.gif)
Karin (manga)
Encyclopedia
Chibi Vampire, originally released in Japan as , is a Japanese manga
series written and illustrated by Yuna Kagesaki
. The story is about an unusual vampire girl, who instead of drinking blood must inject it into others because she produces too much. Chibi Vampire first premiered in the shōnen
magazine Monthly Dragon Age
in the October 2003 issue, and ran until February 2008. The individual chapters were published by Kadokawa Shoten
into fourteen collected volumes
.
In 2003, Tohru Kai began writing a series of light novel
s based on the manga, with Kagesaki providing the illustrations. The nine-volume series was published in Japan by Fujimi Shobo
. Both the manga and light novel series are licensed for English language release by Tokyopop
. Tokyopop renamed the manga series to Chibi Vampire and the novel series to Chibi Vampire: The Novel.
In 2005, an anime adaptation was produced by J.C.Staff
and directed by Shinichiro Kimura
. Spanning twenty-four episodes, the series aired in Japan on WOWOW
from November 3, 2005 through May 11, 2006. It was licensed
for an English release to Region 1 DVD
, under the original name Karin, by Geneon USA. On July 3, 2008, Geneon Entertainment and Funimation Entertainment announced that Funimation had agreed to be the exclusive North American distributor of Geneon titles, including Karin. Geneon is still the actual licensor of the series.
s who immigrated to Japan two centuries earlier. Unlike the rest of her family, Karin does not feed on blood, she produces it. As a result, she is forced to bite others to expel the extra blood, lest she suffer exaggerated nose-bleeds. She also exhibits no normal vampire traits, and instead lives her life just as an ordinary teenage girl would. She can go outside during the day, attends high school, and follows the sleep pattern of normal humans. However, the general peacefulness of her life is disrupted with the arrival of a new transfer student, Kenta Usui.
Any time she goes near him her blood increases. At first she tries to avoid him but they are in the same class and work in the same restaurant. Kenta begins to think that there is something fishy about Karin and eventually he learns her secret. Karin's elder brother Ren tries to erase his memory but Anju, Karin's younger sister, stops him from doing so. She convinces their parents Henry and Calera to make Kenta their ally, because he can help Karin during the daylight. Karin and Kenta become friends, and as they spend more time with one another, fall in love, though they are slow to admit their feelings to one another.
Yuriya Tachibana, a human-vampire hybrid, moves to the area at the request of her vampire uncle, Glark. As hybrids are sterile, Tachibana disapproves of Karin and Kenta's relationship, feeling any children they had would be unhappy like her. Despite this, Karin likes Tachibana and considers her a friend, unaware that Tachibana is actually there to help her uncle and the Brownlick clan spy on her. After another nose bleed leaves Karin comatose for several days, Karin's family ask Kenta to stay away from her, but the two lovers are unable to stand being apart and eventually reunite and become a couple. Shortly after they share their first kiss, Tachibana helps Glark and Bridget Brownlick kidnap Karin and take her the Brownlick estate. It is revealed that Karin is the "psyche", a blood-giving vampire that can give life to other vampires and heal the sterility currently plaguing all vampires. To do so, however, they must drink all of Karin's blood, killing her.
Karin's father Henry, her brother Ren, and Kenta go to rescue Karin. Meanwhile, Tachibana is horrified to learn that not only will Karin be killed, but also raped until she has a child to produce a new psyche to replace her. She apologizes to Karin for disapproving of Kenta's relationship and for hurting Karin, and helps her escape just as Kenta comes in with Ren. While Ren takes care of the vampire holding Karin captive, Henry battles Glark and the Brownlicks, joined belatedly by his mother Elda. Kenta, Karin, and Tachibana escape, but Tachibana leaves them to go ensure her uncle won't be caught in the sun.
It is later revealed that Kenta and Karin's first kiss stopped her blood producing. Karin's family sorrowfully erases all of her memories of them, so that she can live as a normal human with Kenta, while they quietly watch over her. They had prepared to do so for over four years, and the process is successful; they could not erase Kenta's memories however, and he is left having to keep the secret from Karin. At the end of the series, Karin and Kenta are married with a daughter named Kanon, who is the reborn Sophia- the first psyche who aided Kenta in finding Karin; Karin's sister Anju continues to watch over her sister's happiness.
, Chibi Vampire premiered in Japan in the October 2003 issue of Monthly Dragon Age
and ran until the February 2008 issue. It was also published in fourteen collected volumes
by Kadokawa Shoten
, released between October 1, 2003 and April 1, 2008 in Japan. A one-shot side story created by Kagesaki, , was included in the June 2008 issue of Monthly Dragon Age.
In 2005, Tokyopop
acquired the license to release both the manga and light novel series in English in North America. To avoid confusion with another of its properties, Tokyopop chose to release the manga under the name Chibi Vampire instead of under its original name of Karin. Tokyopop released the first translated manga volume on April 11, 2006 and is currently releasing three volumes each year. They are also releasing the novel series concurrently with the manga.
Tokyopop also released a collection of Karin short stories under the title: "Chibi Vampire: Airmail" on August 31, 2010.
The series is also licensed in France by Pika Édition
and in Poland by Waneko
.
s, , is being written by Tohru Kai with illustrations provided by Kagesaki. The novels are published by Fujimi Shobo
, with the first volume released on December 10, 2003. As of April 2008, nine volumes have been released. Tokyopop
, which also licensed the manga series, acquired the license to release the novels in English in North America. As the company had renamed the manga series from Karin to Chibi Vampire, it released the novel series under the name Chibi Vampire: The Novel. The first English volume was released on January 9, 2007 and, like the novels, three volumes are being released each year. In June 2008, Tokyopop restructured itself, breaking into two subsidiaries under a single holding company, and cut its publication releases by more than half. As part of this cut back, Tokyopop canceled the remaining releases of Chibi Vampire: The Novel after the fifth volume, due to be released July 8, 2008. The company later reversed the cancellation and announced that volume six would be released April 13, 2010.
Chibi Vampire: The Novel is closely tied to the manga series, with each novel volume designed to be read after its corresponding manga volume. For example, the first novel takes place between the events that occur in the first and second volumes of the manga series, and the fourth volume of the manga mentions characters and events from the first novel volume.
and directed by Shinichiro Kimura
. Spanning twenty-four episodes, the series aired in Japan on WOWOW
from November 3, 2005 through May 11, 2006. It was licensed for an English release to Region 1 DVD
, under the original name Karin, by Geneon USA; however, the company went out of business before completing the release of the series. On July 3, 2008, Geneon Entertainment and Funimation Entertainment announced an agreement to distribute select titles in North America. While Geneon Entertainment will still retain the license, Funimation Entertainment will assume exclusive rights to the manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution of select titles. Karin was one of several titles involved in the deal. While Funimation is distributing the DVDs, Geneon is the licensor of the series, and also produced the English dub in association with Odex
.
on March 17, 2006 as a guidebook to give an overview of the Chibi Vampire series. The first portion of the book contains illustrations by Yuna Kagesaki
; the second part contains an overview of the series' setting, including a map of the town featured in Chibi Vampire; the third part has the results of a reader questionnaire; the fourth part has descriptions of the characters, and outlines of some of the popular scenes throughout the series.
This book was published by TokyoPop as Chibi Vampire: Bites on December 28, 2010.
In a special extra to the series Hekikai no AiON
, volume 6, Karin and her sister Anju are featured. At that point, Karin has been married to Kenta for a while, and she is pregnant with Kanon.
's first annual Light Novel Award
in the "Novelization" category. The manga received a three-out-of-four star rating from Jason Thompson
's Manga: The Complete Guide
.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series written and illustrated by Yuna Kagesaki
Yuna Kagesaki
is a manga artist, born on March 3, 1973, best known for being the author of the manga Chibi Vampire. Her work has been published under four different names: , , when drawing...
. The story is about an unusual vampire girl, who instead of drinking blood must inject it into others because she produces too much. Chibi Vampire first premiered in the shōnen
Shonen
The term refers to manga marketed to a male audience aged roughly 10 and up. The Kanji characters literally mean "few" and "year", respectively, where the characters generally mean "comic"...
magazine Monthly Dragon Age
Monthly Dragon Age
is a Japanese manga magazine published by Fujimi Shobo. The magazine began as a combination between Monthly Comic Dragon and Monthly Dragon Junior, two former magazines published by Fujimi Shobo. The first issue was published in April 2003, and the magazine is sold on the ninth of each month. The...
in the October 2003 issue, and ran until February 2008. The individual chapters were published by Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
into fourteen collected volumes
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
.
In 2003, Tohru Kai began writing a series of light novel
Light novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
s based on the manga, with Kagesaki providing the illustrations. The nine-volume series was published in Japan by Fujimi Shobo
Fujimi Shobo
is a Japanese publishing company that specializes in the publication of light novels, manga, role-playing games and collectible card games. The company started in 1991 as a subsidiary of Kadokawa Shoten.-Magazines published:Light novel magazines...
. Both the manga and light novel series are licensed for English language release by Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
. Tokyopop renamed the manga series to Chibi Vampire and the novel series to Chibi Vampire: The Novel.
In 2005, an anime adaptation was produced by J.C.Staff
J.C.STAFF
, is a Japanese animation studio founded in January 1986. Their first release was the three episode OVA Sengoku Kidan Yōtōden, in 1987. They have produced several well-known anime series, such as Revolutionary Girl Utena, Excel Saga, Shingetsutan Tsukihime, Shakugan no Shana, Toaru Majutsu no...
and directed by Shinichiro Kimura
Shinichiro Kimura
is a Japanese anime director. His nickname is ', a shortened version of his name. Kimura graduated from Osaka University of Arts.-Anime involved in:*Burn Up Excess*Cosplay Complex*Dai-Guard*G-On Riders*Generator Gawl*Hand Maid May*Karin...
. Spanning twenty-four episodes, the series aired in Japan on WOWOW
WOWOW
WOWOW was the first private satellite broadcasting and pay TV station in Japan. It has its headquarters on the 21st floor of the Akasaka Park Building in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo...
from November 3, 2005 through May 11, 2006. It was licensed
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
for an English release to Region 1 DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, under the original name Karin, by Geneon USA. On July 3, 2008, Geneon Entertainment and Funimation Entertainment announced that Funimation had agreed to be the exclusive North American distributor of Geneon titles, including Karin. Geneon is still the actual licensor of the series.
Plot
Karin Maaka is the middle child in a family of vampireVampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
s who immigrated to Japan two centuries earlier. Unlike the rest of her family, Karin does not feed on blood, she produces it. As a result, she is forced to bite others to expel the extra blood, lest she suffer exaggerated nose-bleeds. She also exhibits no normal vampire traits, and instead lives her life just as an ordinary teenage girl would. She can go outside during the day, attends high school, and follows the sleep pattern of normal humans. However, the general peacefulness of her life is disrupted with the arrival of a new transfer student, Kenta Usui.
Any time she goes near him her blood increases. At first she tries to avoid him but they are in the same class and work in the same restaurant. Kenta begins to think that there is something fishy about Karin and eventually he learns her secret. Karin's elder brother Ren tries to erase his memory but Anju, Karin's younger sister, stops him from doing so. She convinces their parents Henry and Calera to make Kenta their ally, because he can help Karin during the daylight. Karin and Kenta become friends, and as they spend more time with one another, fall in love, though they are slow to admit their feelings to one another.
Yuriya Tachibana, a human-vampire hybrid, moves to the area at the request of her vampire uncle, Glark. As hybrids are sterile, Tachibana disapproves of Karin and Kenta's relationship, feeling any children they had would be unhappy like her. Despite this, Karin likes Tachibana and considers her a friend, unaware that Tachibana is actually there to help her uncle and the Brownlick clan spy on her. After another nose bleed leaves Karin comatose for several days, Karin's family ask Kenta to stay away from her, but the two lovers are unable to stand being apart and eventually reunite and become a couple. Shortly after they share their first kiss, Tachibana helps Glark and Bridget Brownlick kidnap Karin and take her the Brownlick estate. It is revealed that Karin is the "psyche", a blood-giving vampire that can give life to other vampires and heal the sterility currently plaguing all vampires. To do so, however, they must drink all of Karin's blood, killing her.
Karin's father Henry, her brother Ren, and Kenta go to rescue Karin. Meanwhile, Tachibana is horrified to learn that not only will Karin be killed, but also raped until she has a child to produce a new psyche to replace her. She apologizes to Karin for disapproving of Kenta's relationship and for hurting Karin, and helps her escape just as Kenta comes in with Ren. While Ren takes care of the vampire holding Karin captive, Henry battles Glark and the Brownlicks, joined belatedly by his mother Elda. Kenta, Karin, and Tachibana escape, but Tachibana leaves them to go ensure her uncle won't be caught in the sun.
It is later revealed that Kenta and Karin's first kiss stopped her blood producing. Karin's family sorrowfully erases all of her memories of them, so that she can live as a normal human with Kenta, while they quietly watch over her. They had prepared to do so for over four years, and the process is successful; they could not erase Kenta's memories however, and he is left having to keep the secret from Karin. At the end of the series, Karin and Kenta are married with a daughter named Kanon, who is the reborn Sophia- the first psyche who aided Kenta in finding Karin; Karin's sister Anju continues to watch over her sister's happiness.
Manga
Written by Yuna KagesakiYuna Kagesaki
is a manga artist, born on March 3, 1973, best known for being the author of the manga Chibi Vampire. Her work has been published under four different names: , , when drawing...
, Chibi Vampire premiered in Japan in the October 2003 issue of Monthly Dragon Age
Monthly Dragon Age
is a Japanese manga magazine published by Fujimi Shobo. The magazine began as a combination between Monthly Comic Dragon and Monthly Dragon Junior, two former magazines published by Fujimi Shobo. The first issue was published in April 2003, and the magazine is sold on the ninth of each month. The...
and ran until the February 2008 issue. It was also published in fourteen collected volumes
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
by Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
, released between October 1, 2003 and April 1, 2008 in Japan. A one-shot side story created by Kagesaki, , was included in the June 2008 issue of Monthly Dragon Age.
In 2005, Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
acquired the license to release both the manga and light novel series in English in North America. To avoid confusion with another of its properties, Tokyopop chose to release the manga under the name Chibi Vampire instead of under its original name of Karin. Tokyopop released the first translated manga volume on April 11, 2006 and is currently releasing three volumes each year. They are also releasing the novel series concurrently with the manga.
Tokyopop also released a collection of Karin short stories under the title: "Chibi Vampire: Airmail" on August 31, 2010.
The series is also licensed in France by Pika Édition
Pika Édition
Pika Édition is a French publisher headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, specializing in manga. Founded as a daughter company of Media System Editions, it was taken over by Hachette Livre in 2007.-Distribution:...
and in Poland by Waneko
Waneko
Waneko is a Polish manga publisher, located in Warszawa, Poland. The founders of Waneko are Aleksandra Watanuki, Martyna Taniguchi and Kenichiro Watanuki.-Manga:*Cat Shit One*Cześć, Michael!...
.
Light novels
A series of light novelLight novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
s, , is being written by Tohru Kai with illustrations provided by Kagesaki. The novels are published by Fujimi Shobo
Fujimi Shobo
is a Japanese publishing company that specializes in the publication of light novels, manga, role-playing games and collectible card games. The company started in 1991 as a subsidiary of Kadokawa Shoten.-Magazines published:Light novel magazines...
, with the first volume released on December 10, 2003. As of April 2008, nine volumes have been released. Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
, which also licensed the manga series, acquired the license to release the novels in English in North America. As the company had renamed the manga series from Karin to Chibi Vampire, it released the novel series under the name Chibi Vampire: The Novel. The first English volume was released on January 9, 2007 and, like the novels, three volumes are being released each year. In June 2008, Tokyopop restructured itself, breaking into two subsidiaries under a single holding company, and cut its publication releases by more than half. As part of this cut back, Tokyopop canceled the remaining releases of Chibi Vampire: The Novel after the fifth volume, due to be released July 8, 2008. The company later reversed the cancellation and announced that volume six would be released April 13, 2010.
Chibi Vampire: The Novel is closely tied to the manga series, with each novel volume designed to be read after its corresponding manga volume. For example, the first novel takes place between the events that occur in the first and second volumes of the manga series, and the fourth volume of the manga mentions characters and events from the first novel volume.
Anime
In 2005, an anime adaptation was produced by J.C.StaffJ.C.STAFF
, is a Japanese animation studio founded in January 1986. Their first release was the three episode OVA Sengoku Kidan Yōtōden, in 1987. They have produced several well-known anime series, such as Revolutionary Girl Utena, Excel Saga, Shingetsutan Tsukihime, Shakugan no Shana, Toaru Majutsu no...
and directed by Shinichiro Kimura
Shinichiro Kimura
is a Japanese anime director. His nickname is ', a shortened version of his name. Kimura graduated from Osaka University of Arts.-Anime involved in:*Burn Up Excess*Cosplay Complex*Dai-Guard*G-On Riders*Generator Gawl*Hand Maid May*Karin...
. Spanning twenty-four episodes, the series aired in Japan on WOWOW
WOWOW
WOWOW was the first private satellite broadcasting and pay TV station in Japan. It has its headquarters on the 21st floor of the Akasaka Park Building in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo...
from November 3, 2005 through May 11, 2006. It was licensed for an English release to Region 1 DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, under the original name Karin, by Geneon USA; however, the company went out of business before completing the release of the series. On July 3, 2008, Geneon Entertainment and Funimation Entertainment announced an agreement to distribute select titles in North America. While Geneon Entertainment will still retain the license, Funimation Entertainment will assume exclusive rights to the manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution of select titles. Karin was one of several titles involved in the deal. While Funimation is distributing the DVDs, Geneon is the licensor of the series, and also produced the English dub in association with Odex
Odex
Odex Pte. Ltd. is a Singapore-based company that licenses and releases anime for local and regional Southeast Asian consumption. It was registered in 1998 to license, import and release overseas drama and animation into Singapore. It began distribution in 2000...
.
Other
A book entitled (ISBN 978-4-0471-2439-4) was published by Kadokawa ShotenKadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
on March 17, 2006 as a guidebook to give an overview of the Chibi Vampire series. The first portion of the book contains illustrations by Yuna Kagesaki
Yuna Kagesaki
is a manga artist, born on March 3, 1973, best known for being the author of the manga Chibi Vampire. Her work has been published under four different names: , , when drawing...
; the second part contains an overview of the series' setting, including a map of the town featured in Chibi Vampire; the third part has the results of a reader questionnaire; the fourth part has descriptions of the characters, and outlines of some of the popular scenes throughout the series.
This book was published by TokyoPop as Chibi Vampire: Bites on December 28, 2010.
In a special extra to the series Hekikai no AiON
Hekikai no AiON
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuna Kagesaki. The series was published in Japan by Fujimi Shobo and serialized in Monthly Dragon Age magazine. The manga has been distributed in English by Tokyopop...
, volume 6, Karin and her sister Anju are featured. At that point, Karin has been married to Kenta for a while, and she is pregnant with Kanon.
Reception
In 2007, the Chibi Vampire light novel series was a runner up for the Kadokawa ShotenKadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
's first annual Light Novel Award
Light Novel Award
The was a literary award handed out by the Japanese publisher Kadokawa Shoten for light novels, and was only held once in 2007. The novels which were applicable to receive the award were either published by Kadokawa Shoten under their Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko light novel label, or by three other...
in the "Novelization" category. The manga received a three-out-of-four star rating from Jason Thompson
Jason Thompson (writer)
Jason Thompson is a manga critic, journalist, writer and comics artist.-Life and career:...
's Manga: The Complete Guide
Manga: The Complete Guide
Manga: The Complete Guide is a 2007 encyclopedia written by Jason Thompson and published by Del Rey which provides basic details and short reviews of over 1000 Japanese manga titles that have been translated and released in English in North America...
.