Literature / The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess

The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess (Hikikomari Kyūketsuki no Monmon) is a series of Light Novels written by Kotei Kobayashi with illustrations by Riichu, which began publication in January 2020 under the GA Bunko imprint. It has a manga adaptation by the same author-illustrator team which began serialization in Monthly Big Gangan in 2021, and an anime adaptation which aired as part of the Fall 2023 season. The novels are available in English through Yen Press, while the manga is licensed by Square Enix's English division.

Three years into her life as a shut in, vampire Terakomari Gandesblood (Komari for short), awakens to find she's been appointed as a Commander in the Mulnite Imperial Army! The thing is, her new unit consists solely of belligerent ruffians who revolt against their superiors at the slightest hint of weakness. Although Komari hails from a line of vampires as powerful as they are prestigious, her refusal to drink blood has made her the picture of mediocrity—scrawny, un-coordinated, and inept at magic. With the odds stacked against her, will the help of her trusty (and slightly infatuated) maid Villhaze be enough for this recluse to blunder her way to success? Or will Komari rue the day she ever left the safety of her room?

---

Provides examples of:

• Aerith and Bob: Starting from the main cast, there's Terakomari and Villhaze along with their friends Sakuna, Nelia, and Karla. In the Mulnite Empire, there's Empress Karen and Prime Minister Arman, as well as the Crimson Lords Helldeus, Flöte, and Delphyne.
• All of the Other Reindeer: People who try to change the system built around the Dark Core are usually seen or branded as heretics and are treated terribly, as seen in Dr. Kuya's backstory.
• Another Dimension: Besides the Six Nations' world, there's another world known as the Netherworld. Destroying the Dark Core is the key to opening the portal to the Netherworld.
• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: The Crimson Lords of the Mulnite Empire have to be the strongest members of their respective armies, otherwise their troops will most likely turn on them and take the position for themselves. Sakuna Memoir became one simply for the fact that she killed her superior by accident.
  • This also extends to some of the other nations as well. The Heavenly Paradise despite it's name is almost as bad as the Mulnite Empire, where fighting and killing are pretty common. Even the final part of the Heavenly Ball to decide the leader is determined not just by their policies, but also a duel to the death.
    • In fact, the Six Valkyries that comprise of several girls from different nations, each that are the closest candidates to becoming the leader of their countries are very capable fighters with military achievements. As the story progresses, Nelia and Karla become the leader of their nations, and Lingzi was next in line to become hers. Then it becomes gets Played With, when Komari ends up becoming the ruler of the Enchanted Lands instead of the Mulnite Empire, and Prohellya declining the position of Secretary General, only to end up becoming the Queen of the beast-folk race of the netherworld due to her leading a revolution and knocking down numerous corrupt governments.
• Balanced Harem: Komari has multiple female admirers; Vill has a blatant Bodyguard Crush, Sakuna is a Stalker with a Crush, and Lingzi becomes Komari's wife on paper. Each girl has an arc with Komari and they stay relevant throughout the story, although Komari is too dense for any of them to be a definite love interest.
• Beach Episode: Episode 9 opens with Komari, Vill, and Sakuna playing at the beach during their vacation.
• Beast Man: The beastfolk race is made up by humanoids with animal traits.
• Binary Suns: The Netherworld is a world with twin suns.
• Bridal Carry: Vill likes carrying Komari in her arms, bridal style. They're even depicted doing this in Volume 2's cover.
• Brought Down to Normal: At the end of Volume 7, the destruction of the Enchanted Lands' Dark Core sends Komari along with her friends and comrades to the Netherworld, where due to the lack of a Dark Core, they are mostly unable to use their magic and can no longer be revived if they are killed. The little bit of magic they can use is limited, and once it runs out, there is no way to replenish it.
• Casual Crucifixion: In the climax of the first story arc, Vill is crucified by Millicent, who nailed her hands to a cross-like altar. Thanks to the Dark Core magically healing injuries, Vill has perfectly healed by the next day.
• A Day in the Limelight: Volume 11 consists of chapters that give the spotlight to supporting characters, such as Leona, Lingzi and Sakuna.
• Death Is Cheap: As long as you remain within the range of the Dark Core of your race, you won't have to worry about any death that is not the result of old age, as the Core heals all wounds, even fatal ones. Because of that, everyone treats death as an inconvenience at worst. War itself became a sport meant for nations to show off their military might. Even Komari's fear of death is framed as a childish fear of pain, since it's not for real. Inverse Moon is feared precisely because they hold relics capable of nullifying the blessing of the Dark Core and killing people permanently.
  • It's also why, people with Core Implosions need to be careful. When using Core Implosion, they sever the connection between them and the Dark Core. Meaning that if they are killed during this time, they cannot be revived. In Volume 3, when Pascal realizes in horror that Komari can pierce his body even while he was using his Core Implosion, he quickly dispels it, out of fear that he won't be able to revive if he gets killed.
• Evil Versus Evil: There are several factions in which various Big Bads exist, and each of them are at odds with one another. From Inverse Moon to Yusei to Observatory.
• Fake Mystery: In Volume 6, Komari and the others visit a hot springs inn. During this time, they are trapped by a blizzard. Following that, a string of murders takes place that leaves everyone frightened. Turns out Vill, Nelia, Karla and Esther had planned this series of fake murders as a game for Komari, hoping to provide her with inspiration for her new novel and also for a birthday surprise. None of the victims were dead and were actually in hiding.
• Fake Ultimate Hero:
  • The situation Komari is in; she's the heir of a prestigious vampire clan put in charge of an army of Ax-Crazy, Blood Knight war criminals with a history of killing their commanders at the slightest hint of weakness, despite in fact being very weak for a vampire due to her dislike of blood, and for the most part only manages to make it through thanks to a Hyper-Competent Sidekick doing most of the work for her. Subverted in that she's is in fact incredibly strong thanks to her Core Implosion, but an incident where she killed her whole household when she first had blood prompted her father to hypnotize her into disliking it to avoid her causing a similar incident, with her being left unaware of how strong she actually is.
  • Then there is Karla, who is in a similar position to Komari. She comes from a prestigious family of warriors and is put in charge of an army against her will despite in fact being very weak. Like Komari, she's also mostly carried by a Hypercompetent Side Kick who does most of the work for her. and just like Komari, her Core Implosion was so powerful that it was constantly turning back time at almost every moment, leading her family to have to seal it away. It was said that her Core Implosion is so far the only one comparable to Komari's.
• Fanservice: There's plenty of nudity and bath scenes.
• Fantastic Racism: The Lapelico Kingdom is home to the beast-folk, and they widely looked down upon by almost every other nation. They are seen as the weakest and most undeveloped nation, with some even calling them the Clown Kingdom as an insult.
• Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Most of the Six Nations are designed after a real-world counterpart.
  • Mulnite Empire is a combination of European countries.
  • Republic of Gerra-Aruka is Germany.
  • Heavenly Paradise is feudal Japan. They wear traditional Japanese clothing, and have ninja and samurai.
  • Haku-Goku Commonwealth is Soviet Russia. They got a Communist Party and the head of state is the General Secretary, mirroring the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
  • The Enchanted Lands are Imperial China.
• Fun T-Shirt: Komari's fanclub produces T-shirts of her making goofy facial expressions. Komari finds them very embarrassing.
  • Then for her good friend Karla, she has masks tailored after her own expressions. Like Komari, she also finds them very embarrassing.
• Glove Slap: In Episode 2 of the anime, after being accidentally killed by Komari a second time, Yohan throws a glove at Komari's face and challenges her to a duel as he cries Tears of Blood.
• Hot Springs Episode: In Volume 6, Komari and her friends go to a hot springs inn, which the other girls secretly picked to celebrate Komari's birthday.
• Improbably Female Cast: All the important characters, including protagonists and antagonists, are all females. The number of major male characters can be counted on one hand.
• Kirin: Komari owns a Crimson Mizuchi, a dragon-type creature from the Enchanted Lands, which resembles a mythical kirin.
• Loads and Loads of Races: The Six Nations have six sapient humanoid races.
  • Vampires
  • Sapphires: A race with low internal temperatures and tough bodies.
  • Warblades: Blade users with bodies partly composed of steel.
  • Peace Spirits: Closest to humans. They don't have any unique abilities compared to other races, but some can still awaken powerful Core Implosion.
  • Immortals: Long-Lived people.
  • Beastfolk: Beast Men
• Long-Lived: The Immortal race has very long lifespans that can extend to centuries.
• Lost in Translation: The original Japanese title is a Pun-Based Title where Hikikomori is replaced with Hikikomari. The English title uses the word "Shut-in" (a more direct translation of Hikikomori), taking away the pun on the protagonist Komari's name.
• Medieval Stasis: The presence of the Dark Core means that almost everyone is immortal. In a setting where Death Is Cheap, outside of a few circumstances, like death by natural aging, means that many nations don't have a desire to improve or develop themselves. There are some minor exceptions like the Peace Spirits who use their time to develop technology like gunpowder that doesn't rely on magic, but for the most part, many are satisfied with the way things are. It's one of the things that the Big Bad Spica detests, stating that most of the Six Nations development have become stagnant, blaming the Dark Core as one of the major reasons for this.
• Mind Virus: Etiolation is an illness that weakens people mentally and leaves them with little motivation to do anything.
• Mirror Character: Both Komari and Karla share a lot of similarities with each other. Both of them come from a family with ties to the military. Both of them were forced into the military against their wishes. Both of them despise fighting and want to pursue a different path in life (For Komari, it is to be a novelist, and for Karla, a patisserie), both of them have a maid that greatly troubles them while also being a Hyper-Competent Sidekick who does most of their work. Both of them also put up an air of power to try and maintain appearance. And lastly, both of them are very powerful without realizing it themselves. With Karla's Core Implosion being stated as the only one in the same league as Komari.
• Moment Killer: In Volume 11, Lingzi tries to use her alone time with Komari to deepen their relationship. She comes close to confessing, but just as she's trying to kiss Komari, Sakuna blasts the door because Vill called her and asked her to save Komari from a "pervert". Komari has to stop Sakuna from killing Lingzi on the spot.
• Nebulous Evil Organisation: Inverse Moon is a terrorist organization that aims to destroy the Dark Cores of the Six Nations and trigger an international war that will destroy the world.
• Necessary Drawback:
  • While Core Implosion users can obtain incredible amounts of power, they usually have a heavy drawback, or a restriction in order to balance it out. With the stronger Core Implosions usually having a heavier price to pay, or requiring very specific conditions in order to utilize it. Such as Komari passing out from the backlash and being left bedridden for some time after each use. Karla having to shave her life span off each time she uses it. Sakuna needing to kill her target while also making sure they can be revived. Kakumei only able to use his on the night of a full moon and so on.
  • Also, while using Core Implosion, the user must temporarily sever their connection to the Dark Core. Meaning if they are killed during this time, they are Killed Off for Real with no hope of being revived.
• No Focus on Humans: There are literally no humans involved in the story, not to mention they are unexistent; instead, every character hails from a distinct humanoid race. Although they bear a striking resemblance to humans externally, they possess unique traits that distinguish them both internally and externally from humans. Among them, Peace Spirits are the closest to humans in appearance and characteristics, but they are still humanoid in essence as they retain their magical nature and wield technology that doesn't require magic unlike the rest of the races.
• Nothing Is the Same Anymore: At the start of volume 8, the Enchanted Lands withdrew from the entertainment wars along with most foreign activities, and declared a state of emergency, due to the destruction of their Dark Core at the end of Volume 7. As they are no longer to be revived, they can no longer take part in any dangerous activities.
• Our Spirits Are Different: Despite their name, Peace Spirits are more closely similar to humans rather than spiritual beings as they don't display any special or unique abilities unlike other races aside of some being capable of using Core Implosion, they are of flesh and bones, and they have a regular lifespan.
• Our Vampires Are Different: Vampires feed on blood to gain superior physical strength and magic power. Other than that, they look and act like regular humans. They don't have any of the weaknesses of classical vampires, as seen by them not burning under the sunlight.
• Out-of-Clothes Experience: In Volume 2, Komari and Sakuna are naked when they travel into a Mental World created by Sakuna's Core Implosion.
• Party of Representatives: The Six Valkyries is the name given to the six girls who are the biggest rising stars of their respective nations. They consist of: Terakomari Gandesblood from the Mulnite Empire, Nelia Cunningham from the Aruka Republic, Karla Amatsu from the Heavenly Paradise, Lingzi Ailan from the Enchanted Lands, Leona Flatt from the Lapelico Kingdom, and Prohellya Butchersky from the Haku-Goku Commonwealth.
• People of Hair Color: Sapphires are a race of white-haired people that hails from Haku-Goku Commonwealth. Sakuna, a Vampire-Sapphire hybrid, has silver hair because of her Sapphire blood.
• Quantity Versus Quality: When comparing the factions of the various Big Bads, Inverse Moon is the Quantity to Yusei's Quality.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: The characters' eyes turn red when they activate Core Implosion.
• Strip Poker: A variation. In Volume 11, Nelia invites Komari over for a friendly game of poker. However, she neglects to tell Komari that it's also a punishment game where the loser has to play dress up.
• Super Mode: Core Implosion is basically this with Komari's being the most well known and perhaps the strongest. While fairly weak as she is, not helped by the Hikikomori lifestyle she lived until now, the moment she swallows even the smallest drop of blood, she gains a massive boost to her physical and magical abilities that's makes her leagues above many of those around her in terms of strength. However, this also causes her to become an indiscriminate killing machine, and the first time she had blood resulted in her killing everyone in her household (Good Thing They Can Revive). This prompted her father to hypnotise her into disliking blood to avoid a repeat incident.
• Technically-Living Vampire: Vampires are living beings like any other race from the Six Nations. They can die and be resurrected by the Dark Core.
• War for Fun and Profit: The existence of the Dark Core has made it so no one can permanently die. Since war is not a matter of life and death, the Six Nations instigate "entertainment wars" based only on demonstrations of power.
• Where the Magic Went: The Six Nations' world is this for the Netherworld. The true purpose of the Dark Cores is stealing all the magic resources of the Netherworld to have the infinite magic supply that provides the inhabitants of the Six Nations with magic spells and perfect regeneration. As a result, the inhabitants of the Netherworld lack magic and people actually die from fatal injuries.
• Wutai: The setting is a Medieval European Fantasy for the most part, but countries like the Heavenly Paradise (equivalent to Japan) and the Enchanted Lands (equivalent to China) are clearly based on Eastern countries.

---