The art is absolutely stunning! The story is interesting. It is in keeping with the Vlad the Impaler/Dracula story but with a twist. I'm excited to see what other monsters Vlad and company encounter.

Spoilers ahead. Just a fair warning.


I wanted to like it. It ended on a cliffhanger and I feel like I need to read the next one to at least see what happens, but overall I'd only give it a 2.5/5.

I feel like the bones of the story are interesting, but I felt like it was a little rushed and everything progressed super fast. Basically the story went like this:
We are introduced to the main characters, then werewolf, werewolf dead, main character dead, main character alive again, mutilated princess fires gun.

I'm glad I read it, but I most likely will not make this one a priority to keep reading.

“Blood Blade 1” by Oma Sei is a riveting entry into the world of fantasy and action, masterfully blending elements of magic, intrigue, and warfare. The author’s skill in character development is evident from the start, as readers are introduced to a richly imagined world filled with complex characters, each with their own motivations and backstories. The protagonist’s journey is both compelling and emotionally resonant, making it easy for readers to invest in their struggles and triumphs.

Oma Sei’s writing style is engaging and fluid, with vivid descriptions that bring the story’s settings and action sequences to life. The plot is well-paced, with a perfect balance of suspense, action, and character-driven moments. The book’s magic system is original and well-thought-out, adding depth to the world-building without overwhelming the reader with unnecessary complexity.

One of the standout features of “Blood Blade 1” is its ability to weave together themes of loyalty, power, and the quest for identity in a way that feels both fresh and relevant. The conflicts faced by the characters are not just external but internal, making their journeys all the more gripping.

Oma Sei has crafted a spellbinding tale that leaves readers eagerly anticipating the next installment. The novel’s strengths lie in its engaging storytelling, rich world-building, and deep, relatable characters. It’s a journey well worth embarking on, promising adventure, magic, and a touch of mystery.

Okay, the concept sounded interesting, so I took a chance on this manga, and I'm glad I did!

I love seeing a new take on Dracula; having him reincarnated into a young female vampire is a take I never thought I needed; as soon as I finished this manga, I immediately thought I needed Vol. 2 as soon as possible.

Blood Blade 1 was an interesting Count Vlad retelling. It started off introducing Clara, a golem, to Vlad who was reborn into as a young female vampire. Vlad along with Nan, a shapeshifter, have been protecting the people of the area for years. Clara comes to them with the hopes of finding an island where monsters could live in peace together.

The story telling in Blood Blade was interesting. It started off full of action. The illustrations in the manga were beautiful and detailed. The characters themselves were interesting. They were not fully fleshed out in this first volume, but you got a taste of where they were heading. This manga was a fast action packed read. I would recommend if you are a fan of dark supernatural manga.

I'm not a big fan of this kind of story, a great conquerer reborn in the body of a young girl. A now Vampire who, obviously feeds on blood. Tho in most mangas this would be oversexualised, here this doesn't happen. I was really surprised to find that the young girls body was chosen to show the difference between the picture of Vlad the Impaler we all would have in our heads and his new form. Nothing sexual here. The reader gets to see Vlads old enemy, who is now building an army of hybrid monsters, he also becomes aware of Vlads reappearance. Vlad doesn't know yet who he is up to against. The Manga ends on a cliffhanger and I will definitely keep reading it, since I want to know how this story unfolds and what happens, when the two old enemies meet again.

I love the juxtaposition of the gore and the cute girls! It makes everything his so much harder.
The artstyle it amazing! Not traditional manga style, but more focused of lineart, and lots of contrast. It really works for the type of story that is told.
The e bits of humor thrown in at various spots help to relieve the story of some of its grim-dark moments, and gives it a bit of fresh air.
It’s really cool!

A mysterious organization called Cerebus has Risen, their aim to create monster human hybrids and take over the world. Meanwhile in the land of Wallachia Vlad the Impaler has been reborn...as a young woman. As Cerebrus sends out their assassins to end Vlad, again, Vlad teams up with a young girl with a simple dream: To create a place where monsters can live freely and in peace from the humans that would use them.

I'm sure someone has made a bad Vlad retelling, luckily I haven't read it because this was a great to start to a new Dracula tale! The art was absolutely stunning, Dr. Frankenstein is (at least at this point) a good guy (I know surprising and a little hard to buy but I dig it), and it has one of my favorite themes; humans are the real monsters. It's also funny which gives a nice break to all the unaliving happening.

Overall, I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the second volume of Blood Blade!

And as always thanks to Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for the eArc!

4 stars - It was really good

This was a fascinating retelling of Dracula, but it also had Frankenstien and The Mummy as well. Count Vlad Dracula has been reborn as a katana-wielding young vampiress named Vladislaus Draculesti and has been living in her castle with her shapeshifting servant Nan waiting for the next battle. When she rescues a girl named Clara from a stranger trying to kill her, she learns that she is the creation of Dr. Victor Frankenstein and is on the run from an organization named Cerberus that is trying to capture monsters for study and to create a hybrid army to take over the world.

This was a fascinating manga and I was hooked from the very beginning. I loved this unique retelling of Dracula, Frankenstein, and eventually The Mummy. Vlad was a powerful vampire who still wants to protect her people but also craves battle. The fight scenes were great and I loved the blend of magic and skill. Also I found Vlad’s whole backstory to be great and I love how he was reborn.

The volume sees just two small skirmishes against Cerberus members. Both were very interesting battles and I was very surprised by the second battle since it involved The Mummy and really want to see how that one actually plays out since we are left with a cliffhanger. Overall, this was a fascinating take on Dracula and I can’t wait to read volume two.

Great potential, but let down by repeated panels. Loved the classic monsters references, and the juxtaposition of the hyper-real with the almost anime/cute style art of Vlad etc., was interesting.

It's only volume one, but I do feel like something is missing early on - could be tempted to read more, but wouldn't rush out.

I got this arc on NetGalley! I immediately thought the idea of Vlad the Impaler being reincarnated into a teenage girl was so me. The art was great and I always give props to anyone with the ability and drive to write a manga, but the plot didn't really stick with me

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for my copy in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

First off: this is the way that graphic novel alleys should be sent out--no watermarks and just high quality images. Come on, Viz Media, follow Kodansha's example please.

Unfortunately, that's where the positives end. The first volume of "Blood Blade" follows a reincarnation of Dracula who is now a young girl. She ends up meeting the Creature by none other than Victor Frankenstein. The Creature wants to take Dracula to a monster island where they will be left in peace or something. Yeah...I am not a fan of this. I could forgive the bad and messy storytelling had the art been good, but the art is very run of the mill shonen. There's nothing particularly unique or eye-catching about the art. The story is incredibly messy too; in volume 1, there isn't really a plot or any sense of tension.

Altogether, it's just a messy attempt at a Dracula retelling. I wouldn't really recommend this as it's pretty bland to look at and even more boring to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

So, I really did not like "BLOOD BLADE". The plot is basically non-existent and extremely confusing. You get a ton of exposition dumps but barely anything about the characters or the world itself. You only learn the bare minimum about the characters, and even then, it's somehow less than the minimum. Terrible plot aside, my biggest grievance is the art. There is WAY too much reliance on photobashing and copy-pasting the same panels over and over. Pretty much all of the background shots are just photos that have a black-and-white filter and a pencil drawing filter on them. There were also panels that had pieces of real-life photos pasted in, such as the fire in the beginning, and all of the crows throughout the entire volume. The actual characters themselves are just constantly copy pasted for every single panel. So many panels of characters showing their face at a 3/4 view with their hair covering half of their face, and a vast majority were all copy-pasted. I noticed that way too much was just pasted in with minor details changed, like an eyebrow or mouth. Several shots of characters from behind were not drawn, once again, it's a photo of a real person that's had a pencil filter slapped on. Many panels that feature the vagabond princess are LITERALLY just the same exact panels of Vlad from prior scenes but edited to be the princess instead. The page flow was non-existent, and I found myself confused about what was happening in the scene. There is also some gore but it's so boring and confusing, I found myself being unaffected. This series is a big pass for me, and I have no interest in seeking out more volumes.

Take Hellsing and make it cute. That one didn't even hold up well and now we can just add more things to the pile of mid level vampire fiction that just keeps coming out all the time.

Blood Blade is quite violent and full of blood. At the same time there's this weird cuteness that doesn't really fit in. This is a vampire series in which Count Vlad Dracula has been born again, but now as a young girl. Somehow she and her helper Nan end up in the middle of battles only to meet the creation of Victor Frankestein. Together they want to get to the island where monster can live freely, but everyone wants Vlad dead. So the plot is OK, not spectacular of course, and we see only so much in this first book. Thus the story can go anywhere, which is a good thing. The mystery aspect works. The one thing that doesn't work is the lack of backgrounds and how those are basically photographs modified with a computer. The characters don't fit with them basically.

The art is OK, the movement is well drawn and the gory battles look interesting. The hyper realistic style is nice at times, but doesn't work well with the cute girl images. The balance with the art is off and that's a bummer. At least the flow is OK.

For a plot and setting that had a lot of potential, Blood Blade does very little with it. And what it does, it does lazily.

For a start I found the character designs uninspired and just plain boring. For such iconic characters as Dracula and Frankenstein you'd think they'd be given more than just... Actually, I can't even recall what they were wearing on account of the designs being so bland.

Character drawings were often reused and a good chunk of panels were just low resolution photographs with the contrast turned up. Combined, the entire manga looks cheap and rushed.

The story is as bare bones as it gets and the pacing was... Confusing. Honestly, I struggle to find elements of this manga I found enjoyable. The humor fell flat, the horror was anything but horrifying, and the characters were unbelievably dull.

From both a writing and visual art perspective, this manga has very little to offer other than a mildly interesting concept.

If you're a fan of vampires or monsters in general, skip over this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this early in exchange for an honest review! This was a great start to a series, I already really like the main characters and their banter. The plot seems solid for a first volume and I can't wait to read more!

4.5 stars

Darkly intricate artwork and a unique reimagining of the Vlad the Impaler/Dracula legend, set in an alternate universe Europe.

I would have liked a bit more explanation early on of how Vlad got to his(her?) current incarnation, but so far, the power sets being displayed are fascinating. And the characters are quite likable.

Looking forward to the next volume.

This manga is a fun take on the myth of Count Vlad Dracula. It's an alternate-history where an organization called Cerberus is looking for monsters to research in order to make monster-human hybrids to fight in wars. Count Dracula has been reborn as a human girl and, in order to evade Cerberus, sets off with another young girl who is Victor Frankenstein's creation to a place called "Monster Island." It's equal parts gruesome and silly, which makes me interested in reading the next volume.