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ブラッドナイトマーケット / Blood Night Market #1
Blood Night Market, Vol. 1
From popular Boys' Love creator Chise Ogawa! In this action-packed supernatural thriller, a dark city thrives when humans feed the desires of vampires.
Step into the pulsating heart of Blood Night City, a metropolis teeming with vampires thirsty for blood and humans eager to sell. In this dark urban landscape, Sotetsu toils as an employee of the Blood Control Bureau, an organization determined to stamp out illegal vampire activities. But when he crosses paths with the enigmatic Mozu, a self-proclaimed vampire gourmand, Sotetsu's world is suddenly turned upside down. For the first time ever, a vampire craves his "undesirable blood," but could there be more to Mozu's desires?
As their destinies intertwine in a web of blood, prepare for a gripping tale of seduction, intrigue, and salvation unlike any other!
Step into the pulsating heart of Blood Night City, a metropolis teeming with vampires thirsty for blood and humans eager to sell. In this dark urban landscape, Sotetsu toils as an employee of the Blood Control Bureau, an organization determined to stamp out illegal vampire activities. But when he crosses paths with the enigmatic Mozu, a self-proclaimed vampire gourmand, Sotetsu's world is suddenly turned upside down. For the first time ever, a vampire craves his "undesirable blood," but could there be more to Mozu's desires?
As their destinies intertwine in a web of blood, prepare for a gripping tale of seduction, intrigue, and salvation unlike any other!
204 pages, Paperback
Published January 7, 2025
12 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Chise Ogawa
47 books196 followersChise Ogawa (name in Japanese: 緒川千世) is the pen name that Shigeyoshi Takagi (高木しげよし) uses for her BL works.
She is the younger twin sister of Satoshi Morie.
She also draws dōjinshi under pen name 余暇 (Yoka) in circle 旧式 (Kyuushiki).
Different language transcriptions for Chise Ogawa:
ОГАВА Тисэ
She is the younger twin sister of Satoshi Morie.
She also draws dōjinshi under pen name 余暇 (Yoka) in circle 旧式 (Kyuushiki).
Different language transcriptions for Chise Ogawa:
ОГАВА Тисэ
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
January 21, 2025
I am almost at a complete loss of words.
I would like to start by saying that this manga, conceptually, is very much my kind of thing.
- Vampires? I love vampires.
- BL? got to have it
- a story that seems to be an overarching plot/mystery/action with romance on the side? my favorite type of BL and the thing I get the most excited about reading
- the aesthetics & colors over the cover ? right up my alley
- the art? Stunning. I've been captivated by Chise Ogawa's art for a while, and meaning to read Caste Heaven despite the iffy premise because of how beautiful it looks.
But unfortunately, this manga didn't do it for me, because it's a hot mess. Like, a real hot mess.
And much like this manga, this review is going to be a bit of a hot mess because my brain is all over the place, so I am going to try to group everything into rough sections in order to bring some kind of semblance of order to my thoughts.
The Worldbuilding
I get that the mangaka needed to establish the rules of the world right off the bat in order to get the reader up to speed, but how Chisa Ogawa went about doing it just felt a little lazy and very much out of place. I thought it was a fine way to get us caught up at first, but the more I read, the more I realized that basically all of the plot beats from the first chapter seemed to have no bearing on the rest of the story. To make it worse, the information that we actually needed to know for the plot wasn't introduced until the second and third chapters in very abrupt and stilted conversation. It almost feels like the first chapter was written separately as some kind of "proof of concept" or one-shot that was later expanded into the rest of the story. I highly doubt that is what happened, but that is how it feels.
I honestly would have preferred something like what was done by Asia Watanabe in ROMEO 1, where we're literally just given ten or so pages of character and worldbuilding notes at the beginning, before the story even started, to front load all the necessary information and allow us to just jump right into the story. Setting everything up separately like this would have let Chisa Ogawa start us off in the story with the MC responding to events (without having to explain them / teach the audience about the world) which could help strengthen his character development (more on that later). But anyhoo....
If I'm being honest, the world building, while interesting, seems to have some pretty substantial holes in it. Sotetsu fights with his blood, which can combust? That's awesome. Seriously, I love that as a concept. Quick question though -- does he have, like, infinite blood? Because he never seems to like, run out. Or show any signs of anemia from using his blood in excess. Which is something I would expect to see in a story where someone uses their blood as a weapon, because, you know, it makes sense for that to be a thing.
Characters
The first chapter introduces us to some key concepts, and also to our two main characters, but even that was done poorly. Our main character, Sotetsu, is downright confusing. He seems to flip rapidly between personality traits in a very inconsistent way -- is he bloodthirsty and aggressive? is he compassionate and kind? is he short tempered and does he hold grudges? is he self sacrificing? is he self centered? does he stand his ground? does he bend to others' will? The answer to all of those questions is yes -- and not in the good, complex character kind of way. More so in the "I have no idea what this guy wants or stands for" kind of way. I don't know who he is or what he cares about; I don't even fully understand what his character motivations are, which is even worse, because I feel like the mangaka made it pretty clear, it was just done so poorly that it didn't make sense.
Sotetsu's largest character trait and driving force seems to be his obsession with his blood -- in a world where all humans' value is ranked according to their blood, he has extremely disgusting blood, which makes him worthless in this economy. Because of this, he obsesses over how his blood tastes and seems to want to improve his blood quality... except he also doesn't, as he doesn't seem to be, like, actually taking steps to do that. Both his mother (in the past) and Mozu make comments around "you are what you eat" and Mozu specifically tells him not to eat certain things, but Sotetsu doesn't act on those comments. There is an off handed comment in chapter one about having a limited food budget, so literally not being able to afford to eat well makes sense, but I don't know if that's why he doesn't do it. It's just as likely that he doesn't eat well because he does not think he deserves it (which is also suggested in chapter one, and would really work as a self-hated motivation, but doesn't make sense given his apparent desire to want to improve his blood), and it's just as likely that he doesn't listen to Mozu as some kind of act of defiance, which is how he is depicted eating at least once.
I would be okay with the idea of Sotetsu not acting on him being "what he eats" if I knew why he wasn't doing it. If I knew for sure it was a money thing or a self-hatred thing or a 'I'm eating like this because it makes me a weapon and therefor gives me purpose' thing, but the problem is that I don't know why he's doing this. In truth, I don't even know if improving his blood is even something he wants. He asks Mozu about it once, but other than that, he seems resigned to his fate of being "discard" level blood -- which is, really, more interesting. If he is resigned to it and just wants to be of use how he is (or loved for how he is), that is actually really sweet and could be a good beat of his character to explore. But I DON'T KNOW if he feels that way, because the text itself is almost incomprehensible!
The Plot and Translation
The plot is kind of all over the place, but I can't tell if that's because it is written poorly or if the translation is just a disaster. I really think it's a combination of both. Plot arcs are introduced and dismissed as the next one is introduced without any real closure to the first one (ex: the first chapter having literally no connection to the second one, aside from the MCs meeting). Seemingly traumatic/important things happened but are glossed over without showing us how characters are impacted by those moments. The end of the last chapter just kind of happened without any rhyme or reason. Characters speak in a very stilted way, but also use metaphors that don't really make sense, almost like only half the metaphor got translated. There seems to have been no localization done to make lines sound more natural. Exchanges between characters either have no substance to them or move too quickly. Characters' personalities are not distinct because everyone sounds exactly the same... the list really goes on and on...
Also? Some lines just don't make sense.
Like, what? Is there a line missing? Did Mozu make a threat that warrants Sotetsu's reaction? Why does Mozu's line start with "and" as if he was following something up? Even if we remove the "and," that response doesn't make sense? It literally feels like the translation is direct and makes no sense in English, (which is why localization is needed when translating!)
HUH???? Like when you SALT MEAT???? Salting meat does NOT make the flavor mellow; salt, in fact, ENHANCES flavor??? Which ALSO seems to be the effect of a human being loved?? It seems like when a human is loved, their blood tastes better to vampires -- the metaphor works, but not the explanation??? Maybe they meant it makes it TENDER? Because salt does help make meat tender, and that’s the comparison being made?? I should not have to work this hard to understand the translation!
Literally who translated this. Who the fuck translated this. AI??? I don't want to make such a claim, but literally what is this. This story seems really interesting and the art is great and I WANT to love it but the story is literally nonsense. It's so hard to read. The characters feel flat and confusing, with their motivations unclear and their characterization all over the place. I feel like I am stumbling through the plot, grasping at straws, trying to understand what is going on, but information is either being spitefully withheld or told to me in riddles.
The Relationship
Now, this line I will agree with -- Mozu and Sotetsu have not formed a connection. There is, I will give them that, a spark at the end, where Mozu seems to take interest in Sotetsu (and!! I like the idea proposed of Sotetsu finally feeling like he has meaning in living for someone else, but that he also feels like his agency has been lost, which makes it meaningless), but outside of that, I don't see anything between them. Now, given this is a plot-first, romance-second kind of story, this is acceptable... but still weird.
Other stories I have read like this, including Hanger, Vol. 1 and The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window, Vol. 1, we get a sense of connection between the main characters pretty quickly or an understanding of their character that explains why they make the choices they do. When Zeroichi chooses to let the bad guys go, even though he will be punished for it, in order to save Hajime, even though they do not get along by this point, I understand why he did it -- we know enough about his character and can feel the chemistry between them that makes this moment make sense.
Why does Mozu save Sotetsu? Why does Sotetsu save Mozu? I don't know. I don't feel like I know enough about them to know why they did that. It feels like they did it just because they were supposed to in order to build their relationship, not that they did it because they've been building their relationship.
In short -- I wanted to like this, but the translation and/or writing makes it impossible. This might be the first series I straight up drop because I don't see the value in continuing to read a series this poorly made/translated.
I would like to start by saying that this manga, conceptually, is very much my kind of thing.
- Vampires? I love vampires.
- BL? got to have it
- a story that seems to be an overarching plot/mystery/action with romance on the side? my favorite type of BL and the thing I get the most excited about reading
- the aesthetics & colors over the cover ? right up my alley
- the art? Stunning. I've been captivated by Chise Ogawa's art for a while, and meaning to read Caste Heaven despite the iffy premise because of how beautiful it looks.
But unfortunately, this manga didn't do it for me, because it's a hot mess. Like, a real hot mess.
And much like this manga, this review is going to be a bit of a hot mess because my brain is all over the place, so I am going to try to group everything into rough sections in order to bring some kind of semblance of order to my thoughts.
The Worldbuilding
I get that the mangaka needed to establish the rules of the world right off the bat in order to get the reader up to speed, but how Chisa Ogawa went about doing it just felt a little lazy and very much out of place. I thought it was a fine way to get us caught up at first, but the more I read, the more I realized that basically all of the plot beats from the first chapter seemed to have no bearing on the rest of the story. To make it worse, the information that we actually needed to know for the plot wasn't introduced until the second and third chapters in very abrupt and stilted conversation. It almost feels like the first chapter was written separately as some kind of "proof of concept" or one-shot that was later expanded into the rest of the story. I highly doubt that is what happened, but that is how it feels.
I honestly would have preferred something like what was done by Asia Watanabe in ROMEO 1, where we're literally just given ten or so pages of character and worldbuilding notes at the beginning, before the story even started, to front load all the necessary information and allow us to just jump right into the story. Setting everything up separately like this would have let Chisa Ogawa start us off in the story with the MC responding to events (without having to explain them / teach the audience about the world) which could help strengthen his character development (more on that later). But anyhoo....
If I'm being honest, the world building, while interesting, seems to have some pretty substantial holes in it. Sotetsu fights with his blood, which can combust? That's awesome. Seriously, I love that as a concept. Quick question though -- does he have, like, infinite blood? Because he never seems to like, run out. Or show any signs of anemia from using his blood in excess. Which is something I would expect to see in a story where someone uses their blood as a weapon, because, you know, it makes sense for that to be a thing.
Characters
The first chapter introduces us to some key concepts, and also to our two main characters, but even that was done poorly. Our main character, Sotetsu, is downright confusing. He seems to flip rapidly between personality traits in a very inconsistent way -- is he bloodthirsty and aggressive? is he compassionate and kind? is he short tempered and does he hold grudges? is he self sacrificing? is he self centered? does he stand his ground? does he bend to others' will? The answer to all of those questions is yes -- and not in the good, complex character kind of way. More so in the "I have no idea what this guy wants or stands for" kind of way. I don't know who he is or what he cares about; I don't even fully understand what his character motivations are, which is even worse, because I feel like the mangaka made it pretty clear, it was just done so poorly that it didn't make sense.
Sotetsu's largest character trait and driving force seems to be his obsession with his blood -- in a world where all humans' value is ranked according to their blood, he has extremely disgusting blood, which makes him worthless in this economy. Because of this, he obsesses over how his blood tastes and seems to want to improve his blood quality... except he also doesn't, as he doesn't seem to be, like, actually taking steps to do that. Both his mother (in the past) and Mozu make comments around "you are what you eat" and Mozu specifically tells him not to eat certain things, but Sotetsu doesn't act on those comments. There is an off handed comment in chapter one about having a limited food budget, so literally not being able to afford to eat well makes sense, but I don't know if that's why he doesn't do it. It's just as likely that he doesn't eat well because he does not think he deserves it (which is also suggested in chapter one, and would really work as a self-hated motivation, but doesn't make sense given his apparent desire to want to improve his blood), and it's just as likely that he doesn't listen to Mozu as some kind of act of defiance, which is how he is depicted eating at least once.
I would be okay with the idea of Sotetsu not acting on him being "what he eats" if I knew why he wasn't doing it. If I knew for sure it was a money thing or a self-hatred thing or a 'I'm eating like this because it makes me a weapon and therefor gives me purpose' thing, but the problem is that I don't know why he's doing this. In truth, I don't even know if improving his blood is even something he wants. He asks Mozu about it once, but other than that, he seems resigned to his fate of being "discard" level blood -- which is, really, more interesting. If he is resigned to it and just wants to be of use how he is (or loved for how he is), that is actually really sweet and could be a good beat of his character to explore. But I DON'T KNOW if he feels that way, because the text itself is almost incomprehensible!
The Plot and Translation
The plot is kind of all over the place, but I can't tell if that's because it is written poorly or if the translation is just a disaster. I really think it's a combination of both. Plot arcs are introduced and dismissed as the next one is introduced without any real closure to the first one (ex: the first chapter having literally no connection to the second one, aside from the MCs meeting). Seemingly traumatic/important things happened but are glossed over without showing us how characters are impacted by those moments. The end of the last chapter just kind of happened without any rhyme or reason. Characters speak in a very stilted way, but also use metaphors that don't really make sense, almost like only half the metaphor got translated. There seems to have been no localization done to make lines sound more natural. Exchanges between characters either have no substance to them or move too quickly. Characters' personalities are not distinct because everyone sounds exactly the same... the list really goes on and on...
Also? Some lines just don't make sense.
Mozu: "If you all behave like you're supposed to, I won't betray you either."
Sotetsu: "Huh? Who the hell are you to say that? You want me to grill you right here?"
Mozu: "And even if you could kill me with your blood?"
Like, what? Is there a line missing? Did Mozu make a threat that warrants Sotetsu's reaction? Why does Mozu's line start with "and" as if he was following something up? Even if we remove the "and," that response doesn't make sense? It literally feels like the translation is direct and makes no sense in English, (which is why localization is needed when translating!)
"Like humans sprinkle salt on meat, vampires show love to humans. For when you do this, it makes the blood become mellow."
HUH???? Like when you SALT MEAT???? Salting meat does NOT make the flavor mellow; salt, in fact, ENHANCES flavor??? Which ALSO seems to be the effect of a human being loved?? It seems like when a human is loved, their blood tastes better to vampires -- the metaphor works, but not the explanation??? Maybe they meant it makes it TENDER? Because salt does help make meat tender, and that’s the comparison being made?? I should not have to work this hard to understand the translation!
Literally who translated this. Who the fuck translated this. AI??? I don't want to make such a claim, but literally what is this. This story seems really interesting and the art is great and I WANT to love it but the story is literally nonsense. It's so hard to read. The characters feel flat and confusing, with their motivations unclear and their characterization all over the place. I feel like I am stumbling through the plot, grasping at straws, trying to understand what is going on, but information is either being spitefully withheld or told to me in riddles.
The Relationship
"You didn't form a connection with me one bit."
Now, this line I will agree with -- Mozu and Sotetsu have not formed a connection. There is, I will give them that, a spark at the end, where Mozu seems to take interest in Sotetsu (and!! I like the idea proposed of Sotetsu finally feeling like he has meaning in living for someone else, but that he also feels like his agency has been lost, which makes it meaningless), but outside of that, I don't see anything between them. Now, given this is a plot-first, romance-second kind of story, this is acceptable... but still weird.
Other stories I have read like this, including Hanger, Vol. 1 and The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window, Vol. 1, we get a sense of connection between the main characters pretty quickly or an understanding of their character that explains why they make the choices they do. When Zeroichi chooses to let the bad guys go, even though he will be punished for it, in order to save Hajime, even though they do not get along by this point, I understand why he did it -- we know enough about his character and can feel the chemistry between them that makes this moment make sense.
Why does Mozu save Sotetsu? Why does Sotetsu save Mozu? I don't know. I don't feel like I know enough about them to know why they did that. It feels like they did it just because they were supposed to in order to build their relationship, not that they did it because they've been building their relationship.
In short -- I wanted to like this, but the translation and/or writing makes it impossible. This might be the first series I straight up drop because I don't see the value in continuing to read a series this poorly made/translated.
January 31, 2025
I think this might be the first time I dnf a manga.
Only lasted about halfway. Infodumping at the beginning, but somehow still confusing, plot all over the place. I don't know, there's something repulsive about it too?
Such a shame, because BL and vampires should be interesting, and the cover looks really cool too.
Only lasted about halfway. Infodumping at the beginning, but somehow still confusing, plot all over the place. I don't know, there's something repulsive about it too?
Such a shame, because BL and vampires should be interesting, and the cover looks really cool too.
January 7, 2025
This was bizarre and unexpected, and I really enjoyed it. The worldbuilding is unique, and Sotetsu's desire to become important to just one person is quite moving. Mozu is a fascinating character, and a reveal about him towards to end caught me off guard. Any romance elements in this will definitely be a slow burn, as this is very plot-heavy, but I'm excited to see where it goes.
Read
February 3, 2025I'm honestly at a loss what rating to give here. While I really like the setting of a blood market that had a bit of cyberpunky feel and some ideas were unique in a nice way, some ideas just left me wondering what the author was smoking
Sotetsu feels contradictory, yet I'm also not sure about that
The end left me kinda confused about what the hell just happened, but I suppose we will get more explanation on that in the next vol.
What brings the biggest confusion here, though, is the translation itself. It's horrible. Really, really bad... There are points in the text that made me break my brain twice over trying to figure what the person meant. And then I looked up a fan translation of these parts and lo and behold, it made so much more sense! The meaning was often even completely different than what was in the 7S version I held in my hand!
I feel like I would have better chances understanding the originals with my broken Japanese than the sense the 7S release made...
I will leave it without a star rating for now and will see if I get to read the next two vols. I will not be getting the 7S releases though, that's for sure.
Sotetsu feels contradictory, yet I'm also not sure about that
The end left me kinda confused about what the hell just happened, but I suppose we will get more explanation on that in the next vol.
What brings the biggest confusion here, though, is the translation itself. It's horrible. Really, really bad... There are points in the text that made me break my brain twice over trying to figure what the person meant. And then I looked up a fan translation of these parts and lo and behold, it made so much more sense! The meaning was often even completely different than what was in the 7S version I held in my hand!
I feel like I would have better chances understanding the originals with my broken Japanese than the sense the 7S release made...
I will leave it without a star rating for now and will see if I get to read the next two vols. I will not be getting the 7S releases though, that's for sure.
April 5, 2025
The dialogue was really confusing but the art is pretty. I think I understand what’s happening? But maybe not? Why did he suddenly become buff and long haired? No idea.
January 13, 2025
I didn't understand a single thing that happened in this story.
It's the kind of incredibly detailed worldbuilding that's so intricate the author just...forgot to let the readers in on the plot, I guess? There are about a billion different threads going on, with none of them explained in any real detail.
The basic outline is that in this world, vampires and humans coexist by creating a "blood market" where humans are judged based on the quality of their blood, which they sell to vampires as carefully regulated and categorized food. (Are only vampires wealthy, then? Where does that money come from? Are only poor humans selling themselves? Where do the wealthy humans live?)
Sotetsu is an employee of the Blood Control Bureau, which keeps the blood market regulated and punishes vampires that attack and feed on humans outside of the official establishments. The employees there are mostly "D" grade blood, which means "discard," because it's so unpalatable no vampire wants to feed on it.
Except Sotetsu is the son of the mythical "Ambrosia," a woman whose blood was so pure and powerful that it brought enlightenment to vampires. I guess? But then she died? And for some reason her son's blood is basically poison...from birth, or just from grief? Who knows.
Meanwhile, Mozu shows up, a "gourmand" vampire who's intrigued by Sotetsu's blood but joins the Blood Control Bureau to search for Ambrosia, whom he believes still exists in some form. If not Sotetsu's dead mother, then someone else who has the same qualities in their blood. Mozu moves in with Sotetsu, and it seems like we're going to get some sort of bickering housemates dynamic.
But then we have this whole sideplot on their first mission together, where Mozu kidnaps the person being called "Ambrosia," then goes oh no nevermind I won't ditch the Bureau that fast because it was fake spiced-up blood. And instead of dealing with ANY of this, a variety of other frenetic events happen, we get a new "Farmer" villain introduced, who's feeding the Seed of Life to various humans to try to turn them into Ambrosia I guess? And then Sotetsu saves Mozu's life, so Mozu saves him right back by shoving a seed into his chest, which sprouts and I guess transforms him and grows his arm back? And then Mozu turns into some sort of god? (Who, quite frankly, is very ugly, and Mozu's character design was the only thing I was liking in this story.)
So I honestly just. Have no idea. I'd sort of like to know where the story goes from here, but I also don't think I want to put in the effort to get there. So very little of this made any sense at all, and I'm shocked the ratings are as high as they are, because did I miss something? The dialogue is also messy and nonsensical in a lot of spots, so unless that's a Seven Seas translation issue, there's just...not a lot that's appealing in this story.
I think I'm giving up on the vampire genre in BL. So far every single one has been muddily confusing and ultimately pretty disappointing. I don't get why that is, but here we are yet again.
It's the kind of incredibly detailed worldbuilding that's so intricate the author just...forgot to let the readers in on the plot, I guess? There are about a billion different threads going on, with none of them explained in any real detail.
The basic outline is that in this world, vampires and humans coexist by creating a "blood market" where humans are judged based on the quality of their blood, which they sell to vampires as carefully regulated and categorized food. (Are only vampires wealthy, then? Where does that money come from? Are only poor humans selling themselves? Where do the wealthy humans live?)
Sotetsu is an employee of the Blood Control Bureau, which keeps the blood market regulated and punishes vampires that attack and feed on humans outside of the official establishments. The employees there are mostly "D" grade blood, which means "discard," because it's so unpalatable no vampire wants to feed on it.
Except Sotetsu is the son of the mythical "Ambrosia," a woman whose blood was so pure and powerful that it brought enlightenment to vampires. I guess? But then she died? And for some reason her son's blood is basically poison...from birth, or just from grief? Who knows.
Meanwhile, Mozu shows up, a "gourmand" vampire who's intrigued by Sotetsu's blood but joins the Blood Control Bureau to search for Ambrosia, whom he believes still exists in some form. If not Sotetsu's dead mother, then someone else who has the same qualities in their blood. Mozu moves in with Sotetsu, and it seems like we're going to get some sort of bickering housemates dynamic.
But then we have this whole sideplot on their first mission together, where Mozu kidnaps the person being called "Ambrosia," then goes oh no nevermind I won't ditch the Bureau that fast because it was fake spiced-up blood. And instead of dealing with ANY of this, a variety of other frenetic events happen, we get a new "Farmer" villain introduced, who's feeding the Seed of Life to various humans to try to turn them into Ambrosia I guess? And then Sotetsu saves Mozu's life, so Mozu saves him right back by shoving a seed into his chest, which sprouts and I guess transforms him and grows his arm back? And then Mozu turns into some sort of god? (Who, quite frankly, is very ugly, and Mozu's character design was the only thing I was liking in this story.)
So I honestly just. Have no idea. I'd sort of like to know where the story goes from here, but I also don't think I want to put in the effort to get there. So very little of this made any sense at all, and I'm shocked the ratings are as high as they are, because did I miss something? The dialogue is also messy and nonsensical in a lot of spots, so unless that's a Seven Seas translation issue, there's just...not a lot that's appealing in this story.
I think I'm giving up on the vampire genre in BL. So far every single one has been muddily confusing and ultimately pretty disappointing. I don't get why that is, but here we are yet again.
April 2, 2025
The story was all over the place, and I never got a good sense of either lead character. Worst of all, though, was the translation. I stumbled across multiple typos. Some exchanges made little to no sense. I had to stop and re-read multiple lines because I thought I had misread something, but it was simply that the sentence was nonsense or out of place.
I hate to blindly make this accusation, but Seven Seas has already publicly stated they plan to use AI translation for some of their titles. I have to assume that this shoddy translation is because it was churned out by AI. I'm already hugely disappointed because of the ethical and environmental impact that using AI has. If this is the kind of product Seven Seas is willing to put out, then even more so.
I'm glad I got this through the library and did not purchase it on my own. I will be wary of purchasing any future titles from Seven Seas, which is a shame considering they license some of my current favorites.
I hate to blindly make this accusation, but Seven Seas has already publicly stated they plan to use AI translation for some of their titles. I have to assume that this shoddy translation is because it was churned out by AI. I'm already hugely disappointed because of the ethical and environmental impact that using AI has. If this is the kind of product Seven Seas is willing to put out, then even more so.
I'm glad I got this through the library and did not purchase it on my own. I will be wary of purchasing any future titles from Seven Seas, which is a shame considering they license some of my current favorites.
October 10, 2025
I had to read this manga twice because I thought I was tired and sleepy the first time I read it. I did not understand a single thing hahaha. So I read it again when I was feeling a lot better but…I still did not understand anything??
First of all, “major arcs” are happening per chapter. Imagine this like a 5 season anime packed in just one book?? The pacing is too fast.
Such a shame because this book has an interesting premise but, what is going on?? I hope the mangaka will at least pace this book a bit slower to let the plot marinate…or is the editor rushing the mangaka?? We’ll never know.
Also there are so many plot holes. The MCs have zero chemistry at all. I don’t understand how they’ll be able to work together like this. I do not like any of the MCs at all. Both of them. Their characters aren’t fleshed out properly I don’t feel a connection with them.
Finally, the translation IS SO BAD. The pacing and panelling of the manga are already all over the place so the translation made it worse. The way they talk is so unnatural it’s like they did not localize this manga properly. I found myself thinking “what the hell are they talking about??” too many times. Who translated this?? AI?? Some of the dialogues sound like they came straight from google translate. Here, I’ll put one below:
“The sound of my heart is echoing so loud” - said by someone whose heart is palpitating and is having trouble breathing. Who talks like this in that situation??
Another example:
“Hurry and return me to the home where Nanafushi waits for me.” - The character isn’t some old knowledgeable being, it’s just a young person who talks very casually the next few pages.
Almost everyone talks like that. It’s driving me nuts..but I know this isn’t the mangaka’s fault as Japanese language can sound like that if it’s translated literally without proper localization….what sounds natural to them will sound weird in English.
Or maybe i’m just being too harsh? But this book went through professional translators and everything…so what is this!! 😭 The only logical explanation is this whole book was translated by AI lol.
I’m gonna stop here before I write more. The art is really good though.
First of all, “major arcs” are happening per chapter. Imagine this like a 5 season anime packed in just one book?? The pacing is too fast.
Such a shame because this book has an interesting premise but, what is going on?? I hope the mangaka will at least pace this book a bit slower to let the plot marinate…or is the editor rushing the mangaka?? We’ll never know.
Also there are so many plot holes. The MCs have zero chemistry at all. I don’t understand how they’ll be able to work together like this. I do not like any of the MCs at all. Both of them. Their characters aren’t fleshed out properly I don’t feel a connection with them.
Finally, the translation IS SO BAD. The pacing and panelling of the manga are already all over the place so the translation made it worse. The way they talk is so unnatural it’s like they did not localize this manga properly. I found myself thinking “what the hell are they talking about??” too many times. Who translated this?? AI?? Some of the dialogues sound like they came straight from google translate. Here, I’ll put one below:
“The sound of my heart is echoing so loud” - said by someone whose heart is palpitating and is having trouble breathing. Who talks like this in that situation??
Another example:
“Hurry and return me to the home where Nanafushi waits for me.” - The character isn’t some old knowledgeable being, it’s just a young person who talks very casually the next few pages.
Almost everyone talks like that. It’s driving me nuts..but I know this isn’t the mangaka’s fault as Japanese language can sound like that if it’s translated literally without proper localization….what sounds natural to them will sound weird in English.
Or maybe i’m just being too harsh? But this book went through professional translators and everything…so what is this!! 😭 The only logical explanation is this whole book was translated by AI lol.
I’m gonna stop here before I write more. The art is really good though.
January 18, 2025
oooooh vampire bl one day u save me 🙏 but not today.
the premise and world is interesting, but the dialogue and paneling was hard to follow for a good chunk of this volume.
it’s hard to say whether the dialogue flow is due to translation issues or if it’s similar in japanese though! if translation/printing is to blame, then i guess shame on seven seas.
really liked the mc! and yeah the vampire love interest is hot as hell. even turned into a giant man without much explanation.
the premise and world is interesting, but the dialogue and paneling was hard to follow for a good chunk of this volume.
it’s hard to say whether the dialogue flow is due to translation issues or if it’s similar in japanese though! if translation/printing is to blame, then i guess shame on seven seas.
really liked the mc! and yeah the vampire love interest is hot as hell. even turned into a giant man without much explanation.
March 10, 2025
We’re on a long road of slow burn. One of them is a vampire and the other one is Blood Bureau Agent (Vampire police, basically), so they’re sworn enemies. It’s almost enemies to what I assume will be lovers someday, but the enemy is very much a loose word when it comes to them. There is a lot of sass, snark and threats of death and even a knife at throat sitch, but I could easily see the tables being flipped.
This is interesting and I’m loving the world. It’s giving almost Tokyo Ghoul vibes.
This is interesting and I’m loving the world. It’s giving almost Tokyo Ghoul vibes.
October 2, 2025
От ревютата виждам, че има доста негативни за тази манга, но честно казано не разбирам какво точно не им е харесало на хората. На мен лично ми хареса – не беше най-добрата, но определено не беше и най-лошата. Хареса ми сюжета и атмосферата, а самата история ме държеше достатъчно заинтригувана, за да я довърша с интерес.Дали я препоръчвам? – Може би. Зависи дали търсите нещо по-леко и интересно за четене.Като оценка ѝ давам 7/10!
January 19, 2025
So, aesthetically, I enjoyed this. Plot-wise though? Not so much.
This first volume introduces readers to Blood Night City, where vampires thrive, seeking out willing human victims to offer their blood.
The Blood Control Bureau is the only agency that seems to operate in the city and try to maintain peace. Sotetsu is one such human employee of the bureau.
After the tragic loss of his mother to vampires, Sotetsu has devoted his adult life to protecting the city. His seemingly undesirable blood gives Sotetsu a distinct advantage when it comes to dealing with blood thirsty monsters.
When a handsome and peculiar vampire, Mozu, joins the bureau though, much changes for Sotetsu—especially when Mozu informs him that his blood is what he craves.
It sounds like it could be an interesting premise—which, is why I picked up this book. But, the execution here is bad.
This story is all over the place.
Readers are bounced around from plot point to plot point with minimal context and just not enough connective tissue between scenes for anyone to interpret the significance of something with any certainty. I had to do a lot of guessing and assuming—which is never an ideal reading experience.
I felt like this story wanted to be both “Tokyo Ghoul” and “Seraph of the End”—but all in one volume. Which, just can’t work. It’s simply too much to cram into one narrative.
Also, I can forgive a lot of flimsy plot nonsense if the romance or relationship development is solid—but, we don’t even get that here. There’s some charged tension between our two leading characters but nothing is even particularly characterize as romantic. I’m not even convinced the two characters much like each other—let alone believe that they want to be together.
This is such a perplexing first volume.
It has a lot of interesting pieces—but all of the pieces seem to be from different puzzles. So, there’s not a coherent or cohesive whole picture.
It feels like the author just wanted to touch on as many popular tropes as they could. Unfortunately.
This has some very beautiful illustrations and a cool atmosphere to it if you are purely a “vibes” reader. But, if you were hoping for a bit more story to go along with your vibes, you will be disappointed~
This first volume introduces readers to Blood Night City, where vampires thrive, seeking out willing human victims to offer their blood.
The Blood Control Bureau is the only agency that seems to operate in the city and try to maintain peace. Sotetsu is one such human employee of the bureau.
After the tragic loss of his mother to vampires, Sotetsu has devoted his adult life to protecting the city. His seemingly undesirable blood gives Sotetsu a distinct advantage when it comes to dealing with blood thirsty monsters.
When a handsome and peculiar vampire, Mozu, joins the bureau though, much changes for Sotetsu—especially when Mozu informs him that his blood is what he craves.
It sounds like it could be an interesting premise—which, is why I picked up this book. But, the execution here is bad.
This story is all over the place.
Readers are bounced around from plot point to plot point with minimal context and just not enough connective tissue between scenes for anyone to interpret the significance of something with any certainty. I had to do a lot of guessing and assuming—which is never an ideal reading experience.
I felt like this story wanted to be both “Tokyo Ghoul” and “Seraph of the End”—but all in one volume. Which, just can’t work. It’s simply too much to cram into one narrative.
Also, I can forgive a lot of flimsy plot nonsense if the romance or relationship development is solid—but, we don’t even get that here. There’s some charged tension between our two leading characters but nothing is even particularly characterize as romantic. I’m not even convinced the two characters much like each other—let alone believe that they want to be together.
This is such a perplexing first volume.
It has a lot of interesting pieces—but all of the pieces seem to be from different puzzles. So, there’s not a coherent or cohesive whole picture.
It feels like the author just wanted to touch on as many popular tropes as they could. Unfortunately.
This has some very beautiful illustrations and a cool atmosphere to it if you are purely a “vibes” reader. But, if you were hoping for a bit more story to go along with your vibes, you will be disappointed~
April 10, 2025
I'll say upfront, despite all its flaws, which I will be ranting about here, if my library gets volume 2, I will at least check it out because this is an interesting premise. I enjoy the idea of a blood market and the exploitation inherent to that, I like how visceral the art and the gore can be to really underline the stakes here, and I think the vampire design is new and compelling. I want this series to be good.
But the sequencing itself seems... off. It's not even the exposition and infodumping that bothers me. The actual paneling and how scenes are conveyed is just hard to follow as it's all very disjointed. And I think the translation itself leaves something to be desired as does the choice of how the actual words are put into text bubbles, where words are often broken off which makes jumbled statements come off as even harder to parse. Seemingly simply conversations and ideas become overwhelming to follow.
And the character motivations aren't complex as in multi-dimension but just seem like an incoherent mess. I can't understand if this dude wants his blood sucked or not. I can't understand why the vampire guy joined up because he definitely does not need the organization to do what he aims to do, he's utilizing none of their resources.
It's just... someone needed an editor. An advisor. Someone to challenge the manga's pacing, framing, and charactization.
But, god, the designs are so cool. And something about this manga feels so old school in a way that makes me want to root for it.
But the sequencing itself seems... off. It's not even the exposition and infodumping that bothers me. The actual paneling and how scenes are conveyed is just hard to follow as it's all very disjointed. And I think the translation itself leaves something to be desired as does the choice of how the actual words are put into text bubbles, where words are often broken off which makes jumbled statements come off as even harder to parse. Seemingly simply conversations and ideas become overwhelming to follow.
And the character motivations aren't complex as in multi-dimension but just seem like an incoherent mess. I can't understand if this dude wants his blood sucked or not. I can't understand why the vampire guy joined up because he definitely does not need the organization to do what he aims to do, he's utilizing none of their resources.
It's just... someone needed an editor. An advisor. Someone to challenge the manga's pacing, framing, and charactization.
But, god, the designs are so cool. And something about this manga feels so old school in a way that makes me want to root for it.
March 10, 2026
Blood Night Market is a manga that has it all, but fumbles it into a hot mess.
Character interactions, motivations, and plot progression are all a bit hard to follow due to a lack of cohesion. Every page feels independent from its partners, and dialogue feels equally independent. Characters react to each other but nobody listens. I can’t tell if this is the original writing or if the editing is poor, but either way, the readability is very low with the art breaking its back carrying Blood Night Market.
This manga as a whole has an interesting premise with a lot of promise, but it falls short when the execution is lacking. I can’t recommend the official English release to most people, sadly, simply due to the poor readability. If readability is low, it distracts from the entire message and shifts the reader experience. It’s something that needs to be prioritized.
I am reluctant to leave this review with only 2 of 5 stars as I have a lot of respect for Chise Ogawa and her art and storytelling abilities, but this manga is an affront to publishing. I find it hard to believe it was written this way. It was likely translated poorly and/or edited poorly and it’s very saddening that Seven Seas thinks this is all we deserve. I’d rather wait an extra month or two for a proper translation than to be given this.
Character interactions, motivations, and plot progression are all a bit hard to follow due to a lack of cohesion. Every page feels independent from its partners, and dialogue feels equally independent. Characters react to each other but nobody listens. I can’t tell if this is the original writing or if the editing is poor, but either way, the readability is very low with the art breaking its back carrying Blood Night Market.
This manga as a whole has an interesting premise with a lot of promise, but it falls short when the execution is lacking. I can’t recommend the official English release to most people, sadly, simply due to the poor readability. If readability is low, it distracts from the entire message and shifts the reader experience. It’s something that needs to be prioritized.
I am reluctant to leave this review with only 2 of 5 stars as I have a lot of respect for Chise Ogawa and her art and storytelling abilities, but this manga is an affront to publishing. I find it hard to believe it was written this way. It was likely translated poorly and/or edited poorly and it’s very saddening that Seven Seas thinks this is all we deserve. I’d rather wait an extra month or two for a proper translation than to be given this.
September 28, 2025
The art is amazing. I loved it. And I read the back of the book before starting to read it and it sounds like it would be sooo good but it was not. I am literally so confused. Is this even a cohesive story?
This book was a mess and I don't know if it was fun. the vampires are hot... But why DID ML change in to huge muscles guy?
This book was a mess and I don't know if it was fun. the vampires are hot... But why DID ML change in to huge muscles guy?
October 16, 2025
Not entirely sure what I expected going into this series, but it didn't turn out as expected at all. Sotetsu has a very high moral compass while at the same time essentially hating himself and both wanting and denying any interest in being part of the blood market outside of his role in the Blood Control Bureau. It's hard to tell at this point if this point of view is helped or made even worse when Mozu takes an interest in Sotetsu, and even joins the Bureau, following Sotetsu around constantly while also simultaneously causing his own brand of trouble trying to get his way. It's clear both of them have drastically different outlooks from their relative positions. With all of the taunting and complaining, this makes the end of this volume even more surprising as it appears to tie the two even closer together for the long term.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2025
Soooo confusing. I don't know if it was the writing, the translation, or both, but I just couldn't follow what was going on. Plus, the scene transitions were weird and I feel like I couldn't follow who was talking.
Way too much exposition, unclear world-building, and pretty cheesy cliché dialog. I can't say I even like the main characters that much. Even in the action scenes, kinda boring.
I think the premise could be cool, maybe not the most original, but cool. And maybe this will get better in later volumes once we get past the world-building, but unfortunately I am just not interested in continuing.
I'm giving it two stars because I do think the art is pretty good. But that's kinda it.
Way too much exposition, unclear world-building, and pretty cheesy cliché dialog. I can't say I even like the main characters that much. Even in the action scenes, kinda boring.
I think the premise could be cool, maybe not the most original, but cool. And maybe this will get better in later volumes once we get past the world-building, but unfortunately I am just not interested in continuing.
I'm giving it two stars because I do think the art is pretty good. But that's kinda it.
June 6, 2025
This book’s cover is what got me to pick this up, but boy when I read the inside… just wtf did I read? I tried to understand the best I could but I just got lost again and again. There were too many scene changes and the dialogue was very confusing. It was almost like AI was used to translate this, which i hope wasn't the case. I’ve read the reviews on here that were talking about AI and I’m so glad that I’m not the only one who thought that. I don’t think I'm gonna buy volume two because this didnt hook me honestly.
January 14, 2025
Wtf did I just read…? I don’t understand this at all, the dialogue is so confusing, the plot is confusing as well, why did Mozu change into a big buff long-haired guy??? He had a seed in his own chest?? The seed thing confuses me so much as well, do they come from vampires then if Mozu pulled one out of himself???? I picked this up because I love this mangaka but damn I’m lost. I’m glad she’s having fun writing a new genre though, I’ll continue the series because I trust her.
February 1, 2025
2.5/5 (rounded up to 3 because the art is just that good)
Conceptually this is awesome, and I’m liking where it’s going, especially when it comes to the dynamic between the two leads and the surprisingly unique world building. Unfortunately, in order to get to the good stuff, you DO have to wade through some pretty clumsy exposition and it’s a bit confusing at first. But this has potential and the art is gorgeous so I’m willing to wait it out and see where it goes.
Conceptually this is awesome, and I’m liking where it’s going, especially when it comes to the dynamic between the two leads and the surprisingly unique world building. Unfortunately, in order to get to the good stuff, you DO have to wade through some pretty clumsy exposition and it’s a bit confusing at first. But this has potential and the art is gorgeous so I’m willing to wait it out and see where it goes.
February 12, 2026
Pros:
Vampires
Cool concept
Nice art
Con:
I don't know what the fuck is going on 70% of the time. The dialogue and the way the story unfolds is SO disjointed.
I'll still keep reading for a bit though because I like the art lmao.
Recap: intro, burning blood, vampire shows up and joins the bureau, they're roommates, vamp is looking for ambrosia blood, mc's mom was ambrosia who was drained dry, ending with mc getting the seed to sprout. yeah idk either lmao
Vampires
Cool concept
Nice art
Con:
I don't know what the fuck is going on 70% of the time. The dialogue and the way the story unfolds is SO disjointed.
I'll still keep reading for a bit though because I like the art lmao.
Recap: intro, burning blood, vampire shows up and joins the bureau, they're roommates, vamp is looking for ambrosia blood, mc's mom was ambrosia who was drained dry, ending with mc getting the seed to sprout. yeah idk either lmao
March 18, 2025
Parts of this were confusing and kind of all over the place. Idk if it was the translation but it’s a little difficult to follow. The character design and art isn't too bad. I wished we felt more immersed in the world and Blood Night Market area in addition to maybe spend more time building a bond between the two mains.
April 10, 2025
pretty interesting. a culture centered around vampires and how well you do depends on how good your blood is. The mcs blood is terrible so he ends up working for the vampire control enforcement team. For some reason he gets paired with a vampire who finds him interesting and is on the hunt for ambrosia blood. very good first volume. definitely want to read more!
May 5, 2025
it's vampire yaoi where one of them has a :3 face and a vampire pterodactyl shows up so I should be all in on this...
but the world building stuff is soooooo boring and the hot character has a very Beauty and the Beast-esque transformation that turns him buff and ugly so I am very much out... top 10 worst anime twink deaths
but the world building stuff is soooooo boring and the hot character has a very Beauty and the Beast-esque transformation that turns him buff and ugly so I am very much out... top 10 worst anime twink deaths
November 19, 2025
I’ll be honest, the only reason I gave this volume 3 stars is because of how lovely the art style is. I genuinely have no idea what’s going on in this story since a lot was either rushed through or not explained well enough. I’m going to read this second volume to see if I can get some clarification there. But, I’m not exactly hopeful since this series is only 3 volumes total.
November 20, 2025
The art was beautiful, but this was otherwise a completely hot mess.
There's a bit of worldbuilding in the beginning, but nothing that's especially helpful. I was really intrigued by this concept, but then the story was all over the place, Sotetsu just said the same thing every five seconds, Mozu just kept getting more and more abilities every other page, and nothing made sense.
There's a bit of worldbuilding in the beginning, but nothing that's especially helpful. I was really intrigued by this concept, but then the story was all over the place, Sotetsu just said the same thing every five seconds, Mozu just kept getting more and more abilities every other page, and nothing made sense.
March 26, 2025
I love Chise Ogawa's Caste Heaven, so I was excited to try this, but...I'm still processing it. It's very fast paced, with no room to breathe and take anything in. I read a review that said the manga was a hot mess and all over the place. That is an accurate description.
May 26, 2025
The premise is interesting but I felt kind of confused most of the time while I was reading. Almost the feeling of being dropped into the middle of action when things weren’t explained yet but like there were explanations being given? I don’t know, it was strange.
January 3, 2025
3.5 stars
It's an interesting concept, but I have so many questions...
It's an interesting concept, but I have so many questions...
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