The Vampire Dies in No Time Will Have You Dying Laughing

Madhouse

Whether you prefer the feral bloodsucking variety or the seductive smooth-talking variety, vampires have ingrained themselves in horror legend. But that’s not to say that they can’t be funny as well. Just look at Madhouse’s The Vampire Dies in No Time, released in 2021!

When the legendary vampire hunter Ronaldo is tasked with saving a woman’s son from the dreaded Castle Draluc, he goes in expecting the fight of his life. But before he can even stick his foot through the front door, he is floored to discover that the so-called Invincible Progenitor is actually a weakling who turns to ash at the slightest touch. After Ronaldo destroys the castle in a fiery explosion, he returns to his office in Shin-Yokohama, only to discover Draluc has made himself at home, along with his pet/familiar armadillo, John. Now, with the fragile vampire (begrudgingly) at Ronaldo’s side, the two of them must contend with lesser vampires, rival hunters, and even Ronaldo’s violent editor.

Already, this is a premise that I can get behind. A reluctant buddy-cop show with supernatural elements and no shortage of slapstick? Sign me up! But that’s not all there is to The Vampire Dies in No Time. For a start, the intro song is an absolute banger that gets your toes tapping to a jazzy beat. There aren’t many anime openings that I will go out of my way to listen to on a regular basis, but this is most definitely one of them.

One of the biggest selling points of The Vampire Dies in No Time, to me, is the dynamic between Ronaldo and Draluc. The weakling vampire is obviously the biggest pain in the ass Ronaldo has ever had to put up with in his entire ass-pained life, and yet the two make a surprisingly good team. Of course, Ronaldo is the more competent one of the two, but Draluc is capable of helping him find a solution to the issue of the day. The wild conflicts often left me in stitches, but never unsatisfied.

Speaking of conflict, the characters that Ronaldo and Draluc must face are also highly entertaining in their own ways. As I mentioned earlier, the pair go up against humans and vampires almost in equal measure. You have the serious yet inexperienced hunter Hinaichi and Ronaldo’s sadistic editor, Mr. Fukuma, but if I were to list off every single antagonist shown throughout The Vampire Dies in No Time‘s two-season run, we’d be here all day.

Honestly, any complaints that I could make about this show would be mere nitpicks in the grand scheme of things, such as the occasional reliance on lewd humor. But, again, this is a very minor complaint that didn’t take any enjoyment out of watching this show. So, if you’re in the market for a spooky buddy-cop show, then pry open the coffin lid and check out The Vampire Dies in No Time!