Trinity Blood

Manga Review

Action/Horror

Tokyopop Publishing

Sunao Yoshida

Kiyo Kyujyo

2005

Trinity Blood is a story based upon the never ending battle between humans and vampire kin set in a world ravaged by war for hundreds of years among these factions. On humanity’s side lays the forces of the Vatican, which was established as the world’s human protector and the top leader among the countries struggling for survival. Father Abel Nightroad is a top ranking officer of the Vatican, who is joined by Sister Esther Blanchett in protecting humanity and also investigating the tumultuous relationship between them and the Empire of the vampire. Although pensive and at times silly, Abel also houses a power within himself which only manifests when needed, turning him into a Crusnik, which is described as a vampire that feeds on other vampires.

Cardinal Caterina Sforza,head of the Vatican’s Special Service Annex, attempts to negotiate peace with the Empire, the vampire’s country when a faction of it that rebels against such called the Inquisition tries to stop her, by attempting to start a greater war between the two factions in the world in the sidelines. Abel and Esther often find themselves trying to fix anything the Inquisition attempts while barely staying alive. All the events while bullets fly are coordinated in a calculating web of treachery and war games.

The Manga brings a unique look into the supernatural as protagonists survive in a world that is almost overrun by vampire kin, which is described as an alien life form that appeared after humankind suffered a cataclysic event, and tried to vanquished the remaining population until the Vatican rose to arms to fight them. While Abel is presented as a clone of Vash the Stampede in terms of clumsiness and absent mindeness, he also houses in himself his true identity as a power that could be used to destroy anything he protects, such is when Sister Esther discovers this secret in questioning just who she can trust anymore. The Manga also casts other interesting characters like Father Tres, who acts just as a machine, hinting that he may be in fact, a cyborg guising as a human being.

The artwork supplied by Kiyo Kyujyo is delightfully gothic, representing such dark detail and adding that artist’s own brand of religious representations in costume design and armor, which some characters wear into battle. The dialogue exchanged has a lot of flair into it, setting the mood which is shown in the artstyle used. The vampires, often romanticized and not as vulgar as some are represented in other Manga works/Anime, or as mindless beasts when low ranks are presented as well, quite elegant yet not as much as to make you believe this is something only a certain demographic of fans can only enjoy.

It is often that I believe that a Manga works better when more than one person is involved, and Trinity Blood has proved me right yet again. Yoshida is quite a great storyteller with said story developing in each volume, leading you to a new finding on each chapter. The action is presented in a very vivid way as well.

Tired of sparkling vampires? Pick up a volume of Trinity Blood to regain your faith in the vampire mythos, it will be the break you so longed for.

A