Vampire in the Garden is one of the best romance anime you can watch on Netflix if you’re into dark fantasy involving vampires. The series takes place on a fictional Earth where humans and vampires are locked in a war as a human girl and a vampire queen form an unlikely friendship that has a common goal—to reach a place called Eden. Then again, the relationship between the two female characters does seem to be more than just mere friendship. So, is Vampire in the Garden a yuri anime?
Despite the close relationship between the female characters in Vampire in the Garden, it hasn’t been classified as a yuri anime. There are some elements that may suggest that there is romance or intimacy between the two characters. But that doesn’t mean that it is already a yuri anime.
In a day and age when more and more shows are becoming open in terms of gender identity, Vampire in the Garden seems to follow the trend. Despite the fact that it isn’t necessarily a yuri anime, it still is quite entertaining if you want to see just how close the bond is between the two female characters. That said, let’s take a look into Vampire in the Garden’s genre.
What Is Yuri Anime?
Like any form of literature, manga and anime have their own different subgenres that target different demographics, depending on the target market’s favored type of content. In that regard, there are a lot of different genres in anime, and these include shonen and shoujo, two of the most popular genres.
However, there are also anime genres that depend on the type of relationship that the characters have with one another, especially when you look at the fact that there are simply different characters in different manga and anime series. As such, the subgenre is dependent on the relationship that these different characters have with one another. And that is where a subgenre like yuri comes into play.
A yuri manga or anime is basically when there are two different female characters that are so intimate with one another that there is some sort of a romantic relationship going on with them. Some yuri manga or anime tend to be quite explicit in the sense that there is a sexual relationship between the female characters. However, some are quite subtle in the sense that the romance between the characters is simply just suggestive in nature.
So, the point is that a yuri manga or anime has two central female characters who are in some sort of a romantic or sexual relationship with one another. There are some instances when this relationship is merely suggested but is not entirely apparent. In some cases as well, yuri manga or anime are also mixed with other genre types like shonen or shoujo in terms of the storyline but are still yuri as far as the relationship between the female characters is concerned.
Is Vampire In The Garden Yuri Anime?
Going back to our point, we do know that Vampire in the Garden is increasingly becoming quite popular on Netflix despite being a comparatively short five-episode anime. The reason why it has received mostly favorable reviews from fans is the fact that this anime focuses on the dark fantasy genre that fits the tastes of a lot of anime lovers out there.
Vampire in the Garden takes place on a fictional Earth where humans and vampires are locked in a seemingly endless war due to the hatred between the two races. However, a human girl and a vampire queen end up meeting one another by some twist of fate as they form a special bond of friendship.
Momo, the human girl, wanted to enjoy music but wasn’t allowed to because music is forbidden in the human world due to how sensitive a vampire’s ears are and how it is often associated with vampire culture. On the other hand, Fine, the vampire queen, doesn’t want to drink human blood and wants nothing more than to travel the world. The two form a special bond and are locked in a quest to find a paradise called Eden, which is supposedly a community where humans and vampires can live side by side without hatred and conflict.
So, considering that Vampire in the Garden focuses on the story and adventure between two female characters, does that mean that Vampire in the Garden is actually a yuri anime?
It is difficult to completely box Vampire in the Garden as a yuri anime, considering that it was never classified as one. There are some elements that may suggest that it could be a yuri anime, especially when it comes to the fact that the Momo and Fine are quite close and are so dedicated to one another to the point that they are willing to turn their backs on both their kind.
Then again, the series doesn’t really show anything that resembles sexual or romantic between both Momo and Fine. They are very dedicated to one another in the sense that they choose each other instead of staying with their own respective communities. However, it seems like this bond between Momo and Fine isn’t anything more than a close friendship, as they were able to learn a lot of things from one another while also realizing how to live their own lives in the best way possible while they were on a journey to find Eden.
But it could be possible that there is some sort of a romantic relationship going on with one another because of the fact that Fine was suggested to be gay at the very start of the series.
As such, Vampire in the Garden can also be yuri, but that was never the focus of the series, especially when you look at the fact that the important message of this anime is to find happiness and belonging in one another despite all odds. But absent the explicit romantic or sexual relationship between them, it is tough to call this one yuri.
Are Momo And Fine In Love In Vampire In The Garden?
Even though we did say that Vampire in the Garden is unlikely to be yuri, there are still some people that might say that it is yuri because of the possibility that Momo and Fine are in love with one another.
There were some instances when it did feel like the two were in love with one another, especially when Kubo mocked Fine about falling in love with Momo. It may also seem like Momo is in love with Fine because she displays a level of affection and dedication to her that is similar to romantic love.
However, it could be possible that the relationship between Momo and Fine is nothing more than just platonic love in the sense that they love one another as partners in life but not in a romantic sense. This is a possibility because neither of them ever felt like they belonged with their own kind. But when they started journeying to Eden together, Momo and Fine were able to realize that they both belonged together and that they could also find other humans and vampires that were able to live peacefully with one another.
In a sense, their love for one another is the love shared by two people who found common ground with one another and are willing to die for each other because of how dedicated they are to one another. But it didn’t look like both Momo and Fine were in love with one another in a romantic sense, as nothing in Vampire in the Garden explicitly suggested that to be the case.
