On the streets of Paris, a naive young portrait artist is approached by a devastatingly handsome man who commission hims to paint a portrait of himself – showing his true face. He promises to provide the artist with a place to work, and as much payment as he wishes. Lou agrees, drawn inexplicably toward the enigmatic Sein, who takes him to his own "work space", where he may paint. It turns out that Sein is a composer, but when Lou would share a music tape that is close to his heart – an original composition by his grandfather Claude – Adore – Sein becomes uncommunicative, to the boy's chagrin. And with each painting that Lou finishes, Sein finds fault with it and rips it apart! Until one time when he accidentally cuts Lou in the process, and Sein's true nature is revealed – he is a vampire!
Highlights
Prior to his meeting with Lou, Sein was bound in a contract to Adam to only drink his blood, but since he found Lou – who is the spitting image of Sein's beloved Claude – he does not wish to draw sustenance from Adam, angering the other man, and weakening himself. Sein mysteriously disappears, leaving Lou a note to stay with Adam, that he will come for him, and Lou finds himself staying in Adam's palatial estate, being taken care of by his butler. The butler tricks Lou into going with him in the middle of the night, claiming that Adam intends him harm. He takes him to where Sein is, and Lou finds to his horror that the vampire has been hung upon a huge wooden cross in the classic crucifix posture – and only then does the butler reveal himself to be Sein's evil brother Vorloren!. He encourages Lou to take Sein's blood in order to become a vampire such as he! As volume 2 of Vampire's Portrait begins, Adam and Lou manage to return the injured Sein to Adam's home where they can care for him, revealing, to Lou's surprise, that Adam is a physician. Adam theorizes that Verloren isn't seeking Sein's death after all, but his own, which makes no sense to Lou. Adam leaves Lou to stand guard at Sein's bedside, giving him a dagger for protection, made of human bone, which has been passed down in his family from generation to generation and is supposedly a talisman against evil. As Adam investigates the spell which Verloren has used again Sein, Lou is learning a little of the vampire's past – with his own grandfather – and coming to realize that his feelings for Sein run deeper than he had imagined possible – he wishes to never leave him! Adam confronts Verloren, and when he learns the nature of the marionette's spell he has cast on his brother, he rushes to save both Sein and the boy from its effects! Can this spell be broken, and what will the consequences be for those involved?
Overall
Vampire's Portrait is a classic vampire story – with a twist. Or two or three. We've seen devastatingly handsome vampires before in manga and film (think Gary Oldman in Francis Ford Coppola's version) but it is less common to find one in a yaoi tale such as this. And not only that, but the vampire is not the strong character in this scenario, he is the one that needs the protection of the seemingly weak youth, which makes for an interesting twist indeed. Does Adam's presence make this a ménage à trois? It is obvious that Sein is drawn to Lou, but how much of it is for who Lou is, and how much for his resemblance to Claude? For his part, Lou is in love with Sein, whether he has put a name to that emotion or not – but he has committed to him emotionally, that much is obvious, and he will do everything in his power to save Sein from his evil brother. But does he need to save him from Adam too? And if push comes to shove, which one will Sein choose?The artwork in this volume is well done, and evocative of an eerie vampire film, romantic and dark and laden with yaoi tones. A personal quirk of mine is to speculate on the names of the characters, to ponder their meanings in the scheme of things – often there is a depth to them which, once discovered, adds to the enjoyment. In this instance, Sein is German for "to be", while Verloren is "lost", or "forfeited." Adam perhaps a Biblical reference to the first man – as in Sein's first man, perhaps? I read that in an original version of this manga, Lou was known as Loup – which is French for "wolf" – which offers intriguing possibilities for future volumes. Either that or idle speculation on my part. Vampire's Portrait carries an 18+ rating for its dark themes, and much bloodshed, as well as its yaoi underpinning. It is a worthwhile addition to your manga library, and I eagerly await the next volume.
Comicsonline gives Vampire's Portrait, volume 2 4 out of 5 clasped hands.
This volume is now available at Amazon!
