The following contains spoilers for Episode 1 of Vampire in the Garden, now streaming on Netflix.
Vampire in the Garden released quietly on Netflix on May 16th with only five episodes. Uniquely, this anime is not based on a manga, or previously existing IP and therefore has led to quite some speculation about whether that was a good idea. Although its trending status on Netflix may imply that it wasn’t all bad.
Fundamentally Vampire in the Garden is a blend of a love story and coming of age. Momo lives in a society where music has been banned due to its likelihood of attracting vampires. Vampires for their part wage an equally fanatical war on the humans as the humans do on them, and Momo with her strong sense of empathy and love for music is caught in the middle. A chance encounter with the Vampire Queen Fine changes her entire outlook on life and the two together go on a journey to seek out Eden, a place they can live together in peace.
Technical Review
The animation in this short show is nearly flawless, as the characters move smoothly and naturally. From dancing and playing the piano to fighting and flying the creatures in this world move with a sense of realism that viewers wouldn’t normally expect from a humanoid whose arms turn into bat wings. Although, not every scene is so beautiful, with one notable moment where the pair are driving a car through the snow, that has some major flaws in the motion of the car that anyone would scoff at. Such a mistake is unusual from the team at Wit studios and therefore it is surprising that such a glaring error made its way into the final cut.
The storyline however is where this anime tends to collapse and the lack of source material becomes obvious. With only five half-hour episodes, so much information is packed into a very short amount of time. In the first episode alone the audience is introduced to both of the protagonists, their worlds and families, and the audience also learns about an ideological war between the two. The vampire revolution and a major scale attack on the humans are also seen that results in the two protagonists running away together. Each episode that follows continues this whirlwind pacing.
While a fast pace is not entirely a bad thing in an anime, it does result in some things being glossed over and/or underdeveloped. Certain side characters' arcs are so underdeveloped across episodes that when they finally have their big moment later in the show viewers are left wondering why they should care. Whereas other arcs are given so little time to develop that their plot is concluded in the same episode where it was introduced. Simply put it really feels like every single episode in this anime is a story arc of its own.
Reactions
To answer the question of whether or not this anime is worth watching a few things must be considered, primarily its reception among audiences thus far. With a low sevens rating on MyAnimeList there has clearly been some good reactions to this show, however, with only 2000 ratings this must be taken with a grain of salt. Comments imply that the majority of the high ratings come from fans who love anything that depicts vampires and romance regardless of other criteria.
That being said, if a fan loves vampires and tragic love this anime is a beautiful example. Instead of “will they won’t they” viewers are treated to a unique case of can they. Can they overcome their situation, can they overcome their pasts, and can they make it together? The highs and lows of their situation, the optimism, and depression, are wild swings that take the viewer on an emotional rollercoaster, and the darkest moments of the show are wonderfully treated.
However, certain details of Vampire in the Garden leave much to be desired. Focusing on the main love story specifically there are two major problems. Momo is only 14 years old, and while we never quite learn the age of Fine it is clear that she is significantly older than Momo. It is also evident that vampires in this world do age, as Fine is depicted both as a child and as an adult in various scenes. In addition to the age difference between the two characters, their relationship is very reminiscent of grooming. Fine dresses Momo, tries to tell her how to act and think, and also shows extreme jealousy when Momo makes a friend closer to her own age.
The second problem comes in the form of Fine’s past, and it is clear that her relationship with Momo isn’t quite authentic. While Fine does eventually address this problem she does not do so satisfactorily, nor in a way that apologizes or absolves her.
Summary
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Between the concerning nature of the two main characters' relationship and the extremely rushed pacing, this show could easily slide into the skip category. However, for those who simply love vampires and romance, it is a flawed but valid addition to that category. If this show was simply given more time to develop and viewers were given more time to enjoy the rich world that it depicts then it would be a must-watch. As is, the redeeming qualities don’t quite outweigh the glaring negatives in this show.