Vampire Dormitory is a manga series by Ema Toyama, which began serialization in Nakayoshi in 2018.
For Mito, being the thrall of a vampire is the least of her worries. Mito's lived life on the streets since she graduated from middle school, dressing as a boy to stay safe. She's managed to eke out a grungy, friendless existence, but when a handsome vampire, Ruka, rescues her from sure-death, he makes her an offer that sounds too good to be true: become his subservient thrall from which he can feed whenever he wants, and she can live with him—in the boys' dorm. Because her very existence depends on her secret not being found out, every day is a new danger—to say nothing of what living with a vampire could mean! Ruka, not knowing Mito's a girl, dotes on her night and day in an attempt to ripen her "disgusting male blood," but the closer he gets to her, the more likely her secret could get out...and the closer she gets to having her new, wonderful life come crashing down around her...
An anime adaptation
of the series produced by Studio Blanc was announced in October 2023 to premiere in 2024.
Tropes that appear in Vampire Dormitory
- Crazy Jealous Guy: Ren decides if he can't have Mito as a girl, he'll turn her into a guy so that Mito can't be with her true love, Ruka. He did it out of selfishness and fear of losing Mito to Ruka.
- Face–Heel Turn: At the end of Volume 4, when Ren turns Mito into a guy to prevent her and Ruka from getting together, he becomes a primary antagonist of the series. He even agrees with his father's plan to separate them completely with a decoy lover, "Miko", who takes Mito's former identity as a woman.
- Friend-or-Idol Decision: Downplayed. Ruka is forced to choose whom to save first from falling into the river: Mito (Ruka's true destined partner) or "Miko" (a shapeshifter cat who stole Mito's former identity). He makes the worst decision he could: to save "Miko" over Mito. He was planning to save Mito next, but he was too late.
- Gender Bender Angst: Mito had cross-dressed as a man since middle school, but Ren, a dhampir, turns her into a guy because he fears Mito will choose Ruka over him, Mito isn't happy about it. She even begs Ren to change her back into a girl again, but he refuses because Mito can't be with Ruka as a guy. Thankfully, she change back into a girl again thanks to Ruka's true love for her.
- Identity Amnesia: Ren erases Mito's memories of Ruka along with her memories of being a girl so she will forget her pain over Ruka choosing "Miko" (a shapeshifter cat who stole Mito's former identity) over her since she's no longer a girl. Ruka then implants Mito with Fake Memories of always having been a guy, a butler to Ren's family her entire life and Ren's lover.
- Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Each chapter is titled 'LOVE (Number): The Boy (X)'.
- I'm Crying, but I Don't Know Why: Despite having no memories of Ruka, Mito suddenly starts crying and has no idea why. It is hinted that even Mito's memories of Ruka are gone, but her heart and feelings for him haven't been forgotten.
- Interrupted Suicide: Mito decides to drown herself in the river after Ruka fails to recognizes her as his true love and chooses "Miko" (a shapeshifter cat who stole Mito's former identity), but Komori saves her life. Komori tells Mito to live on and find true love.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy:
- Due to the guilt of not accepting Mito's love sooner and being unable to make Mito remember him, Ruka decides to give him back his sang sucre (a heart-shaped item that changes color as the user experiences more love) and show the color of red, which symbolizes true love. Ruka confesses his love for Mito and says that he doesn't care if Mito's male or female, he will always love him. Ruka decides to give his blessing to Mito's marriage to Ren, who thinks Ren will make Mito happier than he could. Subverted in Volume 6.
- After Ren's wedding has been canceled due to Mito turning back into a girl again and getting to be with her true love Ruka, Ren finally gives up on Mito completely.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Ruka is unaware Mito is secretly a girl and his destined partner. However, thanks to Ren's meddling by turning Mito into a guy, Ruka will never find out Mito's secret. While he eventually discovers he real gender by volume 6, he still accepts Mito as his romantic partner, regardless of biological sex or magically induced gender swap.
- Loophole Abuse: Mito requests that Ren erase her memories of Ruka, but she never says to erase her former past when she was a girl. Ren takes the opportunity to alter all of her memories, causing her to believe Mito was born a male and Ren's family took Mito in as a child. Presumably, Mito's true gender as a girl is somehow related to her memories to Ruka or Ren just erased Mito's entire gender identity so that he can make sure she will never remember her real self again.
- Love Hurts: After Mito is turned into a guy by Ren out of jealously and selfishness, her love is rejected by Ruka and he chooses to save "Miko" over her from falling from the river. This results in Mito falling into a deep depression, to the point that she asks Ren to erase her memories of Ruka to forget her pain (even though it's Ren fault for ruining Mito's chance to be with Ruka).
- Love Triangle: Ruka and Ren are both attracted to Mito.
- Official Couple: Mito and Ruka are official after both of them confess their love for each other and Ruka doesn't mind that Mito was a girl the entire time after the True Love's Kiss changed her back into a girl again.
- Parental Abandonment: Mito's parents passed away when Mito was very young.
- The Power of Love: According to Ren's father, the only way for Mito to change back into a girl and regain her memories of Ruka is an Act of True Love from Ruka.
- Put on a Bus: Ren decides to leave the dorm and travels to the place he never been before in order to get over his heartbreak over Mito after fulfilling his role of becoming part of a love triangle with Mito and Ruka.
- Riches to Rags: After Ruka cancels his marriage in order to be Mito (formerly a girl) a guy, he is no longer a noble vampire and becomes a servant for Ren's household in order to stay close to Mito. Subverted in Volume 6, he regain his nobility after he found his true destined partner Mito.
- Single-Target Sexuality: Ren is only attracted to Mito, and he's not into anyone who isn't her. Ren's feelings don't change for Mito after he turns her into a guy on purpose in order to prevent the prophecy of Mito and Ruka being together.
- Straight Gay: Juri, a gay vampire has romantic feelings for Takara, but his crush is attracted to girls.
- True Love's Kiss: After Mito receives a kiss from Ruka, she regains all of her real memories and changes back into a girl again.
