Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign, Vol. 31

終わりのセラフ [Owari no Seraph] #31

by Takaya Kagami (Writer), Yamato Yamamoto (Illustrator), Daisuke Furuya (Storyboard Artist)

After trumpets of the apocalypse proclaim the fall of humanity, vampires arise from the shadows to rule the earth. Yuichiro wants just one thing—to get revenge by killing each and every vampire.

Yu and Mika continue to watch as long-lost, forbidden memories of the past unfold before their eyes. Paimon reveals the truth to Mikaela—that his existence is taboo and a threat to his father, Sika Madu. Distraught, the angel Mikaela takes matters into his own hands… Sika Madu watches as the perfect world made to reach the heavens crumbles around him and in a final desperate attempt, uses the Tower of Babel to enact the ultimate sin…

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Vampires, Comics Manga, Supernatural, Shonen, Young Adult

184 pages, Paperback

First published November 2, 2023

About the author

Also known as 鏡貴也.

Reviews

[Emily M · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Yu]: I found you, Mika. [Mika]:…Sure took you long enough! [Yu]: Hey! I didn’t have any of my memories, thanks… [Mika]: If I did, I wouldn’t have been able to bear it… [Yu]: What’s it mean to live, then? We’re all just gonna die anyway. Then forget…Why am I trying so hard to turn you back into a human? [Mika]: Are you really bringing that up NOW? Besides, I already gave you my answer to that…Let’s both run away somewhere. We’ll go into hiding. Live a quiet, peaceful life. Then we’ll die together….that was the only viable answer I could find.
Arrgh, my heart!

Here we get into the angel mythology backstory more deeply. I think I can say without spoiling too much – because it was kind of clear that this is where we were going – that The First really is Paradise-Lost-style-Lucifer…only instead of a sort of “sexy bad boy Satan” he/they is more “grieving parent Satan”. Not to mention coming back to why Yu and Mika are supposedly abominations that shouldn’t exist! So, some good Christian religious trauma metaphors, mixed with a bit of Buddhist “attachment is the root of suffering” going on.

Bael: God will never forgive suicide. Paimon’s soul is –
The First (cradling Angel Mika): Don’t say it…
Bael: I’m sure I needn’t tell you, but all happens in accordance with God’s plan. Which means this is another trial too.
The First: Are you going to tell me I just have to accept this? Just roll over and take it? All of this? Every horrible thing?
Bael: Majesty! You’re still in the midst of your journey! To be punished for arrogance while only partway to your goal-
The First: Silence! I won’t accept this! I don’t feel arrogant in the least! All I feel right now is despair! Exhaustion! Helplessness!

I’m not fully sure where the author is going with this, so it’s hard to judge at this point…but I do dig a good philosophical discussion on when to hang on vs. when to let go, when to favor the needs of the (often theoretical) many vs. the needs of those who are special to you, etc., and this series does a fair bit of that.

Also, gotta love a bit of extra angsty gay angel shit thrown in there just because:
Bael: Unlike Paimon, I wanted nothing from you, Majesty. Nothing of God. Of paradise. Or of my king.
The First: Really? If you want none of those, what do you want?
Bael: (Looks at Paimon’s body in his arms) What I want is forever beyond me, now. So I will simply wait.

And gosh, the TWIST! I don’t know yet whether it is really clever or overly convoluted…but for now I like how it creates a variant on the “reincarnated lovers”/ “other half” thing that I’ve never seen before.

Also, the very last bit has brought me back around to hating Guren again…but I’m trying to reserve judgement just a smidge, because he’s also caught in this cycle of the attempt to save people he loves bringing with it a terrible cost.

[Jaye Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

New info dump goes crazyyy. Ultimately it leads to more questions than answers though because ??????? What???? Where the hell are we even going with this like it's biblically CONFUSING. I do appreciate that Yu and Mika were equally hella confused during the flashbacks.

I guess do NOT piss off god because damn that was a little rude of them. Nonbinary god goes hard.

I can't even talk about it because I simply cannot make sense of what I even read. Sooo much angel lore like what happened to the original plot of the series.😭 How did we get here?

I'm not even surprised at Guren being shady again lmao likely place for him to be.

All I know is that this yet again shows how Yu and Mika are soulmates, destined for each other.🫶

[lancet ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should of read book 30 first...

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m glad Yu & Mika are just as confused as the rest of us. But I’m still hanging on for the rest of the ride.

[Saretta · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐

[Ciel Dahlberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is such a cool place they're in, I really wish we got more of the society and culture and character interactions here that just the main plot.

[Valentina | Hikarisshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Io non ti lascerò scappare fino alla morte, Mika!”

[Timothy Pitkin · Rating 2 out of 5]

So we finally finish the flashback arc and it really does not answer much but instead leads to more confusion as there is so much that happens that is not really properly explained. We find out that the First one became a vampire after trying to resurrect the dead angel Mikela as it was meant to be curse for him to burn for all of eternity but then how did seem to just stop burning after a while and we learn that he created humans but him creating new life was also said to be forbidden so how did that not get God's attention. It just feels we are still missing so much.

[s.]

feels like this is too much already but i'll keep on reading (⁠◕⁠દ⁠◕⁠)

[Jess]

the new art style...

[Sam | Queen Hera · Rating 5 out of 5]

My babies, I hope they end up victorious!

[Lucy Tonks (the invisible life of a reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

guren what else are you fucking hiding
(the new artstyle is killing me)

[Ya Boi Be Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every time I get a volume of Seraph of the End from the library I think of how ridiculous, complicated, drawn out, and dumb modern Seraph of the End is. And then I read the volume and I fall for it. And then by the end I'm usually back in the “what the fuck even is modern Seraph of the End's story.” Due to this cycle I just think I'll struggle to give many books more than a 3. Each book individually is good but as a part of a larger series it just complicates itself more and more. Please do bear with my review. They serve partly for me to look back on to remember wtf is going on when a new volume releases.
We get a lot more of Saito's and all the angels / vampires’ backstories here. Mika was just part of a long list of illegal sins Shikama Doji was doing to achieve a happy ending for his people that eventually fell to immense tragedy which we get to see here. Saito gets some really interesting moments here as he's going against the King for the King. He wants Shikama Doji to not do so many illegal things that God would punish him for leading to his and Mika's suicide. It was interesting to see such renegade devotion and it was, if briefly, written. It causing Mika to confront its innocence and want best for Sika Madu only made it more interesting. And then Urd killing himself to be with Saito even more interesting. God Satio x Urd is the true gay ship of Seraph of the End.
Sika Madu's backstory and end goal being revealed here makes him a lot more interesting. His goal reflects Yu and Mika's, as well as overarching message of Owari No Seraph, of risking it all for your friends and family and it working out in the end. Albeit Sika's seemingly hasn't yet. I appreciate that this book also explains some of universe like the black keys having Mika’s power / light, how Sika Madu can create everything, and the whole Angel Mika being one of tje current cast.
I think Yu having Angel Mika’s soul is interesting for the narrative with the mirroring of Angel Mika and Sika Madu, as well as Yu and Sika Madu, but also everything is so fucking complicated I wished they just didn't do it and made it easy with Angel Mika being Mika since it would be so much fucking easier. It also adds more questions like how some dead angels, smartly killed for Sika Madu’s sin as his version of the Apocalypse mirroring Guren’s, are now vampires while others are just the souls in humans. Or the Super confusing cult ran by Saito. Or the ties to the wizard-y Sorcerer groups. But that's modern Seraph of the End for you. One question answered, another sidestepped or confusingly alluded to and two more created. The ending makes it seems like next volume will more clearly show Guren and Ferid's ties as well as what these two know about Yu and Mika which will be nice as this story has gone on so long and has had so many turns its hard to remember anyone or any group's deal let alone how each person in the group has their own secret goal or motive.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

This includes vague spoilers but necessary ones if you enjoy certain characters. Please don’t report.

Absolute trash. Mika was my favorite character from the start of series, which I had read when it first came out. I loved his character and knew there was still so much character development for him to come which I hoped would make his character just as, if not more important than Yuu. I was getting really excited for these chapters and that it would finally actually give Mika more character development and storyline importance and then all of that was completely stripped away when the author did the whole “Mika and Yuu actually switched bodies to trick god (or whoever the f)” so not only is my favorite character not my favorite character but took away so much from him. I haven’t read anything since these chapters and I don’t plan on reading the rest. It actually genuinely breaks my heart every time I think about it.

[gemma · Rating 1 out of 5]

RATING THIS ONE ONE STAR BC IT'S NONSENSICAL THIS IS SO ANNOYING AND STUPID also it's so funny how they're introducing all this nonsense and then they're just like "oh yeah and akane and the kids" LIKE YEAH REMEMBER THEM.....THE SERIES' HUMBLE BEGINNINGS......THE GOOD OLD DAYS.....literally how did we get here

[Caitlin ~WordsAreMyForte~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not going to drop this yet bc this volume was (slightly) better [not by much], but still…seraph of the end really needs to end… no pun intended. Everything is hella confusing and makes no sense. The story is unraveling as it's simultaneously being developed. There's no way this entire backstory was planned from the beginning.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

OKEJ MAM ŁEB ROZWALONY
CO TU SIĘ STAŁO
JAK TO WPLYNIE NA RESZTĘ FABULY?
CZY POPRZEDNIE TLUMACZY TO WYDARZENIA? MOŻLIWE
Chce kolejny tom już mimo, że nie był ten genialny, ale był ciekawy i ten plot twist?

[Carina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so confused 🫨​

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ch 127-130

Read on SJ app

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE the lore, don't really love the new character designs :/

[Meow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favourite one. We get to see The First's story and who is Mika.
I love the concept that was approached here. How humans have been created.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75⭐️ This is becoming a bit overly drawn out and complex...

[Isel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like when I get to have a look at their past.
I want to know who Paimon and Bael are right now. Are they Ferid and the guy that does what he says despite saying he don't like him? 🤔

[Sheepy · Rating 5 out of 5]

okay all this was just amazing!

[Fizza · Rating 1 out of 5]

like, WHAT? Pt.II

[clau 🫧 · Rating 5 out of 5]

cada vez que pienso que estoy comenzando a entenderlo todo pasa algo que me deja el culo cacahuete

[GONZA · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fall of the Seraphin and so the origins of the vampires also. I missed this manga.

La caduta del Serafini e quindi anche le origini dei vampiri. Mi mancava questo manga.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the manga in exchange for a honest review.

[julibreria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se está yendo todo taaaan a la mierda jajajja pero ellos siempre juntos, los adoro. Los plot-twists cada vez me dejan más así ???????? Es muy bueno. Amo las explicaciones que nos dan para cosas que vienen pasando desde el capítulo 1, este mangaka es un máster del foreshadowing.