Story by Hirano Toshiki (formerly Toshihiro)
Art by Kakinouchi Narumi
Horror Comics Special from Akita Shoten
Published August 5, 1998
¥540 each volume

I will be honest and say that, of all the various MIYU and related creations to have sprung from the husband and wife team of Hirano and Kakinouchi, for me personally nothing even comes close to the original OVA series. Not the MIYU manga, nor YUI, and especially not the TV series, although that was passable at the end. Thanks to the recent revival, however, Kakinouchi has been steadily releasing more MIYU manga. That is something I would be hard pressed to be negative about, regardless of the actual quality of the work. And now we are blessed with volume 3 of the VAMPIRE MIYU series, a work that, like the SHIN VAMPIRE MIYU series, features the combination of Hirano's storyboards with Kakinouchi's art.
For those of you who may be confused by the profusion of "vampire" works, a short explanation:
First came the VAMPIRE MIYU OVAs (4 eps). These were followed by the VAMPIRE MIYU manga (1 vol) and the VAMPIRE MIYU novel. These paralleled the OVAs but differed in detail and atmosphere, tending towards the tear-jerking side. Then Hirano and Kakinouchi began the SHIN VAMPIRE MIYU series (5 vols), which focused on the invasion of Japan by Western Shinma including Larva's old friends. Around that time, the VAMPIRE YUI series (5 vols) also began. This was a series revolving around Yui, a girl of supernatural origin who had received Miyu's blood and led a life similar to Miyu's, although Yui was more human-like and was therefore an easier character to sympathize with. Yui and Miyu interacted in SHIN VAMPIRE MIYU. After this, Kakinouchi also wrote DAHLIA THE VAMPIRE (1 vol) which has nothing to do at all with the Miyu continuity but is nonetheless recommended. There was also the companion series to VAMPIRE YUI called THE WANDERER. Then early this year, the VAMPIRE MIYU TV series aired. This was a sort of parallel universe and featured a retelling of Miyu's origins. While this ran, Kakinouchi released the manga VAMPIRE MIYU vol 2. This suffered from the same problems as portions of SHIN VAMPIRE MIYU, namely in that it was beautifully drawn but one simply had no idea what was going on and as such the story was pretty much incomprehensible.
Which brings us to VAMPIRE MIYU volume 3. According to Hirano's notes at the end of the book, the correct order that this is to be read in is VAMPIRE MIYU 1, SHIN VAMPIRE MIYU 1-5, VAMPIRE MIYU 2, and then VAMPIRE MIYU 3.
As usual, the artwork is gorgeous; fine lines give the work an ephemeral atmosphere, and the panel progressions during the fight scenes are dynamic. Kakinouchi's art has matured over the course of the years and her faces are more consistent during different angle shots. For some reason, however, Miyu looks younger, even cuter, in this volume. This softens her character, making her very human in certain scenes. As such, this manga feels quite different from its predecessors.
Those familiar with the TV series and the SHIN VAMPIRE MIYU manga will be glad to know that this volume introduces old friends and foes like Ranka, Reiha, and certain acquaintances of Larva, all told as separate stories. The first is quite similar to a typical TV episode, with Miyu in a school keeping her eyes on a Shinma. Then Reiha and her familiar Matsukaze (in a different design) make their appearance, and true to her TV personality Reiha reproaches Miyu for her indecisiveness and proceeds to take matters into her own hands. It is a bitter ending, of course, for in MIYU there are hardly any happy ones.
The next few chapters feature Lilith, younger sister of Carlua and very headstrong girl holding less than friendly intentions towards Miyu. I enjoyed this part the most, because it showed both sides of Miyu—the hunter and the vampire. Last of all is a rather intriguing story with that all-too-familiar theme of a Shinma trapping Miyu by attacking her subconscious, but it makes up for this shortcoming by revealing a bit more of Miyu's past, as well as tying the manga in with the tragic events depicted in the OVA.
Because of these separate stories, compared to the SHIN VAMPIRE MIYU series the reader may feel that continuity is lacking. Still, Hirano's positive influence is apparent. The stories are more focused and well told than before and this volume as a whole just makes for better reading.
In conclusion, I feel that as far as manga goes, VAMPIRE MIYU 3 still falls short, but nonetheless it is the best of the lot and an essential part of every Miyu fan's library. Pick this up if you can, and in the meantime hope that the next volume features a bit more character and plot development.