Lament of the Lamb

The "Lament of the Lamb" (Hitsuji no Uta) manga ended back in 1997 and the anime version was developed in 2003. A live action is rumored to be in the works as of 2006. Although the manga is being distributed in the US, it doesn't look like the anime is available in the states. It's a pity though for those who only buy mainstream titles, especially true for dub-fans (I just shudder at the thought). There are a plethora of titles worth picking up that many in the US never get exposed to. "Lament of the Lamb" is one such title.

Something has been troubling Kizuna, the story's main character, for the past month. Kizuna learns more about his past and of a sister he never knew existed. The beginnings of high school romance are stopped abruptly as an onset of an apparently hereditary disease strikes Kizuna, giving him a sensational thirst for blood.

"Lament of the Lamb" is not your ordinary run-of-the-mill vampire story. Instead, the word "vampire" is used only as the best analogy available to describe this "Takashiro curse." The rest of the story follows Kizuna and Chizuna (his sister) as they struggle to defend against the curse. Dark and gloomy throughout the whole series, this anime is not for someone looking to get or stay in a cheery mood. The absolutely stunning animation complements the story perfectly.

In some ways, similar to "Fruits Basket" or "Evangelion," there is deep distraught in these characters between the lines of body and mind, where affectionate love can never be acheived. To sit here and try to explain the unattainable love in "Evangelion", for example, would be extremely exhaustive. That discussion will have to be saved for another day. Nevertheless, despite the fact that both Chizuna and Kizuna have someone that love them, the family curse is simply too strong to overcome the inevitable. The transition to love can never be for these characters. [Note: Though hints of incestual "romance" begin to transpire, I don't know if it actually surmonts to anything, as I have yet to pick up the manga.] Suicide may, in fact, be their only release.