...A hot mess of a story.

Vassalord is one of those mangas that you love for what it could be, but not what it actually is. And what it is is a series with a disorganized plot which gets further complicated by the chapter. But the art sure is nice to look at.

For me, as well as for a lot of other people, the art is what first drew me to the series and what keeps me coming back for more. The art is, simply put, first rate. All the characters look great and the action sequences are nicely done too. The characters themselves are all highly engaging: cyborg vampire priest? Awesome! Goofy, but cool, hedonist vampire with rock-hard abs and a penchant for running around half-dressed? Where do I sign up for his fan club? And the scenes between the two leads are smouldering. In the tradition of all good vampire stories, we get sex (lots and lots of blood-sucking), but not actually, so it leaves you begging for more every time.

Unfortunately, even with all the good things this manga has going for it, the mess of a plot nearly ruins them all. In Vassalord things seem to happen at random, plot twists come and go, and nothing gets explained when it's all over. In other words, this is the sort of manga where things fall into place for the characters at just the right times without them ever having to work for it and without the mangaka ever bothering to explain how or why all the pieces of the mystery fit together, forcing the plot to move forward at breakneck speed, but leaving the reader behind in the dust. For example, Charley and Rayflo have a run-in with a cranky cop who just so happens to be investigating Vassalord. Then they run across a little boy who just so happens to be the son of the creator of Vassalord. Then on an airplane, they meet an actress who just so happens to have taken Vassalord. All in the space of a few chapters. That's a whole lot of coincidences for characters constantly on the go. Somehow the characters seem to always know exactly where to go and what to do, which is amazing to me as we're never shown where they get their information from. Events happen seemingly at random: you turn the page and the characters are suddenly in another country, are running around undercover, or doing some other inexplicable thing. I don't mind waiting on answers for the larger questions (i.e., why was Vassalord created to begin with?), but when the characters' immediate actions are hard to follow, that's when it becomes problematic for me. And yet, despite the fact that the plot is largely incomprehensible, I come back chapter after chapter because the art is so nice (and good grief are those bite scenes hot).

... Last updated on March 4th, 2009, 1:59am

I'm giving this thing a 10 because it is a 10! The plot is awesome, the genre behind it all is a thriller, with the set up, and side notes, and it's all coming together as the chapters hit the pages. And all this from the fact that the author had to hit the ground running after ONE PICTURE? It's amazing work! If you do put it down and go back, you'll see how it's working out. I love the art, the details she puts in to everything, and the swings from raging hot to silly faces. Her ability to capture expressiveness is fantastic. The author has a wonderful sense of humor, the punning in Japanese is almost non-stop. I'm starting to wonder if people don't realize that this is a graphic novel, and it takes time to set up a plot and introduce characters. It's definitely not a Yaoi PWP one shot. This is a long term couple with all the ups and downs, insane acquaintances, unwanted relatives, and totally bizarre circumstances along with the crime factors. The fact that the Vassalord series also has furigana through out makes it a great way to practice for someone learning Japanese, too. I sort of wish more manga were as generous with the little assistance on the side of the Kanji.

... Last updated on January 18th, 2012, 7:16pm

i looooooove vassalord! i need volume 3 so bad i can taste it!! lol It was really confusing at first but after reading it more than once, i think i finally have it! lol. I really like the way Johnny is with Cherry--whoops i mean Charley lol and vice versa. I've been reading it in japanese, honestly it is alot more funnier in japanese, becuase of the puns and the sudden english lol. I love the hints of yaoi between Charley and Johnny. I also like the Cyborg vampire thing, very different. This is just an aweome manga. definately not for people who can't appreciate vampire shounen-ai/yaoi(hints), and who are looking for just blood and gore. it actually has a plot people lol

Vasslord's got the fantastic art, the angsty BL relationship that fans go crazy over, and hot characters. The only thing that's preventing it from having the whole package is the plot, like many have stated. The mangaka has too many ideas and struggles to pack it all in a few chapters, which ends up being extremely confusing to the reader.

First off, the art is absolutely amazing. Gorgeous, almost perfect in every way. The characters are incredibly well thought out and are engaging.
But what I love most is the story. It's true, the plot twists and turns, seemingly at random, but .... that doesn't bother me, for some reason.
It's complicated, but still, it's not like the plot just isn't there. It's understandable and coherent enough.
I love Johnny and Cherry's relationship, the "I love you, get away from me" and the "I hate you, don't you ever leave me." I love that they have a "I can't live without you" relationship without the "get in my pants" part. Very very strong platonic, like.
I like that it's kind of BL without the smutty yaoi... I wish I could introduce it to my friends, but I know they'll be like, "EW gay guys, gross!"
=__= they know they secretly like it...

First of all, the description for the manga itself is a tad bit misleading because although Rayflo looked as though he was a generic playboy, he wasn't really one. It was also pretty obvious how much and how deeply he cares about Chris.

Well, I guess it's not everyone's cup o' tea but this manga seriously had me enthralled. I was too captivated to notice anything else except the story and the art. Rayflo is seriously hot. Chris wasn't too bad either, I didn't like his hairstyle at times but that lust (and this word describes it perfectly!) for Rayflo was intense!

The story itself was interesting for me since I don't particularly read about sci-fi and action, add my bias of vampires to that (I think it's a theme that's severely overused these days). But, right from the start it just drew me in and I couldn't let go till I finished. The flow was really good, in my opinion, because there was hardly a pause or filler. There weren't any "sex scenes" but I think the way that Chris drank blood from Rayflo was absolutely intimate (even more of a "turn on" than seeing smut or something along that line).

As an avid reader, there are only a few stories that actually captivate me so much that I finish reading within at most 10 hours straight. This is one of those few.

... Last updated on March 24th, 2015, 10:35am

Vampires, sexy vampires, sexy vampires who are hot for each other. Throw in a hell of a lot of sexual tension, comedy, drama, drama, drama and you've made me a very happy girl. & What the hell? You can never have too much fan-service! ;D It's purely personal taste.
I also don't understand why so many find the plot confusing, I had not troubles with it :/ I found it interesting and exciting!! Is every concept unique to Vassalord alone? Of course not, but ever story adopts concepts from somewhere but it certainly still deserves some credit for its own execution of them.
If you love BL, sexy vampires, just the right amount of drama with a refreshing touch of comedy, and if you're not so damn nit-picky, don't give this a miss!! I fell head-over-heels, maybe you will too.
My only complaint is that I still wanted more! It did feel a little unresolved-ish in at least one aspect, although maybe not the most important (which makes a difference).

... Last updated on February 6th, 2014, 6:11pm

That ended up being WAY more awesome than I thought it would be. Cyborg religious vampire x vampire! Awesometastic. The art was drop dead sexy, and the humor wasn't overdone. The plot isn't too good, but I still liked it a lot anyways. I love the relationship they have.

I totally picked this up on a whim, not expecting much of anything (aside from the very gorgeous art that was evident on the cover)...but I was very, -very- pleasantly surprised! I mean, I enjoy a pretty wide range of manga, don't get me wrong (I read everything from shoujo to gothic to BL to shounen, and a lot of the stuff in between)...but very few series' that I pick up make me really sit up and take notice--however, this is one of the ones that did. I can't wait to read more as it comes out!

... Last updated on September 30th, 2008, 6:11am

My first though was 'oh boy this will be stupid', i mean cyborg vampire? What next? I was proven wrong xD Ok i still don't go in for the whole cyborg thing but im sure theres an interesting history behind that *waits patiently for that history*, but what got me was the biting o_o i never thought i had a fetish but... yeah... biting... *laugh* this manga ruined me. Anyway *clears throat* i've always been a bit of a vampire fan ever since i was a kid (when i spent many sleepless nights worrying that a vampire was going to fly into my room through the window), but i'd rarely read manga along that theme. First of all, the art impressed me. Its clear, crisp, detailed without being too detailed and well laid out. Secondly, the first chapter really does a brilliant job of summing up the relationship between the two main characters. It hooks you and drags you into the next chapter. As things progress somehow you just get mired deeper and deeper xD

As for the yaoi factor, as far as things go, its quite light. However, the moments where things progress to a touchy-feely stage the passion and intensity of those scenes is quite impressive given that this is closer to being shounen-ai rather than yaoi. All i can say is, if you have no problem with two guys having a nibble at each other you should read it xD Also, although its only officially scanlated up to chapter 15 there are 2 other chapters which have been released in english by individuals. Im waiting on further chapters. Im truly hooked.