Yoshida Sunao (1969–2004)

Okay I've always been a Trinity Blood fan from the moment I heard about the anime. It just had such a unique art style that looked elegant yet violent at the same time. Combining themes from classics like Vampire Hunter D, Hellsing and even Trigun I couldn't help but be drawn in. Though the anime story was incomplete and to some extent so was the manga, mainly because the original writer Sunao Yoshida died in 2004 and thus couldn't finish the story. This came as a shock and bitter show more disappointment for me because I could see he was setting things up but was never given the chance to bring that huge plot revelation he wanted. Nevertheless as a fan I sought out any medium that could hint at something I didn't see in the anime or manga and it lead me to the original source material- the light novels. Unfortunately this novel isn't one of the new stories from the overall series, actually its pretty old within the first 10 eps of the anime. But I didn't mind reading it in its original form-always nice to see anime in literary form anyhow.

The synopsis goes like this, in the fallen capital of Istavan which lies in between the Methuselah (vampire) Empire and the Vatican (human) territory), life is ruled by the Marquis of Hungary Gyula. Gyula happens to be a vampire nobleman, one who spites humans to the point of inducing great suffering to the population with high taxes, martial law etc. But aside from this Gyula seems to have greater plans, plans that can put the entire world at risk. Now the protagonists of the story are split into two individuals, the first is a young nun called Esther Blanchett who secretly leads a rebel group of partisans under the alias Star to stop Gyula's obvious oppression. The second is a bumbling young priest Abel Nightroad who has been sent to Istavan by the Vatican to investigate Gyula and his secret plans while apparently having a much deeper persona.

Keeping away from most spoilers, I'll say that despite the story's episodic nature and the fact that I already knew what was going to happen (having seen the anime already) I was still entertained. The characters were very engaging with Abel acting very humourous and awkward but switching his personality at just the right moments, hinting at a sinister more all-knowing version of himself. Esther does well to be an innocent bystander unknown to the true nature of things. Even Gyula has great motivations behind his villainy and does well as a three-dimensional enemy. The minor characters are also interesting including Tres Iquis AKA Gunslinger the terminator-like gunman, and the very passionate Caterina Sforza who serves well as Abel's superior and shows the politics involved in the Vatican. Even the greater evil Rozencruz Orden does well to capture my attention.

Plus the series combines sci fi,fantasy and horror so masterfully. Only a few stories can rival it.

Also this individual story ended in a complete way hinting at a greater plot which should be continued in further novels or volumes. I just wish that this story did have some sort of ending because I personally think it could've been one of the greatest vampire stories out there, even surpassing Vampire Hunter D in some respect.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars show less

Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.com

Vampires. Powerful, eternal, virtually indestructible, they are at the highest level of evolution. Aren't they awfully cocky, thinking like that? What if you knew there was something stronger, more powerful, older? What if you were that thing? Well, then you would be AX Special Agent Crusnik. Traveling in the guise of a simple poor priest, which he actually is, Agent Crusnik aids the Vatican in a constant, post-apocalyptic, political battle. show more Often throwing direct orders out the window, and taking his partners along for the ride, Crusnik battles his enemies to the bitter end. Until the next one appears. Exposing more plots and evils than he expunges, he and the other agents must continue to be a virtually unbeatable force. And that is quite a big shoe to fill.

Don't be put off by the religious references before you read this. This is literally post-apocalypse. Rome is one of the few major powers left, and the Vatican is not at all what you would expect.

Of all of the pop fiction that I've read, which isn't exactly a ton, but is a fair amount, this book comes the closest to anime. So, if you're a fan of anime, this is the book for you.

Amidst the non-stop action, Agent Crusnik is hilariously witty, a little bit bitter, and still manages to remain concerned about everyone else. He's definitely someone I'd want on my side. Just not around all the time, what with the constant death, destruction, and mayhem.

I want more, please. Pleasantly, there are five more stories on the way, as well as DVDs! show less

Summary: The books that started the anime franchise. In an alternate Europe, the Vatican holds a great deal of power, and a special agency known as AX is sent to dispatch vampire threats.

Review: I'm a fan of the anime and the artbooks, so when I saw the novel on sale, I decided to pick it up. For the most part, I'm glad I did. I'd heard that the novels, on which the entire franchise is originally based, have more backstory and information than the anime series, and I've always been intrigued show more by Trinity Blood's backstory. It has a combination of things that I like best, often in oddly juxtaposed fashions: the Vatican and vampires, religious rituals and gritty violence, seemingly historical settings and science fiction. Also, many of the the characters are interesting. A bit underdeveloped in this first volume but with room to grow.

Trinity Blood is what I believe is called a 'light novel', a pop fiction novel. So the writing is not top-notch. A lot of it is simple or explanatory with little in the way of subtlety. Since I went into the book expecting it, I wasn't too put off. The writing is never bad enough to affect my enjoyment. But this is not Nabakov, let's just say.

There were also a few spots where Japanese aesthetic conflicted with my western sensibilities, such as the depiction of many of the young female characters as cute, innocent, and helpless, therefore lovely. The older women like Caterina and Asthe (which is, in my mind, an awkward nickname to pronounce. I actually much prefer her full name, especially since it invokes the ancient name Ashtoreth) managed to avoid this trap. It got a little weird when Kampfer started praising nuns for being cute. In an ironic way, yes, but it jarred me. I think it would make more sense from a western standpoint to praise them for being beautiful or feminine or whatever, not cute. But such are the difficulties of cultural translation!

Conclusion: An enjoyable, fluffy, novel. show less

Methuselah and Terrans have nearly always been on shaky terms with one another, but when those from one side try to sabotage the fragile peace, then the AX team of the Vatican must step in to stop them.
We follow a young priest known as Father Abel Nightrode, AX agent Crusnik. On the surface, Father Abel seems nothing more than a clumsy, ditzy, know nothing priest. However, if the case calls for it, what he is truly capable of shows through, and on occasion, his true race of a Crusnik is show more shown.
The Methuselah follow no one, bow to no one but their Empress, feeling superiority over the lesser races that they so commonly feed on. They would never think that there could be anything that could turn the table, and feed on their blood...

Until Abel.

I first found out about this series by watching it on TV, so of course jumped at the chance to review it. And I’m very glad I did. I fell in love almost instantly with the TV series, so needless to say the book did it very well. In fact, if I may say so myself, it was even better than the series. Abel is a character that you can fall in love with nearly instantly, and find yourself laughing at nearly every turn, and waiting with bated breath at every other.

Beautiful, well written, and well translated. How much cooler can a book get than a vampire’s vampire? I don’t know if I’ll be able to wait long enough for the second one! show less