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Manga: Dance in the Vampire Bund

The ruler of all vampires.
No, really.

Out of the blue, Japan finds itself host to a new "mini-nation" inside of the Bund, an artificial island off the coast. Mina Tepes, heiress of the Tepes Dynasty of Vampires, announces to the world that Vampires exist, she has paid off Japan's national debt, and that they are choosing to live in peace inside the Bund from now on.

The story is told from the point of view of Akira Kaburagi, a Werewolf and Mina's chosen guardian. Giving up a life as an ordinary high school student when Mina decides to out the entire vampire population, Akira has his work cut out for him, as Mina has pissed off just about everyone with her announcement — the humans want to wipe the Bund off the face of the Earth, rival vampire clans want to wipe the Bund off the earth, and even members of her own family want her for their own reasons.

An animated adaptation was released in 2010 (trailer here

, NSFW) by Studio Shaft. The animated adaptation was later licensed and released by FUNimation in the US. Similarly, the manga has seen a fairly faithful release by Seven Seas Entertainment in the west. There is also a side story spin off, Dive into the Vampire Bund, which likewise was released by Seven Seas Entertainment.

Seven Seas distributes Kaoru Shintani's (of Area88 fame) Young Miss Holmes in which Mina makes a guest appearance in the Case of the Sussex Vampire (Nozomu Tamaki provides art for the arc's epilogue - which takes place during Mina's voyage to establish the bund itself).

The original manga was announced to end on September 5th, 2012. It was then announced there would be a mini-series Spin-Off followed by a second series, so it's not over yet.

Now has a Character Page.

Tropes:

Absurdly Powerful Student Council: Justified by the school's mysterious founder explicitly decreeing that "All operations, except for finances and education, will be managed by the will of the students themselves." Of course when the founder and the council butt heads....
Action Bomb:
- A would-be assassin tries this on Mina during a press conference by purposely letting herself get turned, then sewing the bomb inside her now undead body with the trigger on her tongue. Luckily Akira's senses find her and she is stopped.
- A major plot point of vol. 3. It seems there is a chemical which reacts explosively when mixed with the vampire blood, so implanting a vial of it set to open with a cell-phone receiver turns the vampire him/herself into a (potentially Brainwashed and Crazy) bomb. More than that, the idea supposedly originated among human terrorists, a literal "suicide capsule" to prevent themselves from being captured or interrogated that, when exposed to air, would burst into flames and immolate the person.
Adaptation Dye Job: Mina's hair is light pink in the manga while it's blond in the anime which makes her resemble a certain vampire of a fighting game, as well as another young-looking aristocratic blonde vampire who is even more powerful than Mina.
- In later volumes of the manga they start coloring her hair blonde in that as well. So this is one case where the dye job went back into the source material.
Ambiguously Gay:
- Vera's sexuality is not a matter of any great discussion, but her past relationship with Hysterica is heavily implied to have been romantic, and some have speculated she was in love with Mina's mother.
- Angie, who exploits it for all it's worth.
Anti-Villain: Inspector Hama, who, despite being one of the assassins sent after Akira in Vol.4-5, seemed genuinely friendly to him and actually lets him go at least once in order to not harm a bunch of children, and later does a full Heel Face Turn.
- Alphonse is revealed as this. While he takes the Fake Mina's side, his true intention is to build Akira into a warrior who can protect Mina...he falls prey to his own lies, desperately wanting the fake Mina to be real, but he genuinely loves Mina and aids her restoration.
Anyone Can Die: As the story carries on, it becomes increasingly apparent that this series has very little Plot Armor to go around.
Armor Is Useless: Mostly averted, as the Beowulfs wear effective body armor that can take a lot of punishment. Wolfgang plays this straight, though, as he goes into battle in just a suit and still kicks bucket-loads of ass without receiving a scratch.
Artistic License - Economics: This argument could be made about Mina's claim of paying off Japan's national debt^note at the start of the story.
Artistic License - History: "Tepes" is the nickname Vlad II Dracula was known by (which means "The Impaler"). Not a clan/family name.
Badass Adorable: Akira's baby brother Yuuhi, with little hints of Tyke Bomb mixed in. Seven years old. Absolutely adores his "Onii-chama". Will rip out your throat with his teeth if he catches you being mean to his big brother.
Battle Butler:
- This is one of Akira's roles.
- Vera, who is Mina's driver and personal secretary in addition to bodyguard duty.
Battle Couple: Akira may be Mina's bodyguard, but it doesn't in any way suggest that she couldn't look after herself, thank you very much.
Bears Are Bad News:
- Inspector Seiji Hama, easily the most cool character of the later part of the manga, is a werebear. It's rather good for the protagonists that he did a Heel Face Turn.
- The name of elite corps of the Earth Clan, Beowulf, is Old English for "bear".
Beauty Equals Goodness: The more powerful vampires can take on a "true" form that supposedly is a reflection of their inner soul. We get a good look at five^noteDuke Li's twin assassins only count as onetotal and glimpses of a sixth as of book 12. Guess which one looks like a centerfold with optional bat wings and nominal Spikes of Villainy?
- Mina lampshades this, or rather its inverse, during her final battle with Ivanovic.
- The head of Telomere drives this home. Her base form is physically identical to Mina (appearance, scent, command over her blood bound vassals, the works). Her Super Mode? Ain't
Beethoven Was an Alien Spy: Ambrose Bierce and Anathasia Romanova became Vampires. Rasputin was an alias of Lord Ivanovic.
Berserk Button:
- While Mina occasionally allows herself half-staged hissy fits or genuine tears among those she actually trusts, just about the only thing that will genuinely make her lose her composure is threatening or seriously harming Akira and/or Yuki.
- To reiterate, whilst Akira getting knocked around a bit in the line of duty is something she will let slide, DON'T HARM YUKI. Trust us on this. Angie discovers this the hard way.
- Also, never EVER call Mina's deceased mom a whore. Ivanovic also learned this the painful way.
Beta Couple: Nanami & Yuzuru
Beware the Nice Ones: Do not mess with the fangless - vampires who willingly pulled out their fangs to preserve their humanity - because having the weaknesses of being hated by both vampires and humans made them the best guerrilla fighting force on the planet. For example, when Ivanovic invaded the Bund and started rounding them up, the fangless responded by leading Ivanovic and his best vamps into a tight hallway filled with Razor Floss and dropping their entire apartment complex on the rest.
Big Badass Wolf: The Earth Clan in general, and their elite forces known as Beowulf in particular. Ironically, "Beowulf" ("Bees' Wolf") is an Old English euphemistic name for a bear.
Big Ol' Eyebrows: Hysterica.
Boisterous Bruiser: The Lords of the Earth Clan Senate to the point where they scare the crap out of Beowulf when they show up for just a sparring session
Boobs of Steel:
- Vera can kick all kinds of ass while still being one if not the bustiest woman in the manga.
- And then there's Mina's true form.
Brainwashed and Crazy:
- Lower class vampires can be "reprogrammed" to serve a different master and be controlled by them like slaves; usually when this is seen they're no better then rabid animals. Mina of course is against such a practice, but two antagonists in the second and third volumes have no such qualms.
- Volume 7 has at least two of them. Volume 9 shows us a third, and a particularly tragic one at that.
- Played with in vol. 11, when the Mina imposter apparently reveals herself to be the "real" Mina by using this on Vera. Possibly.
Break the Haughty: Rozenmann. His plan fails spectacularly: Akira is alive, Mina escapes him and five elderly werewolves demolish his army and his palace. He can't take any pride in their deaths and is left staring in disbelief at the ruins of his castle.
Bullet Proof Human Shield: Mina's gone here a few times. Her being a small target, fast enough to rapidly close with a shooter's allies, and strong enough to juggle said allies around makes it a natural part of her Waif-Fu. (Also, a Stakeproof human shield is entirely plausible.)
But Not Too Foreign:
- Akira Kaburagi Regendorf, son of Wolfgang Regendorf.
- Inspector Seiji Hama. Half-Navajo, ex U.S. Special Forces, mercenary in the (unwilling) employ of Duke Rozenmann, and werebear.
Canon Foreigner:
- Mei Ren who takes over Hama's role in the anime as he does not exist in that version. The only difference is that while Hama has sorta friendly rivalry with Akira. Mei Ren is actually in love with him.
- The anime's Episode 12 changes this a bit: Mei Ren is Akira's EQUIVALENT, to another Mina, the "True Blood Legacy". Mei Ren is also of a lost weretiger clan, the "Forest Clan".
Carnival of Killers: The basic plot of volume four, minus the Squick factor.
The Chessmaster: The as yet unnamed leader of Telomere, having set up the Wham Episode below, has secured this ranking.
Cute and Psycho:
- An oddly suicidal example. Angie (if his motive rant is to be taken at face value) believes that neither he nor Yuki nor Ryohei are as important to Akira as Mina is, and fears that they all will be forgotten eventually... unless they all die in a manner that would traumatize Akira enough to leave a 'scar on his soul'. Yikes.
- The "real" Mina slowly exposes herself to be as vicious and cruel as the other vampire lords over the course of volumes 10 and 11.
Dancing Theme
Death by Childbirth: Implied to be fairly common for members of the Earth Clan since bearing a werewolf child puts a tremendous strain on a woman's body.
Colony Drop/Death from Above: The fangless drop their entire apartment complex on Ivanovic's army.
Defrosting Ice Queen: Arguably Mina. She is rather aloof at the start of the series but eventually becomes kinder (though no less manipulative or vicious when pressed) as the manga goes on.
Doppelg�nger:
- In the anime, Mina gains one when the leader of Telomere is revealed - to be a "sister" of hers (in a rather disturbing scene at the beginning of episode 12, which also explains Akira's Laser-Guided Amnesia), with the goal of controlling both the human world AND the vampire world. Mina's goal is just to establish equality, and a home for vampires - her doppelganger is wanting more...a LOT more.
- In the manga, this doppelganger is apparently the head of Telomere. She shows up at the end of vol. 9, has Mina spirited off as Rozenmann's eventual bride, and usurps Mina's rule...and in vol. 11, she revels herself to be the real Mina.] The anime was aired before this development came to light in the manga, so it's not known at this time if they were aware of this or if they just came up with it by coincidence.
- It turns out the doppleganger is the fake, as she could not activate an artifact that requires pure vampire royal blood, yet protagonist Mina, and even Rozenmann, could.
Drop the Hammer: Compared to Beowulf's swords, the Lords of the Earth Clan Senate on the whole prefer hammers, maces and other bludgeoning weapons. They make perfect tools to take on the few werewolves still loyal to Ivanovic, who have been reduced to mindless and ravening but extremely powerful beasts.
Dude Looks Like a Lady: Angel Arvenanto
Due to the Dead: The Beowulfs make certain to honor the remains of all fallen warriors, be they friend or foe. It was a load off of Seji's mind when he learned that the men of his who died at the hands of Beowulf were given proper burials.
Dying Moment of Awesome: In Volume 13. The elder werewolves. Five of them versus Rozenmann's entire army. And oh, dear, does Rozenmann's army know they've had a fight...
Eldritch Abomination:
- Ivanovic's true form
- We only see a glimpse of the new Mina's "true" form in vol. 11, which consists of a gigantic crab-like claw and implies the rest is even more monstrous.
Elegant Gothic Lolita: Side-character Alphonse Medici Borgiani has an entire army of these, and they are quite capable sword fighters too.
Embarrassing Old Photo: Mina has a photo album born of regular communication with Akira's mother; the results are inescapable.
Expy: Mina looks suspiciously similar to Evangeline A.K. Mcdowell from Mahou Sensei Negima!.
Face Heel Turn:
- Angie. This could also count as a I Knew It since he shows up a bit antagonistic to Mina when they first meet. Over what exactly? Akira.
- Yuzuru appears to have joined Duke Rozenmann's forces, as he assists in Mina's recapture after she escapes from Rozenmann's castle in vol. 10.
  - However, the discovery in volume 12 that Nanami is still alive (her apparent death, at his hands, ordered by Mina, was the thing that made him switch sides in the first place) and that she still is loyal to Mina seems to have brought him back to Mina's side.
Fan Disservice/Fanservice: Loads on a number of them.
Fantastic Racism:
- Very typical since the masquerade is uncovered. Most of the humans hate the vampires, and regard them as little more then mindless monsters. Most of the royal vampires seen hate werewolves (making Akira's job much tougher then usual) and those that decide to live fangless (i.e. they don't wish to drink blood) are hated by the usual vampires.
- The Fangless are actually starting to subvert this; they're still the subject of racism from other vampires, but some have started interacting with normal humans and they get along just fine. Which makes sense... they don't kill people and they aren't huge jerks. That's already two reasons for the mortal populace to like them over most of the 'normal' vampires.
Faux Affably Evil: Duke Rozenmann is charming, urbane, smiles constantly, is the only one of the three suitors who actually seems to treat Mina with something resembling respect, and accepts his defeat in the 'Akira-killing contest' with grace and amusement. None of this should suggest that he is not a heartless, immoral bastard. In fact, he may be THE heartless, immoral bastard: Rozenmann can be traced to almost every single antagonistic event in the manga, with the possible exception of the actions of Telomere. Check that, he's behind those, too. All in all, Rozenmann's affability extends only so far as to things that don't materially hinder him. When things don't go his way, he descends into hysterical anger and is more than willing to take it out on his nearest targets, loyal to him or not.
Fiction 500: Mina pays off Japan's entire national debt.*
A sum of money in the trillions of dollars
This doesn't seem to affect her overall wealth at all.
Form-Fitting Wardrobe: A staple feature of Nozomu Tamaki's drawing style. Even normal clothes are already depicted as extremely figure-hugging.
Friendly Neighborhood Vampire: The official public face of the Bund at large. Closer inspection, however, subverts this by showing that majority of the Bund's populace seem to be, if not 'evil', then at least huge jerks. Also played straight in that there are several (Vera, Nanami, the Fangless) who really are harmless, or at least would be if left to their own devices. Mina herself, despite numerous Pet the Dog moments, is too ruthless/manipulative to qualify...unless you take the other three (surviving) clan heads as benchmarks.
Full Frontal Assault:
- Akira is much bigger as a Werewolf than a human. He has no Magic Pants.
- Mina when she artificially ages herself when she unlocks her true power. So far, she's never worn any clothing when in her adult form. Also has a fondness for this in general.
- The shape-shifting assassin hunting Akira in the fourth volume.
- Vera in volume seven.
Genre Savvy: At one point, Mina uses the movie Nosferatu and its depiction of Count Orlok as a reference when discussing vampires. Nosferatu depicted one of the most vicious and inhuman vampires in popular culture. Mina not only references it, but points out that it is a very accurate depiction of what far too many vampires are actually like. The woman knows very well she is in a horror story, thank you very much.
Girlish Pigtails: Mina's default hairstyle.
Gun Kata: Seiji Hama with a shotgun.
Harmful to Minors: It is unknown how exactly Mina's mother was killed, but it was probably not pretty; the killers found her hiding behind a curtain, and if the 0th generation of vampires are going to survive, she has to bear the child of one.
Heroic Sacrifice: The end of the Akira vs. Mina fight. Some collateral damage in the form of a roof of a church — complete with cross — comes flying at Mina, who is protected from the mother of all stakes through the heart by Akira jumping in the way — and getting staked himself. Of course, a large cross through the chest isn't nearly as fatal to a Werewolf as it would be a Vampire...
- In volume 13 Lords Scott, Ernest, Edward, Atonio and Connery make a final stand against Rozenmann's entire army to allow Mina's group a chance to escape. It works. Scott even manages to graze the smug bastard himself before succumbing.
Ho Yay: invokedAkira and Angie, taken Up to Eleven during the first "training in Siberia" sequence. There's also a major (and intentional) subversion (inversion?), since only Akira knows that Angie is really a guy, and Angie milks it for all it's worth since he knows about Yuki's novel; see the Funny Moments page.
Hoist By Her Own Petard:
- How Hysteria (the villain in the third volume) is beaten when Nanami, whom she "reprogrammed" (and not to mention mercilessly abused), is secretly "reprogrammed" back by Mina and delivers the final blow to her. With her own weapon, no less.
- Chapters 40-44 are pretty much all about this, especially when Sanin pretty much rapes Angie.
Hollywood Tactics: Mostly averted in the series whenever possible. The Bund's security forces (Read: private army) have air support and armored vehicles, and the Bund itself makes use of countless surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missile launchers. Even the werewolves of Beowulf, despite all having melee weapons of choice, use assault rifles and body-armor and engage their enemies in fire-fights much like a human unit would, and they only use their blades when the situation calls for it. When people don't follow common tactics, bad things happen, such as when Ivanovic led his force into a maze-like apartment complex and got several hundred of his vampires wiped out by guerrilla tactics.
Huge Guy, Tiny Girl:
- Akira's pretty tall for a 17-year-old Japanese highschooler (he is a half-German werewolf after all,) but not abnormally so. Mina's just that tiny — she barely gets to his chest, and it's even more apparent in his wolf form, where he towers over her. Somewhat subverted in that Mina's true form is bigger than Akira's normal size.
- Inverted for good with Nanami and Yuzuru.
Humans Are The Real Monsters: While the series generally likes kicking the notion of stereotypes in the balls, it seems to subtly lean towards this by the end. While a few vampires, namely Rozenmann, Ivanovic, and Li are horrible, horrible people, vampires for the most part are shown to be more self-destructive than anything. The worst we see of the citizens of the Bund is on the level of minor organized crime, and those uninvolved with such things are shown to just want to be left alone, even those who haven't become Fangless. Humans, on the other hand, are shown to form into lynch-mobs because of fear and jealousy, and murder anyone who gets in their way. Often, humans are a greater danger to vampires than vampires are to humans.
I Did What I Had to Do: Mina takes this position based on the very hard decisions she has to take as leader of the Vampires in the Bund. For example, after blackmailing a politician with a threat of infecting his five year old grandson if he doesn't go away. She actually does have him bitten, but he is cured before he permanently becomes a vampire.
I Hate You, Vampire Dad: Subverted. When Nanami is turned, she goes on a rampage, calling herself a monster. Mina and the others assume this Trope, but Nanami explains that she doesn't care about being a vampire. What she hates herself for is the realization she had been sexually attracted to her little brother-figure all along, even when she was still human, vampire emotions being much more potent than human ones, and thus far harder to ignore. She comes around when Yuzuru returns her love, and everyone makes it clear they accept their love as real and valid.
I Just Want to Be Normal:
- The Fangless. Those vampires willing to extract their own fangs are the ones that are serious about keeping away from the whole predator thing.
- Most of Mina's motivation for enrolling in Akira's high school.
  "I just wanted... to spend some time feeling like a normal child. To feel like a normal girl, just for a little while... with him."
Idiot Hair: Nelly's appears to react to turn-ons.
Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Every episode title is taken from a horror movie, giving us titles like "Howling", "Teen Wolf" and "Interview with the Vampire".
Immortal Immaturity: Mina treats this trope like a yo-yo, going from pensive matron contemplating how she may be robbing her teenaged knight of his happiness to a bouncing teeny-bopper brainstorming with her friend over a Boys Love story literally in a matter of moments.
Indirect Kiss: Akira and Mei Ren, in Episode 10, via a piece of hard candy... which is shot from one mouth into another. Subversion: The candy turned out to have been laced with a drug that inhibited Akira's ability to transform into a werewolf. This causes much hassle for him, especially after Mei Ren's true nature is revealed in Episode 12.
Interspecies Romance:
- Played straight - Mina is a vampire, Akira is a werewolf, both are in love, but there's a social stigma. Thank the devil that Mina is in charge of everything.
- Reinforced in the anime Mina and Akira make a promise to each other that is tantamount to a marriage vow.
- And then there's Yuki � literally the first scene of the manga (that doesn't read like a storybook) is of her confessing her feelings to Akira. She never does get completely over those feelings, either.
I Want My Belovedto Be Happy: Yuki has shades of this at times. Alphonse lives this trope. The only part of Mina's affection he wants in the end is just to be reborn as a flower she can wear in her hair for only a few hours.
Kiss of the Vampire: When Akira lets Mina drink his blood so she can regain her strength (note: a werewolf being bitten by a vampire is said to be fatal for the former). He afterwards describes the experience as nearly orgasmic.
Lap Pillow - Yuki provides this for Mina in vol. 4 after the chastity test.
Legal Jailbait - Mina. This show is probably the only one to ever justify this trope as we learn that Mina actually has an adult form and she keeps her child form to prevent her from a pregnancy that would otherwise be forced on her by one of three vampire counts - all more or less creepy old men with no redeeming values whatsoever.
Les Yay: invoked
- Part of Hysterica's treatment of Nanami; also heavily implied to be part of her relationship with Vera in olden times.
- Mina and Yuki, once they've settled their differences, have these sorts of moments all the time. Mina has explicitly stated that Yuki is her most precious person after Akira, flirts with her, and even cops the occasional feel. For her part, Yuki has a tendency to turn a lovely shade of red at all of the above, and has more than once commented on how beautiful Mina's true form is.
Lotus-Eater Machine: Mina goes through one in vol 6. While in a life-threatening coma, she dreams she and all the other characters are ordinary people, her mother is still alive, there are no supernatural beings, and everyone is happy. She forces herself to wake up, right before she (as a grown-up) marries Akira.
Luminescent Blush: We get quite a few of these in the lighter moments. Yuki is especially prone to this, with Mina nearly as often. Doesn't exactly help that Nozomu Tamaki's drawing style makes her look absoultely ador able. Even Akira isn't immune.
Magic Pants: Beowulf wears these, usually but not always accompanied by Magic Body-Armor as well. Justified in that it was designed to be able to conform to both a human's and a werewolf's body.
Manchurian Agent:
- The Mole in Mina's palace is revealed in volume seven to be one of these. She's just a random maid, infected with a nanomachine that causes her to believe that any order she receives comes from Mina.
- Nanami becomes one in vol. 9, nearly destroying the Bund before Mina forces Yuzuru to kill her. His anger over this is the fuel behind his apparent Face Heel Turn.
Manipulative Bastard:
- Almost every vampire. Mina is queen bitch of this trope, however. For example, she kidnaps and infects a 5-year-old with vampirism just to blackmail a politician, only to cure him when the politician surrenders.
- Try maneuvering the biggest opponent of the Earth Clan among her followers into giving up any hope of taking over her personal security... and executing the entirety of his own forces within the Bund afterwards as a precautionary measure.
- The "real" Mina is even worse, and in a purely malicious fashion.
Marshmallow Hell: Yuzuru-chan gets a good dose of it in Episode 10 of the anime.
Mars Needs Women: The Vampire race is Mars, Mina is the woman in question, and her potential suitors are the most disgusting things on this planet.
Mayfly-December Romance: If Duke Ivanovic is any indication, Mina will actually grow old eventually, and Akira's regeneration will probably extend his lifespan some decades beyond the human norm, but we are still looking at life expectancies differing by an order of magnitude here. On the other hand, Ivanovic may not be a true example of vampire aging, as Mina states he has been in his decayed form for thousands of years, apparently a result of his own rotten soul. The manga also addresses how vampire werewolves were once possible, creating the possibility of Akira being able to stay with Mina in this way.
Meaningful Name:
- Akira, pledged to serve the Princess of Vampires from birth, has a name meaning "Daybreak" (which, for vampires, would connote something along the lines of Horrible Burning Death). Make of it what you will.
- And then there's his little brother Yuuhi ("evening sun"). It seems ol' Wolfgang really does have a sense of humor, after all...
- Also possibly a stealth Shout Out: Akela, the leader of the wolf pack in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, becomes "Akira" when spoken through Japanese phonetics. (The name also means "single, solitary" in Hindi, which rather accurately fits Akira's personality as well, after Graham's death.)
- Telomere.
Meido: Mina's ladies-in-waiting. Nanami joins them.
Mercy Kill: Akira is forced to do this to one of his former childhood friends when said friend (already brain-damaged and incurably insane) ends up pumped full of what amounts to Werewolf-grade PCP and is sent to assassinate Mina.
Mook Horror Show: Chapters 1 & 2.
Most Common Superpower: Quite a number of the women in this series are stacked.
Ms. Fanservice: Vera or Mina.
Murder the Hypotenuse: Angie tries. He almost succeeds.
My Master, Right or Wrong: Gerhard, Rozenmann's werewolf retainer. He knows Rozenmann is wholly unworthy of his loyalty, but he's still the master Gerhard's sworn to, even if Gerhard has to stoop to dishonorable tactics.
The Necrocracy: Type II, more or less.
New Transfer Student: Mina. No, she does not seem to regard having secretly founded the school and commissioned the construction of the campus to her specifications as causing a conflict of interest.
No One Could Survive That: Played straight with Sanin (skull crushed and thrown off a cliff), much to Akira's eventual regret. Beowulf learn their lesson, and when they cannot find the body of Angie (throat ripped out and toppled off a skyscraper) they promptly warn Mina of his probable survival.
Not Safe for Work: There are some *ahem* questionable scenes involving a naked Mina in this work, but it's far from the major point of the work.
Older Than They Look:
- Many vampires, but notably Mina, who appeared to be six or seven when she met Akira as an infant. He is now sixteen, and she appears to be around twelve of thirteen.
- Anna, one of the Fangless kids in the Volume 5, looks four. She's explicitly said by Jiji to be the oldest of the three, and actually goes to high school, eventually ending in Mina and Akira's class. This is also responsible for a Crowning Moment of Funny in the Vol. 5 omakes.
Omake: Each volume features one or more, in yonkoma format. They generally revolve around Mina's maids, and are quite funny...until the plot takes a serious turn for the worse, in which the humor becomes mixed with drama.
One Steve Limit: Averted. The protagonist of the Dive Into The Vampire Bund sidestory is also named Akira, though written with slightly different kanji. This becomes a plot point when the main series Akira needs to escape the Bund.
Ordinary High School Student: Subverted. Akira's really a werewolf, and several students become vampires.
Our Vampires Are Different: They really aren't. However, some vampires remove their fangs and become "Fangless", and are hated by just about everyone. Well, except for the whole "attending a Catholic School (with nuns, no less) thing". Looks like someone doesn't have an issue with crosses.
- Vampirism in this story is transmitted simply through feeding rather than a blood exchange. The change takes 72 hours to complete, but can be stopped if a vaccine is taken within 48 hours. Not to mention that the vampires don't HAVE to have blood to survive (Fangless, etc.) There is also a synthetic substitute for blood called (conveniently) Stigma. The latter may allow for the former, as it is shown that vampires without blood or a substitute become weak and ravenous for blood over time.
- Vampires also don't HAVE to be the merciless predators as shown in other places as well. The Fangless children get along perfectly well with humans, for example — as does any vampire with a ideal to hold onto (Mina herself, Nanami, Vera, etc.) Only those without a strong belief become hedonistic animals (not that ordinary humans themselves cannot become the same way).
Parental Abandonment: A short scene when Yuzuru find Nanami's parents moving away after their daughter was turned. Yuzuru's mother had already pretty much abandoned him, which brought him and Nanami together. This woman would make a lizard proud.
Piet� Plagiarism: Wolfgang with Akira in the end of volume 5. Subverted in that Akira was only wounded and recovered completely, thanks to inspector Hama's help.
Pinky Swear/The Promise: Akira and Mina make one at the end of the anime. Problem is, it's tantamount to a vow of marriage; Akira asks as his wish from the Princess that she be with him always; she agrees and says that "their lives will be entwined until one of us dies"
Poor Communication Kills:
- A great deal of trauma and violence could have been avoided if Mina had just sat down with Akira and explained in detail that yes, she was taking measures to protect the students and no, she was not really going to let the corrupt minister's five year old grandson be turned into a vampire. But instead of explaining things, she basically told Akira, "What? Did you think I was nice? I'm a monstrous vampire, what did you expect me to do?" and then got pissed when he didn't have absolute faith in her
- This was not a unique occurence. Some of the biggest strains on Mina's and Akira's relationship are caused by one of them either hiding something from the other for their own good or putting their foot in their mouth.
- In vol. 11, the Mina doppelganger reveals to Yuki that the confrontation between Mina and Akira hurt Mina more than anyone could imagine, and that she intends to use the emotional damage to play on Akira's loyalties.
Public Secret Message: Mina makes a public announcement, speaking in an ancient language as a challenge to another vampire, but with fake subtitles in Japanese.
Rape as Drama: This shows up a few times, although mostly as subtext:
- The vampire attack in the church has heavy rape undertones (lots of ripped clothes, bites in...delicate areas, and Mina telling Yuki that the victims are going through specialized counseling after their rescue and vaccination).
- The virginity test, although it's not truly "rape" given the circumstances.
- Angie gets raped in ch. 41.
- Ivanovic does his best to assualt Mina in vol. 9, and tries again in vol. 10 after assimilating his shapeshifing assassin. Of course, by this point the Telomere leader has replaced Mina.
Really 700 Years Old: Mina is the poster child, though it's debatable (she could be as young as her nineties). She still looks twelve, though.
- Confirmed in Volume 13 that she's at least 400. (That's how long ago her mother died.)
Right Behind Me: Akira, right behind Mina as she and Yuki plot out the next step in the creative process in Yuki's Boys Love story at the end of Chapter 33. Hilarity Ensues.
Right in Front of Me: The chairperson of the student council stormed into the office of the school's director to demand an explanation for the admission of a New Transfer Student without informing them, only to find said student (Mina) in said office.
Nanami: "We don't have time to waste sitting around. Where is the Director?"
Mina: "Yes... I know, I know." <sits behind the empty desk> "What is it you have to say?"
Royal Decree: The first episode ends with Mina giving a long one to the vampire of the episode, culminating in "I order you to die." He does.
Sarcastic Confession: It is amazing what will be blown off as a bad joke if you can fool the Super Senses of "your" werewolf bodyguard.
Shape Shifter Guilt Trip: One of the assassins in volume 4 uses it against Akira to perfect effect. Unfortunately, then it tries using Mina... Speaking of which, that assassin is, naturally, a...
Shape Shifter Weapon
Shout Out:
- Seiji Hama = Sledge Hammer!. You dig it?
- Aforementioned Nosferatu reference as well.
- As well as most vampire media, including Bram Stoker's Dracula, B�la Lugosi, and Hammer Horror.
- Mina is the most obvious, as Mina Harker is a character from Stoker's novel.
Shown Their Work: The first episode of the anime makes it abundantly clear that they know what they're talking about.
Single Mom Stripper: Mina is sheltered by one after her escape from Rozenmann.
Sink or Swim Mentor: Wolfgang intentionally comes off as this where his son is concerned.
Skinship Grope: Go on, guess.
Smug Snake: Really, Rozenmann tries to be a magnificent bastard, but when he's outmaneuvered, he won't take it well. He's not as smart or in control as he thinks he is and will not react well to realizing that, as his temper tantrums in volume 12 are proof of.
So Proud of You:
- The look on Wolfgang's face when he carries Akira to the infirmary along the saluting ranks of the Earth Clan.
- Subverted in the anime This entire scene is changed. Instead of Akira making it to the throne room, the Three are forced to kneel in front of Mina, acknowledging her authority. Mina then leaves the throne room, and gradually hurries to where Akira is entering the castle. At the end she's running full-tilt, and leaps into Akira's arm. Akira asks her to smile for him, she does and he collapses. She holds his head in her lap, laying on the floor with him heavily wounded, while Wolfgang calls for a four-howl salute from the other members of Beowulf stationed there in full uniform, carrying swords. In the next scene, he's had his arm reattached and is looking at Mei-Ren's grave in the Cradle.
Stalker Shrine: Mina has a small private cubbyhole that contains her true personal treasures. It contains some old furniture, an antique gramaphone, a few other knicknacks, and many, many photos of Akira.
Stalker with a Crush: Angie is revealed to be this to absurd levels where Akira is concerned.
Star-Crossed Lovers: A distinct undertone in the whole plot.
Stealth Mentor: Alphonse to Akira.
Stop Helping Me!: Lord Scott tells Angie not to interfere in his final battle. While they've chosen different leaders, they're still wolves and Angie cannot sully a warrior's last stand. Angie is driven to tears by his grandfather's words.
The Stinger: Consisting of an Eye Catch-style picture and the caption "You will watch the next episode".
Stupid Sexy Flanders: Damn you, Angie!
Super Mode:
- Vampires are capable of assuming a "true form" which is the ultimate expression of their power and usually involves turning into a monstrous form. In Mina's case, she turns into a buxom adult blonde who looks a lot like her mother, with a Witchblade-esque carapace (with optional wings!) that partially covers her arms and legs... and nothing else. It's also the form that she will do anything to avoid revealing to her political rivals. Actually, Her exo-skeletal armor does actually cover her nether region, and can cover parts of her breasts. She just doesn't seem to bother with the latter, much of the time.
- Of course, there's also the Earth Clan. A Super Mode is pretty standard for any werewolf, after all...
- Or the (anime-only) Forest Clan? Who can PARTIALLY transform? And whose fur is bright yellow with some black striping?
- Also, see Eldritch Abomination above.
Together In Undeath: Nanami and Yuzuru (the above mentioned babysitter couple), the latter willingly letting the former turn him after she was freed from the antagonist's control.
Toplessness From The Back: Angel Avenanto, repeatedly... As if he needed more Stupid Sexy Flanders potential.
Twelve Episode Anime: Mostly condenses volumes 1-5.
Undead Children: Vampires turned before puberty? We have plenty. Pint-sized horrors that invoke feelings of the natural order being defiled in all who see them? Not so much.
Undying Loyalty:
- The Beowulf for Mina, especially Akira.
- Vera for Mina as well, being a surrogate mother to her.
- Rozenmann's werewolf servitor Gerhard seems to know that his boss is an immoral snake, but is compelled to obey him regardless.
Unequal Pairing: Highborn matron in love with her head guardsman's teenaged son? Raises almost as many eyebrows as what Mina and Akira actually look like together.
Unlucky Childhood Friend: Akira's normal human high-school friend Yuki, whose feelings he turns down right before being taken away by Mina. Mina, being a Manipulative Bastard, keeps her around as a friendly enemy and to rub her victory in her face...
- Cursed with Awesome: ...and ends up being pretty much best friends with her... complete with frequent Les Yay. Yes, Yuki lost a boyfriend, but she ended up a confidante of one of the most powerful people in the world and still keeps her humanity. Not a bad consolation prize.
- It does have the downside of bringing Yuki right into the middle of the supernatural world's power struggles, while giving her no means to defend herself. While her intelligence and support have proven absolutely invaluable, the enemies have also proven terrifyingly uninterested in holding back just because a normal teenage girl happens to be caught up in the crossfire.
The Unmasqued World: Vampires and Werewolves: Not much of a secret anymore.
Vampire Maid: The second chapter starts off with Mina's maids absolutely wrecking a squad of special forces soldiers. One of them rising back up again after getting mowed down by gunfire deserves a CMOA all its own.
Vampire Werewolf Love Triangle:
- First Mina/Akira/Yuki, then Mina/Akira/the Royal Three; on the other hand, there is no love between the Royal Three and Mina, it's more of a power grab than anything else.
- Then of course there's Mina/Akira/Angie, which, unlike Mina/Akira/Yuki's Type 11, is very much a Type 4.
The Voiceless:
- Yuki, as a result of brain damage suffered from Angie's attempt to kill her.
- Angie, unless/until his throat fully recovers from Yuuhi ripping it out.
Waif-Fu: Half a dozen freshly-turned grown men. One scrawny prepubescent vampire queen. No problem (aside from the former blowing up).
The Woman Wearing the Queenly Mask: Mina is a particularly blood-soaked and Machiavellian variant.
Wham Episode:
- The end of vol. 8, when it's revealed that Angie has betrayed Mina and the Beowulf, nearly killed Yuki, and sold Mina's secret to the other vampire lords out of his twisted love for Akira.
- Volume 9 in general, and chapter 53 in particular. Lord Ivanovic launches a full scale, multi-pronged invasion to secure the Bund and Mina's postpubescent Super Mode (Tower HQ getting blown up, Fangless being executed to draw Mina out, the works). This ends in Mina and Akira killing Ivanovic in battle deep beneath the island... however the whole thing was a distraction and Lord Ivanovic an Unwitting Pawn. Turns out that Nanami was infected by the Pied Piper a couple of volumes back and triggered during said fight, forcing Mina to... not kill her, that would not be traumatizing enough... compel/command Yuzuru to kill her before she overloads the nuclear reactor beneath the Bund and blows the whole place sky high (irradiating metropolitan Tokyo in the bargain). It turns out that the primary motive behind that stunt was to separate Mina from her bodyguard and rattle her badly enough for the leader of Telomere to ambush her personally... and pull a switch.
What Could Have Been: Studio Shaft was more than willing to do a faithful adaptation of the manga until the author of the manga told them to do it in their own way. Needless to say, a lot of manga fans were somewhat displeased, although some found it a pretty good adaptation nonetheless.
Who Wants to Live Forever?: Played with. The major reason vampires aren't in complete control of the entire world is that most of them find eternal life so hard to deal with that they behave like suicidal lunatics in an effort to find some kind of sensation; it's so bad that within a matter of weeks of the Bund's settlement, maybe 10% of the population have already been killed in one way or another. The level-headed, vaguely happy vampires are the ones who have found something to hold on to that helps them cope with eternity (the most obvious example being Mina's love for Akira).
Widget Series: Whether it applies to the manga or not, just keep in mind that Shaft is doing the anime.
Wife Husbandry: Inverted. While Mina didn't personally raise the boy who was born to become her companion, there are strong and intentional shades of this, especially when she pulls out his baby pictures to show people... one of which is her holding him as an infant.
Wolverine Claws: The weapons used by the twin assassins sent by the Li family head to kill Akira.
Yaoi Fangirl: Yuki's latest novel is apparently a Boys Love story... and one of the main characters is heavily based on Akira. Also, Mina (although she didn't understand some of the, er, "advanced vocabulary" at first) absolutely loved this story when she read it, so make of that what you will. Nero got a lot out of it as well, seemingly being a full-blown otaku.
- As of chapter 33, Mina has puzzled out that the book is essentially about her boyfriend's romance with another man... and this has made her like it more, and even start actively contributing to the 'creative process'. Upon discovering this, Akira was... not amused.
You Shall Not Pass: Volume 13. The Werewolf Elders pull this on Rozenmann's entire army. Not a single one gets past.