Kojo Akatsuki used to be an ordinary high school boy--but that was before he became the Fourth Progenitor, the most powerful vampire of all time. Worse--he doesn't even remember how it happened. Middle schooler Yukina Himeragi, meanwhile, is the attack mage sent to observe him--and to stop him if he gets out of control. But was it really a good idea to send a cute girl to observe a massively powerful vampire boy whose abilities activate whenever he gets aroused? And on an artificial island populated with all manner of demonic individuals, each with their own designs on the Fourth Primogenitor--!
All powerful vampires who go to high school? Cute sword shaman middle school girls? Yes, Strike the Blood does have that. The story of Akatsuki Koujou, a regular teenager in high school, who just so happens to be the Fourth Primogenitor, the most powerful vampire to have ever existed, and Yukina Himeragi, a magical sword shaman wielding a powerful spear, assigned to watch over him.
I found Strike the Blood volume 1 to be a cute series that is entertaining, but doesn't offer much in the way of originality. It is very stereotypical of its genre, from the overpowered main character who, because he wants to live a normal life, doesn't have full control of his powers, to the cute girl who's assigned to kill him if he proves dangerous. Let's be honest here, if you're going to have someone watch over a super-powered vampire, you're not going to send a 14-year-old middle school girl to do it. You're just not. That's like practically asking the vampire to suck her dry - and my suck her dry, I mean suck her blood, ya pervs.
While I complain about the cute middle schooler being assigned to the high school vampire, I did enjoy the relationship they built. Having watched the anime before reading this, I can say that I feel like the light novel does a better job of conveying how they become friends. In the story, it's quite clear that they develop feelings of camaraderie for each other during volume 1. Their interactions, while lacking the wit and panache of Holo and Lawrence of Spice and Wolf, does have a refreshing feel about it. It's something that I feel like I can see happening in a regular high school - minus the vampire/magical girl aspect. The story itself reads very much like a slice-of-life with some major action going on. Like most light novels, this story has both a standalone plot that becomes solved by the end of the book, and an overarching plot that makes it obvious there will be more volumes on the way.
One of my favorite aspects about this are the monsters. I've seen vampires and werewolves and demons done before. They've been done to death, after all. However, this series takes a slightly different approach. First, everybody knows about the various monsters in this world. Everybody. It's common knowledge. Second, the place where Koujou lives is the Demon District of Itogami City - a man-made island off the coast of Japan. Here, humans and demons live in harmony... well, mostly harmony. There are some people who cause problems, like, hitting on a middle school girl, but most are nice folks. I also quite liked the magic they used. While the magic isn't explained perfectly, I feel like this grants them more leeway because it leaves a sense of mysticism, and besides, the Beast Vassal idea - a creature born of a vampire's pure magic - is pretty cool.
While this wasn't an amazing book, and the writing was a little repetitive, I did enjoy it. This will be one of the series that Yen Press has been translating that I will be following.
This morning, as I was hurrying not to do my homework, I buzzed through the majority of the first volume of Strike the Blood, The Right Arm of the Saint. As far as light novels go, this isn't the most original thing I've read. There's a special boy- a hyper-powerful vampire, in this case- and a cute but powerful girl, and he has a girl at school who likes him, a quirky and beautiful teacher who looks like a student, a smart mouthed friend, and an adorable little sister who's good at cooking. Everyone is slightly mysterious, and there's a problem requiring a big fight that escalates quickly after dozens of pages of lighter comedy.
That being said, the characters in this book are likable enough to push past the fact that it's pretty formulaic. I particularly liked Yukina, but no one is so annoying that I wanted to pull them out of the book and toss them out my window. The action and daily life stuff is well integrated here, too, so it doesn't feel at all jarring when the giant supernatural battle kicks in. The writing is smooth and clear, not getting bogged down in explanations of what's going on or getting so excited that it brushes past telling readers anything at all, and the dialogue feels pretty natural.
After this volume, I'm probably going to stick with Strike the Blood, at least for another volume or two. So far, it's almost surprisingly sticking to a typical light novel sort of outline, but the writing and characters are strong enough that I look forward to seeing where it goes from here.
Strike the Blood, by Gakuto Mikumo, is one of my favorite anime and so I was eager to pick up the light novels on which the anime was based. Yen On, the light novel imprint of Yen Press, has begun publishing the novels starting this past September.
The is a mix of urban fantasy, alternate history, and sword and sorcery genres. It takes place in a version of our world where magic has always existed and developed alongside science other areas. Standing above all supernatural creatures are the vampires and above them are three Primogenitors. These three vampires are the rulers from whom all other vampires descend. For these rulers, not just the political structures and influence, but the sheer magical power each one holds, is unimaginable.
There are, however, some humans who are capable of fighting back. While no one is individually as strong as the Primogenitors or some others, they are skilled in magic and combat techniques. And, of course, I imagine, science can have an impact on evening the playing field, if you will.
In order to maintain peace, the three vampire lords have agreed to and upheld a treaty that creates safe zones for demons and other supernatural creatures, called demon sanctuaries. One such sanctuary is called Itogami Island in Japan.
On this island, a being has arisen that upsets the status quo and power dynamic upon which the sacred treaty is upheld. It is the fourth Primogenitor, a being that should not exist. This fearsome being is... a care-free, somewhat lazy teenager named Akatsuki Kojou.
Sent to the island to monitor the young vampire, and kill him if he is a threat, Yukina Himeragi (one of the magical warriors described earlier), observes him. After easily catching onto the stalking (what else would you call it?) of Himeragi, she and Kojou become friends.
This is a good thing, because it will take everything these two - as well as their allies and friends Asagi, Yaze, Natsuki, among others - have to stop a threat. A noble and fervent religious leader is on a misguided and horrific quest to right a horrific wrong in the worst way possible.
Whew! That was a lot of stuff. Please note that some of what just was summarized is my best interpretation based on the first story arc of the anime and this light novel upon which it was based. I might be wrong on some of it, but it's my best effort to fill in the gaps int he story.
I really loved this light novel. It filled in some gaps in knowledge by giving details the anime did not, or making them clearer. That was helpful, as at least one area that didn't make sense to me in the anime did so in the novel. It was the same sequence of events, but was explained better in the novel.
The illustrations were a bit different and took some getting used to, to say the least. The slight changes in the anime made them somewhat more realistic looking. The light novel illustrations were really overly slender and all.
I like how well the plot and characters were fleshed out and the extent of the world-building. Including the fact that the vampire drinking blood is not some rape-y thing like in other media, but more tender.
One thing I liked in the characterization was how the vampire was the more ideal style of hero while the human girl was the pragmatic anti-hero in a way. Though the one controversial part where Yukina was harassed was mishandled by the author, methinks. Given how she was sexually harassed and assaulted, she had every right to defend herself. Now, where Kojou would have been right is if he told her that despite the bad actions of some creeps, and Yukina's authority to execute them, she shouldn't if she doesn't have to do so.
I liked this book a lot and can't wait for the translation of volume two in January 2016.
Enjoyed the series (ANIME), Enjoyed the Novel and awaiting the next one to turn up in the post.
If you dont know the story its about a boy turned powerful vampire and his watcher but the vampire isn't your usual night time only, blood sucking kind...
Hes out in the day... He's eating like the rest of us... There is a lot more to this world and it makes an interesting read with werewolves, attack mages, citys for demons and normal's to live side by site, science and technology... lots of fun :)
I already enjoyed the anime and was so excited to have the light novels localized! The LN is more in depth than the anime and expanded upon the world and characters. I really enjoyed it and can't wait to pick up volume 2! Thank you Yen Press for localizing this light novel series! It was done so well and was a great read.
(Copied over from my Twitter.) So, It's been bugging me since i finished reading the first volume, and I've had a hard time "analyzing" this damn book, so screw it. I'm just gonna get all of this out of my system.
So, you know when you buy a book and have a pretty good idea what you're getting yourself into? That was me with Strike the Blood. An action/harem series with some good fan-service. I don't collect a series like that and decided I wanted to become trash.
I wasn't expecting anything, and I can say I got exactly what I wanted. So why, tell me why, I'm salivating at the thought of draining my money on this series?!
Upon some soul searching, I kind of came to a conclusion...I have no fucking idea why, and that's okay. Of course, I'm not saying this first book doesn't have good qualities. I mean, the lead characters have great chemistry.
We have Kojou, a lazy, all powerful teenager, and the absolutely adorable, cold Yukina. Apparently in the anime people thought she was annoying, and I haven't seen enough to confirm or deny that statement, but the novel definitely doesn't have that problem.
She, in short, both convinces Kojou to get off his lazy ass while keeping him from being a total idiot. By the way, her design is so damn adorable. Both the school uniform and her facial structure make my heart god damn flutter.
The world this story takes place in is interesting, too. The idea of vampiric god like beings ruling the world is fun, and the main setting of a floating city in the sky has a lot of potential that they, granted, don't take advantage of.
The action scenes are well written, the illustrations have an intoxiating "classic light novel" feel, the Beast Vassal idea is sick as hell, and I think that's what it comes down to; this series is sick as hell.
I should've already known from my love of Arifureta that I'm a lover of these kinds of stories, but the point has been made entirely clear now. I have no justifiable reason to like this mediocre series so much, but I do, and If I can't fully understand why, then whatever.
Tl;dr I'm basic and easily entertained and I'm okay with that.
Strike the Blood Vol. 1 follows Kojou Akatsuki, the fourth primogenitor/the worlds mightiest vampire, attempting to live his average daily life in the floating city known as Itogami Island, and island floating above the pacific. His life is thrown into disaster with the arrival of Yukina Himeragi, a sword shaman tasked with protecting and, if need be, kill the fourth primogenitor should he prove a threat. -- I discovered Strike the Blood through the simple chance of seeing it in the light novel category on kindle and being interested from the cover alone. -- Strike the Blood is the fantasy school battle story you've grown accustomed to if you've read your fair share of light novels. While I'm slightly ashamed to admit it, I love these kinds of stories, thus making me love whatever ones I find myself picking up (i.e Asterisk War, Chivalry of A Failed Knight) and this one was no exception. While I can awknoledge this book has its cliches and nothing truly special about it, I would be lying through my teeth if I didn't say I had a four star reading experience with this title. -- What I Liked- The character designs. Yukina, as a character, is really just my type of character. Serious, determined, easily emmbarased, and intelligent (oh, and absolutely adorable.) The story had no real objective issues, and was a simple, fun experience. -- What I Disliked- Nagisa was probably my least favorite character due to being the most annoying little sister character I've had the displeasure of meeting, but I can tell she has something interesting being built around her, so I'm hopeful she improves. -- If You Liked This Book, You May Like- The Asterisk War Vol. 1 Chivalry Of A Failed Knight Vol. 1
Havent watched the anime in some time so it was nice to come back to the series. I was hoping the light novel might include some more detail that you don't see in a 25 min episode, and it does but overall its pretty minor. Not sure if I'll continue with the novels, not because of the story but I'm not sure its worth the price for a few additional points considering the price.
The story itself is a solid piece of fiction and if I was to judge it on its own merit then its a good book.
This felt like fan fiction. I was not expecting light ecchi, which was disturbing since it's a junior high school girl. Premise so far is weak, it really feels like a guy's fantasy world. The only part I really enjoyed was the sword shaman fighting (love girls kicking butt). It was otherwise gratuitous and uninspired for having potential with vampires and demons living amongst humans. At least it was a quick read.
I am very fond of the anime and when I heard that an additional 16 episodes had been produced I naturally loomed for them. Unfortunately they appear to have never been released in the U.S. Learning of the light novels is a great consolation prize. Here's to the journey.
I started reading this after watching the anime and it’s every bit as good as I had hoped. Funny, action packed, and slight ecchi. I hope to continue reading the translations and supporting their releases.
Strike the Blood is a good teenager action and romance series, but falls a little short as a vampire series where vampires don't really feel monstrous and scary but also not quite glowing in the sun.
Looking forward to see if it hold up pass a few more volumes.
This light novel is way better than I have expected after watching the anime. Can’t wait to read volume 2, which is the second part of the first season of the anime.
It is a good way to find if you would like the anime made from this manga. I loved the art and it was a good recap of the first episode. Recommend people read this one.
Not sure what to say about Strike the Blood. I’d never heard of it before Yen Press licensed it. I pretty much went in not knowing what to expect. In the end I’m a bit disappointed.
I don’t feel like writing a long review so here are random bullet points:
- The characters are nice, but lacking something (depth?).
- The plot of how Kojou became the 4th sounds interesting, but sadly was not the focus of this novel, instead I had to read about a little girl and an old guy not killing asshats. Let’s just say I wasn’t invested in the storyline.
- Kojou and Yukina were adorable, I smiled seeing him sort of adopt her, but then their relationship progressed too fast in my opinion.
- At times the story felt predictable.
- I really enjoyed the potential of the Kojou, Asagi, and Yaze dynamic presented near the end. That could be interesting.
- I felt like such a perv for wanting the neck scene to go further.
- I hope I’m over thinking it but there was an implication that Kojou may have to drink the blood of 12 girls in order to control his 12 beast vessels. My only question is, was it necessary to give him 12 beast vessels?
- I liked how honest Kojou was about a vampire’s urge to drink blood having nothing to do with hunger and everything to do with lust.
- No obvious loli’s appear and Kojou’s little sis may not be in love with him, I call that a win.
Final Thoughts: There were parts of this book I liked, but those parts were overwhelmed by my lack of interest in the direction the character’s took and the plot. I just wasn’t invested, and I feel like the author missed an opportunity here. I’ve decided not to buy the next book, but I’ll check it out of the library.
Thanks to this book, I will never forget what these characters looked like. Mostly because every time the character enters a scene, the author feels the need to explain what they look like. Even the main characters.
I suppose the fact that it took me three days to read a 200 page book speaks for itself - normally that's what I read in a day. This isn't a bad book, but it is a stale one, with recycled plot elements from a variety of other similar paranormal action/high school stories both Eastern and Western. I do like Mikumo's take on vampire mythology, where vampires need blood only to control powers rather than as sustenance, and the romance subplot appears promising and slightly more mature than the average English-translated LN. This is mostly harmless, really, and a pretty good gauge of whether or not light novels as they most commonly appear are your thing or not.
It was a good read, funny at parts and cute too. That being said nothing really stood out that much that made me love it, Idk just kinda felt like it was missing something imo. Very good tho and I definitely recommend it to light novel readers.
I enjoyed reading this light novel. I watched the anime a while back. I want to know more about the world and characters of this story. I figure the novel will provide more details. I look forward to reading more. :)