The first volume of the manga series, “Bloody Mary” by Akaza Samamiya, was an absolute treat to read. The art is fantastic, going from cute to bloody in a second. The character designs are wonderful–I have a certain love for Bloody Mary’s design, what with the cute cat-eared hoodie–and the constant use of red spider lilies makes this manga perfect for my aesthetic.

Maria is a priest, descended from a long line of priests and vampire hunters. He wants, desperately, to live and to stay alive. Bloody (nicknamed Mary by Maria) is a vampire hellbent on dying. The two meet, with Bloody begging for Maria to kill him. However, with problems of his own, Maria strikes a bargain with the vampire–protect him long enough for him to awaken a special power within, and then he will kill Mary.

The plot and characters are really intriguing, and I can’t wait to see where this goes!