Spotlight#80: Unholy Blood

Have you ever unintentionally celebrated something? Well, I've celebrated International Women's Month with my prior entries, which means that I might as well keep the scheme with the blood-curdling Unholy Blood by Lina I'm and Jeonghyeon Kim!

Summary

For the past ten years now, South Korea (presumably Idk) has had an epidemic unlike any other. However, instead of lack of taste and running snot, this virus is far bloodier. Because at a moment's notice, it seems anyone can become a life-stealing, blood-sucking vampire. For most of her life, a young girl named Hayan has let her impure brethren thrive on living a normal life. However, after her life gets irreparably disrupted because of her heritage, Hayan decides that enough is enough. No more will vampires claim the night and hide in the shadows because she will wage war with them all personally! With a little help, of course.

Hayan White: Unlike most, Hayan seems to be a natural-born vampire, one who has grown up to humanity that hates her. Because of this, Hayan has developed an all-encompassing need to help those weaker than her when she can, even if it means butting in where she doesn't belong or recklessly putting herself in danger. While she is a relatively relaxed and optimistic woman, her wrath truly is second to none once awakened.

Euante Hwang: A rising star in his local police department, Euante is a relatively eccentric, talkative, and funny man. However, this is mainly a mask to hide his razor-sharp instincts and almost obsessive research on all things Vampire. He serves as Hayan's biggest ally as they both seek to protect those they have left at all costs.

Overview

Soooo, I'mma say it here. Unholy Blood is the best art I had seen from a webtoon since solo Leveling last year. And that is a major compliment if you have seen it for yourself. I'm straight, but it's amazing how every character looks so distractingly sexy and memorable. Every character has a very cinematic yet poseable feature that makes the action scenes pop. This series takes full advantage of its superhero-like action as we see entire streets and landscapes get carved up like steak. Nothing is more satisfying than seeing Euantee and Hayan tear apart heartless bastards as we get many badass panels.

While the mythology is very much different, Unholy Blood features a very interesting take on the fantastical movie monsters we've grown to love and sexualize. From their limited lifespans, powerful physical abilities, and power to live in both day and night, even mainstream vampires are a prominent threat in every step in society. What's worse is that over time we get introduced to higher-tier vampires with more mystical abilities on display, making them far more dangerous as they try to adapt to Hayan. Overall this paints a rather bleak picture of the world as we the various reasons why vampires are created and do what they do. Aesthetically you can tell the series relies a lot on contemporaries like True Blood, Twlight and Blade for it's horror.

If there was a theme for this show, I think it's one of not holding back. Both Hayan and Euante have to confront their lies and secrets to move on and become stronger. And as we see Hayan get challenged more, we get to see more pieces of her past as she gains more acceptance over her difficult life, creating a cool dynamic. However, the webtoon is new despite the double uploads, so I guess we'll have to bite into this webtoon in the future.