Another fantastic volume of “Seraph of the End – Vampire Reign” featuring action but also I like how the series is getting darker and is becoming more intriguing. Vol. 5 of “Seraph of the End – Vampire Reign” is recommended!
© 2012 Takaya Kagami, Yamato Yamamoto, Daisuke Furuya. All Rights Reserved.
MANGA TITLE: Seraph of the End – Vampire Reign Vol. 5
STORY AND ART BY: Story by Takaya Kagami, Art by Yamato Yamamoto, Storyboards by Daisuke Furuya
FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: SHUEISHA, Inc.
PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC/Shonen Jump Manga
RATED: T for Older Teen
RELEASE DATE: June 2, 2015
Yuichiro has no memory of his terrifying but temporary transformation into a one-winged monster during the battle for Shinjuku. The widely feared leaders of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army, however, take note of his squad’s unusual talent. Despite the unwanted attention, Yuichiro’s resolve to save Mika from the vampires crystallizes as his real training in demon possession and manifestation begins.
Yuichiro found out that Mika is still alive and has become a vampire, but still, he wants nothing more but to save him and find a way to change him back to human.
Meanwhile, the Hiragi faction and Guren’s faction want Yuichiro to join them. Which faction will Yuichiro join? Also, Yuichiro and crew are trained in possession or manifestation… but knowing about Yuichiro’s transformation and how he nearly betrayed his friends, will they tell Yuichiro the truth about his transformation that he has no recollection of?
Find out in the fifth volume of Takaya Kagami and Yamato Yamamoto’s “Seraph of the End – Vampire Reign”!
What is “Seraph of the End – Vampire Reign” all about?
In 2012, mangaka Takaya Kagami (“The Legend of the Legendary Heroes”), artist Yamato Yamamoto (“Kure-nai”, “Denpa Tei na Kanojo”) and storyboard artist Daisuke Furuya teamed up to work on the dark fantasy manga series “Owari no Serafu”.
The series which has a total of six tankobon volumes released in Japan, has been released in the U.S. courtesy of Viz Media with the title “Seraph of the End – Vampire Reign”.
“Seraph of the End” began with an introduction of how an unknown virus brought the world to a sudden end. Only children under 13-years-old survived and those children were enslaved by vampires.
The story introduces us to an impulsive boy named Yuichiro Hyakuya who wants nothing more but to kill vampires. But his friend Mikaela Hyakuya is a boy who is more levelheaded and tries to get his friend to think straight and know they are not powerful enough to defeat them.
For Yuichiro, he wants nothing more but his fellow friends to escape captivity from the underground city of Sanguinem and reach the outside.
And one day, all of them decide to make their escape…but will they be successful?
In volume 2, Yuichiro Hyakuya wants nothing more but to get his revenge on the vampires who killed his friends, especially his best friend, Mikaela Hyakuya, who sacrificed his life in order for Yuichiro to escape.
Fast forward years later and as Yuichiro is wanting to become a member of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army, the army responsible for fighting against the vampires, he needs to learn discipline and train for combat. But first he must go through the various tests in school which include being friends with others and being a team player, all are hard for Yuichiro to try and do.
But now is his chance to pass the test to advance, but it means having to partner with another hot-headed teen like himself, who doesn’t mind getting into brawls…Kimizuki.
Will Yuichiro, Kimizuki and Yoichi be ready for their next test?
Meanwhile, what happened to Mikaela Hyakuya after Yuichiro escaped from the Vampire lair has been revealed!
In volume 3, as the team has trained and learned to work together, Yuichiro, Yoichi, Kimizuki and Shinoa Hiragi are assigned a new leader named Mitsuba Sangu. An impulsive girl who is also the rival of Shinoa.
As the team goes on their first major mission to fight vampires in Harajuku, will they be ready or will their impulsiveness get in the way?
In volume 4, the Japanese Imperial Army are fighting in a losing battle against the Vampire nobles, a group that includes Yuichiro’s childhood friend Mika, who was changed into a vampire on that fateful day.
As Yuichiro and friends come to join the Japanese Imperial Army on the front lines, Yuichiro comes into contact with Mika for the first time.
But with Mika now a vampire and Yuichiro a vampire hunter, what will happen when these two friends see each other for the very first time since they were separated?
In volume 5, learning that Mika is alive and has been transformed into a vampire, Yuichiro wants nothing more but to help save his friend. But still, he must go through a interview to find out what happened that day he confronted Mika and if he has the resolution to slaughter vampires. Also, factions within the Japanese Imperial Demon Army want Yuichiro to join their faction.
Meanwhile, Yuichiro and crew learn more about their abilities and whether they are possession or manifestation type.
With the latest volume of “Seraph of the End – Vampire Reign”, Yuichiro knows that he must become stronger in order for him to save Mika.
And as he goes through more intense training, he must also choose a faction to which he will want to be part of within the Japanese Imperial Demon Army. But first, he must go through an investigation by the army of whether he has the courage to kill vampires, after saving Mika.
But his crew keeps a secret from Yuichiro about how his transformation nearly killed his crew and they must decide whether to hide it from him or tell him the truth.
The storyline by Takaya Kagami is enjoyable, humorous and it has its dark, violent moments that easily drives up the ratings to “Older Teen” but for the most part, it’s not a horror manga series, nor is it too dark that it’s twisted or scary partly because of the comedy due to its hardheaded protagonist. The artwork by Yamato Yamamoto is well-done and characters are very expressive.
Another fantastic volume of “Seraph of the End – Vampire Reign” featuring action but also I like how the series is getting darker and is becoming more intriguing. Vol. 5 of “Seraph of the End – Vampire Reign” is recommended!