Ko and Nazuna are trying to track down Nazuna’s human connection before a tenacious vampire hunting detective, which leads them to a hospital and the moody Kabura. They get their answers, but then it’s time to help Midori, whose own situation is even odder than that of our leads…
Nazuna’s backstory is finally revealed, but not before a hilarious wind-up where the usual shocking revelations are expertly dunked on by Kabura, who drags the deductive skills of both Ko and Nazuna. This book is not joke-forward, but it really gets a surprising amount of good gags in between its plotting.
The big reveal is actually really good, stellar even, and manages to make sense within the world of the story and still be surprising. Kobura’s more complicated than she appears and her history and her life do tie into Nazuna’s, but not in the way one would expect.
This whole section seems like it’s about to dead-end the search or turn out to be something too out there to work, so seeing it turn into melancholic story of missing out and unrequited love is quite the twist and it’s handled very, very well.
Some of it goes a bit far - the memories stored in blood angle is a little goofy, but it’s peripheral enough to things that it didn’t detract too much. This satisfied in a way that I wasn’t expecting it to, while also turning expectations on their head, so kudos for that.
There’s also time for Nazuna to read Ko like a book about how much of a hopeless adolescent he still is in some ways. He’s definitely got the wide-eyed notion that possibly being Nazuna’s first love is some wonderful thing, while Nazuna is far more realistic about it. It’s a fun dichotomy that serves to remind the reader just how close these two have become.
The last section featuring Midori is full on otaku mockery and is a lot of fun. And not nearly as cruel as one might have expected, minus a little unwarranted fat shaming (it’s not even the guy’s fault - vampire metabolism is different).
No, Midori’s connection turns out to be a full-on nerd that she turned, but one that she’s also entirely too sweet on and keeping to herself. Then they’re all trying to figure out how to keep the two of them safe. As storylines go, this one is very silly, but with a shocking amount of heart at the centre. It’s clear that Midori has a lot of affection for the guy and he, in turn, has his obsession with her.
With Nazuna in cosplay (and at her gleefully snarkiest) and some serious shipping afoot, plus a little too much Midori love and some of the funniest doujinshi jokes yet seen, this has a little bit of everything and, some punching down aside, is a great time.
The final section loops back around to our leads doing what they do best, being together. From Nazuna’s cringy musings on the city at night (Ko’s observation that everybody ever has said something similar is great) to their back and forth as they head out in search of the past, it’s a perfect start to the next arc.
4.5 stars - another heck of a volume. Strong, strong storytelling, in the first part especially, and a perfect ending that shows our characters at their best. One of my favourite vampire stories ever.