Vampire Knight Guilty

Moving on from Vampire Knight to its sequel Vampire Knight Guilty…

Name: Vampire Knight Guilty

Japanese Name: ヴァンパイア騎士

Air Date: October 6 2008 – December 30 2008

Studio: Studio DEEN

Episodes: 13

PLOT

As a direct continuation of the first season, Zero comes back after his disappearance from the academy. Despite her relief, Yuuki, whose past is still shrouded in mystery, wonders what exactly happened to Zero during the separation. As Zero continues having the strange vision that appeared since the day he drank Kaname’s blood, he visits the now awakened Maria Kurenai in an attempt to find answers. She only provides him with a cryptic answer that suggests who the true enemy really might be.

In the meantime, vampires from the Supreme Vampire Council arrive at the academy in order to punish Zero with death for his sin of killing a pureblood. However, Kaname intervenes with the council’s decision with not only the intention of saving Zero but with another purpose unbeknown to everyone around him.

[via MAL]

Vampire Knight! Oh how I’ve missed you, the pain I had to endure whilst you were gone!

The amount of love I have for Mamoru Miyano by now has increased dramatically! Love meter has broken so I may need to send it off for repairs xD Vampire Knight was the series that began my adoration of Mamo-chan, so I’m obviously very grateful that this was my first anime series!

First Impressions

This series is going to be as good as its predecessor. I honestly thought that after watching season 1! And I’m glad to see Zero again *･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)’･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

Yuuki. She needs to toughen it out. She’s an independent character though so I have lots of respect for her. Her choice in men is terrible though. Go with Zero! I’m keeping my eye on you Kaname O-O

My hatred for Kaname has grown. No offence to any Kaname fans here! What is it about him that makes him attractive? Any thoughts here?

Midway Impressions

My beloved characters are still the same! Maria really got on my nerves though when she hugged Zero thinking he was Ichiru…*rages in the background and nearly punches the computer screen*

GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY ZERO-KUN!!!

Other than that, Aido has got an even stronger devotion to Kaname. Aido ~ focus on me ❤

I don’t like Kaname. I know some people will think I’m mad but I just don’t like him. He’s too secretive ~ Kaname-sama? Share with us your thoughts please? The hatred is still there and it’s burning like a hot summers day…somebody hold me back before I wrestle him! ＼(^o^)／

Takuma and Shiki’s relationship is weird. Sometimes I feel like they’re lovers rather than room mates xD Shiki, you must not forget about Rima. She’s always been there for you! She kicks ass with her electric powers though, I want her on my side!

Overall Opinion

The continuation of Vampire Knight gave me mixed reviews.

At the start of VKG, I had high expectations as I was left with anticipation from the first season but I was left really disappointed. Whilst the animation and music were as good as VK, VKG had a rushed plot line and slow pacing therefore VKG wasn’t given enough time for a proper conclusion. The ending was rubbish but left hints of a third season which I doubt will happen as its already been 4 years now since it was released.

Whilst the music was basically the same as VK, VKG still had that gothic vibe which is what this series is famous for (as well as the complicated romance between the 3 main characters).

Downsides over with, I give credit to the voice actors as per usual. Especially to Yui Horie who portrays Yuuki (the heroine). I loved how she portrayed a traumatised Yuuki. It was just amazing. And I love how Zero’s voice actor (Mamoru Miyano) was literally debating with himself as he portrayed Ichiru as well…now that was jokes! ﾌﾟｯ(※థэథ)∵.*.∵

I salute you voice actors! You make anime what it is today ＼(^o^)／

Ichiru…Zero’s twin brother!

Yuuki is the Kuran princess and a Pureblood vampire O_O never saw that coming xD
But Kaname’s fiancée? Somebody cancel the engagement! Zero’s expression when he found out shattered my fragile little heart 。・゜・(ノД`)・゜・。

10 years ago, Yuuki’s uncle attacked the Kuran mansion and murdered her parents. He was trying to get Yuuki’s blood which was the freshest (because she’s a newborn Pureblood Vampire) so he could revive himself. What a sicko ( ಠ_ಠ)

Rido Kuran was the true antagonist of Vampire Knight. He did everything from the shadows. He was the one who killed Yuuki’s parents, Haruka Kuran and Juri Kuran. He was the one who put Shizuka’s lover on the execution list. I’ve never hated a antagonist so much before, why did you do this Rido? Rage meter has gone up (ノ`д´)ノ〃┻━┻

Takuma Ichijo finally confronted his grandfather ヽ(*´ー`*)ﾉ and he succeeds in defeating him too! Takuma decided to put an end to the Ichijo family so he raised his katana against Isato. Good for you Takuma, you’ve grown a pair (^^) my little boy has grown up! I’m so proud of you baby ❤

Overall, I would still watch this as it is the continuation of Vampire Knight and you don’t really want to be kept on a cliffhanger from the first series do you?

Vampire Knight

Since this was the first series that I ever watched, I’m going to do my first post on the series that lead me into the world of anime! I watched this in 2009 so I’m not that late (^_^;)

Name: Vampire Knight

Japanese Name: ヴァンパイア騎士

Air Date: April 8 2008 – July 1 2008

Studio: Studio DEEN

Episodes: 13

PLOT

Cross Academy is an elite boarding school with two separate, isolated classes: the Day Class and the Night Class. On the surface, Yuuki Cross and Zero Kiryuu are prefects of the academy, and attempt to keep order between the students as classes rotate in the evenings. As the night class is full of utterly gorgeous elites, this can sometimes prove to be a bit difficult. It is completely necessary, however, as those ‘elites’ are actually vampires. Yuuki and Zero act as guardians, protecting the secrets of the Night Class and the safety of the ignorant Day Class. As the adopted daughter of the academy’s chairman, Yuuki takes her job with a serious and energetic attitude. It also allows her to interact with her secret crush and saviour, the Night Class’ dorm president, Kaname Kuran. Zero, on the other hand, has a deep-rooted hatred against vampires, and at times, does not hesitate to kill.

Can vampires and humans co-exist, even in the strict setup of Cross Academy? Only time will tell.

[via MAL]

Before watching this series, I did some research on the series to see what it was like. Normally I do this for films and TV shows so I get a rough idea of what I’m putting up with. I was really pumped about this as the animation looked okay and the voice actors were all really famous – *cough* Mamoru Miyano *cough* – did I just say something? No? Let’s continue then…

First Impressions

This series is going to be a lot like Twilight…I was right. Love triangles. This love traingle will be based on Yuuki, Zero and Kaname. I know this is true because I’ve seen this sort of thing many time. Plus you always need a childhood friend and the initial love interest in a love triangle!

This little banter between Zero and Yuuki in episode 1 was pure gold:

Zero: *Sees the Night Class’ fangirls. Scary expression and waves fist in air* “All of you! Hurry back to your dorms!”

“Having to deal with you all running around screaming kya kya kya kya everyday…”

*Zero makes a funny face since Yuuki started to punch him*

Yuuki: *Continues punching Zero* “You were late! Don’t talk like you’re all high and mighty!”

Zero: *Pushing Yuuki away with her arms flailing around* “I could say that right back at you!”

Zero and Yuuki may look distant but in reality, they’re closer than two peas in a pod. Why I used that metaphor is a reason beyond me! Their relationship is more like one of acquaintances but they’ve known each other since their childhood days. I’m really jealous. Normally romance blooms between childhood friends so now that I think about it, I’m not jealous; I’m envious. This is the reason why manga artists seek to annoy us with shoujo heroines and their amazing lives. They want us to feel envious. Damn you Yuuki! That girl is mocking me with her amazing life filled with hot guys, while I get a crappy one filled with annoying siblings and stupid school. Fantastic.

Grr. Why won’t Zero drink my blood instead?

Midway Impressions

Fair enough there was the odd comedy part, especially from the Headmaster, I basically grew tired of the whole love triangle, blood sucking and revenge plot – does this remind you of a certain vampire film? Yes I’m looking at you Twilight. Some moments seem cliche and badly interpreted which I have to say kinda bothered me. However, that won’t stop me from watching this. Don’t give up Jimmy! You can do it! Ignore Yuuki and her amazing life! I was about to drop the series but a little voice in my head nagged at me saying: “You must continue! Continue on for Mamoru-san!” so I found myself continuing LOL. Thankyou little voice for encouraging me!

Plot rant aside, I found myself really liking the music. It really set off the mood of the series so I either found myself singing along to the theme song every time I watched the next episode or shivering at the really creepy music that appears at random moments xD maybe I should go and get a blanket to keep me warm? Or I’ll hide in my closet since that seems like a more rational idea…what to do? I’ll go with the closet xD I’m not normally into this type of music but it made an impact on me so I guess I like it now?

Shizuka Hio. The Kuruizaki-hime. She’s a strange character. Her aura seems mysterious. And she’s a Pureblood, like Kaname. Her bond with Zero is strained since she was the one who turned Zero into a vampire. Their bond is one of blood. She is his master. All Zero wants to do is kill her since she butchered his family and that’s understandable. I would go berserk if someone wiped out my family and I had no one left. But Shizuka must of had her reasons. Right?

Overall Opinion

I enjoyed this series in the end which surprised me (maybe it’s because of the voice actors or because I got drawn into the series?). I grew to love the characters as individuals and I loved how the characters interacted with each other as it showed what their relationships were like. The plot was built up really well and you could feel the tension and emotions each character felt (I was moaning about the plot earlier…funny how I can change my mind so quickly). The flow of the plot introduces an intriguing world of vampires and builds up a greater knowledge of their existence so it was really interesting to see how they interpreted vampires. They’re not your typical vampire who can turn humans into their kind, they have ranks and only Purebloods – which are at the top of the vampire world – have the power to transform humans into their kind. I thought that was pretty awesome ＼(^o^)／

The scenery was common (what do you expect from a school based anime?) but it was still beautiful. Every leaf, tile, door etc were really detailed and nothing was left out. Cross Academy appeared very grand which is expected of a large boarding school and gave of the impression of wealth. The everyday scenery such as streets and back-alleys seemed good enough to give you that feeling when something is about to jump on you.

Zero, why are you so hot?

The character designs were the same as the manga. Both the anime and manga were emphasising more on facial features and they were refined which showed the elegance and gracefulness of each character. I could feel what type of aura they gave off for example, Yagiri gave off the type of atmosphere that just said ‘kill’ xD the eyes caught my attention the most…they just lured me in. Aido was one of my favourite characters apart from Zero. I was fangirling over Aido with his fangirls in most episodes xD most of the time I wanted to kill those girls because they were annoying but we agreed on one thing…AIDO IS HOT. I loved the little banters between him and Kain ~KYAAA! AIDO-SENPAI! YOU CAN DRINK MY BLOOD ANYTIME! (๑´ლ`๑)

SPOILER: Yuuki allows Shizuka to turn her into a vampire, for the sake of saving Zero. However Zero intervenes and attempts to kill Shizuka before his twin brother – Ichiru – stops him. Zero is shocked to see his brother alive since he believed him to be dead. In the meantime, Shizuka manages to escape but is finds Kaname. Kaname then kills Shizuka in order to protect Yuuki. This scene was witnessed by Aido.

The climax of Vampire Knight shocked me. I read the manga but the tension was built up well in the anime. Kaname. Kills. Shizuka. Wtf, Purebloods are rare vampires that are meant to be treasured and yet Kaname goes and kills Shizuka. I know she was mad but she had a reason! Poor woman, I really felt sorry for her. Ichiru’s reaction to her death broke my heart, I’ll cry for you Ichiru! Let us both confide in our sorrows together ＼(^o^)／ and who gets blames for the murder of Shizuka? Zero. We all know who it really was, turn yourself in Kaname or you will feel my wrath (ノ`д´)ノ〃┻━┻ my poor baby is innocent…INNOCENT! Unforgivable. I will not forgive you for as long as I live Kaname Kuran! Prepare yourself for battle and cower before my strength! Mwuhahahahahahahahaha!!!

The music was really good as it set the atmosphere for the entire series up until the climax – I won’t give away any spoilers! My favourite was ‘Forbidden Act’ when Yuki offered Zero her blood, it was really sad but fit that scene perfectly. I praise Takefumi Haketa for doing such a great job with the music! The opening by ON/OFF was definitely a win and the opening sequence that went with it was action packed showing off the powers that the elite vampires possess. Alright guys, no need to rub it in. We know you’re special so you don’t have to show us every minute.

I recommend this series to anyone who loves a good vampire romance and a lot of blood. Vampire Knight gives off a gothic vibe and has a very dark yet serious tone but some of the characters offer comic relief which keeps the serious and comedy tone in balance. You never want anything too serious otherwise you’d be bored out of your mind!

Vampire Knight is a series for all vampire lovers – and for girls who love GORGEOUS VAMPIRES! This is WAY better than Twilight so watch this instead (^^) there’s none of that plainness that Bella gives and Yuuki won’t annoy you as much as Bella. I had to deal with that when I watched Twilight in the cinema. Would you have your blood sucked by one of these vampires? I know I would ❤

The story continues in Vampire Knight Guilty…