“Three years into her life as a shut-in, vampire Terakomari Gandesblood (Komari for short), awakens to find she's been appointed as a Commander in the Mulnite Imperial Army! The thing is, her new unit consists solely of belligerent ruffians who revolt against their superiors at the slightest hint of weakness. Although Komari hails from a line of vampires as powerful as they are prestigious, her refusal to drink blood has made her the picture of mediocrity—scrawny, un-coordinated, and inept at magic. With the odds stacked against her, will the help of her trusty (and slightly infatuated) maid Vill be enough for this recluse to blunder her way to success? Or will Komari rue the day she ever left the safety of her room?” (Yen Press)
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One can only imagine how difficult it would be to be a vampire princess in a realm of bloodthirsty warriors and perverted royalty, the constant need to be honing your murderous skills or figuring out ways to thwart unwanted chest groping. For clarity for those wondering what that life would be like, Kotei Koboyashi's “Vexations of a shut-in” gives the reader a first-person narrative of the young vampiress Komari having to deal with just that. Not taking itself seriously, the comedy series really does put emphasis on bloodshed and boobs. Yet, it manages to entertain in intriguing ways that transcends its rather immature presentation and delivery.
Notably, the first-person narrative work is one that can be difficult to execute in almost any given genre, which is a large part of the reason that most literature forgoes this approach for more ‘traditional' means of storytelling. However, Koboyashi has a charming knack for writing in that format and manages an ideal balance of exposition and Komari's own perspective of the comedically absurd events that unfold before her. Admittedly, it can disrupt the flow, and the initial delivery of the narrative is rough and stilted, but once it hits its stride, “Vexations” is wonderfully silly in its execution. In addition, the translation team at Yen Press deserves some accolades for tackling the comedy-heavy work and adapting it to Western sentiments with skill–the reader won't be taken out of the experience by Westernized slang to help make a joke land.
The comedy here is certainly the highlight of the book, particularly in Komari's slip-ups and plotting to maintain the facade of being powerful so her men don't start a mutiny. This comes in awkward boasts as well as given into requests for such events as photo shoots and rap battles with her underlings. Komari's speeches fluctuate between claims of superiority and awkward nerdiness that make the vampire princess an endearing character to follow. In addition, her relationship with her perverse maid Vill turns from contempt from Komari into a strong friendship that begins to naturally flow into a larger narrative.
Being a rather action-lite title, the battle scenes are simplistic, resting largely in simple descriptions of “we went here and killed a bunch of people”. However, the climax of book one has a slight tone shift near the end and there is a showdown that is conveyed with excitement and energy that the majority of the book lacks when it comes to action/fantasy. This is promising for future entries, yet those looking for a complementary mix of comedy and action will likely find the first volume's focus almost entirely on humor to be slightly excessive.
The book contains several illustrations, from the artists known as “richuu”. While complementary to the story, it feels like a rather minimal inclusion when taking into consideration the length of this release (245 Pages). Regardless, it is a nice edition but it would be ideal to get a bit more included in later volumes as it does help give a strong visual presentation in capturing the overtly eccentric personalities.
“Vexations” is a slight patience tester, an awkward intro in prose that takes a while to warm up to, combined with overtly crude humor that is juvenile at best and perverse at worse. However, for readers that can take lewd in stride (or actively seek it out) and are willing to commit to the story Kotei Koboyashi has crafted, “Vexations” is a strong entry into the comedy genre that has a lot of flairs hidden in its rather simplistic approach–readers should be ecstatic to see what happens in the next volume.
