Stormy_77

This is the longer 26 episode TV series chronicling the adventures of Vampire Princess Miyu, the Guardian whose destiny it is to banish stray shinma (demons, shapeshifters, vampires etc.) back to the darkness from whence they originated. She is accompanied by Larva (a European shinma) and a rabbit whose right eye can actually "see" supernatural things, in Dungeons and Dragon they called this "true seeing". The series because it's longer has different strengths and weaknesses compared to the OVA. The first 10+ (too many) episodes follow the formula of 1. Miyu + classmates and how their relationships begin/grow 2. Some shinma appears 3. bad things happen 4. Miyu and Larva defeatthe shinma and 5. There are consequences After a while it got really boring. The only excitement was trying to guess what form the shinma would take. There was reuse of a lot of the frames and the plot got repetitive and predictable, which made this less exciting than the OVA. On the plus side, interweaved into the plot was the continuing story of Reiha, another shinma who has an antagonistic relationship with Miyu. In fact the character background episodes for Larva, Reiha and Miyu are easily the best episodes in the series. Notice how good I am at not really giving out any spoilers ! <(^.^)> Tension builds up until the last 2 episodes (the climax) which are easily worth a 9 in plot/story. The ending was much better than the entire series. However, to be fair, having had to sit through 18ish repetition/boredom to watch 8-9 good episodes made me unable to rate this series any better than a 6 overall. I really did like the haunting flute theme tho!

oOoOoOo

While the title character's eternal task of hunting stray demons lends itself to a "monster of the week" structure at first, Vampire Hunter Miyu reveals itself to be a fascinating character study. The teasing glimpses into Miyu's heart and past are fully satisfying in the final few episodes, making the anime far more rewarding than the mundane (though equally pretty) OVA. While I would have appreciated less of the episodic approach, it does give a feel for the "daily grind" of hunting creatures of the night that prey upon the weaknesses found in humankind. The high school sequences are lighthearted, but retainsome shade, through Miyu's bemused detachment. Miyu seems destined to view her human "friends" from a distance, and a careful viewing brings out her constant melancholy. She is morally colourful, or rather, exists outside moral ethics. The action scenes are interesting, but are clearly meant to complement the character moments, not the other way around. With tinges of nihilism and a taste of inevitable suffering, I found this series had a fairly moody tone. I recommend this one for the patient. ^_^