3 stars, a chaotic and fast paced animated tale.
The Vexations of a Shut-in Vampire Princess is a 2023 Japanese animated series, based on the light novel series of the same name, written by Kotei Kobayashi and illustrated by Riichi.
Directed by Tatsuma Minamikawa, it is presented here in both the original Japanese and an English dub and is available to own on Blu-ray from 19th January 2026, courtesy of MVM Entertainment.
“Victory has yet to be decided, gentlemen. Rejoicing in a situation where the enemy may have some sort of ace up their sleeve, is quite low class. Shame on you.”
Terakomari Gandesblood (Brittney Karbowski – A Certain Magical Index, Jormungand) is the daughter of a noble house of vampires in the Kingdom of Mulnite. Unfortunately, she has consistently failed to live up to her potential, hating the taste of blood, which leaves her weak and without any useful magic. As a result, she decided to become a shut-in and has spent the last three years in her room.
All that changes with the arrival of Villhaze (Donna Bella Litton – Ragna Crimson), a military lieutenant who has been appointed as her personal maid by her father. He has arranged for her to appointed as one of the seven Crimson Lords, powerful military leaders who fight endless wars to vie for power. The Empress Karen (Kira Vincent-Davis – Nerima Daikon Brothers) sneaked into her room while she slept and kissed her, thus sealing the deal.
It is the job of Villhaze to ensure that her troops do not sense weakness, as they will try to kill her given the opportunity. In Mulnite, death is not permanent, each nation has a “Dark Core” which allows for wounds and even death to be healed. However she also has another problem. Her former school bully Millicent Blueknight (Natalie Rial – Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero, Love Flops) has returned and is a member of a terrorist organisation who want to destroy the cores. Of course, nothing is as it seems, everyone has their secrets to keep and Komari must negotiate this political and military minefield in order to survive.
“I cannot stand how absurd this all is…”
The Vexations of a Shut-in Vampire Princess is an entertaining watch, with plenty of action. It’s extremely violent with lots of blood, so not for the fainthearted. It’s a good story too, but unfortunately doesn’t lead anywhere meaningful and lacks identity somewhat. It’s a bit of a difficult watch in places as well, featuring multiple casual references to sexual harassment. Having said that, it’s still a fun watch.
The voice acting is also excellent, really bringing the characters to life and the animation is colourful and easy on the eye. All in all, with lots of plot twists and surprises along the way, this one is well worth adding to your collection.
“I had a lot to live up to. So I tried hard to meet the expectations of those around me, but I quickly got frustrated.”
The Vexations of a Shut-in Vampire Princess Collection is available now on Blu-ray.
| Director | Tatsuma Minamikawa |
| Author | Kotei Kobayashi, Riichu |
| Genre | Anime, action, fantasy |
| Starring | Brittney Karbowski, Donna Bella Litton, Kira Vincent Davis, Natalie Rial |
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