Vampire Game, Vol. 15

Vampire Game #15

by JUDAL

When Yujinn is slain by the King of Razenia, Vord violently seeks out the murderer. But how can he avenge his friend when the killer is his own flesh and blood? Meanwhile, the villainous Lassen unveils his master plan to usurp the Pheliostan throne. With an army vastly superior to Ishtar's readying its attack, the future of her kingdom rests in the loyaties of two powerful beings: Duzell and Illsaide. It's the kingdom's darkest hour, and true bravery and spirit will shine, as heroes rise and fall!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Vampires, Romance, Shojo, Adventure

272 pages, Paperback

First published December 9, 2004

Reviews

[Starbubbles · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow this book ended fast. the entire time i was reading it, i kept thinking about how it would end. then in half a chapter, it did. nice. really good, but still, the ending seemed rushed. i was also wondering if ashley got to be king, and who took over lassen's kingdom? oh well. it doesn't really matter. i really cared most about ishtar, duzie, and darres. lol. they seemed to be the ones who were the most straight forward in the entire series. everyone else had at least one or two twists to them. i was also surprised that falan's ties to sharlen didn't cause more issues. she just wakes up and that's that? i thought for sure she would be some sort of puppet. potential opportunity lost. still, i recommend this series for anyone who like vampires and royal drama.

2019: I thoroughly enjoyed rereading this! I am so glad this series made it through multiple moves and cullings. I really liked and enjoyed the conclusion, even with some of the sadder aspects to it. I am totally redoing my ratings for this series. It deserves more than the 3-4 star rating I originally gave it.

I feel that I can appreciate this series more now that I am older. I also like and appreciate Ishtar more than I did in the past. She is hilarious and an awesome character.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely series! It was both humorous and heartwarming--light yet compelling enough for me to recommend to anyone interested in these books. I wish Judal would come out with more! This is her only English translated series... I wish the end had *one* more volume, so it didn't seem quite so rushed, but I liked it nonetheless. Ah, well. I'm still very glad to have read it.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

NOOOOOO!!!!!!! YUJINNNN!!!!!! DON'T DIE!!!!!!!
And just when I started getting over my pain of HIS death...
OMG!!! NOO!!!!! DUZIE YOU RETARD!!!! DONT COMMIT F***ING SUICIDE!!!!!!!!!! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DONT DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU BELONG WITH ISHTAR!!!!!!!!! NOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Me after I read this book= D: "WAAAAAA!!!" My favourite characters are all DYING!!!

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

this series started out a little slow, but once the characters were introduced it really got moving. this was a great series, with really well developed characters and storylines, I could hardly put it down once i got past the 2nd book. It is a very interesting twist on a vampire story which was nice and the ending was definitely something i didn't see coming, which was also very nice. definitely worth the read.

I'm hoping more of this authors works get translated into english.

[Asenath · Rating 3 out of 5]

A student recommended (and provided) the series for me, so I read it. There were things that I liked, and things that I didn't. I thought Ishtar was annoying at times, and relied on her unreliable "good heart" to solve her problems (and it somehow always did.) I also didn't understand why EVERYONE was in love with her. Also, I thought the sex in this book was way too common.

[Kristen Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm sad to say that this is the last of the series. It was so great, so funny and serious and full of action and fantasy all at once.

[Jeannine · Rating 3 out of 5]

i loved this series. but how can you end it like that?

[K.S. Trenten · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s the big, flashy finish, but will it finish our characters off? Will we be seeing them again? Some of those questions will be answered, although not all in a satisfying way. (I’ve got a theory which I’m posting at rhodrymavelyne.dreamwidth.org. If you’re not afraid of spoilers, check it out.) It was still a beautiful finish, involving personal sacrifice for love and loved ones making on the most of the lives they were given. Many a character got a cameo in the last chapters and everyone finds their courage in the end.

While I was frustrated with some of the answers (I’ve got my theory to console myself with), this was still an impressive finish. One of my favorite scenes was Lassen teasing Illsaide about Hume and Sharlen both being in love with him, only to kiss Illsaide himself, advising the young holy knight to ally himself with whomever wins the upcoming fight. Lassen saved his softer side for Lailis and Illsaide, mostly Illsaide, for he stuck to his villainous path, taking out one of my favorite characters and forcing another to sacrifice himself. Darres finally gets a clue as to what’s going on and is willing to gamble his own life to help Duzell protect Ishtar, even if Duzell is a vampire king. Hume shows how devoted he is to Illsaide in a dramatic fight sequence, Vord teams up with his adopted brothers, Seliez and Laphiji, to outwit Lassen and his own father, the possessed King of Razenia. Ishtar takes her final steps in maturation as a ruler while Duzell decides what he truly wants and brings an end to the conflict as a result. Despite not being entirely satisfied, this was spectacularly beautiful, enough that I’m still giving it five stars.

[Aquafina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personally thought this was a disappointing ending.

How do we really know that King Phelios wasn’t reincarnated when Duzell didn’t even get around to trying the blood of Illisaide, Yujin or Lassen? Unless I missed something, Phelios wasn’t reincarnated until Ishtar has her children in the post story.. disappointing when so much of the story is spent questioning who the reincarnation is meant to be and questioning whether Duzzell will be able to go ahead with killing him.

Duzell didn’t deserve to go to hell at the end 😿

It didn’t feel believable that Ishtar would end up with Darres, there were multiple scenes and thought sequences where Ishtar declares her love for Darres. We didn’t see Darres reciprocate this in anyway, through his actions or thoughts. It felt as if Ishtars love was unrequited and the storyline up until this point had Ishtar “accept” that she couldn’t force Darres to marry her/become King. Whilst he doesn’t become King, or apparently marry Ishtar - he does have children with her? 😐

Overall, Still glad I read this series, it’s been on my to read list for all too long. Still enjoyable, great art - although at times characters are too similar to each other. Would still recommend to others

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

So IDK who the reincarnation was. May have been no one, may have been Yuujel. It was a fun story and I liked the ending. It's not something I'd want personally but it will likely do well in my class. I like how funny Ishtar is. She's just unabashedly going to do whatever she wants and I love that.

[Kiri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so happy. So rarely does a manga wrap up exactly as I want it to. It was perfect. Chef's kiss.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for the whole series

[Kirby R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5!

The editor's note at the end was both sweet and interesting as it pertains to Tokyopop's history.

[Sophia F · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars (But it's in my all-time-favs folder because of the fabulous ending)
I'm writing this review before looking at any others so my opinion is not "tainted."
"I cannot believe what I just read." Most people say that in exclamation to a terrible book, but I say it to Vampire Game. There wasn't necessarily many more twists in the plot, but the fact on who died in each mini-battle I'd consider a twist in itself.
I was captivated through-out the entirety of the volume, (and also the series; lets not forget that).
Yuujel/Yujinn, Sharlen, Hume, Lassen, and most importantly Duzell all passed away in the duration of pages 1 to 263.
The whole situation with Sharlen was very confusing, with him supposedly being Phelios' son and the vampire Diaage. Obviously in this volume, his part in the plan was possessing the king of Razenia, but the whole background check stretched its importance and simply confused me further. Illsaide's inconsistent loyalty also seemed pointless, other than the reason to stir things up and throw characters off. His situation was never really resolved, even after the epilogue.
This particular ending was the best conclusion I've read for a while, and it has been keeping me awake. [Thanks Judal] Killing off a beloved character, to reincarnate them as the son of the character I shipped them with... Well that is something to ponder over.
If Duzell was able to reincarnate as a vampire, wouldn't that mean he could be a vampire again? Or is that only if he makes a deal with a female mammal...? :/ The whole reincarnation idea is vague, but allowing someone (Ishtar) to CHOOSE who she'll give birth to as a reincarnation seems unlikely to actually work. That also leaves the question if both Duzell and Phelios remember their past lives.
If indeed they do, they both have been born into bodies bearing the same name they had as before, and also sharing blood with their arch nemesis. No wonder these siblings will cause much chaos. But then again, if both of them do not know of their true pasts, they will each hear of the battle of Phelios and Duzell, knowing nothing of the truth as Ishtar probably chuckles to herself how ironic the situation is.
Who else knew from the beginning that Phelios' reincarnation would be Ishtar's son? *Raises hand* They said they still had like another year before the 100 years passed since the great battle. Yet Duzell had come back early and searched with Ishtar forever for someone who hadn't been born yet. HAR HAR
What else do I want to talk about? Really I just want to understand the whole reincarnation of Phelios and Duzell better. It's pretty ironic that Duzell was reborn with dark hair, rather than his bleach blonde from before. It definitely suits him better.
I really am going to miss these characters, and they will likely remain in the back of my mind waiting for random moments to be remembered (like the Harry Potter gang).
Since Ishtar offered to reincarnate Duzell as her son so he wouldn't have to wait another 100 years, doesn't that kinda imply that she still is rooting for Duzell to kill Phelios? (AKA HER SON??) Agh I'm probably WAAAY over thinking this.
The transformation from evil and ruthless vampire king to some doctor poser who's sweet on the queen is really nice. The way the whole series progressed makes me want to re-read it to catch tiny details in his changes that I didn't notice before.
I'm going to stop here; you can hear my rant about the art in my last review. Wish there would be at least something more, or something online to answer my questions, but oh well. Guess that means fanfic time. >:)

[Woowott · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, didn't expect much from this series. It starts off really goofily, and I assumed it would be a brainless fluff piece. It IS goofy, but it is also earnest, charming, entertaining, and even, dare I say it, moving. When your favourite characters are under threat and dying, of COURSE, you'll be engaged. I was quite pleased that my friend offhandedly recommended this series to me. It is isn't perfect, and the art and translation are a little dated and iffy now and then, but it's still charming. And, despite the fact that Ishtar is described as a spoiled brat, she is anything but. I was incredibly surprised to adore her as much as I did. So, YAY, 'Vampire Game!'

[Leila Anani · Rating 4 out of 5]

And Vampire game finally comes to an end. What a journey it's been. This has been a most original vampire story, more fantasy than anything else and refreshingly not using most of the standard vampire tropes. I guessed who Phelios' reincarnation was - and thought the ending suitable although feel really sorry for Yujell & Illisade two of the most awesome and interesting characters.

Strong artwork and a strong well plotted story make this a delight from start to finish, although I did get confused with Lassen and Illisade who look remarkably similar in B/W.

[Madeleine Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very original story! Even though it's a vampire series, it doesn't come close to the stereotypical vampire story. Vampires don't even have much of a role. And the characters grow so much! I have a couple problems with the book, however... Darres never tells Ishtar he loves her! At least, not when we can see them. I have a problem with him marrying her if he never tells her (or the reader) that he loves her. I want to know how he felt about having his future decided for him.

[Ubiquitousbastard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty cute ending to a series that I really liked. Okay, art-wise everyone looks the same, and it gets difficult telling people apart. Writing-wise, the characters are all very unique with a teenage main character that I actually like.
I really like that by this volume things have changed so much from the prologue of the first volume, and the steps toward that change are rather believable. And the art at the end is adorable.

[Anna C · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending SUCKS. Poor Duzell...poor Illsaide...and poor Yujinn... T_T

And sorry Darres, I still can't believe that you can love Ishtar in a romantic way... Moreover, you got it too easy, Darres...far too easy...no effort at all.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

good story, I mean it has potential to be great but it was wasted, the ending was lame