New York Times Bestselling Dance in the Vampire Bund Gaiden is an ongoing manga series written and illustrated by Nozomu Tamaki. Dance in the Vampire Bund Gaiden: Dive in the Vampire Bund is a one volume side story that not only introduces new characters, but also contains cameo appearances by the main cast. This mini sequel takes place during the early half of Dance in the Vampire Bund Vol. 6, however, you don’t need to read the entire series before reading Dive in the Vampire Bund, it’s a solid story on its own, perfect for new readers and old.
The Vampire Bund is an island off the coast of Tokyo and the home to the nation’s vampires. Ruled by Princess Mina Tepes, the Bund has seen its share of conflict and turmoil. Yet there are times of relative tranquility when the Bund is a popular tourist destination. In Dive in the Vampire Bund, two teenage tourists, Akira Garcia Fujisaki and his best friend Masaki, visit the Bund in what starts out as a nice trip. However, things don’t go as planned when both of them are unexpectedly turned into vampires. Now, their only hope is to find a cure to reverse their vampirism within forty eight hours, or they will be stuck as vampires forever. Unfortunately, their race against time takes them across the entire labyrinth-like Bund in pursuit of their only chance of salvation.
I haven’t read any of the previous Dance in the Vampire Bund Gaiden books, so obviously I was a bit uneasy reading this side story, but like I said above, it ended up not being an issue, Dive in the Vampire Bund’s story stands alone very well. That was my first pleasant surprise, the second surprise was that it was a fantastic story! Dive in the Vampire Bund is an exciting and fast-paced tale full of twists and turns. Action-packed and full of surprises, this manga doesn’t drag for a moment (which I assure you, isn’t always the case with manga). While a unique and thrilling read accompanied by flawless artwork, the book does have its bleh moments. Without ruining the plot for others, I’ll simply say that there are a few cheesy parts mixed in with the badass ones, but they’re pretty rare so it’s not a deal breaker in my opinion.
Overall, Dive in the Vampire Bund is fantastic book with glorious artwork and a badass plot. I highly suggest picking this one up, even if you haven’t read the previous books. Also, while it looks like a cutesy comic series, it’s totally not for kids. There are some gruesome scenes, some mild nudity and swearing – fun times for adults, but uh, not so much for the youngins.
– Moonlight
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