Review: Lament of the Lamb (Vols 2 & 3) by Kei Toume

Product Summary

As Kazuna continues to be tormented by a violent and irrepressible craving for blood, his long-lost sister Chizuana reveals the secrets of his past. With their destinies intertwined, the siblings grow increasingly alienated from the world...and the only cure for their terrifying disease just might destroy the ones who love them.
– Vol. 2

After another attack of bloodlust, Kazuna's rage grows and he confesses to Chizuna the horror of his bloodthirsty dreams, which seem to be linked to his unconscious desires. With no cure for his vampirism in sight, Kazuna ponders ending it all—will he evil be able to rest in peace? Or is sleep really the cousin of death? – Vol. 3

Click here for the review of Volume 1.

First Impressions

“Love and destructiveness co-exist inside all of us. They are continually at war with each other. But it is ultimately our desires that determines which side dominates...”

When we last left Kazuna he was struggling to come to terms with his vampiric hunger and the complexities of his recently reunited relationship with his sister Chizuna, all the while trying to maintain a normal life attending school and sparing the feelings of fellow student Yaegashi, whose romantic interest in Kazuna puts her at great personal risk.

Volumes two and three of Lament of the Lamb see Kazuna's innermost feelings brought to the surface, as he wrestles with thoughts of suicide and questions the nature of Chizuna's love for him—namely, whether her new-found interest in him is due to their shared family history, his striking similarity to their deceased father or the burgeoning of a love that borders on taboo.

Meanwhile, Chizuna notices Kazuna's increasing dependence on Yaegashi and hatches a plan to demolish their relationship. But Yaegashi--as important as she is to Kazuna--cannot distract him from the realization that a rift has formed between him and his adoptive parents. The drama reaches its painful climax in an emotionally charged scene between Kazuna and his mother, as they finally acknowledge what they've left unspoken for so many years. The intensity of Kazuna's mother, coupled with Kazuna's harsh replies (whether sincere or spoken for his mother's protection) will leave the reader with a feeling of intense discomfort.

Final Thoughts

Even though there's enough drama within the pages to create an entire twisted soap opera, the story still feels natural and progresses logically, abstaining from deus ex machina and cheap literary thrills.

A unique drama/horror worthy of continued reading, Lament of the Lamb began with a seed of darkness. That seed has now been watered with equal parts blood and malice. What flowers in future volumes will undoubtedly bring contempt and despair. 

Review: Lament of the Lamb by Kei Toume

Product Summary

Kazuna Takashiro can't escape the pain of his past. Ever since his mother died, nightmares and visions have been eating away at him. When he  finds his long-lost sister, Chizuna, the two discover they share more than just a family name. The siblings are cursed with a disease of the blood - a disease that will turn them into vampires! As they resist accepting their destiny, Kazuna and Chizuna struggle to contain the craving that is the very essence of what they will become.

First Impressions

"My mother...even though she's cradling my sister, she looks so terribly sad. The memories I have of her are as faded as this photograph." - excerpt.

Lament of the Lamb is a seven volume horror/drama manga series with gothic overtones developed by Kei Toume. Officially it fits under the umbrella term "seinen", which is manga traditionally targeted to male readers between the ages of 16-30.

Although the first several pages masquerade as a traditional (albeit quirky) drama, the subtle foreshadowing and overall tone of the writing is especially dark, serving as a warning for upcoming events.

The main protagonist, Kazuna Takashiro, is a high school teen who lives with his "aunt" and "uncle". His mother died when he was quite young, and his father reluctantly chose to leave Kazuna with friends of the family so that he could attend to Kazuna's older sister, Chizuna, who had fallen gravely ill.

Upon starting a new art class Kazuna meets Yaegashi, a cute, albeit somewhat reserved young woman. After several days of bonding Kazuna sheepishly agrees to model for her still life painting. His problems begin when Yaegashi pulls out a bottle of blood red paint, and Kazuna begins to feel violently sick, passing out at her feet.

Resolving to learn more about his family, Kazuna tracks down his older sister, Chizuna, who reveals that the illness she suffered as a child was actually the beginning symptoms of vampirism. What separates Lament of the Lamb from the majority of vampire mythology is that it regards vampirism not as a supernatural affliction spread by the undead to the living, but rather, as an inherited blood disease spread through reproduction. Their father, fearing for Kazuna's safety, gave him up and moved away with Chizuna in order to tend to her. When Kazuna tells his sister about his fainting spells, she suspects that he too is afflicted with vampirism, and that it may have been overlooked by their father since women tend to show signs of the affliction at an earlier age than men.

Kazuna and Chizuna's reconciliation serves as the beginning of their new life together, and in many ways it also serves as the point where the plot begins to pick up.

Final Thoughts

The first volume is unusually slow for a horror manga. At nearly 200 pages, it's almost unheard of that no one dies, is maimed or murders another person. The only trauma inflicted in the first volume is limited to emotional and psychological trauma. I suspect that this may branch out in future volumes, however.

What appeals to me is that the author was brave enough to spend a great deal of time with character development, rather than hastily putting the main story into motion. Kei Toume manages this task gracefully and I never found myself bored or disinterested, quite the opposite in fact, as I am now even more invested in what the future holds for Kazuna than I would have been had Kei rushed the plot.

Lament of the Lamb is a slow, gradual build towards pain and personal destruction. Future volumes will (obviously) be reviewed.