Bloody Mary Books In Order
Book links take you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.Publication Order of Bloody Mary Books
Bloody Mary, Vol. 1 | (2014) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Bloody Mary, Vol. 2 | (2014) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Bloody Mary, Vol. 3 | (2014) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Bloody Mary, Vol. 4 | (2015) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Bloody Mary, Vol. 5 | (2015) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Bloody Mary, Vol. 6 | (2015) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Bloody Mary, Vol. 7 | (2016) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Bloody Mary, Vol. 8 | (2016) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Bloody Mary, Vol. 9 | (2016) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Bloody Mary, Vol. 10 | (2017) | Description / Buy at Amazon |
Bloody Mary is a
manga series written by Akaza Samamiya. The books tell the story of an ancient vampire that nurtures an obsession for an exorcist with the power to kill him.
+The Story
Bloody Mary is difficult to categorize. Some people classify the manga as shounen, and that descriptor fits in some cases, especially when one takes into account the core concept of a young fellow who learns of his greater destiny in the grand scheme of things, undertaking a journey with an undead creature to fight the forces of evil.
However, there is a little more complexity in Bloody Mary than sometimes meets the eye.
The Bloody Mary series revolves around the exploits of Mary and Maria, two male protagonists that have female names.
Ichiro Rosario Di Maria initially takes center stage as a priest that comes from a long line of exorcists. Maria’s life changes when he meets an ancient vampire called Bloody Mary. Mary has been alive for four hundred years.
Mary’s initial encounter with Maria is somewhat hostile. However, Mary eventually reveals that he is in need of Maria’s help. Mary wants to die. But as a vampire, he is very much immortal.
For various reasons, Mary believes that Maria has the power to kill him, and that is exactly what the vampire asks for. To Mary’s exasperation, he finds that Maria has no idea how to kill him.
In fact, Maria isn’t even sure that he has the power to perform the feat. However, when Maria’s life is threatened and Mary saves him, it occurs to the young exorcist that having a vampire around might be beneficial for a priest like him.
So the two strike a deal; Maria will keep trying to find a way to Kill Mary if the vampire plays the role of bodyguard and protects him from any and all foes. Not only is Maria certain of Mary’s ability to protect him but it occurs to him that the vampire might be the key to unlocking his exorcist abilities.
Along the way, the Bloody Mary series sheds light upon the true nature of Mary and Maria’s relationship. Akaza Samamiya starts to delve into Maria’s lineage. The priest gains insight into the work of his father Yusei and the situations that led to his demise.
Mary, on the other hand, is somewhat surprised to slowly but surely learn that his life has been entangled with that of Maria’s family for a very long time.
He finds that the two of them are not the disparate souls they initially presumed. Rather, Mary has dark secrets in his past, secrets he has been working hard to forget, secrets that directly pertain to Maria’s father’s work and his ultimate death.
Maria, on his part, is missing memories when he is first introduced. As he begins scratching the doors of his mind, the priest learns that there was a reason so many of his memories were hidden away. But once he gets his hands on them, there’s no forgetting.
The Bloody Mary series is a mixed bag, with its fair share of fans and critics. The series is primarily written to appeal to fans of the vampire sub-genre. In fact, the story Akaza tells is reminiscent of those vampire stories told in manga.
This includes a deluge of handsome male characters, some mortal, most immortal, drawn with the intention of speaking to the hearts and minds of female readers.
Most of the praise the Bloody Mary series attracts revolves around the art. All the books are beautifully drawn, and the art seems to improve with each new volume. There are plenty of floral designs and tones on each page, reminiscent of the shoujo genre.
And each image seems to have a memorable sparkle to it. The closest comparison to the Bloody Mary series is Vampire Knight from Matsuri Hino. Though, Vampire Knight is very straightforward in its approach to the vampire genre, replete with elements of romance and a harem of male characters.
The Bloody Mary series tries to do a few new things. A greater focus is placed on the friendship between Mary and Maria, this as opposed to the love stories and triangles that inundate most vampire manga.
The depth that Akaza Samamiya injects into these books emanates from Maria and Mary’s difficult situation. While the pair is initially on pretty good terms, and while their bond seems to grow with each new chapter, events happen down the line that cause Maria to re-evaluate everything he thought he knew about his immortal friend.
Mary, on his part, knows he has done terrible things in the past, things that were not completely within his power to stop but which he has taken responsibility for. This drives him to pull away from people like Maria in an effort to keep them safe.
The Bloody Mary series is somewhat of a jumbled mess at the start. The author throws too many elements at readers too quickly. Nothing makes sense. But as the story progresses through additional volumes, things begin to make sense. New morsels of information are provided which help put early occurrences and revelations into context.
+Bloody Mary Vol. One
Mary is a 400-year-old vampire who wants to die. But being immortal makes that all but impossible for Mary. So he goes looking for Maria, a modern-day exorcist that he is certain has the power to kill him.
When Mary tracks Maria down and confronts him with his request, he is shocked to find that the exorcist has no idea how to kill vampires, let alone someone like Mary. But Maria has seen Mary in action. He knows the benefit of having a vampire around.
So he gives Mary his word that he will start looking for a way to kill him if, for the time being, Mary protects him from all those that might want to cause him harm.
+Bloody Mary Vol. Two
Mary and Maria thought they were disparate souls thrown together by mere circumstance. Bloody Mary was an immortal vampire looking to die, and Maria was the exorcist who could kill him.
But Maria did not know that he was an exorcist with the power to kill vampires. Now that Mary is in his life, Maria is slowly peeling back the secrets of his life, starting with the lost memories he chose to suppress a long time ago.
Book Series In Order » Characters »