Vampire Knight, Vols 1-5

Vampire Knight, Vols 1-5


By: Matsuri Hino
Reviewed by: gothiclolitamaiden, 16
Rating: Really liked it


I was interested to read Vampire Knight before I got around to picking up the first volume. I had heard good things about it, and the plot and characters intrigued me. After reading it, I’m somewhat disappointed but also not that surprised. My judgment was clouded because I was not impressed by another of Hino’s manga: Marchen Prince (Meru Puri). Meru Puri is, quite frankly, shojo fluff, featuring an annoying female protagonist with an unhealthy crush on a younger boy who turns into an alluring boy closer to her own age at night. Kind of creepy, in a way, despite the fluffy-ness.

Vampire Knight is different from Meru Puri in many ways, but not too different in others. The subject matter is different entirely, and Hino even acknowledges (in a sidebar) the fact that she moved out of her comfort-zone (lighthearted romantic comedy) in Vampire Knight, which is darker, with more gothic themes and sexual undertones than Meru Puri. Hino could benefit from moving out of her comfort zone more often, as Vampire Knight manages to lose some of Meru Puri’s shallowness. VK is also more suspenseful than Meru Puri, and therefore it has more potential to attract and appeal to male readers.

I got more attached to the characters in VK than I did in Meru Puri, but all of the boys are typical bishonen stereotypes. I’m afraid I dislike both Zero and Kaname for various reasons, and I don’t see the point in choosing between Moody Bishonen #1 and Moody Bishonen #2, as some shippers in the fandom do. Background characters from the Night Class and Day Class are sorely undeveloped, and they don’t get a lot of attention, especially not the Day Class (because they’re not as beautiful and mysterious as the Night Class). The most interesting characters to me were Maria/Shizuka, Yagari Toga, Seiren, Headmaster Cross, and Ruka, but none of them make too many appearances. I’d really like to learn more about these characters’ personalities and pasts, but Hino doesn’t draw them much, most of the focus is on the love triangle. Yuuki is much less annoying than Airi of Meru Puri, but she is a bit underdeveloped, and despite the picture of her on the first cover holding a big gun (I thought she was a tough chick when I first started reading), she can’t really hold her own in a fight. Usually one of the pretty boys ends up rescuing her. But Yuuki’s best qualities are her compassion and genuine concern for her friends and loved ones, and I suppose that even though she lacks fighting prowess, Yuuki has a strong heart.

Artistically, Vampire Knight is beautifully drawn, despite some issues with anatomical proportions. For the most part, character designs are distinctive, even if all of the boys start to look alike, typical bishonen faces and body builds (that is, tall and lanky with long tousled locks) with only slight differences in eye color, hair color and hair style. In Meru Puri Hino had problems with making the characters’ faces very expressive, and she still has a bit of a problem in Vampire Knight, though she’s improving.

Vampire Knight is certainly not the best manga I’ve ever read. The art is beautiful, and the plot is fairly suspenseful and intriguing, despite some issues with the characters. It’s a recommended read for all fans of horror, gothic, vampire and romance manga. It retains some shojo-fluffyness despite its darker subject matter, which explains its popularity among American fans. In short, it’s my guilty pleasure. I love to read it, but I feel ashamed in doing so.


Recommended to: Fans of horror, gothic, vampire or romance manga. Girls will like it better, guys might be deterred by all of the pretty boys adorning the covers. Some violence, blood and almost sexuality