Vampire Knight

 Ok, time for another review. This time I will review Vampire Knight ( both seasons ). And don’t worry, this one is a nice, entertaining anime which I recommend ( I notice a pattern in my reviews: 1 shitty, 1 nice, 1 shitty, 1 nice ).
The plot is original, makes sense, and has a lot of twist and turns. The idea is that there is a certain academy called Cross that has some differences from other schools: in a unique and experimental setup designed by the headmaster, it has a Day Class consisting of ordinary humans and a Night Class filled with vampires. Yuki Cross and her friend Zero Kiryu are school prefects whose job it is to make sure the secret of the Night Class is always safe; they patrol the school grounds at night and supervise the switchover of classes at dawn and dusk to prevent any 'accidents' from happening. While Zero is suspicious of vampires and hates the idea of sharing the same space as them, Yuki admires the Night Class for their beauty and sophistication; she is especially intrigued by their charming leader, Kaname, because he once saved her life. However, as Yuki quickly learns, not all vampires are amiable like the Night Class, and as terrible events unfold, Yuki must ask herself whether in a world where vampires are the hunters and humans are the prey, peaceful coexistence can really be achieved. This gives premises for a lot of drama and romance. As you can guess, Yuki falls in love with Kaname, Kaname deeply loves Yuki, but so does Zero. It’s kind of a love triangle. My favorite character in the series is Zero, because he lives the most tragic drama, and frankly, destiny only throws shit at him. The main plot is the love between Yuki and Kaname, but sometimes it’s boring and predictable. I’m not criticizing the characters, because they are likable, have style, and are beautifully detailed. But they’re drama is kind of boring sometimes, and at those moments I think they are overreacting, or complaining for no reason. But Zero has a true tragedy. His family ( except for his brother, whom he loves but is betrayed by him ) is killed by a pureblood vampire which then transforms him into a vampire. And while he is a vampire, he refuses to fall in to his urges and suck blood, because he really hates vampires and doesn’t want to fall to they’re level. All the while, there is the growing danger of him being transformed into a degenerated vampire, and will lose his mind. That’s one messed up guy, but because of this he is the most interesting and unpredictable. The second season provides him with more spotlight, and left me wanting for more seasons, so I can see how his story will progress. Now let’s talk about other aspects. The opening theme is a treat, and the video it accompanies gives a good look and feel of the main characters cast. The cast I well defined, although some of they’re personalities is common and because of that some of them can be predictable. But nevertheless, each individual has his own style, which can also be reflected in his or her powers. Yeah, there are powers in this anime. But don’t worry. These are more sophisticated than let’s say… Dragonball Z or other ’90 anime. There are no fireballs, or super-punches that can crumble mountains. These powers are more like transforming one’s own blood into a sharp weapon, or conjuring ice from air moisture. And there are also the vampire hunters, which don’t have powers but instead have special weapons that can kill vampires. So you get that feel that the vampires are stronger and that humans have to rely more on brains than brawn. The graphics are sharp, each character has his own distinct color selection corresponding to his personality, background is well detailed, it looks and fells like an interactive environment, and character models are well detailed. Sound effects are realistic and voice cast is well chosen. In short, no complaints whatsoever. And I have no complaints about the action, but I think the series could have used a little more of it for the first season. It’s a good thing the second season wasn’t lacking. Actually, I think the second season is better, because even though it focuses a lot on Yuki and Kaname, it gives a lot more credit to Zero. And even though it’s a drama, the series doesn’t lack comedy either. It isn’t necessary, I mean my opinion wouldn’t have changed even if it didn’t have comedy. But it’s a nice addition. So I guess it has a balanced mix of action, comedy and romance. And that’s one of the important things which make a good anime. So, I think I made my point clear on why I think this is an anime worth watching. It’s unique, and I hope the series will not stop with Guilty, and will move one ( so that I can finally see something good happen to Zero ).