Danica Davidson
December 16, 2022 
MoMo – the blood taker- opens with a grisly murder scene: a couple has been chopped up and then arranged on their dining table. And, yes, this is the genre of manga that shows you exactly that and doesn’t simply hint at it.
Mikogami Keigo is an offbeat, controversial detective who quickly picks up on important clues at the scene. The people had all their blood drained, similar to other murders. In fact, it’s similar to the murder of Mikogami’s wife 10 years ago. Mikogami has sworn that he will bring his wife’s killer to justice.
It’s clear early on that these murders are related to vampires. The vampires in this manga are especially creepy and visceral, sometimes having a second head coming out of the first head, and equipped with mouths full of sharp fangs. When Mikogami is rescued from a vampire by a little girl named Momo, it’s surprising. But actually, this little girl is also a vampire, even though she doesn’t look hideous like the others.
MoMo -the blood taker- is gritty and violent, with some casual nudity and a lot of blood and gore. Momo and Mikogami have a weird, sometimes uncomfortable relationship. She looks like a little girl, but she’s actually at least two hundred years old, and she thinks of 38-year-old Mikogami as the child. She also declares that she’s his master now. This flips the script on a number of assumptions people could make just by looking at them.
The story could go in any number of different ways from here, but hopefully will concentrate on the mysteries of Mikogami’s wife’s murder and how it involves all these different vampires. While it’s mostly about horror and has some noir elements to it, there are also moments of humor and gag comedy. This isn’t a manga for the easily disturbed, but fans of gritty horror will find plenty to sink their teeth into.
Story & Art: Akira Sugito
Publisher: Seven Seas
Translator: Kathryn Henzler
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
