Vampire Princess Miyu OVA

3 reviews - 13.0 total score (Explanation of the rating system)
avg. score: (4.3)

3. Iodine

A lovely, dark OAV that gives us a glimpse into the world of Miyu, a vampire in a little girl's form, who hunts down the monstrous Shinma with her silent servant, Larva. The story is told from the viewpoint of Himiko, a spiritual detective who encounters the vampire girl repeatedly over the course of several cases. In terms of writing and style, this is one of the best horror anime ever made. Its successes depend very little on shocks and thrills, but more on the haunting portrayal of its characters, who exist in a sort of eternal twilight on the very brink of death. The fascinating thing about Miyu, is that despite her human face and frightfully childlike whims, she's as much of a monster as the Shinma she hunts. A particular coldness seems to permeate the series, where survival is not always a good outcome and death is treated as a casual matter, heightening the implications of Miyu's unnatural existence. There's easily enough material here for an entire full-length series, but the four-episode OAV format does well in setting up the show's mysteries and revealing its tragic secrets without ever feeling rushed or compromised.

Animation is very good, but it's the composition and direction that really make the visuals stand out. The atmosphere is rich and haunting, often more pensive than outright creepy, and the designs make great use of limited color and plenty of shadow. A fair amount of action is provided by Larva in the capturing of the Shinma, but this is a fairly minor element of the show. In fact, most of the usual genre conventions seem to be missing from Miyu, making it something of a horror series for non-horror fans.

2. Tempy

Himiko is a spiritualist for hire to solve supernatural phenomenon. She encounters Miyu the vampire and her silent servant Larva, who hunt for Shinma - half gods, half demons. This 4 part OVA series features a gripping story, yet frustrated me because of its pacing, storytelling structure, and less than spectacular direction. The show is rather dated as well; though the designs are quite nice, the music is lousy synthesizer drivel (not Kenji Kawai's best work), and the sound effects are annoyingly cheesy. I think I'll go read the manga instead.

1. hakootoko

This supernatural tale is about Himiko the spiritualist as much as it is about Miyu the vampire. Himiko investigates and repeatedly runs across the mysterious Miyu who has her own agenda. The interaction of these two characters drives this OAV series as they come across supernatural occurrences caused by the Shinma that are Miyu's enemies. The series has a haunting, riveting character that will leave you emotionally wasted if you watch all four episodes at once, but you still won't want to stop before you're done.