The Record of a Fallen Vampire is a shōnen supernatural fantasy action mystery revolving around the former ruler of the Kingdom of the Night, Akabara Strauss, a vampire who can withstand sunlight, for which that very ability helped cause its demise. When his queen, Adelheid, unleashed her power a thousand years ago she was sealed away and her true location hidden among many false seals. For this past millennium Strauss has searched for the seal to set her free, waging battle between dhampires, half-human/half-vampire offspring, and humans who believe her return will herald the end of the world.

In Volume 7, the quest that has consumed Strauss for so long finally ends; the seal is broken and Adelheid is set free. However, this is not the end, but merely the end of a beginning. With the seal broken, new revelations are exposed as Merill Morishima, a human military officer, is finally able to discern what Strauss' real plans were. Now with the seal broken, the alien threat looms on the horizon. Whether Strauss decides to help defend earth as one of the few near-invincible beings may rest on the shoulders of a human scientist, Nazuna Hagi.

Highlights:
Much of story is crafted through the use of flashbacks to a millennium ago in the manga's time line. This volume especially used heavy emphasis on it because of certain revelations changing how others see Strauss and what he has done. He goes from being a threat to everyone and an anathema that caused the destruction of the vampire's kingdom to being called the greatest King. Strauss takes the role of the devil. He knows vampires, dhampires and humans will wage war against each other if he dies, but as long as he lives, they have a threat and thus he continues to live a tormented life without personal meaning. Having lost his lover, a human girl Stella and their unborn child, Strauss would like nothing more than to die if he could; he takes no joy out of the life he has. The way Strauss's tale unfolds when it's told by Merill he becomes a figure that would rival even Jesus Christ ― he has had nothing but misfortune on top of misfortune and still he takes it upon himself to become the hated enemy of everyone so that all races can find a way to work together and coexist, all the while in an unending hell of emotional pain.

While one of the main themes in The Record of a Fallen Vampire is the use of flashbacks to tell stories from different perspectives, another, more subtle, philosophical theme begins to emerge with the revelation of Stauss's intent ― time and how it affects the way we perceive events on a scale. For humans, many are focused on accomplishing something when they live and thus their lives are spent on achieving something within their lifetime. For the Black Swan, human females who are cursed to kill Strauss or die within five years, comes the knowledge of all the past Black Swans. The knowledge of such a past and the shortness of their possible lifespan makes those individuals far more reckless in general with their goal to kill Stauss, for they believe they have nothing to fear anymore and no time to waste. Furthermore, they know if they die their curse shall be passed on, with each generation increasing in potency. On the flip side you have Strauss, who being a near-immortal is not only able to fathom how events will unfold centuries from now, but act upon them, taking the path that causes the least harm in the long run. The ability to wait patiently for an outcome centuries from when he began shows the opposite of the Black Swans ― infinite patience.

Overview:
Volume 7  of The Record of a Fallen Vampire is a transitional volume. No battles, almost no action and a lot of flashbacks and explanation. While the series uses the latter two there is usually more action. This makes it kind of a deceptive volume for someone to pick up. For myself, I enjoyed it, but someone looking for more action and less talking will be frustrated with this volume and because of its nature it really is one that cannot be skipped.

While the story, written by Kyo Shirodaira, is well done and the Christ-like nature of Strauss seems natural rather than over-the-top, the artwork bu Yuri Kimura is one you'll either like or not. Kimura's character style is very limited. The same basic hair styles and character faces abound throughout the manga. While this is a plus for making Abelheid and her sister, Bridget, look similar it isn't for everything else. If you like the style, you can ignore, or even enjoy, the similarity in the characters; if you don't like the style it can very well turn you off. While I was able to keep who was who apart most of the time, others might have more difficulty with it.

With a number of vampire and shonen manga on the shelf today it can sometimes be hard to figure out what to buy. For the vampire titles, currently there are Chibi Vampire, Vampire Knight, Rosario + Vampire and Princess Resurrection among others. Fortunately Chibi Vampire just ended so if you're backlogged on that series you don't have to fear getting further behind. Vampire Knight, while a vampire title, is likely not going to appeal to most of the same audience as The Record of a Fallen Vampire. That still leaves three titles, and it can be tough to chose on a limited budget. Of the three, The Record of a Fallen Vampire delves deepest into philosophical themes and while there are some comedic moments, they are there to help break up the somber mood more than anything else.

The Record of a Fallen Vampire  is a good buy for a vampire or supernatural manga fan who wants a more plot depth and less comedy, but still wants the action scenes.

ComicsOnline gives The Record of a Fallen Vampire Volume 7 4 out of 5 dhampirs.