Follow us on Twitter | Instagram
“Shinozuka Aoi. A truly menacing girl”
Only Ranmaru Mori, our vampire protagonist, would describe the cute, innocent, and kind Aoi like that! While the wide-eyed, shy teen wouldn’t hurt a fly, Mori has built her up in his head as a conniving, manipulative seductress. In episode 9 of Baban Baban Ban Vampire, Mori comes up with yet another harebrained scheme to ensure Aoi doesn’t snatch away his beautiful Rihito from him. Yes, he remains completely clueless about the fact that Aoi is in love with him, not his precious Rihito-kun.
Titled A Certain Family and The Vampire, this episode picks up where episode 8 of Baban Baban Ban Vampire ended – with Mori crossing paths with new character Kaori Yamabe’s abusive father and inviting himself into their home. Kaori’s father mistakes Mori for his daughter’s boyfriend and hopes to mooch off some money from the weirdly dressed man (who is in his vampire-hunting attire and makeup).
Mori strikes an unexpected (creepy) deal with the Yamabe family and also instructs Kaori to induct Rihito into her gyaru girl gang, hoping their garish makeup and attitude will drive Aoi away. Little does Mori know that he is throwing Rihito into the arms of his love rival, as Kaori has a huge crush on then teen. To add to the chaotic misunderstandings, Kaori thinks Mori wants to date her.
“I don’t want boy issues to break up our girl group,” Kaori hilariously tells herself when she sees how much all her other friends are mad about the handsome Mori. All the misunderstandings might be chaotic for some viewers, but they are also ridiculously funny and keep drawing laughs from us. At this point, one would need an extensive chart to illustrate how each character mistakes everyone else’s crush. The subtle background music by the creative team helps amp up the hilarity of Baban Baban Ban Vampire.
While the first half of this episode focuses on Mori’s encounter with the Yamabe family, the rest is all about Rihito’s adventures with the gyaru gang and the fresh drama it sparks. For instance, Franken is completely horrified to see Rihito with Kaori, convinced the boy is being bullied by the girls.
This is a fun, fast-paced chapter. However, it ends with a dark, foreboding, bloody, and worrying twist!
Watch Baban Baban Ban Vampire on Netflix.
Read Next: Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions Season 2 Review
Also Read: Shubeik Lubeik Review: Fantastic Blend of Magical Realism (audio version below)