A tale too good for the Emmys
Interview with the Vampire, the AMC adaptation of Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, has impressed fans for two seasons without fail. The series is considered the best adaptation of Rice’s novel, surpassing even the 1994 hit film. But despite the brilliant direction and indelibly impressive dialogues, the series was overlooked by the Emmy Awards for Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series or Drama Series Writing.
Even more baffling is the absence of nominations in the acting category, despite the superb casting. Sam Reid, who plays Lestat de Lioncourt, and Jacob Andersen, who plays Louis de Pointe du Lac, didn’t get nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor. Both embody Rice’s complicated, wretched immortals with such believability that you either get seduced or severely traumatised watching the two do each other’s head in.
Assad Zaman, who plays Armand, the devastatingly beautiful and deceitful vampire, and Eric Bogosian, who ties the complex plots together with a tour de force portrayal of Daniel Molloy – the interviewer of the vampires – didn’t even get a look-in for Best Supporting Actor. And what of Delainey Hayles who brilliantly portrays Claudia – the daughter of Louis and Lestat destroyed by her parents’ unhappiness? No nomination either.
It’s not a TV drama for an insular world. Unsurprisingly, it’s too unsettling for many.
It’s nominated, however, for makeup, hair and frocks, going head-to-head with The House of the Dragon. That’s nice. But really, Interview with the Vampire isn’t conceived with cosplay in mind. Reid is a fan of Rice and it shows. The actor doesn’t let her fans down with his interpretation of Lestat. The scene where Zaman’s Armand berates Ben Daniels’s Santiago (“Too old for Hamlet, too young for Polonius; know your place, thesp!”) is delivered in such Mephistophelian relish that we are grateful for our English Literature degree. It’s an unprofitable course, but it develops your appreciation for eloquence. You can tell a good line when you hear one.
Given the political temperature in the United States, it’s easy to understand why the series got the snub. Louis and Lestat are soulmates. The 1994 film hinted at this. The 2022 and 2024 series illustrate this explicitly. Louis and Armand are played by actors of Black or Mixed Race and Asian heritage. Together with Reid’s Lestat, they make a beautiful trio.
Interview with the Vampire isn’t conceived with cosplay in mind.
The story focuses on mortality. Even the hypersexualisation of characters doesn’t distract the audience from this uncomfortable subject. Set in more recent decades, the show also has an inclusive, global depth to it: Louis and Armand live in hiding in Dubai; Daniel is slowly dying from Parkinson’s Disease. It’s not a TV drama for an insular world. Unsurprisingly, it’s too unsettling for many.
Granted, Anne Rice’s fantasy novels aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. But if you’d like to find out how fantasy authors would love to have their novels adapted, watch this series. But read the books first.
The female gaze of desire and despair
Our Creative Director has this to say about the series’ popularity: “Interview with the Vampire truly caters to the female gaze, which is a major draw for pop culture fans familiar with the Boys’ Love (BL) genre. Originating from Japan as the manga subgenre yaoi, BL’s eroticism is often nuanced and titillating, inviting the audience to complete half of the story in their imaginations. This offers a different experience compared to, for example, Ryan Murphy’s Grotesquerie, in which the powerful and gripping narratives don’t always leave room for the ‘yin’ aspect of romance. The intimate scene in Murphy’s drama is graphic, leaving no room for mystery.”
“It’s worth noting that The Vampire Chronicles series was written by a female author and is arguably one of the most successful vampire novels created by a woman. This paved the way for The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, which is a seductive romance fantasy, though not as gritty as The Vampire Chronicles. In terms of tone and level of despair, I’d say Anne Rice is as close as we get to Mary Shelley.”
In terms of tone and level of despair, Anne Rice is as close as we get to Mary Shelley.
Dan Da Dan: The danger of parody
August 2025 was a tricky month for fans of Yoshiki and the anime Dan Da Dan. The former was unhappy with the parody of his rock band X. In the Season 2 Episode 6, streamed on 7 August 2025, the band members are portrayed as exorcists, whose song Hunting Soul summons the dead from the graves.
Those familiar with Yoshiki would be aware of the circumstances surrounding his father’s and bandmates’ tragic deaths. That and issues relating to intellectual property had upset the rockstar. It’s worth noting that just because he composed a song for Attack on Titans and wears make up for work, it doesn’t mean Yoshiki is someone you can jest with like a schoolmate. He’s a Japanese man of a certain age and stature. The showrunners of Dan Da Dan underestimated this. As a result, his lawyers came knocking, and both sides are now working to iron out the situation.
Of course, Yoshiki got criticised by Dan Da Dan fans, who said he should stick to his dinner time performances and seek therapy. Well, we attended one of his ‘dinner time’ performances at Royal Albert Hall in London, in 2023. It was great. His back isn’t the same but Yoshiki still insisted on drumming. He could have kept to the piano but he pounded the drum kit anyway. That’s his pain and he’s making a show out of it because that’s how he deals with it.
On 23 August 2025, Yoshiki tweeted to fans that there could potentially be a positive collaboration between him and Dan Da Dan. We hope that settles it.
Infinity Castle continues to slay worldwide
Tanjiro Kamado and his comrades continue to slay at the box office worldwide. Previously, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle was reported to have slashed its own box office records in Japan. It reportedly earned US$1.2 million in Japan by 29 August 2025. On September 2025, the film held the number one spot in South Korea for the second week running. Soon to open in the US, it’s expected to earn between US$20 million to US$29 million in ticket sales.
The film was first released in July 2025 in Japan, followed by Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and South Korea in August 2025. It reaches markets outside Europe beginning September 2025.
Infinity Castle is the first of a movie trilogy of the same arc and a sequel to Season 4 of the anime series, based on the manga by Koyoharu Gotouge. The anime might be a candidate for the Academy Awards, judging from the reception by fans and critics alike.
The curse coming to a cinema near you
Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3: The Culling Game Part 1 will hit the small screen in January 2026. But here’s a sneak preview. Doesn’t that remind you of Blade Runner? But before that, fans can watch the film Jujutsu Kaisen: Hidden Inventory / Premature Death – The Movie, soon to be released worldwide in September 2025.
Story Of Books 