wolf
In a classist systemdictated by animal species, Noah, a wolf-type was exiled from his pack and left to wander by himself in prey territory. There he meets a rabbit-type named Henri, who accepts Noah despite his disposition and welcomes him into the family, willing to face retaliation from the other villagers.Rated for a mature audience.
A (Rabbit) Man’s Best Friend
In terms of storytelling,Sating The Wolfis simpler in that it follows the life of alone wolf finding his place in society, even if he is different. We learn that Henri, in spite of being a rabbit-type is a natural-born leader, after he took up a parental role to look after his younger brothers. And though Noah is a wolf, he’s not expected to conform to traditional “predator” behavior. Overall the message here is clear: There’s a place for everyone, just be who you are.
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Lullaby of the Dawn
In a monster-infested world, there exist defenders of the land, also known as ‘kannagi’. An un-aging, but invincible boy, Elva is responsible for driving monsters away from the island he protects.Though at his expense, the islanders shun him for his differences. Until the main character, Alto crosses paths and vows to serve him and share the burden.Rated for older teens.
Dying a Hero or Living to be a Villain
Ichika Yuno reminds us that prejudice is a learned trait, not an inherited one.Alto’s first instinctupon meeting Elva is to care for his wounds and sees to it that he gets help after his battle. It’s his relatives that discourage him from these acts of kindness. We learn overtime that Elva is suffering from an infliction that is starting to take over his body, inevitably shortening his lifespan. But Alto’s loyalty and love towards him remedies that, as Elva finds himself living beyond what he initially anticipated. The narrative is set up so meticulously that it isn’t until Alto starts asking questions, do the readers see everything as fact.
Similar to the female yoma fromClaymore, the kannagi are superhuman beings tasked with protecting or carrying out a greater cause or purpose. And both are scorned by society simply because of their differences, despite the fact that yoma and kannagi are quite literally the only thing keeping the populace alive.Lullaby of the Dawnis set to be a multi-volume series, and so far Alto and Elva’s journey is a nostalgic yet refreshing one.
All four manga volumes are printed softcover and carefully binded in accordance with the Japanese layout (right to left). Aside fromSating The Wolf, each book provides a few pages ofLoveLove’s other works. All of Tokyopop’s current and upcoming additions to theirLoveLovecollection can be found on theirexclusive website.
