Please be advised I received a digital advanced reviewer copy of FANGS Vol 2 by Billy Balibally from Tokyopop. Also, note this review contains spoilers for FANGS Vol 2.
As you all know, I have been obsessed with FANGS since I finished volume one last year. I don’t think I have ever anticipated a second volume as much as I have with this series. As soon as volume two was available for preorder I instantly bought it. Amazon didn’t even have a cover photo for it yet, so you KNOW my thirst was REAL! You can only imagine my excitement when I received the monthly press email from TokyoPop which included an advance copy of FANGS. While I knew my copy was a few weeks away from arriving at my doorstep, I could not wait that long so I immediately downloaded it and devoured it.
Picking Back Up
Volume 2 of FANGS was so worth the wait. It manages to ramp up the angst and emotional baggage of becoming a vampire while giving us the beautiful sex scenes we love. Uh, I mean, the beautiful love scenes we love! We spend a lot of time with En and his thoughts on his “relationship” with Ichi. Are they lovers? Are they a pair? Do they view being a vampire in the same light?
We seemingly pick up where we left off, with En accompanying Ichi visiting other vampires, and doing his welfare checks. As always, these visits serve more than one purpose, often giving En a new perspective or something else to consider about his new reality.
Will They, Won’t They
Throughout the volume, we see Ichi question En about pairing together but En can’t seem to make his mind up. It is very clear that they both have feelings for each other, but at what level? Ichi spoils the hell out of En (I mean, do you see the clothes he’s wearing every chapter) and definitely has fallen in line with the older boyfriend taking care of his young boo trope. However, En is on the fence.
I don’t think En feels like he is believing what Ichi is dishing out. Is this just for pairing or does he truly have feelings for En? On top of all that, En is still grappling with being a vampire and all the darkness that entails. It wasn’t so long ago that he was human and now he has to make peace with the fact that he is something else.
At the climax, En and Ichi do something incredibly rare to happen so early in a romance manga: they have a conversation! (insert shocked Pikachu face here) En lets Ichi know that he does like him (duh girl, we knew) but he has his fears. He did just become a vampire like 30 seconds ago. There’s so much for En to learn and he wants to hear it all from Ichi.
Unique
Aside from the world-building I mentioned before, FANGS is just different and this volume proves it all over again. The dynamic between Ichi and En is so unique and quite frankly, intoxicating. I love this back-and-forth they have of both wanting each other, in multiple ways. I love how Ichi needs a pair but also wants En for more than just those reasons. As the older one, he wants to shower En with so much love and care. The way he handles him in and out of the bedroom is so beautiful to see and refreshing. Their sex scenes are not only hot AF but add a level of tenderness in an otherwise raunchy setting.
I also love that they both have baggage they need to overcome. We already know Ichi has things he needs to work through involving his last pair. In this volume, we see him decide that with En he can “redo this life.” I am so excited to see them grow as a couple and as a pair in future volumes.
What’s to Come In FANGS
Of course, things can’t get too good for our couple just yet because where is the fun in that? As I predicted in my volume 1 review (and truly anyone could have seen coming from a mile away) the vampire Ichi first paired with has made his appearance. Judging by all the nonsense going on in the background too, we already know he has been out here just fucking things up!
Volume 2 ends in another cryptic cliffhanger and I’m already feeling the woes of not having the next volume readily available. I am in love with where the story is headed and I have so many questions and theories. I cannot wait to see the chaos Ichi’s old pair is going to cause. Also will we learn the mysterious backstory of what led to En being turned? This volume also throws in a little extra plus: a sex scene for two other characters. I’m curious to see if volume three will let us peak into another couple’s bedroom.
It’s been such a long time since a series has enticed me in this way. I just can’t get enough. I’ve reread volume one so many times and now I have two to add to that.
Get FANGS Vol 2 below: (The link below is an affiliate link, which means I may receive a commission if you purchase using the link.)
