Lament of the Lamb (Hitsuji no uta)

Reviewed by Stephanie Dubuc
March 30, 2006

Author: Kei Toume Artist: Kei Toume Publisher: TOKYOPOP Website: Click Here Review Rating: 8 out of 10

Kei Toume's ability to depict this dark, foreboding, and emotionally intense vampire story through his illustrations and words is amazing. This manga takes you on a journey about long-lost siblings that get reunited by their "cursed" blood in the contemporary world of Japan . This story is unlike any typical vampire story, in which the brother named Kazuna Takashiro and his sister Chizuna Takashiro are cursed with a disease that turns them into blood-lusting vampires. In their world vampirism is a hereditary disease that causes madness leading into death. They have no special powers, not affected by the time of day, or have immortality.

The art work in this series is amazing. It depicts the psychological and dark sides of the story. I've never seen such beauty in such sadness before. The atmosphere definitely sets the mood of the story with its unnerving hints of doom. The expressions are so brooding and seem to give a hint of despair.

This manga is a high evolution factor in my opinion, for its beautifully illustrated art work and the author's ability to tap into the sense of loneliness and alienation. When these siblings are basically forced into living a quiet, doomed life you can see the despair in the facial expressions and scenery. The dialogue is well written. If you don't see yourself caring for the characters, then it may not be for you, but it's definitely worth giving a read.