Kimi no Unaji ni Kanpai!

"A Toast to the Nape of Your Neck" started as a one-off story in 1997, tucked away at the back of Maki Murakami's Gravitation vol. 4 tankobon. It eventually became its own manga series in 2001 but was left unfinished.

STORY - The original short tale was charming and worked perfectly as a standalone piece. While it had potential for expansion, I preferred it just as it was—a lot of similar stories have been ruined by stretching them too thin. Kanpai! builds on the original concept but alters several elements. Characters' names are changed, and their ages regress from high school to middle school without much reason. The protagonist gains an overarching mission: to protect endangered monsters from human overhunting, alongside his quest to win over a classmate. It’s decent enough, though not spectacular. Unfortunately, Kanpai!'s narrative is disjointed and erratic. Many arcs feel more like extended jokes than substantive storytelling. Even as a comedy, the humor feels forced, relying heavily on "WTF" reactions. Any semblance of a plot gets lost in the chaos. If there's a discernible storyline beyond Shintaro chasing Nao, it eludes me. Yes, Shintaro aims to protect monsters, but this purpose doesn't translate into meaningful plot progression. Instead, we get two volumes filled with various antics and occasional twists—some entertaining, others not so much. Kanpai! ends abruptly on a cliffhanger after barely a year, leading me to believe Murakami realized she didn’t have much of a story and that the original should have remained a one-shot.

CHARACTERS - All characters in Kanpai! are incredibly one-dimensional. Shintaro is energetic and hardworking, proud of his efforts and infatuated with Nao's neck for no apparent reason initially. He’s good-natured and eventually develops genuine feelings for Nao. Predictable, right? This type of character might work in a one-shot but becomes boring quickly in a longer format. Nao shifts somewhat from her one-shot persona, but not for the better. She’s very tsundere, and that’s about it; she doesn’t evolve beyond that stereotype.

The new supporting cast is a collection of gimmicks rather than real characters. Each is introduced through short mini-arcs before joining the ensemble, but they’re uninteresting. Kenken is a demon werewolf turned permanently human thanks to Shintaro. Yabe is a ghost resurrected unceremoniously. Sakurai is an exorcist with vague goals. Shintaro's father is some mysterious badass, and Ponta is a stereotypical, overly anxious butler. Boring. Their downfall isn’t being stereotypes but failing to develop beyond these initial traits.

ART - Kanpai! began serialization near the end of Gravitation's run, when Murakami's art style was plateauing. Generally, the artwork is solid, though improvements could be made. Animal renderings are often laughable, and characters’ hands are frequently undersized. Character consistency is good, but designs are too reminiscent of those from Gravitation, making them distracting. TOKYOPOP even commented on this in volume 2: "... although he’s NOT you-know-who from Gravitation, the resemblance is striking!" By “striking,” they mean he looks exactly like Yuki Eiri. Familiar chibis and outrageous caricatures also appear, emphasizing the chaotic humor.

OTHER - TOKYOPOP licensed and published both volumes of Kanpai! for North American release in 2005. The translation feels natural, though it seems aimed at manga enthusiasts already familiar with the genre. Honorifics are left intact with no explanation, and Japanese surname usage isn’t clarified until characters become acquainted. Some name romanizations are inconsistent, with “Shintaro” and “Shintarou” used interchangeably. Small text in signs and books is translated, while sound effects remain untranslated. Overall, a pretty good job.

OVERALL - Honestly, I never expected Kanpai! to be great. I bought the volumes because they were cheap, and the one-shot was cute. Despite being disappointing, it was interesting to see something other than Gravitation from Murakami. However, I’m now inclined to think Gravitation's success was an anomaly. I wouldn’t recommend Kanpai! to casual readers; plenty of other series are more engaging. In fact, I wouldn’t even recommend it to Gravitation fans—it might make you question Murakami’s abilities too much.

Kanpai! is an entertaining tale featuring a vampire and his romantic obsession with a specific part of a girl's neck! XD

Seems like a unique concept, right?

What I truly enjoy about this series is its wild humor, which has become the author's well-known trademark.

Expect plenty of comical explosions, hilarious WTF moments, and generally over-the-top American cartoon-style violence.

Another aspect I appreciate is the role reversal where the villains are the exorcists! Typically, demons play the antagonists, not the heroes.

If you're on the lookout for a great supernatural comedy that also boasts a solid plot, then Kanpai! is definitely worth checking out.