Vampire Princess Miyu Vol-1 (1988)
Animation Production: Sooeishinsha/Pony Canyon
Running Time: 50
Released by: Animeigo
By Jeffrey Couto

Introduction

It’s funny how certain things can take you on a trip through time and remind you of another place and point in the past. As I read the linear notes to Vampire Princess Miyu, I was reminded of the old days when Animeigo used to release their VHS titles in brightly-colored cases. Now, what I can’t remember is whether this show in particular came out in an orange or blue plastic case.

Well that’s my random thought for today.

Let’s take a closer look at Animeigo’s release of this classic series on DVD.

What's it about?

“Vampire Princess Miyu. Is she friend, or fiend? As the eldritch Shinma strive to obtain a foothold upon the mortal plane, Spiritualist Himiko seeks the truth.” - Animeigo's Vampire Princess Miyu Page

Review

“At one time, gods and demons were as one. They were sealed away in the abyss of a distant memory. The hearts of humans in fear of the dark caused this. For the present let us call these beings Shinma. Now they’ve awakened and gathered in the dark. The final night of the gathering, when Shinma and humans met again a young girl entered their midst. This is her story. Her name is Vampire Princess Miyu.” With this introduction we are taken to the world of Vampire Princess Miyu, a place that is both dark and beautiful.

As the story begins we join a young couple on their way home. Having said goodnight to each other they go their separate ways, when suddenly the girl is attacked by a vampire-like creature. She is paralyzed by the attack, unable to move. This would be the first of several encounters by the citizens of Kyoto with this monster.

Flash forward to a couple of days later, we see a young woman by the name of Himiko arrive at the train station, she is a professional spiritualist, who has been called in to help a local family. It seems their daughter might be possessed by some type of demon entity and she is the only one they think might be able to help. Unfortunately the situation is more complicated that Himiko initially suspects, ultimately leading her to a close encounter with not only a Shinma, but also a young vampire girl, Miyu and her silent companion, Larva.

The second episode begins in an abandoned house. Inside, the rooms are filled with lifeless-looking dolls with the exception of one, a Japanese doll that sits underneath a large grandfather clock and comes to life when the clock strikes its bells. The story then moves back to Kyoto, where we learn a young girl has gone missing and no one seems to know what happened to her. The only clue left behind was a mysterious doll that was seen in her last known location. Himiko is called in to investigate the situation, but little does she know that the Vampire Princess is also on the case.

I’ve never been a huge fan of the horror/monster/vampire genre.The films that typically fall into that category are more often than not too dark and violent for my taste. That being said and strangely enough, I’m a huge fan of Vampire Princess Miyu. It’s elegance in storytelling, haunting atmosphere, and beautiful artwork set it apart in many ways from what is the norm in these types of releases.

Whereas many series and movies dealing with the theme of vampires and monsters of the night focus on the elements of violence and gore, Vampire Princess Miyu focuses on conveying a sense of fright not through gory visuals or shock-filled scenes, but rather through subtle atmospheric details and less obvious story and visual elements such as director and writer M. Night Shyamalan does in his films like the Sixth Sense or Signs.

Storywise, both of the episodes in this DVD where simple, but strangely captivating. The stories follow the same format, which consists of Himiko and Miyu coming into contact with a Shinma, learning of some human connection that it may have, and then vanquishing it to the darkness from which it escaped. Atop of this simple outline is a bigger overarching plot that deals more with the backstory of Miyu and Larva as well as their mission.

Visually this is a rich and rather accomplished anime OVA with the art team behind it successfully carrying through the subtle elements of terror that the story contains, but within a visual context. There is just something about the backgrounds and colors that were used in these episodes that give everything an eerie feel that goes along perfectly with each story and helps build up the sense of darkness that underlies in the background of everything that is going on.

The animation quality is also rather good, especially for the time when it was made. The characters have a good frame rate, with key scenes upping the number of frames used a notch or two. The special effects used are rather simple and for the most part limited, but are rather effective within the framework of each episode in a "less is more" sort of fashion.

The soundtrack is very memorable and manages to live up to the hype that has been attached to it since this title’s release many years ago. Featuring supernatural-like orchestral pieces and numbers inspired by classic Japanese music, it is very well balanced and rounds off the visuals and story rather nicely with its atmospheric sounds.

The DVD itself comes with the first two episodes of this OVA, which include:

Episode 1 – Unearthly Kyoto
Episode 2 – A Banquet of Marionettes

The video and audio transfers are as good as one could possibly hope for them to be. Animeigo did a really nice job putting this one together for a DVD release. Extras include an image gallery, an English dubbed soundtrack and previous for other releases from the company.

Final Thoughts

This is a truly timeless OVA, even today 16 years after its original release it is as beautiful as ever and can easily stand side-by-side with newer releases. If you are into horror or vampire anime, you can’t do better than Vampire Princess Miyu.

Very highly recommended.

Jeffrey Couto