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Kiss the Scars of the Girls #1
Kiss the Scars of the Girls, Vol. 1
Deep within a dense forest stands an academy for girls, whose students share a secret―they’re all vampires. To learn to hunt without attracting human attention, the maidens forge bloody bonds of sisterhood, but what fate will their ties bring…?
180 pages, Paperback
Published November 21, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
November 25, 2023
Sadly, this was a bit of a miss for me. The main character's overly cheerful demeanor does not mesh well with the melodramatic atmosphere of the rest of the book. Also, the pacing felt off throughout the book. The way the story bounces back and forth between cutsie and horrific left me feeling confused about what this manga wants to be. We're at a tea party, then we're running from vampire hunters, then we're baking cookies, then someone gets murdered, then we're making love confessions... It was all over the place.
The story is centered around an all-girls vampire school where every of-age underclassman gets paired up with an upperclassman who is supposed to teach them how to be a vampire. These pairings are called "sisters." The main character is desperate for a sister; she is the nurturing type who wants to take care of someone and be cared for in return. The problem I had with the setup is that it wasn't enough to have the stereotypical trope where the tender-hearted heroine gets paired up with the school ice queen; in addition, there are other girls who want to be with her and want to come between the "sisters." I wasn't sure who really wanted to date her and who was just a red herring thrown in for pointless conflict. It went way beyond the usual love triangle and got so convoluted I couldn't remember which girl was which by the end. It's not a harem manga, it's just messy.
I also did not like the way vampires were portrayed. When the girls at the school turn fourteen, they inexplicably suddenly need human blood to survive. But nothing prevents them from enjoying human food, and there are even a couple scenes showing the main character has a sweet tooth and likes to bake cookies. (What.) The students keep normal hours at school, doing classwork in the daytime and sleeping at night. But at night they also hunt. They all apparently hunt from the same village and then inevitably get chased by vampire hunters. But you never actually see the vampire hunters in action. The girls hunt only in their sister-pairings and not in the safety of packs. The teachers are absent entirely from the book, except in one scene where the main character gets scolded for daydreaming about her sister in the middle of class.
These types of phony vampires who are only vampires in that they need blood without any of the drawbacks are a pet peeve of mine. And I can tell already how predictable this series is going to be.
If you like the eternally upbeat girl who thinks she can fix everyone's problems just by smiling and giving it her all, you might like this. If you prefer plot-centric stories, I recommend giving this one a pass. If you just like anything to do with vampires, this is still an iffy pick, in my opinion.
The story is centered around an all-girls vampire school where every of-age underclassman gets paired up with an upperclassman who is supposed to teach them how to be a vampire. These pairings are called "sisters." The main character is desperate for a sister; she is the nurturing type who wants to take care of someone and be cared for in return. The problem I had with the setup is that it wasn't enough to have the stereotypical trope where the tender-hearted heroine gets paired up with the school ice queen; in addition, there are other girls who want to be with her and want to come between the "sisters." I wasn't sure who really wanted to date her and who was just a red herring thrown in for pointless conflict. It went way beyond the usual love triangle and got so convoluted I couldn't remember which girl was which by the end. It's not a harem manga, it's just messy.
I also did not like the way vampires were portrayed. When the girls at the school turn fourteen, they inexplicably suddenly need human blood to survive. But nothing prevents them from enjoying human food, and there are even a couple scenes showing the main character has a sweet tooth and likes to bake cookies. (What.) The students keep normal hours at school, doing classwork in the daytime and sleeping at night. But at night they also hunt. They all apparently hunt from the same village and then inevitably get chased by vampire hunters. But you never actually see the vampire hunters in action. The girls hunt only in their sister-pairings and not in the safety of packs. The teachers are absent entirely from the book, except in one scene where the main character gets scolded for daydreaming about her sister in the middle of class.
These types of phony vampires who are only vampires in that they need blood without any of the drawbacks are a pet peeve of mine. And I can tell already how predictable this series is going to be.
If you like the eternally upbeat girl who thinks she can fix everyone's problems just by smiling and giving it her all, you might like this. If you prefer plot-centric stories, I recommend giving this one a pass. If you just like anything to do with vampires, this is still an iffy pick, in my opinion.
November 28, 2023
On her fourteenth birthday, Emille gets to become bonded to her ‘sister’ at her private school. Except her new sister, Eve, wants absolutely nothing to do with Emille at all. But that’s not going to stop Emille from trying to convince Eve otherwise. Also, they’re all vampires.
First off, I have to say that I am no great fan of Class-S yuri. I acknowledge that it’s where the genre sprang from, but I prefer the more modern interpretations thereof. So, when I say that this is a good story, be aware that it is winning me over from behind the proverbial 8 Ball.
What I really appreciate here is how economical the storytelling is at the start, but how that isn’t an excuse to short shrift the narrative or make it more vague than it should be. We know Eve wants nothing to do with Emille, the why can come later. Even the art is minimalist, but effectively so.
Similarly, the vampire stuff definitely adds a little bit extra - Stoker would probably be proud that this bloodsucking has a little more sexuality mixed into it than we typically get these days - but it’s kept to the stuff we need to know.
Vampire hunters exist, vampires need blood, the girls try not to kill, they can mesmerize, that’s the particulars. It begs questions (you’d think this town would depopulate pretty fast due to the rash of neck bitings), but gives enough that you’re not lost.
Emille and Eve are your standard pairing, with Eve gradually thawing out over the course of the series. Her trauma is pretty believable - there’s some definite PTSD on the go there and it absolute explains why she has no desire to get close to Emille.
Emille is a little too bouncy for my own tastes, but she’s fun enough. And she certainly has an interesting friend group, including one girl who starts off sinister as all get out, plus her roommate Yukka (okay, the names in this one are wonky) who merely ends up being sinister as all get out.
There’s some fantastic melodrama - I do not often go ‘yay melodrama’, but I have to admit that the gothic atmosphere of this sort of school story practically invites it and that makes for some great story beats of the appropriate ‘dun dun dun’ variety.
Emille’s act of kindness towards Eve inadvertently leads to disaster and even if it isn’t something she could predict, she gets eaten alive with guilt over it. Uh, pardon the expression.
The yuri is pretty quiet thus far, minus Yukka’s silently simmering feelings, but this is definitely a story where the repression of more passionate feelings is going to be a thing. Taken on its terms, it’s a surprisingly good start.
4 stars - hey, good storytelling that matches the genre it was inspired by and makes me appreciate some of its choices as deliciously mean. Not a bad start at all.
First off, I have to say that I am no great fan of Class-S yuri. I acknowledge that it’s where the genre sprang from, but I prefer the more modern interpretations thereof. So, when I say that this is a good story, be aware that it is winning me over from behind the proverbial 8 Ball.
What I really appreciate here is how economical the storytelling is at the start, but how that isn’t an excuse to short shrift the narrative or make it more vague than it should be. We know Eve wants nothing to do with Emille, the why can come later. Even the art is minimalist, but effectively so.
Similarly, the vampire stuff definitely adds a little bit extra - Stoker would probably be proud that this bloodsucking has a little more sexuality mixed into it than we typically get these days - but it’s kept to the stuff we need to know.
Vampire hunters exist, vampires need blood, the girls try not to kill, they can mesmerize, that’s the particulars. It begs questions (you’d think this town would depopulate pretty fast due to the rash of neck bitings), but gives enough that you’re not lost.
Emille and Eve are your standard pairing, with Eve gradually thawing out over the course of the series. Her trauma is pretty believable - there’s some definite PTSD on the go there and it absolute explains why she has no desire to get close to Emille.
Emille is a little too bouncy for my own tastes, but she’s fun enough. And she certainly has an interesting friend group, including one girl who starts off sinister as all get out, plus her roommate Yukka (okay, the names in this one are wonky) who merely ends up being sinister as all get out.
There’s some fantastic melodrama - I do not often go ‘yay melodrama’, but I have to admit that the gothic atmosphere of this sort of school story practically invites it and that makes for some great story beats of the appropriate ‘dun dun dun’ variety.
Emille’s act of kindness towards Eve inadvertently leads to disaster and even if it isn’t something she could predict, she gets eaten alive with guilt over it. Uh, pardon the expression.
The yuri is pretty quiet thus far, minus Yukka’s silently simmering feelings, but this is definitely a story where the repression of more passionate feelings is going to be a thing. Taken on its terms, it’s a surprisingly good start.
4 stars - hey, good storytelling that matches the genre it was inspired by and makes me appreciate some of its choices as deliciously mean. Not a bad start at all.
April 23, 2024
In chapter 4, Kiss the Scars of the Girls takes a dark turn. It felt like something that had been building up for some time, so it didn’t come as a shock, but it was still disturbing to see. This manga takes lightheartedness and a heavy atmosphere and mingles them in a way that feels almost uncomfortable and stiff. Furthermore, it starts off by the reader stepping into this universe with little to no background or context except for what is gained along the way. Through said context, I’m beginning to see that Eve might be the only sober vampire child of the bunch. It seems she’s been witness to terrible things, such as her big sister dying trying to protect her (much like with Yucca and Shiki). As Eve mentioned, it sort of feels like everyone is smiling even if they’re not happy on the inside. Everything is great, lighthearted, fun, even though a heavy darkness looms in the air. Numerous girls at this academy harbor a darkness and secrets in their hearts, but choose to wear smiles in front of their friends anyways. It suggests to me that there is a large rift between all of the girls besides the sister matches.
This is certainly an interesting read, and I recommend giving it a shot for some light reading. It can be a little misleading with the cover and heavy tone, but it really is a light and easy read, it simply carries a heavy atmosphere.
This is certainly an interesting read, and I recommend giving it a shot for some light reading. It can be a little misleading with the cover and heavy tone, but it really is a light and easy read, it simply carries a heavy atmosphere.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2025
Not perfect because literally everything outside of the girl's relationships is kept very vague, so the world itself feels fairly bare-bones, nothing is expanded on and even the vampire hunters are kept entirely invisible for now so they hardly even feel real - but somehow it was still really enjoyable! Can't explain it, but something about the art and the gloomy vibes definitely kept me engaged.
November 21, 2023
This was an interesting take on vampires. I'm curious to see how Emille and Eve's relationship progresses in the rest of the story.
September 15, 2024
Stumbled upon this book on a list of queer manga releases. I'm not too into vampires but I thought this looked interesting.
For me who's not really a big vampire guy this was more of what I wanted lol. Our main character is a cheerful and sweet teenage vampire in a boarding school full of vampire girls. The love interest is more of the classic brooding vampire type. Defiently not the kind of vampires I'm used to seeing. But I liked seeing a different interpretation of vampires. Though I kinda forget their vampires sometimes.
However the big flaw is the pacing. Everything happens so fast. In particular a pivotal and emotional scene happens way too fast, I don't want to spoil but it wasn't given enough time to build up. It feels cheap. I read this pretty quick because the pace is just so break neck. It wastes no time setting things up. I was pretty invested because I liked the characters, the cast is pretty solid. But the worldbuilding was kinda lacking.
This is a shorter series so I'll stick with it because I really like the atmosphere. The school uniforms are so pretty also the detail on the collars. Probably one of the cuter vampire stories I've read lol.
I'm waiting to see where this goes.
For me who's not really a big vampire guy this was more of what I wanted lol. Our main character is a cheerful and sweet teenage vampire in a boarding school full of vampire girls. The love interest is more of the classic brooding vampire type. Defiently not the kind of vampires I'm used to seeing. But I liked seeing a different interpretation of vampires. Though I kinda forget their vampires sometimes.
However the big flaw is the pacing. Everything happens so fast. In particular a pivotal and emotional scene happens way too fast, I don't want to spoil but it wasn't given enough time to build up. It feels cheap. I read this pretty quick because the pace is just so break neck. It wastes no time setting things up. I was pretty invested because I liked the characters, the cast is pretty solid. But the worldbuilding was kinda lacking.
This is a shorter series so I'll stick with it because I really like the atmosphere. The school uniforms are so pretty also the detail on the collars. Probably one of the cuter vampire stories I've read lol.
I'm waiting to see where this goes.
November 2, 2025
Strawberry Panic/Maria-sama x Vampires! When vampires turn 14 in this boarding school they get a big sister (another vampire). Eve wasn't always fun as she is quite grumpy and not always nice, but as the story progresses we see her do more of an effort to be kind to Emille. Despite a lot of the manga volume being cute, there is also a much darker side to it all. Jealousy, vampire hunters outside of the school that will hunt those that search for blood, death. The blend of it was a pretty good one. Something light between the darker bits. I also love how much Emille cares for those around her and tries to make them happy (though in some cases like in the last pages she should be more careful).
The art was pretty! I am happy I got all three volumes at the library (so happy they are adding manga now).
The art was pretty! I am happy I got all three volumes at the library (so happy they are adding manga now).
November 1, 2023
If Class S yuri and vampires are your catnip, this is the series for you. At an all-vampire all-girls middle and high school, girls who reach bloodsucking age (14; an obvious menarche metaphor), they enter into a "sister" relationship with an older girl who teaches them how to prey on humans. But vampire hunters lurk, and this takes a very dark turn towards the end of chapter four. With yearning tainted by darkness and relationships forced upon others, this is a really interesting combination of genres. Probably more of a 3.5, but definitely good enough to round up.
January 22, 2024
4 stars. Ooh, this was good as hell! That ending? I NEED volume two right this instant! This was dark and a bit gritty and the artwork is beautiful. Eve has a lot of scars and emotional baggage and we find out towards the end that it has to do with her sister. Emille is a very lovable and sunshine character and I adored how no matter how much Eve tried to push her away she was persistent. The paranormal aspect of the characters being vampires was really cool and I cannot wait for volume two!
January 9, 2024
I gave it a try because vampires, but I’m really not into the schoolgirl moe yuri-type stories. It’s… fine…? The worldbuilding felt a bit lacking in volume 1 and it seems like it’s existing primarily on vibes. I don’t really care about the love triangle being set up (if you can even call it that) and there’s nothing else compelling me to keep reading, so I’ll drop the series here.
December 26, 2024
Vampire girls living in their academy and now that Emille will get a "big sister" now that she's turning fourteen, she's super excited until she learns that it's Eve and Eve is standoffish, distant, rude, and disdainful to Emille who tries her hardest to connect with Eve while learning all the ways to be a better vampire girl.
November 14, 2023
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
November 27, 2023
The pacing is really weird. There's no draw to the characters. There's very little explanation. And it's rated OT but there's hardly a kiss scene. As usual I'm disappointed by yet another GL. :/
December 22, 2023
Cute, tragic, lesbian vampire romance. Looking forward to seeing where it goes.
October 14, 2024
Series rating 3⭐️
December 30, 2024
2.75/5
Read
April 5, 2025lowkey kinda weird and pretty mid
April 23, 2025
very interesting story about trust and betrayal. I do wish it had a few more volumes but I do see why the author didn't though
November 1, 2024
EDIT: After a re-read, I'm bumping this up to 4 stars. I think I was much too harsh on it the first time. This time, it was a really enjoyable read, and the art is absolutely gorgeous. And while it does rely heavily on tropes, the tropes are ones I love, so I really can't hold that against it. Love the main characters together, too.
Original review:
Beautiful vampire girls in a Class S setting? Yes please!
However... I'm not entirely sold on the first volume. The art was pretty, the Class S tropes were there, and there were indeed beautiful vampire girls.
Unfortunately it just fell a bit flat. The characters were very tropey, and I didn't feel like we got to know them beyond those surface characteristics. There's room for that to change in future volumes of course, so I'm slightly optimistic.
Another thing I didn't really like was the pushiness of some characters. I know they're vampires, but they don't have to be predatory in other ways as well...
Well, I'm still looking forward to reading the next one, because I'm in love with the concept itself, and the art. (And we just don't get enough lesbian vampires in manga translated in the west)
Original review:
Beautiful vampire girls in a Class S setting? Yes please!
However... I'm not entirely sold on the first volume. The art was pretty, the Class S tropes were there, and there were indeed beautiful vampire girls.
Unfortunately it just fell a bit flat. The characters were very tropey, and I didn't feel like we got to know them beyond those surface characteristics. There's room for that to change in future volumes of course, so I'm slightly optimistic.
Another thing I didn't really like was the pushiness of some characters. I know they're vampires, but they don't have to be predatory in other ways as well...
Well, I'm still looking forward to reading the next one, because I'm in love with the concept itself, and the art. (And we just don't get enough lesbian vampires in manga translated in the west)
October 20, 2024
I love this concept so much!!! Its such a cute manga wtffff 😒😒😒😒
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