Vampire Doll: Guilt-na-Zan

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Fantastic comedic manga with an oddball, very random sense of humour! A seriously overlooked manga entry in comedy by mangaka Erika Kari.

Pros:
- Gorgeous & distinct vampiric-gothic art style, settings & costume + strange, funny, cozy comedy.
- The funny juxtaposition of these gothic, dark characters in a very light-hearted comedy series is unique. The mangaka is quite creative with how she explores beyond the obvious dynamics at play.
- There isn't a single unlikable character in the entire cast, even among the villains. Everyone has their own "thing" that makes them funny but also sympathetic in the story.
- Many wholesome moments in between the comedy and occasional ... drama. It's quite feel-good alongside being funny, so it has a very strong chicken soup feel without being saccharine or raw.


Cons:
- Story arc is meh. There is plot alongside the comedy that evolves throughout the chapters, but it's not really the focus since the main characters bantering and struggling with each other is really what carries the series. Definitely not bad though, and certainly never boring.


Even the mangaka afterwords/bonuses are very funny. I'm sad she's not more celebrated. I am very nostalgic for this work if you couldn't tell -- but after rereading it recently, I'm happy to say that it's still a wonderful read. :)

When you first look at Vampire Doll you'll think "Oh, Tokyopop.... meh..."
However you'll be surprised that vampire Doll is actually a good read.

If you're looking for something with lots of action and a gripping storyline, you're not in the right place.
To be honest, you won't have a clue that much as to what kind of story-line this has... Volume1 fair enough, you'll be clear enough, but 2 onwards, things will be thrown in randomly and that slight trickle will slowly diminish to just confusion if you try to understand the storyline.

HOWEVER
Vampire Doll is greatly enjoyable and funny, yes, Tokyopop manga that's funny. The art overall ... is good, the characters are great and there are laugh-out-loud moments so overall this is a manga worth reading