Ask John: What is Vampire Princess Miyu About?

Question:
What is Vampire Princess Miyu about and how many episodes is it?

Answer:
Vampire Miyu (Kyuuketsuki Miyu), known in the US as Vampire Princess Miyu, began as a four episode OAV series then, several years later, got a 26 episode TV series. The original OAVs were much more style than story, but the main focus of both series is that Miyu, who looks like a typical Japanese school-girl, is actually an age-old vampire whose bite doesn’t bring death or vampirism. Her bite brings oblivion. Therefore, she victimizes people that want to escape their own lives, giving them eternal happiness while, outwardly, they become a catatonic vegetable. The strong suit of the series, and the reason for its popularity, has always been its exceedingly dark, gothic and depressing atmosphere and equally suitable and beautiful art design. Vampire Miyu has proven itself a small but consistent fan favorite in Japan with six volumes of Kyuuketsuki Miyu manga by Narumi Kakinouchi (wife of Vampire Miyu animation director Toshihiro Hirano), five volumes of the related Kyuuketsuki Yui manga, and five Western Shinma novels written by Toshihiro Hirano. Studio Ironcat has translated and published the Vampire Miyu manga in the US and is currently releasing the Vampire Yui manga serial. The Vampire Miyu TV series has not yet been licensed for domestic translation or distribution, but I anticipate that the continued popularity of the OAVs and manga will see the television series brought to the US eventually.