Dance in the Vampire Bund II: Scarlet Order Vol. 1

If you're still reading dance in the vampire bund Then you know how amazing it is, wish i could give this manga 10 stars.. Enjoy

Like story. Very glad it's being continued but it is starting slow. Can't wait to see where it leads in the volumes to come.

A great continuation of a great manga. If you already love Dance you will love Scarlet Order.

Happy to see that the second series is finally out!

great addition to the series

I'm so happy that they made this.

Great continuation of a great series ^_^

Dance in the Vampire Bund has truly come into its own as a series over the course of its lengthy run. What started as a pulpy vampire series with copious amounts of fan service and overblown violence has turned into, basically, a political conspiracy thriller with vampires… while still maintaining a certain quota of fan service and violence. Because why not? The point being, creator Nozomu Tamaki has crafted a rich world populated by diverse characters acting as players in a huge, overarching narrative. Now, after a hiatus to work on some side-series, the main brunt of the DitVB narrative is back in full swing again. And if this first volume is any indicator, readers are truly in for something special. It always shocked me, truly, that Seven Seas got on board with publishing something like Dance in the Vampire Bund in the first place. After all, this was the company that balked at releasing Kodomo no Jikan (retitled as Nymphette) in America due to the entire premise being, well, patently pedophiliac. Yet DitVB always had more shocking content to me, and despite protagonist Mina Tepes technically being hundreds of years old, she still looks like a child with baby fat routinely put in unsavory sexual situations. I suppose that’s less offensive than a third-grader trying to sleep with her adult teacher, but still, visually, there’s some weird stuff that could potentially make certain individuals do a double take. Which is why, in Scarlet Order, I was actually a bit surprised at just how restrained Tamaki has become over the years. The first chapters of the original series featured the main protagonist, Akira, dressing and undressing Mina, as well as rubbing oil on her naked body. Here, we barely get any glimpses of nudity from her, and the only full-frontal we get is from a woman encased in crystal. This is no longer the untamed, fan-service-laden series it was when it first hit the pages of Comic Flapper almost a decade ago. Despite the fact that, yes, every woman looks like they’re about to burst out of their clothes, that’s not what the reader’s attention is drawn to. Instead, almost every page is packed the brim with word balloons and text filled with complicated political jargon, which is a direction the franchise has been taking since about 3/4 of the way through the initial series. Of course, there are still action sequences, and yes, there are still plenty of heavily sexualized ladies (and the occasional dude) to go around, but readers will be spending more time trying to process all of the complex lingo and layered conspiracies being conveyed in the text, as opposed to ogling the characters. The thing is? I don’t mind that one bit, personally. What initially drew me in to Tamaki’s twisted web of vampiric politics were the intricate world and dynamic characters, and to me, the fan service and blood n’ guts always distracted from that. Now, there are barely any distractions, and instead of feeling like I’m reading a violent T&A manga that has some occasional plot, it feels like much more of a plot-driven work with the occasional violence and T&A. It’s a huge shift, and one that I, as a longtime fan, appreciate. But is the core narrative any good? To me, it’s gearing up to be the best story arc we’ve seen from the series yet. While the “evil twin” concept in the second half of the original series was fun, it eventually spun out of control and was wrapped up in a hasty, haphazard manner. Now, Tamaki’s reeled it back in, and is seemingly giving us a story that operates on multiple levels. There’s a radical religious terrorist cell dedicated to the eradication of all vampires. There’s a freshly-awakened bloodsucker who’s running amok in Tokyo. There’s the growing political tensions stemming from the fact that Japan’s economy is now intrinsically tied to and run by vampires. Throw some romantic drama into the mix, and you’ve got a rough idea of what you’re dealing with here. This type of story, where several concurrent narratives are happening, is what’s kept me reading this series for almost five years now, and I dare say is something that Tamaki is a bit of a master at. It’s all deliciously complicated and can’t be read passively. Scarlet Order‘s first volume not only requires your utmost attention, but demands it if you want to derive any sort of enjoyment from your reading experience. So while, yes, it’s a complicated, wordy yarn, it’s worth paying attention to. That isn’t to say that everything is entirely perfect here, because despite being an enjoyable read, some things are rearing their head that could become an issue if they continue unchecked. First off, despite the excellent female characterization, Tamaki still relies a bit too much on the whole “world that’s incredibly awful to women” trope. This time around, we see two women dragged into a van and almost raped by a gang of thugs. In the middle of getting their clothes ripped off, though, they’re saved by the aforementioned new vampire villain, who murders the men and (seemingly) leaves the women alive. Sexual assault is a thing that happens, yes, but it’s also a really lazy way to up the ante of a scene in any media, and there are countless ways in which Tamaki could have shown his new villain wrecking some criminals without stooping to that level. He’s better than that, in my opinion. Secondly, the character of Akira’s longtime friend, Yuki, is starting to feel a bit forced. Initially, her purpose was to crush on her friend and be jealous of Mina. Then, she became Mina’s best friend, and provided emotional support for her. And then, she became a paralyzed mute that used her brainy disposition to help solve the mystery of the “fake Mina.” And now, she’s… just kind of there, stuck somewhere between a background character and a trusty companion, her role in this volume incredibly underwhelming. With such a great development of her character near the end of the first series, it’s really a shame to see her already falling into the ranks of the maids and Mina’s advisors. I’m hoping Tamaki does something cool with her, because she’s just too good of a character to waste like that. As for everything else, it’s top-notch as usual. Tamaki’s art is fantastic, and even if you’re not a fan of his “gargantuan bosoms and rippling six-packs” style, there’s no denying that he has a certain visual flair. Characters have a ridiculous range of facial expressions, and every panel is packed with so much fluid motion that it almost feels cinematic at times. Not only that, but he’s proven once again that he’s one of the few modern manga-ka that can draw people of color in both a non-insulting fashion and in a way that you know they’re not just really tan Japanese people. I feel like that’s worth mentioned because, again, it’s a rarity in modern manga, and it’s nice to see him carry on his tradition of diverse representation, comparatively speaking. The first volume of Scarlet Order: Dance in the Vampire Bund II sets into motion a lot of plot threads, and all of them seem particularly enticing, and perhaps even better than the first series, despite Yuki seeming to no longer be an important character. That said, Tamaki still relies a bit too much on female victimhood to artificially amp up tensions, which is a pitfall he’s always been sort of trapped by, and one that I hope goes away with time. Still, this is a good read, and if you’re as much of a fan of the franchise as I am, you’ll be pleased with the direction it’s taking. Pros: – Beautiful art as per usual. – The new story arc looks to be a good one. – Segues from the original in a way that doesn’t feel awkward. – A diverse cast of interesting characters. Cons: – Some major characters are getting a downgrade. – More of Tamaki’s typical “women in peril” filler. Grade: B+ (Groovy)

An excellent sequel to my favourite manga series.