Seventeen-year-old Chiyuki Matsuoka was born with heart problems, and her doctors say she won’t live to see the 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.

You would think a couple like that would be made for each other, and you would be right, if only Toya would admit it.

By Bisco Hatori
Publisher: Viz Media – Shojo Beat
Age Rating: Teen
Genre: Romance
Price: $8.99
Rating:

I first read Millennium Snow a few years ago, when I got the series as a Christmas present. I had intended to review it…and now I’m finally doing it! In that time, I had forgotten how much I liked this title! The characters are fun, the stories are light, yet sometimes poignant, and the only real problem I had with it is that it was too short!

Chiyuki has spent a lot of time in and out of the hospital because of her heart condition. One night, she sees a boy standing on the side of the building, step off, and proceed to fall to the ground. She rushes out to find him, to see if he was alright, and finds Toya and his bat companion Yamimaru. She insures a second meeting with him by keeping his shoe. She gets him to go out with her, when she has another attack, and this one could be fatal, until Toya gives her some of his blood, so she doesn’t have to die, but he still won’t make her his partner. So starts their unusual friendship.

I really love the characters in this title. Toya is dark, brooding, and quick with a biting remark. He keeps saying he doesn’t want to be with a human, that they are weak, but that’s all just talk. He really has a kind heart. The reason he doesn’t want a partner is because he doesn’t want to curse them with a long life. He truly does believe it to be a curse. Normally I don’t like brooding vampires, but Toya is different. He only has moments of brooding. The rest of the time he’s trying to act superior and is prone to moments of violence when things appear to be getting to sentimental or close to home. He’s no Edward Cullen, and I love him all the more for that! Chiyuki makes a great female lead. She’s spunky and upbeat, despite her illness, and she’s determined to get Toya out of his shell. While her first offer to be with Toya seems self-serving, it quickly becomes apparent that she means it when she says she’ll never leave him alone. It doesn’t feel like love yet, but there is a definite connection between them.

Buy Volume 2

There are other characters, like Satsuki, a werewolf, who’s been denying who he really is until after an encounter with Chiyuki. I think he was meant to make a love triangle between him, Toya and Chiyuki, but even through the second volume he became more of a side character.  He’s only in half of the first story and the beginning of the second. The focus is really Toya and Chiyuki. Satsuki is more for comedy relief and to make Toya jealous. Yamimaru is Toya’s sidekick. A bat that can appear human and takes care of Toya. He’s comedy relief too, but he’s also very cute as both a bat and human.

I enjoyed all of the stories, but the opening story of the second volume is really the best. It runs on clichés, openingly admitted to by Hatori, of our heroes getting lost in a snow storm and finding a haunted mansion. But it really well written, and very touching. I really like the art too. Hatori’s characters are long and lanky. Toya, Chiyuki and Satsuki are all long legs and arms, but I like that style.

The only think I didn’t like about Millennium Snow is its length. It’s only 2 volumes! I really wanted it go on longer. There is so much that could still be expanded on. Both Toya and Satsuki’s pasts, which we only got glimpses of so far. And, of course, Toya and Chiyuki’s relationship. They are a couple you want to see more of, and more importantly, see get together. These characters really needed more than just 9 chapters. Millennium Snow is a title I can easily and happily highly recommend.