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43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gothic romance, June 2, 2006
This review is from: Vampire Knight, Volume 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)
Matsuri Hino, who gave us the enjoyable light-hearted and funny romantic tale MeruPuri, has delievered a much darker tale with Vampire Knight. Yuki, a bright and likeable heroine, was saved from a vampire attack when she was young by a tall, dark, and handsome young man called Kaname. As an orphan she is adopted by the chairman of a prestigious boarding school who is friends with her rescuer.
In present day she lives and studies at the school. The school is divided into a "Day Class" and a "Night Class." She is also, under the guise of being a student councillor, an "Academy Guardian." The Academy Guardians, Yuki and a handsome fellow student called Zero, are the only students in "Day Class" who are privy to the knowledge that the "Night Class" is made up of vampires. It is their job to ensure that the "Day Class" and "Night Class" do not mix and that the "Night Class" keep their secret. The head vampire is none other than her rescuer Kaname. Yuki is torn by her friendship to Zero, a vampire hater whose family were killed by vampires four years ago, and her secret love and infatuation with Kaname.
The vampires are all beautiful beings, but almost every scene that they are in is charged with danger and seduction. Instead of delievering another funny manga, Matsuri has concentrated on bringing us a gothic and dark story which mixes romance, despair, danger, and hope. The two main young men who Yuki is torn between are suitability gorgeous and the general artwork is very attractive. The story is also a welcome change from the usual manga tales. It took me awhile to get used to the concept, however I found that it is actually more enjoyable on the second reading. Recommended to fans of MeruPuri, Fruit's Basket and, due to its gothic overtones, Angel Sanctuary.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Noble Vampires Really?, January 9, 2007
This review is from: Vampire Knight, Volume 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)
This story is one that you daydream about in bad traffic. It stays on your mind even when you should be thinking about something else.
I'd love to meet Zero, Kaname, and Yuki, as well as Aido and others. Wouldn't it be great if you could really know these guys personally? Beautiful, Powerful People! Intense and full of intrigue. If you pick it up, there's very little chance you're going to put it down whether you are a guy or a girl. This series is going to be dog-eared and worn for sure.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A GOTHIC VAMPIRE DRAMA, January 27, 2007
This review is from: Vampire Knight, Volume 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)
There are two very different classes at the prestigious Cross Academy. The day time class, and the mysterious Night Class. The two classes never mix except when one group is leaving, the other is entering. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the two members of the school's disciplinary team and they alone among the Day Class know the dark secret that the Night Class is made up of vampires.
Headmaster Cross has opened the school up to both humans and vampires in hopes of uniting them in peace. The Night Class has worked to develop blood tablets to replace the need for fresh blood. Yuki is enamored with Kaname Kuran, the Night Class President. Ten years earlier, he saved her life when she was attacked by another vampire and brought her to the academy where Headmaster Cross adopted her as his daughter.
Zero isn't nearly as fond as the vampires as Yuki. His entire family was killed by vampires years ago and Zero wants revenge. The two groups work to co-exist as Yuki and Zero steer the daytime girls away from trouble and Kaname tries to keep his more bloodthirsty classmates in line. The book presents five distinct stories as opposed to one boot length tale, which is refreshing. They are all set against the backdrop of Cross Academy and despite the vampiric characters, the book is as much, if not more, a drama than a horror tale.
As you go on and reach each story in Vampire Knight, creator Matsuri Hino reveals more and more about each o the main characters and will eventually unveil the terrible secret that Zero holds that further explains his hate of all vampires. I enjoyed Hino's art quite a bit. There was a nice cinematic feel to his stories and he didn't try to do too much in the first volume. Hino also provides various margin notes about the book and its development. A well-done opening volume and I can't wait until number two!
Reviewed by Tim Janson
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