Shigahime (屍牙姫), 2016-2019, Sato, Hirohisa, Comic Zenon

STORY: 5

Meet Hirota, a boy living the school life of a 16 years old. He just met Chika, his first girlfriend, and things are going well. That is, until he crosses the path of a seducing vampire.
This encounter changes radically his life and marks the start of a tragic, painful nightmare. The story is quite cliche, but the interesting take here is the darkness and cruelty of the manga. There is no escaping the horror that plagues Hirota and his misery never ends. If you are against happy endings, Shigahime is an entertaining story.

ART: 7

Good at contrasting the peaceful school day times with the gory vampire fights.

POLITICAL POTENTIAL: 5

Nothing too deep.

FEMINISM: 4

Guess what you get when your main villain is both a vampire and a female? Yes, it’s the “Femme Fatale” trope, good job! Dangerous, gorgeous, perverse and cruel, it’s the whole pack plus a touch of gothic because vampires. The age when powerful women can be depicted as something else than a saint mum or some man-eating deviant will come when men stop being afraid of them. That time still seems so far away.

CONCLUSION: 6

Shigahime is a cliche story with a delivery that is quite strong. If there is not enough violence in your life and you are tired of good guys wining in the end, this is your read. Otherwise you can pass.