The Shinma, ancient creatures that are both "god and demon", have awaken from their centuries-old slumber. On the final night of their rising, they met a human girl, who forever after will be known as VAMPIRE PRINCESS MIYU! This new DVD from Animeigo contains the first two episodes of an all-new series starring our favorite female vamp.

Episode 1
"Unearthly Kyoto" - A young couple in the park make plans to meet again the next day. But when the woman leaves to return home, she is attacked by a sinister wraith! Another young woman looks for fabric in a local shop; she is left dead - drained of blood by the same creature. The police speculate it may be a vampire! Himiko, a "spiritualist", arrives in Kyoto to help a family whose daughter Aiko has lapsed into a coma. Doctors have been baffled by the girl's condition; a priest considers it a case of possession. Himiko does feel a "presence" when she examines Aiko - does this have something to do with the vampire attacks? After she takes her leave, Himiko meets the young man whose girlfriend was killed in the park - Miyahito. That night, Himiko is herself attacked by the vampire, but saved by the arrival of Vampire Princess Miyu and her "second", Larva. Miyu tells Himiko that the spiritualist is 'out of her league'. When Himiko sees Miyu give Miyahito her kiss, she swears to bring down the vampire princess. But if Himiko is successful, who will stop the Kyoto vampire from its path of destruction?

Episode 2
"Banquet of Marionettes" - A young woman sits alone in a room surrounded by mannequins; when the school bell tolls, she gets up and leaves the house. At the school, hunky Kei is the center of all the girl's attention, especially a familiar "transfer student" - Miyu! However, a Goth girl - Ranka - takes Kei's hand and leads him away from the gaggle of girls. At a nearby church, Kei asks Ranka to keep him young and Beautiful forever. Ranka admits she has the power to grant his wish, but Kei must be patient. A spying (and unhappy) Miyu comments to Larva that she has her eye on Kei - Ranka must a Shinma to have taken him away from her! Meanwhile, Himiko arrives in town to investigate a missing student. It seems a doll was left where the girl should have been, and the girl's father believes the doll was his daughter! Himiko thinks it must have been a Shinma, and where there's Shinma, there's bound to be Miyu! The stage is set for a vicious three-way battle between three very powerful women, and cute little Kei's stuck in the middle!

In the world of anime, there are numerous series dedicated the topic of vampires. Therefore, the quality of a new vampire series is going against some immense competition. VAMPIRE PRINCESS MIYU falls somewhere in the middle of the pack. While the animation is well done, the stories lack the "fullness" of the better series (probably due to the fact each episode in only 25 minutes long.) Miyu has been featured in other series, and her character is very familiar to those who've seen the other shows. However, the creators obviously assume you've already seen those other series because there is only a sparse amount of background information given about Miyu (and practically none about Larva). The episodes themselves are fine to watch, but nothing special - the plots have been done many times before. Himiko is the "new" central figure in this series, but we've been given very little information about her and her abilities. According to the cover blurb, her fate is somehow tied to Miyu, but we'll find out why in Volume Two. We'll see...

Produced for Television, VAMPIRE PRINCESS MIYU has the expected very good picture quality, and clear Dolby stereo audio. There are multiple language options: English with or with out subtitles (or "signs only") and Japanese with or without subtitles. The only extras included on the DVD are an image gallery and previews of other Animeigo titles. It would have been nice to have a "Miyu Primer" included for viewers unfamiliar with the character.

All in all, this series is acceptable for those who have been Miyu fans, but probably not a good way to introduce new viewers. Since there are millions of Miyu fans, however, I'm sure this DVD will be a fine addition to their collections of the vampire princess. Let's hope the second volume lives up to its claim and can pull everything together...

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