#netcomics

Blerdy Otome April 2022 Manga Haul

Hey Blerdy Tribe! Trying something new this month. Since I buy a lot of manga, I’m going to start incorporating more manga related content here on Blerdy Otome. So, I’ll start with a monthly manga haul recap and share some of the manga titles I’ve added to my ever growing collection! This month I picked up over 41 new manga volumes, 20 of which were sent as part of an influencer pack from the…

Click here for my first impression of The Maid and the Vampire.

Note: I was able to read this title courtesy of NETCOMICS in exchange for my honest review.

Basics

Genre: Shoujo, Fantasy, Romance

Status: Completed

Original Run: 2019 - 2020

Number of Chapters: 51 (not including the side stories)

Review

The beginning of The Maid and the Vampire was pretty strong, but for some reason I felt like I lost my emotional connection to the story somewhere along the way. It felt like a lot of potentially interesting plot points were either rushed or completely skipped over while the less interesting parts were being unnecessarily dragged out. The ending also felt pretty rushed (perhaps the series was axed and the authors and illustrator were told to wrap things up). There were also several unresolved plot holes, but I hope that we may at least see some of these loose ends tied up properly in the side stories (which are ongoing at the time of this review). I wouldn’t hold my breath though.

On a different note, while I thought Areum and Millard were an adorable couple, I couldn’t get 100% behind their relationship due certain misdoings on Millard’s part. Like, hello, is that you Edward Cullen?

But I have to say, I loved Areum. She was a strong female lead from beginning to end, being able to accept love into her life without giving up any part of herself (as some other shoujo heroines unfortunately do in the same situation). She also managed to expertly navigate a new world, knowing when to compromise and knowing when to hold strictly onto her own principles.

Overall, there were parts of The Maid and the Vampire I enjoyed and parts I felt less than enthusiastic about. I’d recommend it to people who enjoy fantasy, romance, strong females leads, and human x vampire relationships.

Note: I was able to read this title courtesy of NETCOMICS in exchange for my honest review.

Note 2: At the time of this review I have read up to Chapter 25.

The Maid and the Vampire is about Areum Yoon, a 19-year-old student who gets transported to another world after dying on her way to school. She ends up in Soltera where she becomes a slave and is sold at auction to Duke Millard Travis, a vampire. She later finds out that he bought her on the pretense that she was a vampire due to the fact that individuals with dark hair within Soltera are thought to be vampires. In order to avoid certain death due to this misunderstanding, Areum ends up becoming Duke Travis’ personal maid. Will she be able to navigate a new world while navigating the ever-changing moods of her new master?

The relationship between Areum and Duke Travis is fairly complicated. Duke Travis has variable mood swings and generally bosses Areum around to the point where she has to walk on eggshells, fearing for her life. But on the flip side, it is obvious that he is starting to develop feelings towards Areum, but I’m not sure she is ready to fully reciprocate them yet considering her mixed feelings toward him in regard to his early treatment of her.

In the same vein, I like how Areum isn’t a typical shoujo protagonist who instantly forgives the male protagonist for all his past digressions in order to speed up the romantic plot. And even if she does eventually forgive Travis, she will not easily forget. 

Yes, it was made clear that Duke Travis is the classic misunderstood character, having been severely mistreated in his youth, which has made it difficult for him to partake in healthy relationships with others. But while I feel bad for him and understand why he lacks basic social skills, I just hope he will learn to control himself better or else he might destroy any potential for a relationship between him and Areum.

Besides all this, it appears that Areum is a unique individual in her new world in more ways than one. It will be interesting to see how this will affect her future and whether or not there will be a more in-depth explanation of her “condition”.