We build statues out of snow, and weep to see them melt. ~Walter Scott
Genre: Romance/Supernatural/Shoujo
Review Status: Complete (2 Volumes/2Volumes)
Licensed: Yes, this manga is licensed in the US.
Art: The art style is typical for Bisco Hattori. Clean lines, strong shading, cute character designs, this has it all.
Summary: Seventeen-year-old Chiyuki Matsuoka was born with heart problems, and doctors say she won’t live to see her next snow. Toya is an 18-year-old vampire who hates blood and refuses to make the traditional partnership with a human, whose life-giving blood would keep them both alive for a thousand years.
Chiyuki makes the most of the time she has left, even though things aren’t that exciting- until she comes across a reluctant vampire late one chilly night. Can Chiyuki teach Toya to feel passion for life, even as her own is ending? (Back of 1st volume)
Review: I’ve heard a lot of people give praise to this particular series, and after reading it, I can’t see why. Hattori dropped this and started Ouran Host Club soon after, and for very good reason. The plot of this does seem like a good one at first- a vampire that doesn’t want to force another being to go through a thousand years of loneliness with him befriends a sick girl. However, in execution, this comes off terribly.
Chiyuki admits that she loves him because he can save her life. This is a damning statement. She loves Toya because of what he can do for her, not because of who he is. That’s not love- that’s using someone. Toya fells terribly for her because of her condition. Who wouldn’t? So after seeing an attack he decides to stick around. That’s not love either- that’s pity and guilt that he’s mistaken for love. Both fall into a twisted facsimile of a relationship.
This adds a third wheel into the mix to add some shallow drama. I know that it’s common to have vampires and werewolves in the same story, that it’s very popular, but in the end we all know who she’s going to end up with. It makes every scene of her ‘torn’ between both guys seem forced.
Millennium Snow also goes for big drama but pulls it off in all the wrong ways. Somehow, but the second volume they can all afford a vacation in the Alps (they’re all 18 and under, and have no signs of an inheritance. Really?), and Chiyuki has gone through a kidnapping by a crazed admirer. This first situation seems ridiculous, while the second is pulled off decently well-after all, he had discovered that Chiyuki’s friend was a vampire- but ends in a way that seems too convenient. And the reason why he went crazed in the first place also is silly. Three men in love with her in two volumes? It’s pushing the boundaries of believability.
There are some redeeming qualities to this manga, with some of the stories being very cute or touching. Even the story who’s premise I dislike immensely (the one in the Alps) has a redeeming story to it… even if the way it relates to the character’s situation is for too obvious.
Overall, with everything said and done the bad parts are equal to the good ones. An indifferent manga at best.
Recommended: 13+. There’s very little language, but there is a small amount of blood (not graphic), and some violence- Toya attacks Chiyuki once to bite her, and Chiyuki’s friend and Toya fight a bit.
Other titles you might enjoy:
Ouran Host Club (anime and manga)
Full Moon wo Sagashite (anime and manga)
Gakuen Alice (manga)
Junketsu + Kareshi (manga)
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