Blood Alone
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''Blood Alone'' is a Japanese
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
series written by Masayuki Takano, the illustrator of ''
Boogiepop Dual , also known as ''Boogiepop Dual: Losers' Circus'', is a manga by Masayuki Takano (author of '' Blood Alone''), an offshoot of the ''Boogiepop'' series, a series of young adult novels by Kouhei Kadono. This work suggests that Toka Miyashita ...
''. It was originally published as a ''
dōjinshi , also Romanization of Japanese, romanized as ', is the Japanese term for self-published print works, such as magazines, manga, and novels. Part of a wider category of ''doujin'' (self-published) works, ''doujinshi'' are often derivative of exi ...
''. The manga ended abruptly in Spring 2014, however the story was concluded in a dōjinshi.


Plot

Kuroe Kurose is a former
vampire hunter A vampire hunter or vampire slayer is a fictional occupation in folklore and fiction which specializes in finding vampires, and sometimes other supernatural creatures. A vampire hunter is usually described as having extensive knowledge of vampir ...
, turned private detective and author. He lives in modern-day
Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...
with Misaki Minato, an adolescent girl who has recently been turned into a vampire. Kuroe's investigations often lead him to battle vampires and other undead creatures, sometimes with the support of Higure, a leading figure in the vampire world. Misaki meanwhile struggles to come to terms with her vampire nature and her love for Kuroe.


Characters

;Kuroe Kurose :An author,
private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI; also known as a private detective, an inquiry agent or informally a wikt:private eye, private eye) is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. ...
, and former prolific
vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
hunter. He takes care of Misaki and on some quasi-legal basis is her
guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unit ...
. Unlike most humans, Kuroe is a match against a vampire in combat and has a number of abilities linked to his eyes: he is immune to farumek (a vampire's way of hypnotising humans) and can tell if a someone is a member of the undead posing as a human. This was due to an injury inflicted on his eyes by a vampire who had the Adivuarat Kurai—the Eyes That See the Truth. Kuroe is very affectionate with Misaki but seems unaware of her deeper feelings, often teasing her when she tries to convey them. ;Misaki Minato :A young girl, about ten years old, and recently-turned
vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
whose human nature is still mainly intact. The daughter of a famous musician and a talented
pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...
herself, she used to live in a lovely mansion in England while she was human but now lives with Kuroe in a more modest home in Japan. She is in love with him, getting very jealous when he mixes with other women. They even share the same bed (though there is no indication of anything untoward in their relationship). Sayaka once poked fun at Misaki for sleeping in the same bed as Kuroe to which Misaki answered that it was because his bed was so big and comfortable. Kuroe then said that Misaki is still afraid of monsters and ghosts. She is also terrified of thunder. Misaki appears to have a second vampiric personality which wakes up in times of great danger to protect herself, but minimizes the duration of her awakenings as much as possible to preserve the original personality. ;Sayaka Sainome :The daughter of a rich doctor (deceased), currently working as head of a police forensics department. She has known Kuroe since they were in school together. She sometimes asks him to assist her in her work, because of his special abilities. She herself has the special ability of "seeing" (walking through) the last memories of the recently deceased. She is familiar with Kuroe and Misaki's situation. She appears to have feelings for Kuroe. ;Higure :An elder vampire. He looks like a boy of Misaki's age but is in fact very old and is one of the few "elder generation" vampires in the world. He appears to be immensely powerful, both in terms of physical/vampiric abilities as well as having considerable influence amongst vampires. Higure instructs Misaki on the ways of the vampire and fills Kuroe in with details about them that he was previously unaware of. From his relationships with his male Renfields, Higure is heavily implied to be gay and has even set his sights on Kuroe. ;Sly :An underworld figure acquainted with both Kuroe and Misaki, shown in volume 2 to be a vampire. He occasionally brings Kuroe jobs and helps both him and Misaki as an
informant An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a "snitch", "rat", "canary", "stool pigeon", "stoolie", "tout" or "grass", among other terms) is a person who provides privileged information, or (usually damaging) information inten ...
. He uses French honorifics (Monsieur, Mademoiselle) and has stated that he hates vampires. Sly's companion is a cat named Larry who has a habit of teasing Misaki. ;Maria :A young girl described as a "
Renfield R. M. Renfield is a fictional character who appears in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''.
", a slave to a vampire. In volume 2 she had been ordered by her "blood parent" to kill her biological father, which Kuroe prevented. Since then she lives with Higure and is just about the only same-age friend that Misaki has. She also has a crush on Kuroe. ;Jessie :Kuroe's partner/supervisor while he was hunting vampires in London. She is proficient in hand-to-hand combat and uses knives that can discharge electricity. She has appeared only in flashback so her current whereabouts are unknown, but it is mentioned in chapter 30 that she is still alive. It was she who first put Misaki and Kuroe in touch with one another when an injury in battle prevented her from watching over Misaki who was already the target for vampires. She has an estranged brother named Johnny who met up with Kuroe seeking guidance on romance, as he had fallen in love with a vampire called Sophia who despite her appearance being similar to Misaki's age, is possibly as long lived as Higure. ;Chloe :A very powerful sorceress who instructed Kuroe Kurose in how to confront vampires. Her name is also spelled Kuroe in Japanese and there is some indication that the fact that they share the same name is why she and her powers are closely linked to Kuroe. She is even known among the Aruhiek (elder vampires) as "Femme Sinistre" (French for "Sinister Woman", though the manga gives the translation as "the woman with the forbidden name"). Chloe greatly looks down vampires as a whole, deeming as unworthy of fighting seriously against. While Kuroe was operating in London, she appeared to him from time to time to berate him for not using his powers to their full ability. Chloe's magic seems to be revolved around the use of time and reality manipulation, which she has passed onto Kuroe. She later appears before Kuroe, giving him a rather elusive warning of a forthcoming threat. Her relationship with Kuroe has also appeared to turn somewhat more intimate.''Blood Alone'', volume 6, chapter 25 ;The Count :An elder vampire similar to Higure and who lives in the same city. He appears as a blond young man. He looks upon humans as only fit for being Renfields and thus disapproves of Misaki's relationship with Kuroe, which is based more on free will and mutual affection rather than enslavement. ;Motoe Kurose :Kuroe's older sister and only known surviving family member. She suffered from an unknown disease and since she was the only woman that Kuroe truly "loved" he would often skip school just to visit her. She disappeared one night in the hospital when a vampire abducted her and blinded the pursuing Kuroe whose eyes gained certain abilities of their own once they had healed. Kuroe believes that his sister is still alive and thus became a vampire hunter in hopes of finding her.


Aspects of vampires

;Vampires :Humans become vampires by consuming the blood of a vampire who has previously consumed their own. Vampires are immortal and do not age physically. They can only operate at night. They need to consume blood regularly and must do so to survive when they are injured and lose a lot. They possess fangs that allow them to drink blood from humans, but can also, as Misaki does, drink blood from a glass. Other abilities include increased speed and healing. ; :A vampire Elder who is a powerful member of the vampire community. In spite of the term, many of them come across as young men: Higure has the body of an adolescent while the Count looks to be in his twenties or early thirties. ;Aruta :Special powers possessed by the vampire Elders. The Aruta is different for each Elder: the Count can create multiple copies of himself to confuse his enemies; Higure can tear a victim in two from a distance; and an Aruhiek whom Kuroe and Misaki once confronted in England could turn his arms into huge swords. ; :Named after the servant of
Bram Stoker Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912), better known by his pen name Bram Stoker, was an Irish novelist who wrote the 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. The book is widely considered a milestone in Vampire fiction, and one of t ...
's
Count Dracula Count Dracula () is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. He is considered the prototypical and archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by some to have been i ...
, a Renfield is a human who acts as a vampire's servant. He or she is a human who has drunken the blood of a vampire and thus possesses partial immortality. However, a Renfield also loses his own will and is thus devoted to his blood parent—the vampire whose blood he drank. The Renfield's feelings and memories are influenced by the blood parent according to the vampire's strength and skill. A Renfield of an Aruhiek can use the Aruta of their blood parent. Renfields are especially useful in doing the work of vampires in the daytime when their masters cannot. ; :A vampire with no affiliation to a blood clan or parent. ; :A form of
hypnosis Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychological ...
that allows vampires to bring humans under their control for a short period of time. Farumek has no effect on Renfields who are blood-linked to another vampire. Kuroe, despite being a human, is unaffected by farumek due to his eyes having qualities of Adivuarat Kurai (see below). ; :An element of a vampire's blood. Each vampire's straruda possesses its own "will" and special properties. If a vampire drinks blood that contains a straruda too powerful for him to handle he runs the risk of turning into a mindless beast. Elder vampires can manage such stradura better, though some aspects of their personality may change. ; :Vampire
cannibalism Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is also well document ...
. A Renfield completely separated from their blood parent can experience intense pain and the only way around that would be to come under the influence of a vampire of the same blood line or one possessing the blood of the Renfield's blood parent. An example of this is when Higure consumes the blood of Maria's original blood parent before killing him, freeing her from his influence and bringing her under Higure's own. ; :The "Red Sword", a guild of vampire assassins. ; :A vampire killer—from the
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
n term for "
hunter Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, ...
" (Romania is the location of
Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
, home of the most famous vampire of all). ; :The "Eyes That See the Truth" are an ability possessed by a certain vampire and his blood clan. The term is also used as if it were the name of that vampire, who was once the head of the Einseigrad Sparuda, and was also responsible for kidnapping Kuroe's sister and turning Misaki into a vampire. He also injured Kuroe's eyes and, once they had healed from the injury, Kuroe obtained certain powers of his own such as recognizing the living undead that pretend to be humans. Misaki also appears to have abilities linked to the Adivuarat Kurai—apparently using it to make Maria realise that her blood parent was an evil manipulator rather than a genuine father figure.


Volume list


German

* Volume 1, April 2007 () * Volume 2, May 2007 () * Volume 3, September 2007 () * Volume 4, June 2008 () * Volume 5, June 2009 () * Volume 6, February 2011 ()


French

* Volume 1, July 2006 (, ) * Volume 2, November 2006 (, ) * Volume 3, February 2007 (, ) * Volume 4, October 2007 (, ) * Volume 5, October 2008 () * Volume 6, June 2010 ()


Drama CD

*
Drama CD Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
: ''BLOOD ALONE'', July 21, 2006 *
Drama CD Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
: ''BLOOD ALONE II'', August 24, 2007 *
Drama CD Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
: ''BLOOD ALONE III'', May 25, 2008


Main cast

* (played by
Mai Nakahara is a Japanese voice actress and singer associated with I'm Enterprise. She played Rena Ryūgū in ''Higurashi When They Cry'', Nagisa Furukawa in ''Clannad'', Seele Vollerei in ''Honkai Impact 3rd'', Seele in '' Honkai: Star Rail'', and Akagi ...
) * (played by
Toshiyuki Morikawa is a Japanese voice actor, narrator and singer who is the head of Axlone, a voice acting company he founded in April 2011. His name is sometimes, although incorrectly, transliterated as Tomoyuki Morikawa. In 2003, he and Fumihiko Tachiki formed ...
) * (played by
Rie Tanaka is a Japanese voice actress and singer. Notable among her numerous roles in anime are Lacus Clyne in '' Mobile Suit Gundam Seed'' and '' Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny'', Chi in '' Chobits'', Hikari Kujou/Shiny Luminous in '' Futari wa Pre ...
) * (played by
Shinichiro Miki is a Japanese voice actor from Tokyo.Doi, Hitoshi.Miki Shinichirou. ''Seiyuu Database''. July 13, 2010. He is a member of 81 Produce. Miki is known for his distinctively smooth voice and often calm delivery in the roles he has landed. He often ...
) * (played by
Sanae Kobayashi is a Japanese voice actress formerly affiliated with Production Baobab, and now with Sigma Seven. She has voiced in a number of anime shows and films. Some of her major roles are Allen Walker in '' D.Gray-man'', Miyuki Tanokura in '' Kaze no ...
)


References


External links


The author Masayuki Takano's website
* {{Series in Evening ASCII Media Works manga Dengeki Comics Dengeki Daioh Doujinshi 2005 manga Kodansha manga Seven Seas Entertainment titles Shōnen manga Seinen manga Vampires in anime and manga