When Dance in the Vampire Bund first came out, I, like many others, was really excited for it. However, soon after the first episode aired, the general consensus seems to be that it fell short of the hype. Having only finished the first arc, I have few opinions on some of the criticisms Vampire Bund faces. However, although I have not made up my mind on the series, I can already appreciate the biggest controversy surrounding Vampire Bund, Mina Tepes.
As the princess of the vampires, Mina is elegant, arrogant, conniving, seductive, and loli-looking. Of course, these are all the cute traits I love so much about her. However, such provocative teases from a loli can be a bit suspect.
Consider this short scene.
By the way, she is only a child in appearance not in age.
I consider myself to be pretty open-minded when it comes to sex and fetishes. At times, I think I may even be a bit of a lolicon. Yet when I watched this rather awkward scene, my face was completely flushed. Mina Tepes undoubtedly makes a lot of the audience at least mildly uncomfortable.
It was particularly interesting to see such a blatant display of pedophilic intentions. The anime is even so bold as to have Mina remind us of her childish physique in a sexually suggestive tone. Moreover, Vampire Bund goes further to show us her nude body. There are no convenient fogs or shadows. Her body, flat chest, and breast buds are all clearly shown. Indeed, this is a very delicate scene. Perhaps Akira’s initial clumsiness mirrors my own first impressions to this scene. I was really not sure how to react… Is this scene really supposed be this erotic?
In the US, this is probably one of the worst things imaginable in media. From law enforcement to soccer moms, responses to any form of pedophilia tend to be overreactions. Indeed, Funimation deemed certain scenes inappropriate and will release only an edited version of Vampire Bund. This is an understandable decision. Catering to a culturally different audience means making certain changes. I am guessing the gel rubbing scene will not make the cut in Funimation’s edition, which is kind of unfortunate.
Despite the awkwardness, I enjoyed this daring scene. Furthermore, I applaud Vampire Bund’s audacity. The anime holds no reservations in portraying Mina’s character, both her personality and her appearance. Whether that scene was mere fan service, a necessary character development, or even an artistic statement on human forms, I loved it.
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Well…i’m not a big fan of loli, but as it seems that you really love it, i give it a try.
🙂
@enri: To be fair, I’m still not sure if I love it. The anime has some fundamental flaws in directing and execution that really hampers the experience for me.
Still, vampires are nice, and I am a fan of loli.
While I have not viewed this anime, I’m relatively certain that the scene, whatever it was, was for fanservice, with any additional benefits merely an added bonus. Sex sells and whatnot. (An artistic statement on human forms sounds like a verbose method of saying ‘fanservice,’ from my point of view). Not that there’s anything wrong with that…
The art style seems to be very inconsistent, which is a bit disconcerting. Furthermore, the authors seem to have an aversion to clothing their loli. I can see why people would find it controversial. That being said, I don’t think much of the U.S. would care, seeing as it’s animated. The ridiculously far right may take exception, but no one pays them much heed… they’re…ridiculous.
You seem to have sidestepped it a bit: is the story any good?
Oh, and your link seems to be defunct. Youtube’s a bit over-zealous from time to time.
@Swordwind: Fixing the link… Youtube annoys me sometimes. Thanks for letting me know.
Mmhmm. Lots of things annoy me sometimes.
@Swordwind: Although there is for sure an element of fan service in this, I think at the very least, the scenes are treated much more differently from anime such as Kiss x Sis or Queen’s Blade. Moreover, the production seems to try to have an artistic slant to its direction in many scenes in terms of using certain film and animation techniques.
Anyways, I tried to keep this post fairly focused on Mina Tepes and the loli factor. Hopefully I’ll get to write a review later that addresses the other aspects of the series. You did raise an issue that I completely agree with. The art is so inconsistent. Other than that, there are some execution things that just didn’t work for me.
The plot, however, is great. I love the story and the script. Mina and Akira are both really strong characters. And the world is really believable.
“I don’t think much of the U.S. would care, seeing as it’s animated. The ridiculously far right may take exception, but no one pays them much heed… they’re…ridiculous.”
The far right speaks the loudest, particularly on issues about “family values.” I could imagine certain group being outraged by the “child p0rn” even if it’s animated… or maybe especially because it’s animated. After all, some groups did rage over Illusion games a while back.
“Mmhmm. Lots of things annoy me sometimes.”
Hopefully, I’m not one of them. ^ ^
I didn’t have time earlier to write a more detailed reply. I did want to thank you for letting me know about the dead link. I wouldn’t have known otherwise because it works when I’m logged into my own youtube account. So thank you so much!
No, Yi, you don’t irritate me.
Fringe groups in the US will howl over just about everything; I was referencing groups that actually influence things.
Compared to Kiss X Sis or Queen’s Blade? Those standards a bit high, I think. And by high, I think I mean low.
@Swordwind: Haha, they definitely go over the top on fan service. Kiss x Sis is especially terrible for me. I just can’t watch something so… bad.
The series was a blunder for me =/
comapred to the manga, its a shame SHAFT didnt do a good job on it.
Mina is alright…nothing really special in my opinion
@Fabrice: It is a shame that SHAFT did a terrible job on it. Still, because the story is interesting and I like the characters, I’m still not sure how I feel about the anime as a whole. I’m also only 7 episodes in.
I watching it with very small enthusiasm and still stuck at episode 8. It is SHAFT indeed. I prefer manga version.
@Psycho: I prefer manga version too. The execution is poor for such an interesting premise and story.
hmmm i haven’t watch the anime till the end just eps 1 and 2. as i remeber she can trnsform to her real
very hot“adult” form ^_^(based on manga I just follow the manga so far skip the anime for now). and somehow I still prefer the manga format.but I must agree she really LOLI looking but the story is much better than other anime that *ahem* only selling sex(fanservice) and/or moe-blobs as main selling -____- (and I just think this anime version also selling the loli-sexuality as main selling compare with the manga )
@statwiz: I’ve only recently started reading the manga because the anime is not as good. She does have an adult form and she is quite pretty. ^ ^
The anime definitely tries to play up her loli-ness, although it’s not treated like other fan service anime. I guess it’s more serious fan service rather than the usual comedic ecchi.
i like it i love vampire anime but i’m wierd i enjoy more or less the least liked anime out there such as incest and loli also yuri but every guy likes yuri xD
@sharpavery: I love vampire anime too! And I like incest anime and loli and yuri. I guess we like really similar things. ^ ^
Ohoh, Funimation let it slide? Didn’t think they’d allow it at all; was expecting a rehash of what happened to Kodomo no Jikan. Then again, characters in that were explicitly underage. It’s as if the entire world’s a believer of ‘she is 18+, and therefore this is okay’.
Has Vampire Bund’s depictions of Mina ever been about artistic form? The focus on her sexuality is too blatant for me to consider there to be ulterior intentions. Sure, that acidic OP might come off as artistic, but everything else… It’s all that about the sensuality of a mysterious, non-human beauty with the confidence to flaunt her childish body to the eyes of men. Taboo takes the modern free world by storm.
Me, I’m just on the lookout for mounties.
They haven’t let it slide at all, which is why the US market is getting a sanitized cut. As much as I feel it insults our sensibilities as fans, I suppose the folks at Funimation were being wise. All sorts of kids will buy anything with “vampire” on it, after all, and American geek culture has a tendency to attract witch hunts.
For some reason, the second image after the video bothers me the most. My eye is drawn to that bit of baby fat on her abdomen.
as I know anime no longer became hits in japan so they try to gain as many readers from overseas that’s why they start gain popularity with putting something that really accepted with western customer.
@Ningyo: They will be releasing an edited version. It is interesting though how this will turn out, since the loli factor is so important to Mina’s character. It’s one the most interesting things about her.
“It’s all that about the sensuality of a mysterious, non-human beauty with the confidence to flaunt her childish body to the eyes of men. Taboo takes the modern free world by storm.”
Haha agreed. Taboo and sex are some of my favorite subjects, and Mina really does it for me.
@2DT: “I feel it insults our sensibilities as fans”
For me, it really depends on the audience. If the production intended it to be targeted for a more mature audience like you and me, it is a bit insulting that Funimation does not let us decide our own views by entirely cutting out scenes. However, I’m guessing Funimation is targeting teens. Vampires are indeed the biggest hit recently among teenage children, so I can forgive the editing.
Anyways, you’re definitely right about the witch hunts.
I love that second image after the video. By Kanno Naoyuki, it’s actually the only official art posted here, and interestingly, the youngest looking. It doesn’t bother me that much though.
Good eyes. ^ ^
@statwiz: That makes a lot of sense. I didn’t know how much it fell flat among the Japanese audience, but I can imagine it not being all that popular. Well, vampires are raging in the US, so this might be a bigger hit here.
It might get even more attention if FUNimation had kept it unedited, albeit not necessarily good attention.
Yes yes, I do understand that they’re releasing an edited version – I simply thought Bund would get the same treatment as KnJ, which was never released in North America at all due to ‘controversy’. The parts that were sexually controversial in KnJ could’ve just as well been edited out likewise, but they just decided not to release it entirely (it’s a lot to edit out, but North America always thinks of something…). Which is why I remarked that Mina isn’t explicitly underage, and thus it seems people are less uncomfortable.
@Ningyo: I understand your point. I seemed to remember you wrote a post about this topic – appearances and age. For sure, this has not offended as many as Kodomo no Jikan, and probably because of the reason you said. Mina is not explicitly a child. It’s an interesting comparison.
I am actually reading the Manga and was a bit taken back by the Loli factor myself. I decided “What the Hell” and found the series to actually be good. But you are right about the Pedo-tendencies in this series. They are heavy on that.
@bluedrakon: I was a bit surprised and taken back by the pedo-tendencies at first too, but I soon grew to like it!
The story is actually pretty good even if it didn’t have the loli element to it.
Definitely a risque anime, but in my opinion the manga is even more so. Being animated takes it to another level though. I can’t really blame Funi for wanting to censor parts for the US release though, given how the laws here are very up in the air. Even though I don’t feel that way towards Mina, I have nothing against the suggestiveness they happen to put into the show and it’s almost as if they’re testing to see what they can get away with. I liked the anime but I’m enjoying the manga more in this case. In the end it’s not the loli factor of it that drew me in though, it was the story and the action.
@Persocom: “I have nothing against the suggestiveness they happen to put into the show and it’s almost as if they’re testing to see what they can get away with.”
I haven’t really thought about that. It does seem that the anime industry is always pushing the boundaries on all fronts.
For me, it was the loli factor that drew me in at first, but it was definitely the story that kept me watching.
I only saw the first few episodes and stopped since I simply lost interest. My attention span is pretty fickle nowadays.
@Reltair: So is mine. I have so many series that I’ve seen only one or two episodes, and kind of just tabled for an indefinite amount of time.
There just wasn’t enough Rachel Alucard to hold my attention, and while that one scene did titillate, the rest of the series just faltered for me, which is a pity, really.
@Shin: It’s hard to compare to Rachel Alucard in the arena of vampire lolis, but a vampire loli is always nice. ^ ^
This is totally new to me. The only vampire anime I remember was Vampire Miyu (did I get it wrong?) I watched the attached clip. I’d prefer if she doesn’t look like a child. 🙂
@softz: Vampire Miyu is a rather old vampire anime, but it is pretty good. The idea of a vampire with very Japanese influence is pretty cool. Anyways, I imagine the loli factor is going to be either a hit or a miss, and probably misses a lot of the time.
I recently finished watching the FUNi youtube streams of this. And yes that oil rubbing scene was chopped. But it was cut in such a way that it appeared as though Mina hadn’t actually had any oil applied. Akira gets ready to apply the oil, then the next instance that dude bursts in and starts fighting. You don’t actually find out if he did in fact apply the oil until the very end with the Vampire Maids talking about being jealous of Akira because he got to touch Mina. Hardly story breaking, but still…
Anyway, I read that FUNi retracted their comment and are considering whether to cut the DVD versions of Bund. The streams will remain edited though.
I wouldn’t say the scenes in Bund are purely for fan service though. I think they are trying to be artistic and also reveal more of her vulnerable character; hence why she would have a child like appearance. There’s also the fact she wants to hold on to her purity; and also she wants to experience living as a child which she’s been unable to do because of her status. Her child-like appearance could also be used to remind her of how she met Akira as a child, she doesn’t want to forget that moment so has chosen to freeze her appearance?
I’ve not read the manga though, so I’m just going on what I saw in the anime. I guess everything above could have been presented through an older looking character, it would just loose it’s symbolic value and probably less of an emotional impact (debatable as to whether it was worth it though). Meh, just my 2¢.
@biotoxic: I haven’t seen FUNi’s take. I should at least check an episode or two out. My intuition was correct about the oil rubbing scene, but I didn’t expect such a major cut. I had thought FUNi would only cut out the more risque parts, such as the shots when Mina’s breasts are shown or the shots when Akira’s hands seem to go a little lower than comfortable. I guess FUNi didn’t even want any insinuation of any contact at all. Oh well, better to be safe on controversial issues, especially those concerning “children.”
hi, nice pictures. red eyes girls.
@mom: Hey mom, thanks for visiting. Red eyed girls are cute. ^ ^
有一點不好意思.
They messed up with the anime so bad, the manga is very different from the anime end, so I was like ‘I can’t believe that I lost my time just too see this..’.
Also, when I start to watch, I always thought of Yuuki and Akira as a couple, but no, he is obsessed with Mina!
Well, her true form is from a hot hentai girl that every guy would drool, lol, but also have that girl, that end up with that boy kid…
I am the owner of Yuri Downloads, the blog got deleted today, seems that someone denounced it, etc, so u can remove my link from ur links now, I don’t know if I am going to make a new one, if google let me at least have access to the database so I may do it…
@Lih: I do agree that the anme was directed poorly… I will probably post a more harsh and detailed critique of the execution later. I’m so sorry to hear that Yuri Downloads was deleted. I hope you manage to do something about that. Good luck. ^ ^
I haven’t watched a vampire anime in a long time. The last one I watched was Chibi Vampire Karin and I’m sure the storyline won’t be the same lol. She does have that “loli” look that I believe will attract some fans. Like you said earlier, maybe vampire fans in the US as well lol.
@AS: Yea, her loli look is less chibi than the typical loli in moe anime. Perhaps the author really is not going for fan service in making Mina Tepes look like a child.
I havent seen the series itself since I have no interest in Vampire-centered stories but from what I know the only questionable scene in the whole Anime is the sequence you posted.
Judging from that Scene I dont get any pedophilic vibes from it.To me the scene makes it pretty clear that theres a teasing and mature person trapped inside that body and fully knows about how she is perchieved by outsiders.
Sure her body makes her an object of lust for the otaku crowd but I dont have the feeling that this series is purposedly aiming to reach those unlike many,many other Animes that are more than happy to cater to that crowd
@Blowfish: “Judging from that Scene I dont get any pedophilic vibes from it.To me the scene makes it pretty clear that theres a teasing and mature person trapped inside that body and fully knows about how she is perchieved by outsiders.”
I actually agree. I think the scene does a fantastic job of setting character. As AS mentioned above, Mina does not have the typical moe loli look, which would be so much more affective fan service if that was what the anime was going for.
Still, how we see the anime is going to be different from how others, and I suspect there would be a massive knee-jerk reaction if this scene is readily available on DVD in the US.
I’m really torn over reading this manga or not, I’ve gone back and forth several times now. In general though I dislike loli characters…
@lovelyduckie: I think it’s enjoyable if you can ignore the loli factor. Vampire Bund does not focus exclusively on Mina Tepes’s loliness.
I have yet to watch this, but why doesn’t she just rub it on herself? I mean, sure the back can be hard to get (lol….hard), but certainly she can rub the rest of the lotion on her skin.
What a lazy bitch.
@glothelegend: As a princess, she cannot be expected to do such lowly task herself. Anyways, I’d recommend you to watch this if only so I can see you tear the anime apart.
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I’ve read the manga and watched the anime. I prefer the manga, as I think it has more depth both in terms of character development and storyline. Although I think the changes they made in the anime were interesting.
On a sad note, several manga sites are on a self-censorship crusade because some ignorant busybody decided ‘Dance’ was childporn and complained to advertisers. Now ‘Dance’ and other unrelated manga are being removed from sites to appease the advertisers. A lot of folks are frustrated and angry.
@IMSirius: It’s good to hear your perspective on the manga relative to the anime. It seems most people agree that the manga is much better than the anime in most areas.
It is unfortunate about the self-censorship though. People tend to get offended too easily… And there’s not much we can do about that. 😦
People are entitled to their feelings. And if they choose to be offended by something, that’s their right. My issue is with the person who decides that, because they dislike something, it should be denied to everyone else.
@IMSirius: Agreed 100%. It would be really nice if everyone has the same attitude as you. ^ ^
I must agree with you here so many good works are taken away nowadays, that were left with crap
I enjoyed it too. The series has a more serious feel that I did not expect it to have going into it. I believe that scene is supposed to be erotic but that it is indeed also supposed to be disturbing, even to us lolicons.
I think because of how the nudity is exposed in a dark and dangerous setting, and so that she can be slathered with protective goup. It gives a womb-like feel to the whole thing. She just killed a guy and drank a guy’s blood, it’s playful and flirtacious but in a completely dark way.
Then of course we see standard tsundere moe banter…
But anyway congrats on acknowledging your loli bro, welcome to fold.
@Tyciol: Womb-like… Interesting description of the scene. I love it. A women’s womb can be both kind of innocently creepy in some ways, yet beautiful in its role in the miracle of life. Similarly, Mina exhibits these qualities.
Thanks for the comment!
I’m not a big fan of loli myself but Mina is up there with one of my favorite chars who just happens to be loli. If you find Mina uncomfortable to watch then you must not have seen Chu-bra. I wasn’t uncomfortable with Mina Tepes as I was watching Chu-bra. Although the scene with Nanami and her 13-year old lover made bells go off in my head.
Personally I think the US needs to pay more attention to issues that cause problems to human beings in real life. Such as child exploitation, molestation, etc in the REAL WORLD where REAL CHILDREN are being abused. I think it falls under freedom of expression and any depiction of a FICTIONAL minor should be left alone from such an aspect as no REAL CHILDREN are being abused. Always keep the line drawn between fantasy and reality. And trying to use the, “but it encourages pedophilia…” argument is just as hollow as “Video games encourage violence”/”Rape scenes encourages rape”/”Violence in movies/tv encourages murders!” etc.
If a person goes out and does such things in the real world it is because they are messed up in the head in the first place. I just hope someday our society as a whole understands that.
@Darknile77: I had heard about Chu-Bra also being a bit controversial. It’s understandable as the anime deals with prepubescent girls and lingerie. Personally, I think all this controversy is a bit nonsense. Some people are just way too uptight and uncomfortable with talking about sexuality.
Further, I completely agree with what you said in the second paragraph. I don’t believe there is any crime or even any ethical wrongdoing where there are no real victims. Fictional depictions are just that. Fictional. I think people who try to push legal redress into fictional crimes (fiction violence, rape, or pedophilia) are the ones who cannot differentiate between fantasy and reality, not the so called “perverts”.
Well spoken
One thing I believe that the creators of this are doing is making us face the vampire’s world and the vampire’s rules. For them, if someone is turned at a young age, they could live hundreds of years in that body. Their minds will mature, but their outer selves will not change. As a result, for the world of the vampire, outer appearances mean nothing, because they make love mentally. What we are doing is imposing human views on a world with completely different taboos and mores than the human world. Thus, they force us to judge how we view other cultures. Now, in the human world, there are some things that are just plain wrong across the board, no matter if a culture espouses it or not. However, we have to give some allowance. In the case of this story, we have to give MUCH in the way of allowance. Is it loli? Only if you want it to be.
Consider Anne Rice’s book “Interview With a Vampire.” In that story, the girl in there was quite young, but because she had been alive for so long, her and Phillipe had a romantic connection, though it could never be physical, and in their world, the physical did not matter anyway. Should we go after that series now? No one ever questioned that! The only reason they do here is because it is a visual medium, whereas the book left it to the imagination. Certainly, presentation of this has to be adjusted to meet the culture within which it is presented, but too much, and you destroy the story, and the point being made. Therefore, in order to enjoy the story, you have to accept that the vampire world is a different world, with it’s own set of rules. If you can get past that, ignore the “loli” as it just being part of the plot, (she using it to get into people’s heads, seeing what they really are all about, and forcing them to accept her on HER terms,) and understand that the “loli” stuff is NOT the focus of the thing, you can enjoy the story.
That’s a really interesting idea: Mina’s loli appearance is yet another way to force us to accept the reality of the anime. I hadn’t considered that at all, and it’s really insightful!
The anime sets a rather credible tone from the beginning. It carefully details the politics involved in creating a vampire nation. Things like these force us to be absorbed in this world. The loli factor further breaks down the baggage we have coming into this.
Anyways, I agree that it’s ridiculous for there to be so much legal controversy over a literary fiction, especially considering that this is all part of driving this other reality into our own and challenging our comfort zone.
Thanks for the comment. I was actually a bit stuck before on how I would review this anime, but now I have some ideas. ^ ^
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I have yet to watch the anime, but as I am well into the manga – the cradle will rock chapter to be precise – I guess it is only logical of me to leave an opinion. I am sorry, which amazing story are we discussing here? I heard so many hullabaloos about this manga, and only God knows how disappointed I am.
The story is based off basest ideas of sexuality, and eroticism all seasoned and mixed with pretty much pointless loli scenes. It’s just typical otaku garbage cheaply romanticized with some medieval themes, and might I add, it falls drastically short.
I have yet to find any reasoning in my mind, as to how confidence and staunch rule goes hand in hand with senseless child pornography. The manga seems to be fully centric of Mina’s sexual side, and exploits if anything else. For example, as almost all the chapters begin with her posing 90% nude on the cover of each and every chapter. Even if we see her in the general vampiric ruler stance, there are countless cheap panty shots and whatnot in the sluggish plot, which refuses to leave her sexuality behind, and evolve into something more.
The student arc was just as pointless. It would have been much better, if Mina was actually involved in corrupting the student body, instead of a do-gooder clichéd saviour clad in just a silk garment knotted at her armpit, carelessly flaunting her nude crouch, brandishing a silver sword. The buildup to that particular end – I am not going to spoil anything here – was snail-paced, and it ended with a mere few paged swift defeat…WTF???? And what ensued was a hentai fight with close-up ass shots of Mina, looking ludicrous in her adult metamorphosis with huge sagging breasts.
Even the arc I am reading now does not leave Mina’s sexual side out of it … it just fucking refuses to do so. The almost child-molestation scene, the nude blood bath… What aesthetics are we exactly supposed to talk about here? There are none. I may come across as someone narrow-minded to the many commenters here, but cannot seem to get over Mina’s in-your-face erotic look, which the manga keeps beating into the observers head after every few pages, and then everyone bellows about the recent Japanese ban.
I would have forgiven all this lackluster, supposed sexual escapades of Miss Mina, if there was any characterization to begin with. The characters are as flat as Mina’s exposed chest, and do not evolve beyond the circle of romance between wolf boy, and the childishly provocative vampire. I do not know when this manga was created, but God do this and the idea behind Underworld seem wholly synonymous.
Also, porn and sexuality are paralleled with an adult form; I fail to see its association with a child and this uninspiring nude form sporting tiny pink buds on her chest as arousing, because it does not add up at all. It is unnatural and ridiculous. If there are any aesthetics then I would love to hear of them… all in all, it is trash in my book. I read this manga with an open mind, knowingly what it had in it, but dear God, are all lolis this ludicrous and farfetched it their sexual approach? If so, then I am hoping to God that that bill gets through.
I haven’t read the manga yet, so my review is strictly about the anime. Also, please take my reply with a grain of salt.
With that said…
I didn’t actually mind the lolita stuff so much. Comedic over-the-top panty accidents fanservice is downplayed in the anime. Instead what we have is a more serious and sexualized portrayal of Mina. It is still fan service, but I felt it was a bit more digestible given the dark erotic themes Vampire Bund plays with.
Whether Vampire Bund should have played around with those themes is debatable. I liked that a lot actually. I thought the whole sexual vampire queen and the controversial contrast between appearance and (sexual) maturity gave Vampire Bund a fascinating twist.
I think a lot of this has to do with how one approaches the anime. If one comes in expecting a story about vampire fights and such, she might be disappointed by all the other stuff. However, I went into the anime knowing that the anime centers around Mina. The vampire stuff is just a world to showcase a premise that deals with sexual maturity and independence.
Still, I doubt the producers didn’t have ulterior motives of pleasing the audience by dressing Mina in such clothes. I only think that perhaps we can find something underneath the blatant catering of loli.
On a related note… Aesthetics is hard to judge. I can’t speak for anyone about that. Some people like loli while others don’t. I don’t think any one side is right (talking strictly about fictional anime stuff not real life). I can see the sort of forbidden allure Vampire Bund is going for though. I guess it’s something like… So wrong that it’s beautiful.
Anyways, I actually kind of enjoyed the story. It’s not the best plot ever, but it’s decent. What I liked even more though is how Vampire Bund succeeded in building a coherent world in which Vampires exist in the open. I loved the first arc, during which Mina manages to create the Bund. I thought that was interesting. On the other hand, I hated the werewolf stuff.
Anyways, if you’re interested, I wrote a review of the anime:
It is just the pointlessness of underage sexuality that really irks me, as I hate anything that has no point to it; let it be violence, sex, or crude humour that goes overboard. And this manga has done just that. If it presented a careful balance of sexuality – even if I am gagging myself with something for even typing this – I would have completely over looked the disgusting child porn.
The dark elements… sorry, to each their own I suppose. I found the story to be pretty comical to be very honest. There are so many parts where I just plain burst out laughing, even if it was supposedly a serious scene. The problem lies with the sluggish plot, the lazy uninspiring build ups, and the swift endings… wait, is there anything decent here? None at all.
The author, apparently, is a full-time nut-job. He tried too many things, and ended up making an anime which is full of embarrassing comedy at its worse, and lame supposed-to-be dark plot at its best. The characters are nothing to rave about. I absolutely hate Mina. Her lines are least clever and mostly just exhibit over-the-top sentimental slop. And the whole going goo-goo ga-ga over the wolf boy on every second page just repulses me.
Why do the authors have the need to present only two types of vampires? Either they are evil doers who want to devour humanity, or are saintly go-getters…Gah, I am sick of this. It is the sole reason why I hated Helsing, but this manga takes the cake in stupidity, as it shows a loli vampire flashing her non-existent assets before the audience without much of any solid mettle.
The art isn’t all that either, pretty terrible actually. I can draw better than this, even if I have never actually studied drawing – I do intend to join an art school soon though. The older females look fat if anything else. Sorry, I just am not into 40 plus sized sagging breast, and asses that look like trash bags filled with vomit. I thought Vampire secretary had a better art and story; at least it did no try to be something and ended up a thousand steps behind the actual presented perspective like this one did.
To tell to you the truth, this is the first and last time I fall for anything the internet tells me. I am repulsed at myself for even venturing down this loli crap path…NEVER AGAIN… I feel I have wasted a good part of my life reading this shit.
Rant aside, sure I will read it, and will leave a comment as well. 😀
Hm… I think the sexuality is finely balanced in the anime, but I guess our tolerance levels are just different. Also, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that there is nothing decent here. There are some significant flaws in both the execution and the plot, but I didn’t find this absolutely terrible. I guess this just isn’t for you.
I would agree though that the animation is absolutely terrible for the anime. The characters are very inconsistently drawn, and some just straight-up ugly. It’s a shame.
Anyway, I have my fair share of disappointing recommendations. It’s just part of varying tastes. I hope you find another anime that suits you better. ^ ^
HE?SHE? What ever you are you need to chill sounds as if the sexual themes are all YOUR focused on.
She is well over legal age of consent, thus not pedophilia.
Things should be this simple, but unfortunately, it’s not… At least not for some people (e.g. Funimation).
I think someone should educate the nutjobs what child pron and paedophilia is before they start branding anything with suggestive themes of young nudity with those tags. At this rate all our favourite animes and manga will be restricted to having 30 year olds and older characters. Typical knee-jerk reaction that any child that is portayed in a sexual or naked way must be porn. Makes you wonder if they lock their kids in black glass bubbles at home, lest they see any skin on them.
Oh well, thank god here in australia our nutjobs haven’t reach american levels, but I can’t see it lasting.
I do agree that this is very much of a knee-jerk reaction. I also feel like there’s a sort of cultural difference between the Japanese (Eastern) and Western views on where we draw the line. Here in the US, the definition for suggestive material featuring children is very loose, and almost no one wants to challenge the line. I guess that’s just how it is…
Seriously
I think people are overreacting to this anime. People don’t seem to understand that, just because something has loli in its theme doesn’t mean it’s automatically “horrible”. I’m not a loli fan, but I can overlook the loli/ecchi aspects of this show and enjoy it for its other points. Plus, because it’s anime, virtually everyone looks underage, anyways! If you go by the “anything that features someone under 18 in even a remotely sexual way is automatically child pornography”, then many other animes would become “loli”. I don’t consider any scenes with Akira partially naked to be shotacon because he’s *gasp* only 17! Now I’m not pro-loli or pro-CP, but I do think people are overreacting to this. Not everything that’s appropriate for Japan must be appropriate for America. Look at the video game Doki Doki Majo Shinpan for example. It’s rated the equivalent of T!
Exactly. I think there’s a lot of overreaction to sexuality (underage or not), especially when it comes to animation and fiction. With Dance in the Vampire Bund, the controversy is unwarranted for a few reasons. First, judging age by mere animated appearance is questionable. We know how mature and how old Mina really is. Secondly, animation and fiction are just that; it’s dangerous when we deal with them as if they were real.
Thanks for visiting! ^ ^
I vote it’s pedophilic. Promising storyline, corny dialogue, ok art (at some points)…won’t be watching any further than the lotion scene…eww
Then you really don’t know what pedophilic is. There are a LOT worse things on the interwebz (aka this series of tubes) then this one anime show. Just take a look a PC games like Ayumarine 707R and Asobi Juku and then tell me this show is pedophilic! Or go to 4chan and as all the /b/tards there if they’d consider this show lolicon.
Also, the art was great, not just OK! Even if it was a little awkward, that doesn’t make it bad art.
Yay another who understands!!!
@Liz: Agreed with promising storyline, corny dialogue, OK art (although I would say… it has some pretty bad animation at times). But I don’t quite think it’s that pedophilic.
It’s kind of a gray area with fiction, but the anime clearly states that Mina is over thousands of years old. Her appearance has nothing to do with her maturity. Personally, I believe pedophilia should be defined by maturity (or by age as it is the closest thing legal laws can enforce). After all, we would not penalize adults with, say, flat chests or underdeveloped bodies in real life. Neither should we burn Vampire Bund at the stakes for “pedophilic” content.
Still, I can understand with the “eww” sentiment (although I don’t feel the same way). It’s a taste thing I guess.
@Stonecold: The internet… has some things that I tend to avoid; 4chan and /b/ are some of them loll. ^ ^ Just not my thing.
Also, I think the animation gets pretty awkward too often for me. I address this a bit more in my review if you’re interested.
Thanks for the link.
Thank you for visiting and for the comment, darling!
i just started watching this anime but left it immediately honestly this anime would be a huge hit if mina wasnt a little girl atleast she shouldve been a teen. It made me extreemelly uncomfortable and those scenes between akira and her made me wanna take my eyes out.
she needed to be in the form of a young girl, it does actually fit into the plot later on, though yes some scenes are a little….. strange
It almost feels like the plot was used to excuse her loli appearance instead of the other way around.