In Mina-hime We Trust (No Spoilers)

The bund has fallen into the sea, bigotry in the guise of patriotism sweeps across America, and a vampiric god seeks to destroy everything. The only hope the world has is a 400+-year-old loli-looking vampire queen the world has presumed dead (in a permanent way). The world that once wondered at the power and resources of the kingdom of the vampires has now turned against them with religious zeal. The formerly vibrant streets of the bund are empty, but its immortal citizens remain beneath the surface in the great cavern known as the cradle. Japan now must decide if it abandons the bund or stands alone against the world in support of Mina-hime and her people. 

Discussion Time

The colorful first pages of the story begin by letting us look through the lenses of a predator drone as it zeros in on its target from high above a peaceful Caribbean island. The target, none other than the leader of the Vampire Nation, Queen Mina Tepes. We are left with a big “Bwoom!” filling the last frame, but we know that it isn’t going to be that easy for anyone to kill Mina-sama and her lover/bodyguard werewolf Akira. The story quickly transition as to the standard black and white pages of the manga that provide a fitting backdrop for the story of the refugees being smuggled across the United States in hopes of escaping to a country where they wouldn’t be harassed and killed by lynch mobs wearing God Bless America hats. We also get the chance to catch up with Jessica and Suzy the mother and daughter that took care of Mina when she ended up alone and vulnerable in New York. The awful side of humanity and the resilient side of the vampires are brought to light at the undead strive to find a place to be free. Oh, and have Mina defeat an ancient vampire god that wants to destroy the entire world vampire and all. 

1. The Story is Epic

We start with an attempted assignation, political intrigue, and events happening on a global scale. We see a world, especially for the Vampires of the Bund, that was once so full of promise being turned on its head. You won’t get lost in the clouds of nations versus nations either since the story is about the people involved in these events and their personal stories.

2. Twenty-Three Volumes Wasn’t Enough

The universe Nozomu Tamaki has made is already well developed but he has proven just like Edwin Hubble that the universe has room to expand. You get a larger look at the world and the politics of nations outside Japan. We see that countries like Iran (though not mentioned by name) and the United States have a politically hostile environment to vampires and consider them a threat, even the fangless (vampires who have their fangs pulled). We don’t often get the chance in a manga to see countries that exist in the real world outside of Japan. 

1. You Don’t Like Politics and Palace Intrigue

The story of Scarlett Order is filled with politics and scheming. The entire series since volume one has lots of plotlines carried out at the same time by multiple characters. You have to be good at keeping track of people and places, if you aren’t, you’re going to get lost real fast. 

2. The Lolita Issue 

The great queen of the vampires looks like she is 12, not 400+. We don’t have a problem with that, not because we're creeps, but because we know people come in all shapes and sizes, even cartoon vampires. We think the juxtaposition of Mina’s immature looks and her very adult personality and lack of inhibitions is not only is great for laughs but makes for an intriguing character. If you have a problem with loli looking 400-year-old vampires this most definitely isn’t the manga for you. 

Final Thoughts

If you are a fan of The Dance in the Vampire Bund you will undoubtedly love this manga. If you are new to the series and you are picking this up as your introduction to the series, you’ll probably be okay. The volume has exposition folded into the events that lead to character introductions and overall plot. You might enjoy the political allegories that it makes if you are of a liberal nature. We’ve been fans of this series for a long time and are glad to see it back. We got an electronic copy and can’t wait to order the hardcopy for our collection. 

Writer

Author: Zeke Changuris

I’m a journalist, writer, photographer, video producer, social media manager and above all a storyteller. I’m located on the east coast of the United States but travel the world with the love of my life. I’ve been a nerd since birth with a love of history and science. I fell in love with anime, watching ROBOTECH and Venus Wars in the 80s when our only source was secondhand VHS dubs. A crazy new thing called the internet changed that, giving me access to new and amazing anime every day. I love to write for work and pleasure. I’m living the dream of every kid, getting paid to watch anime and loving every subtitled line.

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