Rosario + Vampire: Something Good After All.

A while back, I ran across this fansubbed anime on Youtube titled "Rosario +Vampire". While it was amusing, I wrote it off as typical harem/romantic comedy anime. You know, the ones where there is no resolution and the guy never picks one girl over the rest?

Of course, the only real blight on that series was the bat. He got on my fucking nerves by episode two.

After seeing it, it soon passed from my mind as I moved on to other bullshit to kill time.

About a year or so ago, I took up reading scanlations online. To be honest, despite being a little rough around the edges in quality, I came to prefer fan work over licensed stuff. The sad fact of the matter is, other than some of Dark Horse's imports, many publishers (TokyoPop being the most notorious) heavily censor and edit what they bring in for content. Which is a crock of shit, in my view. If you want to market to a younger audience, then market the right manga for the fourteen year olds. In other words, material aimed specifically for that age group. Don't butcher up the stuff for the older crowd, who like manga/anime as much as the young kids.

Ahem....anyway.....to get back on topic here......

While reading some Full Metal Panic online, I ran across the Rosario + Vampire manga. At first, I wasn't really interested. But something made me check it out. I'm glad I did.

The first few chapters were drawn in a cartoon-y style, with a storyline that started out having a similar tone as the anime. But I stayed the course, and noticed that it was all building up to some awesome shit. The artwork matured over time, almost symbolizing the maturing of the characters.

The were conspiracies galore here. And while I don't like everything I read being "dark and gritty", with this supernatural themed manga, I didn't much mind. Mostly because there is many positive themes and lessons mixed in with the bad.

I won't go into much detail about the plotlines, since I recommend that anybody reading this (who likes manga) go find it through Google and check it out. But I will discuss some of the characters.

The characters are both somewhat the same, and a lot different, than the anime. Some of the basic traits are still there, but the cast tends to be a lot deeper and richer than in the anime. Kurumu is a perfect example of this. She's still a flirt. But she is also a tender hearted girl, who is hurting inside. Kokoa is a lot more developed as a character than the bratty little bitch seen in the Capu 2 anime (she actually cares about other people). Mizore is, at heart, a very vulnerable girl. Ruby is a lot more serious and mature than in the anime. Which is no surprise, considering the trama she suffered in her younger days. And Yukari is truly a genuis, and a hell of a lot tougher than she looks (and her magic isn't as silly as in the anime).

I like the portrayal of Gin in the manga. He's still a pervert. But he considers the Newspaper Club members as close friends (perhaps as a family of a sorts). He's also a lot more serious in the manga and has put his life on the line for his friends.

The two Dark Lords seen so far, the Head Master and Bus Driver, play a larger, more active role in the manga. They have an agenda, and seem to truly believe in the mission of the Youkai Academy. Tsukune and Moka, it seems, figure into their plans. And I don't believe that Tsukune's father found that application to the school by accident.

"Outer" Moka is a lot more aggressive when it's called for (it appears that she develops a spine over time). The "Inner" Moka is capable of showing compassion, and even tender emotions, at times. And as always, she's wise beyond her years.

Tsukune Aono is the big talk among fans of the manga. His growth as a character is all about learning life's hard lessons, while trying to be true to what he stands for. He's put into a position of having to learn a delicate balance between the kind, gentle nature he developed from his sheltered, middle class Japanese background and the need for occasional violence in the real world (and in the supernatural world). Sometimes you have to fight to protect someone, or to right a wrong.

But the buzz is all about his accquired "bad ass" side. Throwing himself in danger constantly has had the unfortunate side effect of his eventual "degeneration" into a ghoul. He was pulled back from the abyss, so to speak. But now he has to deal with the growth of his supernatural abilities, and still maintain the essense of what makes him Human.

Great stuff. Of course, not everyone will get what I got out of it. But it's still worth a look-see if one hasn't already.

It turned out to be something good, after all.

I can't wait for the Season II, Chapter 18 translation.