Is Vampire In The Garden a Yuri Anime?
The five episode anime Vampire in the Garden has definitely turned some heads. Since Netflix dropped the trailer on their channel, people have been curious about the anime. Along with the curiosity came with some questions. People have been wondering if the anime is classified under the yuri genre.
Vampire in The Garden is classified under the Dark Fantasy genre. It features a lesbian character, but a romantic relationship between the two main protagonists was never met. True, it did feature a lot of intimate moments, but the other’s feelings were never reciprocated.
The anime has received so many spectacular reviews despite only five episodes. Both protagonists were explored very well despite the short time. Yet, why isn’t the anime considered Yuri despite Fine being openly in love with two female characters? Let’s clear up the reasons why Vampire in The Garden is not considered Yuri.
Why is Vampire in the Garden Not Yuri?
Vampire in the Garden is not considered a Yuri anime because the romance between the two protagonists was one-sided. According to the definition of what a Yuri anime should be: the term Yuri is used to describe a romance between two female characters. This does not include platonic feelings or deep friendships.
People will probably argue that Fine is obviously in love with Momo. In fact, at the end of the anime, Fine admitted to Momo that she fell in love with her. However, while all of this is true, Momo never confirmed that she felt the same towards Fine.
Momo said she was grateful to Fine but never revealed if she was in love with Fine or not. As long as the love is not shared between two women, then it still cannot be considered Yuri. Momo’s feelings might just be deep friendship and gratitude towards Fine. She eventually found a paradise where humans and vampires can exist, and it is implied she has a child as she is seen taking care of a baby.
Even if female-to-female relationships were happening in the background, they weren’t the center of the anime. The relationship between the Human Momo and Vampire Fine was the main pull of the anime. Aria, who was Fine’s first human love, played an essential part in Fine’s intentions. Still, since the story revolves more around Momo and Fine, it isn’t a strong enough reason to justify that Vampire in The Garden is a Yuri anime.
What Type of Anime is Vampire in the Garden?
According to its Netflix description, the anime falls into the dark fantasy genre. When you look at it at face value, an anime dealing with horror themes and elements, such as including vampires, would typically fall into this category.
The genre is one of the many sub-genre of fantasy. An anime can be considered dark fantasy when it easily falls into the fantasy genre with elements of horror, dread, and dark tones. Vampire in the Garden is set where humans and vampires are forced to go to war against each other.
Children like Momo are forced to participate in this war by becoming child soldiers and would often have to face the vampires. While the vampires look beautiful most of the time, they have a drug that allows them to transform into monstrous creatures that can easily take a human’s life.
The anime also ends on a sad note. It turns out Fine and Momo, who had searched for Eden together, could never find the paradise they sought after. Fine died before they could ever reach the true Eden for Vampires and Humans. Momo managed to find it several years later but can never experience paradise with the person she promised to see it with.
It’s also sad that Eden is the only place where Vampires and Humans can get along. Most of the world is still plagued by war between the two races. So at the end of the day, Momo only managed to find a safe haven for herself while the rest of the society continued to burn.
Is Fine Lesbian?
It’s heavily implied that Fine only has eyes for women. In the very first episode, viewers see Fine dancing the evening away with another female vampire. Before she leaves the ballroom, she tells the other females in the room to wait their turn.
Some of the other vampires commented that Fine would soon get bored of the current girl she was dancing with, implying that Fine has multiple partners, and they might all be possibly female.
Viewers later learn that Fine had a female human lover named Aria, and this was a love she could never let go of. She got close to Momo originally because Momo greatly reminded her of Aria. However, she soon fell in genuine love with Momo towards the end of the series, which she admitted on her death bed.
As far as what’s been released, Fine is shown to be only interested in females, so viewers can safely assume that she is a Lesbian.
Did Momo Love Fine?
Momo never verbally admitted that she was in love with the Vampire Queen. Instead, she was grateful to Fine for teaching her to enjoy herself more. From the looks of it, Momo only shared platonic feelings towards Fine.
Despite Fine pouring her heart out at her death bed, Momo did not confirm she had any romantic feelings towards her friend. This implies that she only had a deep affection, friendship, and gratitude towards the female vampire instead of love.
Where Can I Watch Vampire in The Garden?
People can catch Vampire in The Garden on Netflix. The series is a joint production between Wit Studio and Netflix, making it available on the streaming giant. It’s been available on Netflix since May 16, 2022, and only runs for five episodes.
The five episodes, though not a lot in number, perfectly tell the story of Momo, a 14-year-old human soldier, and the friendship she entered with the Vampire Queen Fine. They both escape from their suffocating societies to look for their Eden together, a place where vampires and humans can peacefully coexist.
