Title:  Vampire Knight vol 1 UK Distributor:  Manga Entertainment BBFC Certificate: 12 Suggested Retail Price (SRP):  £12.99 Episodes:  1 - 4 (of 13) Audio Options:  English and Japanese 2.0 Subtitles: English Release Date:  22 November 2010 Reviewer:  Amichan

So the first volume of Vampire Knight has hit our shores, but has it been worth the wait?

Vampire Knight tells the story of Yuki Cross, who has a mysterious past.  She cannot remember anything prior to when she was five, in fact her first memory is of her being saved by Kaname after being attacked by a vampire.  Kaname is a vampire himself and the head of the night class, a group of vampires who study at night.  This though is a secret to the class which studies during the day.  It is up to Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryuu the student guardians to protect this secret from the day students.
 

  The first DVD of this series is mostly foundation setting, introducing the characters and the back stories of main characters Yuki and Zero.  It is only from the end of episode three that the storyline begins to move forward.

Right from the start a love triangle is set up between Yuki, Kaname and Zero.  This is a cliché of the shojo genre, and in Vampire Knight it isn't very original; with the typical

standoffish character, Zero and the more gentler open character, Kaname for Yuki to decide over.

What is slightly more original is the society of vampires, which the story revolves around.  In Vampire Knight the highest rank is pure bloods, who have extraordinary powers above all.  Below these are the aristocrats, who have their own powers but they don't match the pure bloods.  Finally there are humans who have been turned into vampires by a pure-blood.  It is their fate to slowly deteriorate into a level E vampire, a creature which can no longer control its desire for blood.
 

The artwork of the anime series I felt lacked some of detail and charm that the original manga does.  Furthermore, the way that the series is animated is very much in the style of Ouran Host Club.  While this style works for Ouran, for Vampire Knight it jars due to its darker tone overall.

In conclusion, the first volume of Vampire Knight is distinctly average so far.  If you are after a refreshing shojo series, which breaks the mould of this genre, this may not be the

series for you.  However, if you have an interest in vampire fiction, then there maybe something here that will keep you interested. Unfortunately volume one does not give you much story to decide whether or not it is a worthwhile watch. Will volume two pick up the pace of the story?

Extras:

Absolute zero.

Ratings

Feature:   Extras: n/a
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