Honey Blood Vol. 1 by Miko Mitsuki

Title: Honey Blood
Mangaka: Miko Mitsuki
Age Group: Teens
Volume(s) Reviewing: 1
My Rating: 3/5

Hinata Sorazono doesn't believe in vampires, despite the recent "vampire attacks" where young girls have been found dead with bite marks on their necks. Vampires are fictional after all, right?

One day she meets her new neighbour, Junya Tokinaga, a popular novelist who writes about vampire romance. As she gets to know him, she starts to realize that he's not all that he seems...

When I saw the cover of this manga, I knew I wanted to give it a shot. The pose reminded me of Black Bird. Right off the bat, I knew I was in love with Mitsuki's art. I loved the character design for Junya because he's quite the bishounen. His personality on the other hand, I wasn't a fan of. He is arrogant and intrusive, although he is supposed to be charming as well.

Hinata isn't a weak character, but she couldn't stop herself from being drawn to Junya. Towards the end of the volume, she was already smitten by him. I don't think their personalities fit each other that well. One of the questions I had while reading was why Junya was attracted and wanted to protect Hinata from the beginning. Hopefully, this is something that would be explained later on in the series.

The attacker's identity is not yet resolved in this volume. However, a new character is likely to be introduced in the second volume. So far, the only thing I truly enjoyed from Honey Blood is the art and chibi work, hence the 3/5 rating.

Review copy provided by Viz.