Thread:Revriley/@comment-147.70.36.20-20170404184716/@comment-3218221-20170406181337

I had a long response I'd written out to you, pressed "reply," and for some reason it isn't...showing up. This is intensely frustrating.

There are only two other series in the Naritaverse besides Baccano! and Drrr!!, and they're Vamp! and Etsusa Bridge (I'm pretty sure Narita's said that Hariyama-san isn't part of the Naritaverse, but I could be wrong?). If I'm to exclude Baccano! and Drrr!!, it sounds like you want me to compare Vamp! and EB?

Honestly I don't think I can say whether I like one more than the other. If you pressed me real hard, I'd probably have to say Vamp!, but I do like them both a lot equally. In fact, at this point I'm probably more fond of them than I am of Drrr!!. I like Drrr!!, sure, but they interest me more. I almost feel like it's unfair to like one more than the other  anyway, considering that there's only, what, a handful of us western fans who know of their existence.

Also, it's probably not all that fair to compare the two, considering that EB is technically complete while Vamp! is on hiatus/not finished. Ah, well...

Vamp! can be quite silly, and you really have to swallow your disbelief at some parts of the story. Not only are there watermelon vampires, spider vampires, chihuahua vampires...there's a motherfircking T-Rex! A ''T-Rex! ''A sentient black hole! It's pretty ridiculous, and it's not for everyone.

I think, though, that overall I enjoy and care about more of Vamp!'s cast than I do EB's cast - which isn't a fault of EB considering that it has the smallest cast of all the Naritaverse series. Vamp!'s Watt Stalf, for instance, is one of my favorite characters in the Naritaverse. He's fascinating. He's one of the most well-written and interesting characters Narita has ever written.

Vamp! and EB are also pretty different from each other, you know? EB takes place in the small, insular environment of a near lawless artificial island. Most of the events that happen in EB really only affect the island

....Whereas with Vamp!, things are happening on a huge scale. The Organization has over 20,000 members; there are major Clans dotted across the globe. One of the novels features a sprawling fight between hundreds of Eaters against members of the Organizations across an entire mountainside. Two characters later have an incredibly destructive fight that ends up threatening the entire planet's safety. And the series isn't even done - how is Narita going to top that?

Hell, we still don't even know who Loa's working for - someone who may or may not be the series' Big Bad in the end. I'm intensely curious about this guy. Meanwhile, I was ever so slightly underwhelmed by Ginga Kanashima, EB's main villain.

I dunno. If you're the sort of person who has little patience for concepts that seem pretty silly, EB might appeal to you far more than Vamp! ever will. However, if you have a real penchant for the supernatural and situations that have large scale consequences, Vamp! may very well do it for you. Narita takes certain established ideas (e.g. that vampires are ALWAYS stronger and better than humans) and flips them on their head.

Baccano! will forever be my favorite series in the Naritaverse, but boy, am I glad I read Vamp! and EB. And boy, would I love to see both series animated someday.

Also, though Hariyama-san isn't a part of the Naritaverse, I do recommend checking it out. Vol 1 has been translated, and its translator is currently tackling Vol 2. It's really fun.