Vampire Princess Miyu

Vampire Princess Miyu
Japanese cover of the first volume of Shin Vampire Miyu featuring Miyu.
吸血姫 美夕 (Vanpaia Miyu)
Genre	Action, Supernatural, Horror, Drama
Manga
Written by	Toshiki Hirano
Illustrated by	Narumi Kakinouchi
Published by	Akita Shoten
English publisher	NA Studio Ironcat
Demographic	Shōjo
Magazine	Horror Comics
Original run	1988 – 2002
Volumes	10
Original video animation
Directed by	Toshiki Hirano
Studio	AIC Pony Canyon
Licensed by	AUS Madman Entertainment NA AnimEigo UK Manga Entertainment
Released	21 July 1988 – 21 April 1989
Episodes	4 (List of episodes)
Anime television series
Directed by	Toshiki Hirano
Music by	Kenji Kawai
Studio	AIC
Licensed by	AUS Madman Entertainment NA Maiden Japan UK MVM Films
Original network	TV Tokyo, Anime Network
Original run	6 October 1997 – 30 March 1998
Episodes	26 (List of episodes)

Vampire Princess Miyu (Japanese: 吸血姫（ヴァンパイア） 美夕, Hepburn: Vanpaia Miyu^?) is a Japanese horror manga series by Narumi Kakinouchi and Toshiki Hirano, as well as an anime adaptation by the same creators. The anime was originally presented in a 4-episode OVA (Original Video Animation) licensed by AnimEigo in 1988, and was later adapted into a 26-episode television series licensed by Tokyopop (later by Maiden Japan) and released in 1997.

Stranded in the space between the human world and the demon underworld, the series central characters are a Japanese vampire girl named Miyu and her Western Shinma companion Larva, she is the daughter of both a human being and a shinma (god-demon) ". Miyu was born a vampire and as such she was awakened as the guardian whose destiny is to hunt down all stray shinma and send them back to "the Darkness; charged with the responsibility of returning the evil demons away. Before turning 15 years old, she yearns to return to the darkness herself but not until she has banished all the Shinma from Earth. And since her awakening, she remains cut off by the facts of who and what she is.

Most locations in the series are evocative of traditional Japan.

Spread out over ten volumes, this series storywise falls somewhere between the OAV and the television series. In this version, Ranka is the helpful second tier shinma, but Reiha is largely the same. Most volumes include several stand alone stories regarding Miyu hunting and locating stray Shinma. However, there are several chapters in various volumes relating to the western shinma. In this version it is Lemures who was Larva's companion previous to him coming to Japan. There is also Carlua, who is the daughter of Larva's adoptive uncle, Pazusu. Carlua is deeply in love with Larva (as is Lemures) but both fail in their attempts to "rescue" him from Miyu. These result in Lemures being banished to the darkness and Carlua being repelled, and her little sister Lilith being incinerated by Miyu. Additionally, there is a human girl named Yuma Koizumi who is introduced in volume 4 who becomes a return antagonist. As a school girl, Yuma was loved and marked by a shinma named Tsubaki. Tsubaki belongs to a clan of shinma called "Muma". When he starts to be hunted, Tsubaki is surprisingly accepting, although sad; at the fact he will be parted from Yuma. However, when Miyu returns him to the dark, Yuma vows vengeance. With the help of Tsubaki's companions, Yuma attempts to kill Miyu, knowing Miyu would have difficultly attacking a human foe. The attack ultimately does not succeed and Yuma is left to her misery as Miyu refuses to feed from her (partially out of spite, and out of respect to Tsubaki). In volume 10, it is discovered the Yuma spent the rest of her life pursuing Miyu and her mystery, but is never able to kill her. In the end, Miyu visits Yuma on her death bed, finally drinking her blood.