Vampire Game, Volume 01

Vampire Game #1

by JUDAL

One Century ago the king of Saint Pheliosta, and the Vampire King, Duzell, had a monumental duel. Duzell was defeated and cursed Phelios that they would fight again in their next re-incarnation, a century later.
99 and 1/2 years later, Duzell has been reborn as a wildcat and rescued from the wild by Ishtar, the great-granddaughter of his nemesis, Phelios. But where is Phelios?

Ishtar decides to help the Vampire King find his nemesis, and the Vampire Game begins.

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Vampires, Graphic Novels, Romance, Shojo, Fiction

194 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 1996

Reviews

[Kitty Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining series. Often times (in any genre) there is a pattern where there are innocent, proper young girls being tempted by bad boys. This is kind of the opposite. The heroine is a bad girl- not evil at all, just very rebellious and lives to test the boundaries of her overprotective caretakers. One such caretaker is a weary but chivalrous young man. The two have huge chemistry but this, even being shoujo, is not a very romantic series. It is mostly focused on the characters adventuring around, meeting a long list of interesting people and predicaments to be unraveled. Even though it's called Vampire Game there aren't really any vampires.. except for a very inefficient and cuddly transforming vampire cat with a profound back story.

[Lucille · Rating 4 out of 5]

If there is anything in this world that can rival my love for books, it's manga. Everyone loves a good romantic manga story, and that includes me.

Vampire Game is a cute story about Ishtar, the grand-daughter of Phelios, and Duzell, the reincarnated vampire king who was defeated by Phelios.

Phelios killed Duzell using the spell "La Gamme" which takes the life of the user. Before dying, Duzell cursed Phelios. After 100 years, both Phelios and Duzell would be reincarnated, and Phelios' reincarnation would be born from his bloodline. Duzell vowed to kill it and tear it into shreds.

After 99 and 1/2 years, everything goes according to plan. Duzell is now reincarnated. Only, he is a kyawl! A cat that can shape-shift into anything (and possibly has other magical powers as well). He is taken care of by Ishtar. Ishtar finds out that he is really the vampire king Duzell and helps him find Phelios reincarnation by tasting the blood of everyone in Phelios' bloodline.

This manga is cute, funny, and interesting. I recommend it to everyone!

P. S. Is there a possibility that Ishtar would end up with Duzzie? (Please say yes!) Or maybe Darres? But... he's too old for her! (Darres is 27 and Ishtar is 15!)



Dang it! I want a pet kyawl, too! (Duzell reminds me of Pikachu. Weird.)

And now, Darres and Ishtar!!


Who will it be, Darres or Duzell?

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm torn on this one.

I kind of enjoyed it, but when I try to think of what I liked, I can't think of anything. I guess I have a soft spot for the evil Vampire King being reincarnated in a somewhat useless body, and the princess being so cavalier that she lets what she assumes is a magic shape-shifting cat monster hang around.

The art is nice for the most part, but nothing spectacular (it makes me think of a combination of CLAMP with generic Korean manwha style). There's not much of a story to speak of at the moment. Character-wise, I like Duzell, don't know what to make of the bratty-but-kind princess, and don't care much for anyone else.

Will I read volume 2? Maybe. It shows enough promise that I'll be interested to see what trouble Duzell gets into next volume.

[Supermomochan (PeachyFishyBooks) · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was hilarious because it was so rubbish. Hahaha! I remember being younger and wanting this manga series SO BADLY! I had found it a couple of years ago at Half Price Books, read it and totally loved it. An evil vampire gets reincarnated as a house "cat"?! I mean...how could anyone NOT like it. Re-reading this has made me realize how much my reading tastes have changed. The art is weird, not horrible, but like I find with a lot of old manga, everyone looks the same and it was sometimes hard to follow the speech bubbles. The concept is ok, but the characters are not really well thought out and are super annoying. Definitely a product of 1996. Will not be continuing the series.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story! I picked up the whole series at a yard sale to shake up my reading list. Glad to see from the first one that it was worth it. On to the next one!

[Starbubbles · Rating 5 out of 5]

for all of those people who think that i don't like vampire series, "meh!" this series is good, not amazing, but good. i might change my mind since i'm finally re-reading the series that i have holes in and read out of order. it was like the 10th or so manga series i own, so i started reading it years ago. do i remember when? nope. so they are all going to be classified as now. haha.

going back to the series. it's cute and fluffy, and has plot thickening events as the series progresses. the krawl that is duzzie is adorable! adorable i say! since i now own the entire series, i'm sure i'll be able to follow events and such more closely than before. plus, i'll get this one out of the way before school starts. yay...

2019:
Uh, reading this again was pure delight. It was funny and adorable. Duzzey is still my favorite. So, I completely disagree with 23 yr old me. She doesn't know what she was talking about. I might have to update the star rating. I mean, how can a vampire cat out for revenge not be literary gold?

[Sara]

The series as a whole was good in the beginning. Very funny and intriguing. I love romances where the characters have loved each other forever but have never told each other or something like that. lol The series declines in quality, I think towards the end. There are too many characters in too many places and things get a little confusing.

[M.M. Strawberry Library & Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a weird tale, but a fun take on the oft-overused vampire trope as well as the 'descendant of the hero' trope.

[K.S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best manga series I’ve ever read. I’m astonished no one has picked Vampire Game up and turned it into an anime.

Vampire Game strikes a similar balance between comedy and drama as Buffy the Vampire Slayer does. Only this is fantasy rather than speculative fiction, filled with princesses, knights, and intrigue.
Duzzell, an ancient vampire king makes a pact with a krawl (a shapechanging beast) in order that both of them might have revenge. A headstrong, yet humorously snarky princess gets in the middle of all this. The vampire king finds himself reincarnated as the princess’s pet in order to find the reincarnation of his arch enemy

The mystery, humor, and the willowy beauty of the artwork all drew me in from the start.

Duzzell is everything I could wish for in a vampire; seductive, sinister, yet cute, cuddly, and a pro at cross dressing once he finds himself a shapechanging kitten.

Ishtar is one of the few female characters I’ve met in manga who’s neither super competent nor clever, yet she comes off as strong, sympathetic and often hilarious. The princess has a lot of heart to her, despite her impulsive and careless behavior. Her actions often make the other characters’ eyes bug out, but she lays a strong foundation for her motivations.

Darres, Ishtar’s Captain of the Guard and hapless foil often clashes with Ishtar, yet it’s clear he cares about her despite their constant quarreling. He finds himself reacting to her schemes, riding to the rescue (something she counts on).

Under other circumstances, this might irritate me. I’m very tired of female damsels in distress, getting tired of damsels in general, and deliberate damseling often sets my teeth on edge. I got the impression Ishtar treats Darres the way she does out of perfect faith in his abilities and a wistful desire for his attention. She faced most of her mishaps armed with humor rather than helplessness, which made me like her all the more.

Ishtar and Darres did an excellent job of pushing the action forward by alternately helping and hindering Duzzell in his manipulations.

My absolute favorite character, though, was Yujiinn, the court mage and Ishtar’s tutor. A willowy, androgynous beauty, Yujinn carried himself with an aura of come-hither mystery.

At times, he appeared to be almost flirting with Duzzell. At other times, he was Duzzell’s greatest nemesis.

Yujinn was the only person who could see through Ishtar’s chaotic schemes and oft crazy behavior. Often he’d let her have her way, giving one the impression he had a soft spot for Ishtar in all her reckless determination.

He also appeared to have a soft spot for Darres, hinting at deeper feelings for both the princess and her guardsman. He never ceased to be on their side, no matter how mysterious his motivations appeared.

The first book ended with a sensuously serious tale about Duzzel back when he was at the height of his power as a vampire king. It had a bedroom scene between Remlas, one of his male minions and himself. This extra foreshadowed his motivations for the conflict with Phelios and the bond he’d form with Ishtar.

I’m giving this manga five stars for being one of the best reads I’ve had to joy to pick up. I have no idea if Vampire Game is still in print. I got my English Tokyopop copies long ago at Borders. If it’s no longer available, it should be picked up and printed again. Vampire Game is too good to be denied future generations.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

the plot is that a thousand years ago, the vampire king named duzell was stopped by king phelios using a powerful spell, but at a price. the spell would kill both of them instantly, but king phelios had no hesitation. then a thousand years later, it is said that his reincarnation will be born soon. lady Ishtar the descendant of king phelios is the princess of the kingdom. she then meets this baby kyawl, which is a cat that can only eat liquids.

lady Ishtar is a orphan and is protected by Darres, who is Lady Ishtar´s personal protector. as Ishtar is learning magic and history to become queen, she gets a distress message from a town child who claims that his father was killed by a kyawl. she pretends to be a holy knight and checks the situation out. while she is examining a dead body the kyawl attacks Lady Ishtar. then Darres comes out of nowhere and kills the kyawl. then there is a baby kyawl laying near the mother, only that´s not his mother,that is the vampire king duzell that has shape shifted into a baby kyawl.

my opinion on this book is that over all it is a pretty good book. it was a little far fetched though. like how she rides into town and they are all fooled, and think that she is still a knight, and no one recognized her. it was a really good book though, and I want to read the second one. and that is my opinion.

[~Cyanide Latte~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never had the opportunity to check out this series in high school but it always caught my interest. Between the fantasy setting, a weird story hook, and the very 90s art style, it's never totally left my mind. I lucked out when I found someone on eBay selling the entire series as a set.

From the off, this is interesting.
Following along with the summary/plot hook listed on the back of the book, we're introduced to the great-granddaughter of Phelios, and we spend the majority of this first volume with her. While we do meet Duzell and have the opportunity to learn a tiny bit more about the world and the lore in this volume, it's really focused on meeting Ishtar and getting to learn about her.

All-in-all, it's a very fun first volume, much more so than I'd been anticipating! I really hope I enjoy the rest of the series just as much!

[Valerie Crump · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a little strange. The Vampire King reincarnates into a kitten because the kitten's blood is the first blood he comes into contact with? I may have misunderstood that. He impersonates the princess, and she saves him from her guards, saying she recognizes him immediately. Which... okay. Her logic is pretty sound. Then he confesses who he really is, she blindly accepts that, and offers her aunt and cousins up on a silver platter? And for some weird reason, it all makes sense. I'm super confused by this turn of events.

Anyway, 3/5 because it's an intriguing concept, but I don't love the characters yet. They all seem pretty generic. Although, I am eager to find out what Yujin's deal is.

[The Bookish Panda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this in a used bookstore. It took me back to high school. My friends and I would borrow each other's manga, and Vampire Game was one I borrowed from one of them. I have not read or seen this since high school ( almost twenty years ago), so I was excited to find it. I wish the store had volumes 2 and 3, but they had an incomplete set, and I didn't have a lot of credit left to go ahead and get the other volumes.

This is still entertaining. I can't wait to find the rest, whether in a used bookstore or maybe Amazon will have it.

[Christina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated this. It was too hard to find where the story was actually trying to take the reader and the art was very dark. Almost like they didn't know how to lighten anything. The setting didn't suit the narration and commentary of the volume.

[Hailley Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the few manga series where I own the whole series. I haven't reread it in like 10 years so I thought now would be a good time. I'm not a huge fan of the art style, but it's a good first volume and introduction to the series.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't think I would like this series but by the end of this book I found it to be hilarious.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a fun, easy read.

[Sophia F · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm very much impressed with the start of this series. I realized I had been slacking on my reading this summer; BIG TIME, and decided to check out whichever manga series had the most volumes in at the same time. So I walk out of the library with 22 volumes in a huge [heavy] bag, and began reading (obviously). I wasn't expecting much with this to be brutally honest. The art appeared old and the storyline was likely to be cliché and overused, or simply bizarre on a whole other level of manga.
But I was wrong. Way wrong.
I should've learned by now not to judge a book by it's cover or title, but little ol' me of course hasn't. Right from the beginning during the lessons scene I was thinking the protagonist was an uptight Princess, but that flew out of the window half a page later. I really enjoy Ishtar's independent and somewhat rebellious personality. It definitely was a change for me, especially seeing her intended position as Princess.
With that character right there, we're sure to have an unpredictable and interesting storyline, but here we throw in a reincarnation of the Vampire King Duzell seeking vengeance for his defeat. But, it just so happens that his reincarnation is an adorable Kyawl, or basically a cat creature. With him attempting to find and kill the reincarnation of his enemy King Phelios, he and the King's descendent Ishtar cross paths.
This is where I start getting into that actually written portion of the volume, so minor spoilers ahead if you have not read this yet.
I was a little surprised that Duzell's true identity was revealed to Ishtar so soon. I thought that secret might have been stretched across a few more volumes, but I guess not. Eh, might make things more interesting at this rate.
I also enjoy the fact that both Duzell and Ishtar can be considered main characters. Duzell might have been the intended protagonist/anti-hero whatever you want to call him, but Ishtar's role is so large that they almost split the responsibility. If one isn't acting correspondingly to a reader's liking, they can always look to the other character.
I just want to point out the random flashbacks: they're almost irritating. Since Duzell is reincarnated and Ishtar looks nothing like her great grandfather, it gets a little difficult to tell who is saying what by logic at these points. Yeah, it builds up the suspense a little for the next scene and gives a slight feel for how things might've looked during the spell process of La Gamme, but we already received a summary in the beginning. I don't need it reiterated over and over again. I'll feel like Ishtar and not even bother to listen (or in my case read) what's even happening anymore. The story seems pretty straightforward. The flashbacks likely were not necessary.

So far I'm really enjoying this, and am impressed with the thorough character development and plot build up. The art was also much better than expected, with clear detail and a nice style overall. I'm definitely going to continue this series; hopefully I will consider the next volumes to be as good as this one.

[Jessica B · Rating 3 out of 5]

From shutupimreading.blogspot.com

Vampire Game was something that my sister had, and it was the only thing for me to read after I'd finished The Dust of 100 Dogs, but it was better than I'd originally thought it would be!

The plot is somewhat juvenile- I mean, come on, a cat and a princess? And, it was too low on action for my manga tastes. But, other than that it wasn't bad. Definitely original.

The characters were really good! The main character, Ishtar, was pretty much a rude brat. Yet, I still loved her! Duzell provided some good laughs with his sarcastic comments that made me love him too. We didn't hear much from her body guard, Darres, who's past I'm anxious to find out since it really didn't go into much detail about his past in the first volume.

The animation, kinda like the plot line, was juvenile. I'm hoping it evolves throughout the series, because it didn't impress me very much. The dialogue wasn't too bad, though.

I didn't think I would care about the sequel until the ending of volume one, which was a nice little cliffhanger. Overall, this wasn't exactly my type of manga, but I enjoyed it. Definitely one for comedy and fantasy manga fans.

3 and a half stars

[Sarai · Rating 3 out of 5]

From Amazon.com Product Description
In an epic battle, King Phelios defeats the Vampire King Duzell, but both monarchs are mortally wounded. As the two lay dying, Duzell prophesies that the two will meet again after their death, and vows that he will be triumphant. At least half the prophesy is proven true when Duzell is resurrected 100 years later, as a baby wildcat who is rescued and adopted by Ishtar, who just happens to be the great-granddaughter of his nemesis, King Phelios. Ishtar is a playful girl with an iron will and a penchant for pranks, a trait that distresses her caretaker, Sir Keld, and the dashing, but often bumbling, imperial guard, Captain Darres. Ishtar is not, however, the reincarnation of Phelios, leaving the now feline Duzell to continue his quest for revenge...with the surprisingly cooperative Ishtar as his companion!

I found Ishtar to be more spoiled than "playful," and I don't get why she's helping the cat get close to her uncle, but overall it was a fast read and I liked it well enough.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an adorable vampireking/cat.
I still haven't decided what I think about the characters, since this is the only book in the series I have read, so my impression about them still have potential to move in both ways.
Something I can say though, is how much I like the way the bagground-story is told. Not as a "you need to be preparede so I will tell you again" not as "you are old enough to hear the story now" but as a tale that is only told again, because an old man forgot he had told it before. I like the way mr old-wise-guy is also senile and forget stuff, just like many real old people.
My only current problems is the unrealistic speed with which the princess bond with Duzell, and the way the book seems to be playing on the typical manga-homour, about showing the main-character do or say something completely dumb to create an embarishing situation, and I have a hard time enjoying that kind of humour, but I can live with that, at least in the amounts I have seen so far, and with such an adoreble vampire-cat, it is still more than worth it.

[Anna C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wah, awalnya aku tdk berharap banyak...kukira artwork-nya bakal rame dan berantakan. Tapi di luar dugaan ternyata artwork-nya rapi dan ceritanya menarik juga. :) Sbnrnya lebih cocok kalo judulnya Vampire's Quest ketimbang Vampire Game...secara ini kan cerita tentang Duzell si Vampire King yg mencari reinkarnasi dari pembunuhnya, Raja Phelios.

Karakter Ishtar si wild princess yg eksentrik ini bnr2 sangat refreshing. Karakter Duzell juga, aku menyangka kalo raja vampir yg satu ini bakal sadis dan berdarah dingin gitu. Ternyata tidak.
Alur ceritanya juga unpredictable. :) Dan...yg terutama banyak gorgeous bishounen dlm manga ini, yayyy. :D Dari Phelios, Seiliez, Darres, Duzell, Illsaide, Vord, Yujinn. Tapi favoritku adalah Seiliez, Illsaide and Yujinn. :)

Anyway...Duzell in kitty form is so adorable!!! XD Didn't expect the vampire king would end up in feline body, lol. Tapi, Duzell ini bisa berubah wujud menjadi manusia, walaupun biasanya dia selalu dlm bntk kucing. :)

[Leila Anani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vampire game is a complete guilty pleasure. The story is a bit daft: evil vampire king Duzell is defeated by good wizard Phelious - who kills them both by casting "La Gamme" a suicide spell. With his last breath Duzell says he will return in 100 years and kill Phelios' reincarnation.

Duzell returns but as a house cat (and a tiny bit early) - He becomes the pet of Phelios' headstrong granddaughter Ishtar in the hope that he can bite various relatives trying to find Phelios' reincarnation.


The artwork in this series is just so cute!!! You can't help but love this one, despite the super convoluted story. Vampires and kittens and of course there's a forbidden princess/bodyguard romance thrown into the mix as well.

[Yvensong · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this one or not, as the vampire meme has been done so often, and I've read LOTS of vampire stories, novels, and manga. This feels written for a much younger audience than I am a part of, but I found it quite enjoyable. There was less action than in most of the manga I've read lately, and lots more dialogue, which I found as a nice change. The heroine in this story is not so cutesy. In fact, she has a kind of wicked side, which should be interesting to see how that plays out. The vampire is not really a vampire, at this point; it is a shape-shifting cat, which the heroine befriends and protects.

[Nicole Eatough · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the artwork in this. Many manga have the characters routinely wear the same outfit, which I'm sure is much easier on the artists, but I really enjoyed Ishtar's varied and elaborate dresses.

Judal brings in an interesting and varied cast of characters to fill the stage of her story. There's a lot of political intrigue and maneuvering in this series, with a magic and vampires in the background to make things more interesting.

I didn't love the ending, but I didn't feel it was bad either. Overall, this series was definitely worth reading.

[Jessica Bucholc · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the totally awesome story of the vampire king duzzell and his quest to destroy the reincarnation of his 100 year old enemy. he is unfortunately reborn as a kwayl (some sort of fruit juice drinking feline with horns. lol) and becomes his ancient enemies great granddaughters "pet". this is definitally a book for any anime lover and definitally fun and humorous with a little drama thrown in there.

[Biah Stalkerella · Rating 5 out of 5]

So freaking amusing!! Best princess story ever. The girl is so willing to jump into trouble and she totally doesn't care that Durzell is her ancestors evil nemesis reincarnation. All she cares is that he can shift shapes to look like her and she uses that to her advantage. It's so amazingly filled with adventure and the art is cool, the characters are livable, and everybody is so freaking amazing!

[Kristen (belles_bookshelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

(review for entire series)

"Boys will be boys, and occasionally girls."

This is one of the first manga I read when I was young, and I couldn't remember how it ended, so I read it again. This is such a cute story about a headstrong princess and a vampire she's "protecting" and helping on a strange quest. I'll be honest I thought the ending was going somewhere else, so I was kind of disappointed with that. But that was the only thing I didn't like.

[MayMay]

I got this book a while back from my sister. I have up to 8 on my own but it's very good. Duzell is a vampire king who died by the hand of a guy [I don't remember his name] who is Ishtar's great-grandpa she takes in Duzell as a pet. Duzell goes with Ishtar and looks for her great-grandpa's reincarnation. Thus there story begins. Very good please read or buy.

[Mariama · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the entire series and to to be honest i was disappointed with the ending. There was one character i really like which is the vampire, Duzell. The girl i didn't like very much most of the time and i really didn't like her love interest. The story was interesting but it is not my top favorite.