In the small village of Tepes, there is promise, and great fear.  Ten years ago, four children went missing, then, a month later, three out of the four returned, with no recollection of what happened.  Back to the present, the now grown-up children are living their lives, and one of them has been chosen to be taken to a top school in the capital city.  Before the selection committee comes for the girl, however, there is a little problem that needs to be taken care of… a Noble who can hunt during the day?

Highlights

This volume has a lighter feel then Vol. 1.  It was much easier to understand what was going on in the panels.  It also lightened up the generally heavy plot of a world that's been practically reduced to its ancient past, at least for most of the book.  There are moments of confusions that are cleared up at the end.  

I like this particular plot line better.  Each volume is separate from the rest, and I think this one was more interesting than the previous one.  There was more opportunity for the series as a whole to develop.  In the previous volume, D's relationship with the main female character was a bit distracting from the story, but now D's charm is used to solve the case of the mysterious daytime Noble.  This plot is more humorous, too.  I liked it.  I'm the kind of gal who looks for the funny in the manga I read, and if I don't find much, I easily lose interest.  Vampire Hunter D is not meant to be a comedy, but D's static nature combined with the way women fall for him completely is rather hilarious.  D knows that they will only really love him, no matter who they meet, but in reality, D just doesn't want them more than as a friend.  They take his chivalry and manners as proposals of marriage or as hints that he's really interested in them.  It cracks me up.
 

Overall

Like I said, this was a much easier volume to follow, and the artwork in general was cleaner.  It still kept its gothic nature, while adding some more humor.  Then, as the volume comes to an end, it gets really depressing.  It was a nice surprise.  I'm not saying I like really depressing things, but this time it was needed to keep the story strong, otherwise it would have a boring ending that would cause the reader to possibly lose interest in the series.  One thing I did not like about this volume was that the underlying reason for all that happened was for sex.  To me, the story felt like it was driven by sexual desires by all but D.  Luckily, the ending erased most of that sense.  Still, it is not for those under 16.  Overall, I'm pleased with how well the series is doing plot wise, and I can't wait to read the next one.

ComicsOnline gives Vampire Hunter D: Volume 2, 4.5 out of 5 Flowers from a Secret Admirer.