The art was fabulous but something about the story rubbed me the wrong way. I have no idea what it was, maybe it was how emotionless the male lead was to the female lead in the beginning. Maybe it was everyone's attitude in general. I have no idea what exactly, but it just irked me and prevented me from finishing it.

This manga left me dumbstruck. It's one of those stories that leaves you sitting there reevaluating the whole meaning of your existence for a half hour after you read the last page.

It's dark. It's provoking. It's tragic. It's romantic. It's fantasy. And yet it all seems very real to me, not in superficial content, but philosophically. As much as I hate philosophy, this story had me desperately dancing around the idea of fate and destiny, trying to decide if I liked the idea this story projects, despite how much it terrifies me to think about it.

If you want a simple, sappy love story, walk away. If you want happy feelings and moe flowers, walk away. If you want to read a shallow romance that can be found in any number of other shoujo mangas, WALK AWAY.

But if you want a story that has you pondering why exactly you are here in this world, and how love is almost never perfect or reasonable, and what is the overall effect your choices could have on an entire world, this is for you.

I don't care if you don't care about all that stuff. If you read this story, and I mean really READ it, don't just take it at face value and give up as soon as something doesn't seem to make sense, if you really read it and try to understand it all, then your mind will explode with all the thoughts streaming through your head. Or you'll sit there staring blankly at the floor because the sheer psychological aspect leaves you drained and speechless and thoughtless after the ending unexpectedly hits you with its full force.

This might seem a bit over dramatic, but I'm just describing my reactions after reading it the first time, and then again a second, and both times had a profound affect on my being, just in a different way from each other. Honestly, the first time left me with a sense of dread, left me wondering about what exactly I just read and how it pertained to me. It made me think about something I never thought I COULD think about. It started my quest for other stories that would leave me dangling over a psychological coma-inducing cliff. I never found one quite like this. So I read it again, and the force of the message hit me even harder, the things that kind of confused me the first time (even though I sort of put everything together, I still had a few loose ends) suddenly clicked and landed on me like a thousand pound bag of bricks. And I couldn't move, and I was thrilled and exhilerated and filled with a pleasant sort of fear and sadness. And it was so much that my brain shut down and I couldn't form a coherent thought for a good 10 minutes.

And who knows, maybe I'm just a psychology junkie who resents mainstream romance, even though I read it more often than anything else. Maybe my psychological and philosophical roller coaster ride is more than most of you want to deal with. Maybe I'm just weird. But I know I can't be the only one who is mentally understimulated by most works of fiction out there, and it is with those people who are like me that I want to share this story.

P.S. To those of you who are confused by the little boy with the ball, I assure you, it is very relevant to the overall story. If you can't understand it, just LOOK AT THE BIGGER PICTURE. Or read it again. Everything might just click the second time around like it did for me.

... Last updated on September 6th, 2015, 9:35pm

The first few chapters might be boring, but the later chapters are actually rewarding. The story has a really dark ambiance on it filled with mind-boggling twists. Not suitable for "typical sparkly shoujo-readers". But, a definite must-try.

... Last updated on December 30th, 2014, 1:17am

Very intense good read.. But the rushed part of it made me feel confused about why they built it up like that just to cut it short so easily.

Very intense good read.. But the rushed part of it made me feel confused about why they built it up like that just to cut it short so easily.

This author always be able to catch my eyes with such flawless style of art, not just this specific manga. But, even though I like tragedy, this manga left me with a sad and frustrated feeling, felt like I was so helpless to their sorrows.
.....that part when the kid (oh may I say God) was playing with the ball which represents for the fate of Ren and Cecil was a little strange for a vampire manga and quite enjoyable, but, still... Don't you think you should give them a chance?
So many times, for all the tears and blood they shed, for all what they've been through.. A little chance couldn't be that much of an ask right?

What save this manga from a bad rating is the art, which is gorgeous in its simplicity and subtle use of tone. The characters always look beautiful but kind of sickly, which enhances the effect of vampirism. While the storytelling is not bad, the pacing is a little off. Frankly, it rushes to the end so quickly that the readers can hardly understand what has happened. There is very little character development, being a 3-volume series. I guess I would recommend this series because the subdued art is too nice to pass up, but don't have too much expectations for it. If you get confused near the end, just know you're not the only one. I'm going to reread this series during my winter break and can, hopefully, understand the ending.

... Last updated on November 15th, 2012, 7:16pm

The reviews pretty much say what I want to say, so I'll just add a couple summarizing thoughts...

Fascinating ideas were presented, but the execution was variable. It was hard to understand what was going on until I completed the entire story both in the art and in the dialogue. I'd say sticking with it until the end may clear up some confusion. I suppose that this story wouldn't need to be much longer at all, but rather should be cleaned up to present what's important in a clear manner (although I can't do anything about that, of course).

I must say though, I'm impressed with the lingering feeling I have - I feel this indescribable lurch inside me concerning the overall theme of the story, and that proves (to me, at least) that there's this raw intensity there, despite it's variable presentation. Definitely a tragedy, in the end.

The romance was tastefully done, in my opinion. At first, I thought it was going to be another Twilight but with more angst (prejudiced, I know). I had low expectations. I was in for reading the story more for its horror aspect than anything else.
The symbolism enhanced the plot which in turn enhanced the romance. A very thematic story about destiny.
I absolutely recommend this! The symbolism may be confusing to some, but pause the page-skipping and think about why the mangaka put that particular aspect into the story. Everything makes sense. Every little thing. I felt like crying because of how well she tied everything together yet left it to the overarching meaning/message/theme she tried to convey.
Well-written, well-drawn...you must give it a try. Don't skip any pages!

... Last updated on April 6th, 2012, 5:17pm

The First 10 chapters/Stories where pretty good, but once things started to really open up boom the end. I Would say read this i really liked it even tho it was rushed in the end. Really wish it had time to really play itself out properly tho. I say its an an 8, because of the approach and the elements. Loved the simplistic beautiful art. Took away two points for sudden ending. I will say that i was not left with a wanting feeling that other open ended stories tend to live you with.