Author: Hideyuki Kikuchi
Illustrator: Jun Suemi
Translator: Eugene Woodbury
U.S. publisher: Digital Manga
ISBN: 9781569701478
Released: November 2010
Original release: 2007

Yashakiden: The Demon Princess is a series of vampire novels written by Hideyuki Kikuchi and illustrated by Jun Suemi. The novels take place in Kikuchi’s Demon City Shinjuku setting, of which I am particularly fond. The third volume of Digital Manga’s English-language release of Yashakiden, translated by Eugene Woodbury, is actually an omnibus edition collecting the third and fourth volumes of the original Japanese series. The omnibus edition published in 2010 is based on the 2007 release of the novels (which may have also been an omnibus release, but I’m not certain.) However, the third and fourth novels in Yashakiden were originally written in 1989 and 1990 respectively. Digital Manga’s omnibus also includes “A Vampire Tale Like No Other,” an essay written by Yoshiharu Sasagawa about Demon City Shinjuku, Yashakiden, and Kikuchi’s work in general.

Despite the best efforts of Aki Setsura and Doctor Mephisto, two of Shinjuku’s most terrifying and capable residents, Princess and her entourage of Chinese vampires are slowly gaining control of Demon City. Setsura was severely injured and is still recovering, Mephisto continues to act strangely, and many of their allies have either been killed or taken hostage. To makes matters even worse, the vampires’ influence continues to spread as more and more of Shinjuku’s leadership fall victim to their fangs. The situation has gotten so bad that forces outside of Demon City Shinjuku are threatening and preparing to interfere. Setsura and Mephisto still present enough of a problem on their own for Princess and her plans that she has released Kazikli Bey, yet another powerful and deadly vampire, from his imprisonment. As the volatile situation in Shinjuku becomes more complicated, the city is drawn even closer to the brink of chaos and destruction.

Frankly, Yashakiden frustrates me. Although Kikuchi has a ton of great ideas, and I continue to love Demon City Shinjuku as a setting, he hasn’t been able to pull everything together into a cohesive whole quite yet. I find that I often know what’s going on without really understanding why. Some of the individual scenes and scenarios in Yashakiden are exciting and have great execution, particularly the action sequences, but I’m frequently at a loss as to how they are all connected to one another. Kikuchi’s writing style in Yashakiden is very sparse with little extensive description. In fact, it is so direct and to the point that I often felt that I was missing out on crucial information. Occasionally, the narrative would seem to contradict itself which would leave me confused even after several re-readings. As unadorned as Kikuchi’s writing in Yashakiden is, it can also be very unfocused.

Yashakiden was originally planned to be four volumes long. It quickly became clear to Kikuchi and his editors that four novels weren’t going to be enough; he kept adding new characters and plot developments. I’m not sure how much of Yashakiden Kikuchi had planned out in advance. It frequently seems as though he’s making things up as he goes. Ultimately, the series ended up being eight volumes long. With Yashakiden: The Demon Princess, Volume 3 the story has reached its midway point. Overall, the volume is better balanced than those preceding it. As Kikuchi states in the author’s notes, the story is beginning to “gel.” Yashakiden isn’t as blatantly sexualized or grotesque as it once was. Although those elements still exist, they are better incorporated into the plot as a whole. As much as Yashakiden frustrates me, there is still enough in the series that intrigues me; I’ll probably continue on with the series for at least a little while longer.

Author: Hideyuki Kikuchi
Illustrator: Jun Suemi
Translator: Eugene Woodbury
U.S. publisher: Digital Manga
ISBN: 9781569701461
Released: May 2010
Original release: 2007

Since beginning Yashakiden: The Demon Princess I have read a few of Hideyuki Kikuchi’s manga collaborations, but Yashakiden remains the only prose work of his that I have read. I’ll admit, I wasn’t particularly impressed by the first volume in the series. Despite brief moments of brilliance, overall I found the novel to be pretty cringe-worthy. However, there as enough that intrigued me in the first volume of Yashakiden, particularly Demon City Shinjuku, the setting of the story, that I wanted to read at least the second volume as well. Digital Manga Publishing released the English translation by Eugene Woodbury in 2010 and was kind enough to send me a review copy. The edition, which includes illustrations by Jun Suemi, is based on the version of the novel that was published in Japan in 2007. Kikuchi completed the work in 1997.

The second volume of Yashakiden begins immediately where the first volume leaves the story off. Four ancient Chinese vampires have come to Demon City Shinjuku to make the city their own. Two of the city’s most formidable residents, Aki Setsura and Doctor Mephisto, oppose them. They don’t entirely trust each other, but the two men must work together, even forming an alliance with Demon City Shinjuku’s local vampire population. It’s not enough. Neither side of the conflict comes through unscathed from the ensuing struggle for control over Demon City Shinjuku: there have been numerous deaths, Setsura is in the hospital unconscious, Mephisto is acting strangely, and the vampires on both sides are all worse for wear. Still, the Chinese vampires’ influence over the city continues to grow as they turn leaders of the government and the police force. To make matters even more complicated, most of those living in Demon City Shinjuku aren’t even aware of the danger they are in.

I am very happy to be able to say that the writing style of the second volume of Yashakiden greatly improves upon that of the first. I do wish it was a little more descriptive, though. Quite frequently important details are introduced only when they are immediately needed. This can make things a bit confusing for the reader from time to time, such as during an action sequence in which a character suddenly makes use of a sword that he had apparently been carrying the whole time but that I couldn’t remember ever having been mentioned. But overall, the writing is much better in the second volume. The tone and pacing of the story, which varied wildly in the first volume, is much more even, as well.

Yashakiden continues to intrigue me. In the second volume, Kikuchi has introduced some new plot elements in addition to developing those that have already been established. Mephisto, who has always come across as a little odd, has become a more interesting character now that his stoic facade is starting to crumble. As for Setsura, I am becoming more and more curious to learn about his “other” self of which Kikuchi has only allowed readers glimpses so far. I do enjoy the scenes in which the two men appear together; they know how to push each other’s buttons and I find their mutual needling to be rather amusing. While Yashakiden isn’t a series that I would rush out to recommend to just anyone, personally I plan to follow it a bit further. I’m hoping that each volume continues to improve and am honestly interested in seeing where Kikuchi takes things next.

Thank you to Digital Manga for providing a copy of Yashakiden: The Demon Princess, Volume 2 for review.

Author: Hideyuki Kikuchi
Illustrator: Jun Suemi
Translator: Eugene Woodbury
U.S. publisher: Digital Manga
ISBN: 9781569701454
Released: January 2010
Original release: 2007

Yashakiden: The Demon Princess, Volume 1 is the first novel by Hideyuki Kikuchi that I have read. The fine folk at Digital Manga, which released the English translation in 2009, discovered that I had never read anything by Kikuchi and were kind enough to send me a sampling of his work. Kikuchi is probably best known for his series Vampire Hunter D. The reason I decided to read Yashakiden, another vampire series, first is that the author himself considers it to be even better than Vampire Hunter D. Also, the cover art by Jun Suemi, who also provides the interior illustrations, is marvelous. Yashakiden was originally written in 1997 and the edition that Eugene Woodbury’s English translation is based on was published in 2007. Yashakiden currently has four volumes available in English, equivalent to the first six Japanese volumes since books three and four are omnibus editions.

Ever since the Devil Quake, Demon City Shinjuku has become a corrupt and sordid place. Cut off from much of the outside world, the city serves as a sort of safe haven for the paranormal. Demonkind and humankind live side by side in a very precarious balance. The arrival of four ancient and powerful Chinese vampires who want to control the city for their own purposes threaten to upset that balance. It is up to two of the city’s most dangerous, feared, admired, and talented residents to stop them: Aki Setsura, senbei shop owner and skilled private investigator, and Doctor Mephisto, also known as the demon physician. If the two men hope to save their city from the greatest evil it has ever faced, they will first have to put aside their differences and work together.

Yashakiden features not one, but two unnaturally beautiful, supernaturally inclined protagonists. In fact, both Aki and Mephisto’s primary characteristic seems to be how gorgeous they are. Kikuchi never misses an opportunity to remind the reader of their beauty, although it is generally stated rather than being described in any depth. This goes for many of the vampires, too. Personally, I need my characters to be more than paranormal pretty boys to really engage me in the story. (Not that I have anything against pretty boys; quite the contrary.) Fortunately, there are some glimmers of hope towards the end of the first volume of Yashakiden that they will actually be interesting characters after all. The mystery that Kikuchi has shrouded them in is frustrating because it seems like the author is simply withholding information from the readers rather than there being anything inherently mysterious about the men.

I don’t know if it is the fault of the original Japanese or the English translation, but for the most part the writing in the first volume of Yashakiden is pretty terrible. It does get better as the novel progresses, but even towards the end of the book there were turns of phrases that honestly made me cringe. Often, the narrative would even deliberately contradict itself for dramatic purposes. However, the more depraved or grotesque a scene, and often this was the same thing, the better the writing was. It could actually be quite good. The bloody, far from vanilla sex scenes that seem to come out of nowhere are fine examples of this. I should note that the portrayal of women in the novel isn’t particularly flattering. Granted, many of them are vampires, but still. Fortunately, they are somewhat balanced out by Takako, who is more than just a sex fiend. Despite some of my misgivings I will be reading the next volume of Yashakiden and probably more after that. I really like Demon City Shinjuku and much of the world-building. It seems like the story could get very interesting very soon.

Thank you to Digital Manga for providing a copy of Yashakiden: The Demon Princess, Volume 1 for review.