The cheerful Yuuki Cross and the gruff Zero Kiryuu are members of the disciplinary committee at Cross Academy, which houses two very distinct classes: the Day Class and the Night Class. Their job consists of upholding order between the classes when they switch out. While that may not seem like an especially difficult task, the Day Class is unaware of the truth behind the Night Class—their utterly gorgeous students are vampires.
Ten years ago, Yuuki was saved from a vampire attack by Kaname Kuran, a Pureblood vampire. Now, Kaname is the leader of the Night Class, and Yuuki's disciplinary committee position allows her to see him again, making her feelings for him grow complicated. Meanwhile, Zero bears a white-hot hatred of all vampires and believes they can never live in harmony with humans. But a secret from Zero's past soon threatens the fragile peace of all at the academy, and things may never be the same again.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Dorothea
Story Some aspects of the setup I liked, like the school divided into day class human students and night class vampire students. I would have loved the human heroine who patrols the grounds and night, making sure the vampires are in line, except...Yuki was TOTALLY lame. Episode after episode was her chasing after Zero, stupidly getting herself into danger, being saved by a male lead, and then feeling guilty. Really weak story, with few redeeming features. The characters didn't grow, events didn't build up into a climax, and the resolution was contrived and lukewarn. It was very much one of thoseanimes annoyingly full of longing, melodramatic gazes and characters saying each others' names in quiet, tortured voices.
Art
The art was all right. Yuki was cute, Zero was handsome, and Kaname was gorgeous. The other vampires were pretty lame though, just a bunch of generic bishounen who were totally loyal to Kaname cuz the mangaka said so. I found Yuki's absolutely massive eyes irritating. I've seen a lot of anime by now so I'm used to the huge eyes, but hers actually distracted me at times, maybe because the story had so little pull.
Sound
Good soundtrack. Lots of classical, which I enjoyed, and I like both the intro and ending songs.
Character
The characters are what I disliked the most, especially Yuki. She was an extremely boring protagonist. She carried around a cool-looking staff that seemed to have magical properties, but never once used it well. Usually, she'd just bring it out only to drop it when someone said something upsetting or when she tripped. She was then promptly rescued by Kaname or Zero. Maybe the next season will explain why she is in the middle of all of this, but I think season 1 should give the heroine SOME value. Sure, she was very generous with Zero, but I hate shoujo heroines who only stand out because they're SO good at being martyrs. As for the other characters, they weren't much better. Zero spent most of his time wanting to die. Kaname constantly rescued Yuki, yet never explained her importance to him. A little mystery is good, but too much "she's so precious to me but I won't say why" gets boring and annoying. The "villain" only appeared at the very, very end, and I found their behavior inconsistent and what happened to them way too abrupt and anticlimactic.
Enjoyment
I don't have high standards. I might've adored this show, if Yuki hadn't been such a weakling. What I usually enjoy in anime shows is watching the protagonist learn and grow. It's okay if the protagonist starts out ordinary or weak or with a massive crush, so long as they become stronger. Yuki really didn't, though. Kaname kept protecting her without explaining anything. Zero usually pushed her away and also refused to share things. She had a big heart, but I like heroines who're genuinely strong, not just good at sacrificing themselves. Sorry, but anyone can say, "Bite me."
Overall
Maybe this is a good show for teenage girls, but I think anyone who just finished Ouran Host Club or Hana Yori Dango or other such shows will be disappointed by the heroine. Most shoujo is so entertaining because the heroines are so intelligent, or plucky, or independent. Yuki was none of those things. Of course, fangirls who just want to see a cute big-eyed girl get bitten by various bishounen will still love it.
TheLlama
If you think that shojo series are all flowery, romantic (comedies) and cheerful, you're quite wrong, and Vampire Knight will prove that more than anything else. Keywords for VK are drama, emotional struggles and tragic pasts. Throw in a dash of vampire, and there you have Vampire Knight in all its glory. The story revolves around the students of the Cross Academy, which is divided into the Day Class for humans, and the Night Class for Vampires. The main characters, Zero and Yuki, both have very sad pasts; Zero had his family killed by a vampire, and Yuki's first memory was a vampire attacking her. Thesepasts, which are revealed fairly early in the series, make a good base for their relationship and their emotional struggles.
During the course of the story, the characters face one event/experience after another, which makes room for emotional struggles, lots of character development and, of course, some romance (hey, this is a shojo series after all), though the latter is overshadowed by the other stuff.
The artwork is both standard shojo and something else at the same time. We have the pretty bishonen boys in place, complete with all the fallen-head-over-heels girls, and there's also the standard shojo eyes; large, with pupils that are almost larger than the actual eyes. But since the series has a darker, sadder tone to it, there's no lack on that end either. The coloring is often very dark, and the occasional lighting effect helps on this aspect of the series.
The soundtrack is good, with sad pieces helping the sad mood, and overall good quality. There's nothing spectacular about the soundtrack though, and while the OP theme is very good, the ED theme isn't very cool, though it fits with the dark mood of the series. Voice acting is perfect; the moods are portrayed very well and there's an overall good quality.
One of the things I love about this series is the characters. I mean, I really love them. They're very deep, with their pasts and emotional struggles. Off course, there's superficial characters as well, but they're mostly supporting characters; the main characters are mostly deep and they have a lot of character development for such a short series. Their relationships with eachother are very deep too, and a pleasure to watch.
Overall, I enjoyed the series very much; this is a candidate for the best Spring 2008 anime. It's a bit open at the end, but I just read that there's a second season coming in October, so I'll accept that, and look forward to it.
To 'Not Helpful' voters (and you 'Helpful' voters too): Feedback greatly appreciated =)
xMintyPie
WARNING-- before reading this review, please take into account the fact that I disliked Vampire Knight. If that one statement offends you, please do not read onward. I do not assume any responsibilities for broken monitors, laptops, or mobile devices. Also, if you like dark romance or any romance dealing with vampires, I recommend this to you. See if you like it. Though, if you prefer adventures or are not a fan of things dark, or of soap operas, this is not recommended. ..:::..:::.. No matter what anime it is, the very first question that ever comes to my mind when writing review is this--"Where do I start? What do I say?"
With Vampire Knight, that question never occurred. I know instantly where to start. Since I'm such a freak about certain things, when I write reviews I have to write them in this order-- Story, Art, Sound, Character, All in all. but with this anime-- JUST this one-- I'm going to start with Character, because that is where I know to start and where I feel I need to.
Character~
Yes. Here we go. /deep breath/ Vampire Knight's characters are... awful. Hate me if you wish, but honestly, they're just annoying. This show isn't *insanely* popular, but it is well known, and I have a large share of romance anime-loving friends, and each one of them referred me to this. I don't see why. The characters all have their own tortured pasts and this makes it pretty much uninteresting. It's ok if people have a hard enough past to make them interesting-- and not to mention STRONGER-- but Vampire Knight does not do this. They just get weaker because of how hard their past is. I'll... show you.
Yuki~
The supposed heroine, an amnesiac with the only memory of when she was being attacked by a vampire when she was littler. Anything before that, she does not know. She carries around a weapon and is a night guard of sorts, keeping the Night Class and Day Class separate. Does she do a good job at this? ...No. Yuki must always be saved, and whenever she cries someone's name they will come. The plot and characters were all so predictable that, when Yuki fell over and dropped her weapon, the next thing she'd do would be call someone's name. That person would then come and completely kick the butt of her attackers. Yay. I predicted this every time, and every time it happened just as it happened in my mind. Yuki was not a heroine, but was nothing more than a weak girl who supposedly wanted to help Zero by sacrificing some of her blood to him. People regenerate blood, vampire (...probably) or human, so it's not too much of a sacrifice. They'll just get it back later. Nothing special there. And in return for giving her red liquid to him, Zero would come save her. Her weapon's only purpose was to be flung around or dropped when she was surprised or something. She irritated me so much that-- ...No, I won't say.
Zero~
...Oh heck. He's just a suicidal guy who has a "secret". He's a vampire. Wooooo. Who knew that was coming? /sarcasm/ All he does is regret his past and be all pathetic over it, and instead of developing he just sits and sighs sadly. Oh, and when Yuki calls out, he rescues her. I think he's rather torn between liking Yuki or not, or maybe it's just his oh-so-pathetic-feel-bad-for-me past, but he just bugged the crap out of me. Perhaps I am being much too critical for anyone's taste, but I feel I need to agree with some of those that gave this a bad review, and point out why. There's really no character development here, and when the characters are supposed to develop, it actually just makes them more annoying. There are so many things to dislike about this overused type of personality that I won't even point them out, or nobody would read my review because I could make a book out of it. But I'll share a few-- as I've stated earlier, he's suicidal, yes, but he's also a bit cold and unsociable and fights with his own emotions. Doesn't he have another side to him? He never really reveals one. At least not in this series. So far, I don't think even Vampire Knight: Guilty could bring to life this pathetic show, but I have high hopes for it...
Kaname~
Do I HAVE to talk about him? Auuugh... He's just your average super strong, top of the class, well-liked guy with a "soft side" for the protagonist, Yuki. It seems that Kaname and Zero's roles are equal-- to "provide drama" (yeah, great job at that.) and save Yuki all. the. freaking. time. Yes, he's a vampire, and all this other purely annoying stuff, so why does he like Yuki so much? She's cute? She's helpless? She's "kind"? I don't know, I'm hoping it will be revealed in Vampire Knight: Guilty, but I really don't know. Though, I'm sure it will, because how could an anime go on like this? He seems so obsessed with Yuki (and Yuki so obsessed with him) that it's just stupid. Why? I want answers, and I want them in the next season. If I don't get them, this show will be in my list of "Worst 5 anime I have ever seen". So, yes, if they reveal some of their secrets, I'll be... uh, happy. I guess. But for the most part, Kaname is a guy who doesn't make sense, and he's too much of a mystery. Mysteries, yes. But I can only take so much of "I'm keeping everything to myself and acting cool yet obsessed with this girl for no reason". Auuuugh. I just... no. Never mind. If I go further, I'll be ranting for the entire day, which I don't have time to do, so let's move on.
Other characters~
Wait, there were other characters? Wow! I hadn't even noticed! Oh, now that you say it, I do remember some of them. they were Kaname's followers, right? And they had such cliche personalities that I could die? Yeah, them! Right... If your brain is working properly, you should already know my opinion of the supporting cast by now.
Story~
It seemed to be just slightly unique, and it had many places it could have gone, but it decided to stay as a stupid soap opera. It never really got deeper or darker than that, and the bad guy was sort of non existent until the very end. Weird. I like to be introduced to my antagonist at the very beginning, if possible. This was just one of the thousands of things that disappointed me in this show. Why everyone loves this is just something my brain can't grasp. I dunno, maybe your brain can't grasp why the heck I love Higurashi or Death Note, so let's leave it at this-- it's an opinion. The end.
Art~
All in all, it was typical, yet with a darker sense of feeling. It really made me wonder how the heck the creator(s) did this. I mean, how do you take cliche art and give it a darker feeling to it? all in all, it was nice and enjoyable... but then the fight scenes came on. I mean, really? Just because it's a supposed romance doesn't mean the movement of the battles has to be completely awful. And trust me, ohhhh-- when mistakes in a frame are made, it was dang obvious. Most of the time in anime, I can tell when a mistake is made yet I can't always place it, but I know it's there. With Vampire Knight, that never happened once. I always knew where the mistakes were-- Yuki's face was too long. Her mouth was in the incorrect place. Zero's eye shape is wrong (and no, not because he's making a different expression, his eye shape is literally wrong). So many other things. So, when it is bad, it is very bad.
Sound~
I enjoyed the opening, and... I actually have the ending on my iPod. I loved it. I have no idea why. There was something creepy yet mysterious and beautiful about it. It's not super special, but I liked it, and that's my opinion. The overall soundtrack for the movie was actually very nice, and I noticed *most* of it. It kind of helped enhance the mood, but most of the time it made it cheesier and more annoying. On its own, though, it's a fairly good soundtrack. The voice acting for the Japanese isn't necessarily anything super special-- each voice actor fits their role. And you know my opinion on the characters, so sometimes the voice acting was really annoying too. They sulk in the darkness of their rooms, softly calling out the name of the other character, their heart aching-- yeah, yeah. It gets annoying. If there's an English version, I didn't watch it, so...
All in all, Vampire Knight to me was very annoying and cliche in some of its parts. I hoped that it would go in a different direction since the overall setup of the plot was enthralling, but it went absolutely nowhere-- and I could only groan at the screen and slap my forehead.
Depending on your taste in anime, you might or might not like this. I'd say, just to be safe, read the other reviews and build an opinion of your own before you watch this anime. Mostly, read as many reviews that give it a bad score, then read a few that give it an 8 or above. Decide what you want to do, and watch or don't watch this. If you've already seen it, then... good for you. Write your own review. If my review upset you in any way, please read the statement at the very top of this review. :P
Overall, I just disliked this anime, and I'll stick with what I usually like. There were so many ways it could have gone, and so many twists it could have taken-- but it stayed annoying, predictable, and just... Ugh.
Animegurl420
If you like pretty anime vampire boys, this might be right up your street. However, if you like something with a decent plot as well as the associated carnage and animalistic nature that vampires usually have, this will likely leave you somewhat disappointed (and that's me being rather kind..) and wishing it had delivered more for the time you put in. I began watching this on a friend's giddy recommendation and was intrigued somewhat by the first few episodes; although, all the way through near enough, it stayed at the same steady pace of mild intrigue and a general niggling wonder as to when the hellthe plot was going to kick in so that the story had some sort of point to it aside from a glorified love triangle. The plot itself, somewhere beneath the anime itself, has a lot of potential. The on-screen variation just doesn't seem to deliver.
The characters, despite my 'fangirl-esque' fondness of a fair few of them, aren't particularly well mapped out and a lot of the character basis is shrouded in mystery, although not really in the right way - there are far too many vague bits and not enough explanation when it comes to motive and persona as well as situation. In fact, most of the characters seem not only 2D, but slight variations of the same 2D character. Also, most of the vampires you encounter in this series are rather fluffy aside from the pointy fangs, and the supporting cast are, to a fair extent, pretty forgettable.
Visually, it was somewhat pleasing, although a lot of time seems to have been wasted on trivial matters while the potentially good bits have been glossed over or given a moment or two of screen time when they should have had a scene, or at the very least, *more* screen time.
Overall, I'd say this series is probably worth a watch if you're just looking for an easy vampire related anime fix, but after spending a good few hours ploughing through this series, I am left wondering if I want to bother at all with its counterpart; leaning heavily towards the 'No' vote.
Bear in mind that I've not read the manga, nor am I in the 'anime connoisseur' league, but I am a writer (of sorts) and would know a good story when it hit me in the face: sadly, this failed to deliver such a pleasant blow.
HalRyder
10 years ago, Cross Yuki was rescued from an attack by a rogue vampire that got her whole family killed by Kuran Kaname, a noble vampire. Now, under the watchful eye of Chairman Cross, Yuki's foster father, both are students at the Cross Acedemy, where there's a Day Class for humans, and Night Class for vampires. There, Yuki, along with Kiryuu Zero, a childhood friend with a deep hatred for vampires, they attempt to prevent the secret of the vampires' identities from the student mass. STORY I was sorely disappointed with the anime. Hino Matsuri's manga version had a great story going for it, only for theanime version to warp it really badly. I give the writers credit for trying, but one shouldn't change the story so drastically it affects the flow the mangaka created. It isn't bad for those that haven't read the manga, but for those that have, I highly doubt you'll like it.
ART
Again, to be fair to the producers, the art ain't that bad, but comparing to the manga, Zero doesn't really have a dark, sad look that he does in the manga, and Yuki looks far too cute that she almost has a Kanon style look.
SOUND
I love the opening song. I really do. The sound thoughout the show really does give a good feeling too, and helps bring up the mood. But sound really doesn't help improve a storyline.
CHARACTER
Yuki is the best character in the anime version, and the only reason I gave this a 7, because I actually liked her with comedy, which she lacks in the manga. However, the rest of the characters are either the same, or thrown out of character. Aidou, for example, wasn't really explored deeply, and he just does things that weren't explained in the anime, but was in the manga.
ENJOYMENT
I wasn't bored out of my wits, but I wasn't exactly jumping with joy at every episode of new release like I would with some anime. I had hoped it would be as enchanting as the manga was, but by the end of episode 2, I found it lacking.
OVERALL
I cannot say it is a bad anime in anyway possible, nor is it a good one either. I expected better of the company that did legends like Higurashi no Naku Koroni and Rurouni Kenshin, and good anime like Kyo Kara Maou and Marimite, but this was just a disappointment. If you liked the anime, I recommend the manga. Art's better, character's better, story's better, and of course, enjoyment's better.
rsun
I was motivated to write this review when I saw Vampire Knight had a 6.9 score, indicating a work that most people think is mediocre, even outright bad. This will not stand. To breifly summarize, 90% of Vampire Knight's plot centres on a love triangle between heroine Yuki Cross and her childhood friend Zero along with school idol Kaname. Which all sounds pretty bland, only they are at a school full of vampires. Kaname is vampire God and Zero is a vampire hunter. And if you can't tell, yes, Twilight was a very big deal when this series was being released. In my opinion, Vampire Knight ispeak shojo and brilliantly executed. I was deeply obsessed with it when I first watched it in high school. Years later when I rewatched it as a more mature (?) person, I still found it very entertaining. Recently I watched it again with my partner and he enjoyed it thoroughly. Of course he offered many sarcastic remarks but he enjoyed it nevertheless. I think the score on MAL is quite unfair, but it's part of a very understanding phenomenon (like the hate on Twilight). Vampire Knight achieved exactly what it tried to do. We asked for a love triangle, a useless protagonist lacking personality for self-insert, handsome boys fawning all over her for inexplicable reasons, and Vampire Knight DELIVERED. Vampire Knight is a series designed to be enjoyed, not reflected upon. It gave me many of the things I wanted as a teenage girl, presenting a world I wanted to live in and a romantic situation that uh, let's just say would have been pretty great.
I was trying to think of a shonen-equivalent series to illustrate my point, and the one I think parallels it is Food Wars. It literally has women who orgasm when they eat... and it consistently has a decent score (ranging from ~7.3 to ~8.1). Clearly there is no justice in the world. Ultimately, fantasy for boys is allowed but for not for girls.
I understand though, I was for the longest time, trying to distance myself psychologically from the part of me that enjoys things like Vampire Knight, Fifty Shades of grey etc. And yes, as a teenager I was not aware of the toxicity, so the criticism on that front is valid. For example, Kaname is emotionally unavailable and patronizing, does not particularly respect consent, not to mention the 1000-year old age difference. He is more like a father figure than a viable romantic partner, but is explicitly spelled out as a main love interest. And my 14-year-old self who thought he was dreamy, shipped Yuki with Kaname. So for people criticizing "it's toxic", yes it absolutely is, it's what a 14-year old girl imagines healthy relationships look like. Just let them be happy. And if you are older, and need to indulge yourself every now and then, Vampire Knight is guaranteed to be a good time. And for people criticizing the plot... come on, as if we are watching it for the plot...
The animation is good for a series of its era and budget, the voice acting fits all the characters, the music is well done, and the story moves along at a healthy pace episode to episode. There is no real reason it won't be enjoyed by shojo or romance fans. Overall, I think the low score for Vampire Knight reflects that people think a series so shamelessly designed to be wish fulfillment should not be rated high, and that in order to be "good", something must be profound. What Vampir Knight accomplishes is that it entertains you and keeps you interested, and going in expecting an intellectual experience is like going to McDonalds and getting upset they only serve hamburgers and not filet mignon.
Makizushi234
Honestly, I rate this anime with high regards despite the hate comments from the majority of the fandom. The vibes completley matches the essense and beauty of vampires and cannot be beaten when it comes to "guilty pleasure". The difference between "vampire knight" made around 2008 and the vampire related animes in current time has yet to beat for comparisons. If your new and are interested into watching the anime/manga but heard plenty from your surroundings of not to watch this "incestral wasted potential anime". Decide for yourself, not through the rocks thrown by others towards you. Personally, I've been in this fandom for a goodamount of years to say I STILL go back from time to time to re-watch/reread the anime/manga to the point of it becoming an addiction. But there was NEVER a time where I started hating on it for its out worldly logic of their world.
Over the months to years of each age, it saddens me to know that the fandom has only gotten worse. So, I encourage new viewers that rather than listening and peering into spoilers and opinions of others. Look into it yourself without the opinions in mind. Its pointless in hating it for many of its "annoyences" and whatnots (largely the incest) without even completing the anime and manga. I am a simpleton, but I know enough on how to appreciate and think into more of the deeper criteria's of the show without my modern world lens (eyes).
It may have some lose screws but that doesn't mean you should not watch this show. Especially, if you've heard some nasty spoilers from others or online!
I can't say that it is like all other anime's, but, it IS one of a shocker. If you, yourself are unsure still. I advise you to just give it a shot at least once! Watch the anime as it was discontinued and stopped to two seasons, at lease one is fine. However, if you still have distaste's surrounding its, "uniqueness", put away your hate or "disinterests" to yourself.
But, if you are like me and the other half of the fandom, go ahead and continue off into the manga. I beseech you to not spread hate after starting just a few chapters into the manga. This fandom already has a large hate fanbase, and we don't need anymore.
Enjoy.
LeikoHaran
Vampires in anime is nothing original and definitely nothing ground-breaking, in 2006, the idea of vampires had taken a back seat, Twilight didn't exist so there was a lack of screaming fangirls talking about what team they were, in fact, before there was Twilight....There was Vampire Knight. Many people, including me tend to think "oh, vampires, meh" and it takes a quality show such as Production IG's 'Blood: The Last Vampire' to turn heads and make people think otherwise, only to be kicked in the teeth by god awful vampire anime such as Fortune Arterial, Vampire Knight was a step in the right direction, but itsfar from perfect.
We follow the story of Yuki Cross, who as a child, was attacked by a Vampire and saved by Kaname Kuran, a pureblood vampire (he's basically top of the vampire hierarchy).
Time skip to high school because every anime seems to be set in bloody high school, she attends Cross Academy led by her father, Kaien who is determined to make Humans and Vampires live in harmony by having them attend the same school.
The day class is for humans such as Yuki and her partner Zero as school guardian, and they are responsible for keeping the over-excited girls at bay when the night class strut their way into Cross Academy.
The night class are (wait for it) THE VAMPIRES, and are, in my opinion the only set of characters that kept the entire series afloat during the more...dull time of the series. We have Kaname Kuran, Yuki's love interest and childhood hero and Aido Hanabusa, the comic relief antagonistic senior to Yuki who is presumably jealous of their relationship, the rest dont have much importance, but theyre all equally cool.
Studio Deen took the reigns for this anime, well known for animating When They Cry (Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni) and, while they've never been at the peak of animation quality, thankfully for this show it isnt utter shit either, the animation is mediocre at best and certain action scenes felt off to me, other than that, its bearable to watch, so, as of right now, Vampire Knight is a fairly solid anime.
Now on to the good stuff, i'll quickly give my two cents on the opening and ending song before i get on to the 'dub or sub' argument, the opening song took me around 9 episodes to get used to, and on occasion i actually skipped it as there is absolutely nothing noteworthy on it, the song actually starts before the characters in the preview of the episodes have finished speaking leading to a clusterf**k of different voices for a few seconds. The ending song titled 'Still Doll' was more compelling, it didnt try to animate too much and it left a large sense of insecurity on me after it had finished, the voice of the singer Kanon Wakeshima was borderline perfect and the last few frames was very creepy.
Dub or sub? Sub. I havent even watched it in japanese just yet, but the dub felt like it was just slapped on, the dialogue was poor for reasons i'll get onto in a moment, and i honestly think the dub is the primary reason i never enjoyed the show as much as i should have.
Now its no spoiler to say that Zero's parents are dead as its explained pretty much right after he is introduced, their death is his motivation to keep fighting and the source of his hatred for vampires, Yuki is meant to be his bestfriend, just keep that in mind for the quote i'm about to give you...
"You think she's the vampire that brutally murdered your entire family?"
WTF? Yes, all the characters that mention Zero's parents to Zero himself seem to love reminding him of how the series' antagonist butchered his parents, which made me feel that either the characters were trying to make Zero cry or that they needed to remind him for the sake of having something to say.
The voice actors do an outright poor job of expressing the feelings between the characters that the japanese dub apparently has which causes the whole romance/tragedy side of the show to be completely laughable, i honestly watched death scenes of the characters multiple times thinking "Wait, was i supposed to care?"
The dub has successfully made it onto a list of english dubs i flatout REFUSE to listen to ever again in my life, and i can count the amount of such dubs on one hand.
The characters, to some extent make the rest of the show bearable, not a single character that matters in the story is a cliche stereotype of any anime archetype, and for that i can applaud the idea, however thanks to the dub, the characters came off as plain with no character growth whatsoever and when the story gets 'serious' in the final 4 episodes, i felt myself struggling to even finish it, taking 30 minute breaks between episodes to cope with the inevitable cliffhanger ending.
Oh, yes, normally i dont like talking about a show's ending to the point where i give it a whole section in the review, but in my belief the ending is what makes the show solid, and in this case...it wasnt, it ends on a god-awful cliffhanger which, if you were struggling to finish the first 13 episodes like i did, you are now forced to watch 13 MORE to get the full effect of the story, admittedly, however, the story is incredibly strong, making no room for your typical beach episodes or filler bullshit, everything is completely necessary and the plot twists are masterfully executed.
This show is by no means for everyone, and if you want a vampire anime i would rather recommend Blood: The Last Vampire or Trinity Blood over this, but if you must, watch it, it ain't half bad, i have alot to say about it (mostly negative) but honestly i think its because i havent watched the japanese dub or even the second season, so my final opinions on the series as a whole is likely to change, but for now, the first season was a tad messy, leaving all of the explanations for the second season in typical Studio Deen fashion.
I give this anime a 6/10 and the overall recommendation to stream it if you have absolutely nothing else to watch
Stormy_77
In summary, Vampire Knight is the anime offspring of Ouran High School Host Club meets Twilight. I didn't have high hopes for this anime and was pleasantly surprised at the strength of character development and some plot twists. Cross Academy is like 2 schools rolled into one. The normal day class students are all intrigued and have terrific crushes on members of the Night Class who look like Movie Stars. Of course they day class is completely unaware that the Night Class are vampires, and an uneasy peace is kept by 2 prefects (Yuki and Zero), obeying the Headmaster's ideals of "let's all just getalong".
The night class looks like Ouran High School Host Club come to life. Every one of the men is handsome *sigh*, with the handsomest being Clan Kaname, the Pureblood Noble. He saved Yuki when she was a child, but Yuki's fellow prefect Zero hates him because he is a vampire.
Therein is the crux of the love triangle! The plot twisted and turned enough to keep me interested. There was a lot of angst, staring and brooding. Parts of it were downright sexy. Even I who hate the sight of blood found myself intensely interested in some of the ... food scenes.
Art was same as Ouran style, sound was just ok. Although the OP was very well done the rest of the soundtrack was very nondescript.
The ending was a little unexpected (a cop out) or I would have scored it higher. However thanks to 1 scene of fanservice for females the overall score ended up as an 7. At the end of it, the series didn't feel complete hence the 7 overall score. Good premise, lots of promise, could have been better executed. At the very least though, it was good enough to make me want to watch the sequel (just to find out what happens).
Evedream
Where to even begin... Oh wait maybe with the INCEST?? The story was from the beginning on really bad. The main character. Yuki, has no personality, and constantly needs to be saved by edgy vampire boys. But it was a quilty pleasure watch. I liked watching it alone in my room and giving live commentary to my invisible audience. This anime was like a car crash; so horrible but you just can’t look away. But then, oh lord, the plot twist is that the main love interest is actually HER BROTHER. Her own flesh and blood. I was immediately disgusted, and you’d think thatthe characters would be as well right? Well, no. They just shrugg it off and they continue like nothing is wrong. I hate this anime so much because you get 1 season in, maybe even start to like the characters a little and then they drop this freaking A-bomb on your head. I don’t care that it’s technically a spoiler, everyone who starts this anime has the right to now that it has UNAPPOLOGETIC INCEST AS A MAIN STORY PLOT. Just why??? Why did the writer thought it was a good idea to make them brother and sister??
Oh yeah, Yuki is also the product of incest. Her mother concieved her with her own brother. Maybe that explains why Yuki’s googly bug eyes are so big they look like they’ll explode out of her head.
Magdalen
The setting for this anime is maybe not an original one, VampirexMortal. But little parts of the storyline had me intrigued, and on the advice of a friend, I sat down to watch it. As I said, little additions and quirks of the storyline (such as Yuuki being saved by a vampire as a young girl, Zero's *affliction* -I'll call it that so there are no spoilers- and vampires being a night class while mortals are a day class of a boarding school.) made me enjoy certain parts of this story. The first few episodes had me thoroughly enjoying it, the art a major bonus to thestory. Comedy I wasn't expecting filled the first few episodes, and the music had me humming along.
Then, it all began to go downhill. Trying to suddenly adapt into a very dark, very sombre tale from what started out as maybe a black comedy had the whole story floundering. The story began to be brushed as what seemed to be filler episodes took up minute after minute. The true story and plot is only set into motion around episode 9. Leaving 4 episodes to give you a very unsatisfying and lukewarm ending.
The characters are another part of this anime which annoy me. Kaname is the most pretentious (I'm sorry to say), stuck up, arrogant and very, very cunning and sly. Not really the qualities you expect in a shoujo - do you? And while I'll admit it's refreshing, it's still not right.
Yuuki is...utterly pathetic. One thing that puts me right off certain animes or mangas is weak female protagonists. And Yuuki is one of the worst. I'd like to hope it's because the mangaka needed filler chapters. Yuuki, never learning from her mistakes, constantly walking into trouble and always ends up being rescued by either Zero or Kaname.
This does nothing to prevent the whole show falling into a downward spiral as it tries to explain every filler episode with chilling precision. Fair enough, but why not just call it what it is - an episode in which the base plot does not progress, and a chance to see Yuuki saved by some hot guy?
The comedy was this anime's saving grace-the only reason I rated this anime as high as I did, for me, as I went completely off this anime the minute Yuuki batted her eyelashes and was saved by Kaname. If you must watch this show - the side characters are actually the most interesting, and most comedic.
27lily
Initially, I wanted to rate this review 9/10 overall because I'm secretly (well, not so secret anymore) in love with one of the characters inside *fan girl moment* ZERO *blush* Zero is just too hot for an anime character, don't you think so? *End of fan girl moment* Back to the topic, Basically, this story is about vampires, vampires and vampires as you would predict from the title. Honestly, I didn't plan on even watching this anime even though I heard great reviews about it and all because of the word "Vampire". Ever since Twilight came out, vampire books and movies have been a hit andI personally find it overrated so I didn't even bother to look up for reviews about it.
Until...one day, I you-tube hopped and spotted Vampire Knight and read the comments...
The one that attracted me the most -> "OMGGGGG the guys in vampire knight are soooooooooooooo hot"
Since it's hard for me to get obsessed over an anime character (Okay, to be honest, it's quite easy, they just have to look pretty and good looking and I'm hooked but then, I'm being quite biased ain't I?) I went onto review sites and look up for the characters and dayum! One of the main characters attracted me just like that so I decided to give this series a try.
I will be honest though - if the first episode doesn't get me hooked onto it, I will by no means watch a second episode - unless, I'm TOO bored.
The first episode did get me hooked because it was so deep and thrilling in a fun way ;)
Story: 9/10
I thought that the story was really interesting and the plot gets deeper as you dived more into the series. No filler episodes and that makes me really happy as they concentrated on the story more.
You should wiki the story to know more about the Purebloods and the vampire families - that is really interesting. I find it really fascinating that Purebloods have so much power compared to the normal vampires and Level E and so on...
I was really afraid the story is gonna be 24/7 scary and vampire-y (as in biting and licking and stuff) but thank goodness, there were funny moments and chibi-fied faces as well. I'm surprised Kaname didn't have a chibi-face of himself!
I guess he's too cool for it B)
Art: 8/10
Nothing much to rave about but it's pleasant to my eyes. At first, I get so annoyed with the female protagonist because her eyes are SO huge that it's crazy! I mean, I know that anime girls usually have huge eyes but her eyes are so huge that they look like they're gonna suck me in anytime - seriously.
The male leads are of course - stunning and very, very hot. I have no objections of the character's art except for Yuuki's eyes. Other than that, the other characters looked pleasantly beautiful.
The background was decent - I mostly see trees and lots of trees but they suit the mood just right because half of the series, the background plays quite a role because they were very dark and moody just like the series.
Sound: 9/10
OP and ED songs were alright although I find the ED song REEEEALLY creepy that I usually skip it most of the time. I get scared easily and hey, red eyes and broken mirrors? Nuh-uh. I'm out.
But what really impressed me was the voices of the characters. It suited them just right! I love Zero's tortured voice (heheh it's sexy) and Kaname's "serious and mysterious" voice as well. I particularly liked the Chairman's voice as well. He can sound so serious at times...and then......HAPPY at other times.
Epic.
Character: 9/10
Character character character. I really love the characters in these series. Sure, they are all the same - love triangle, beautiful people T_T and all but what I'm talking about is the character itself - the personality.
I personally find Yuuki's character very weak and a little bit annoying because she doesn't do anything much and doesn't help much either other than giving her blood for Zero to drink. One good point about her: She's cute? And she's very optimistic.
Kaname's character is very, very interesting. You never know what he's up to...and you wonder - is he a good guy or a bad guy? It's like he's never both of them or he could be both of them...
He just leaves you confused.
Zero's character - dude, could you blame him if he wants to kill himself? I'm sick of people saying Zero's character is so weak and lame and all but can you actually imagine yourself in Zero's situation? Both parents killed by a vampire and yet, he turns into a vampire himself and is unable to control his thirst? Tell me, if you're like that - will you still find yourself weak?
The supporting characters are really interesting as well. I loved it when slowly by slowly, their pasts are being depict to the viewers and it leaves us wanting more!
Aidou is one of the supporting characters that impressed me. He can be so friendly and flirty yet...mean. Watch it to know what I mean :P
Enjoyment: 8/10
Some scenes were a bit draggy but they're not as draggy as Vampire Knight Guilty's, personally I find VKG verrrrrry slow but I shall save this review for later.
Each episode leaves you a cliffhanger and makes you crave for more! An episode without a cliffhanger basically tells you - "*Yawn* I shall watch this some other day..."
I know the director was trying to picture Yuuki's thoughts but they were really too much that I can predict what she's gonna say even before she goes into her "I'm scared of Vampires" mood...it's always...the same.
But all I can say is, it's interesting yet at times, it can be draggy and annoying. The plot is what keeps me glued onto the laptop screen. Episode by episode, they slowly tells us about the relationship between the vampires and the vampire hunters and of course, Yuuki's past..
Overall: 8/10
The 8 is for the lovely characters and the really interesting story and of course the enjoyment. The -2 - some scenes were draggy and put on repeat but other than that, you're gonna enjoy this movie if you're up for a little romance and mystery.
R-R-Ruki
Vampire Knight oh Vampire Knight! One of those blood-sucking enjoy-a-ble type of anime/manga it's suppose to be, huh?! Well.. Not exactly. ART: Ah, the art.. The art is quite decent. Its actually pretty well done. The eyes are quite big though, especially on Yuuki. The face expressions when somebody's getting bitten by a vamp was pretty cool as well. reading ze' manga and watching ze' anime, I have noticed that the characters have LONG necks! Its a bit too long! =3= STORY: Its not the best, sadly.VK has its ups and downs during the story. And, I was expecting lots of action because they put vamps withhumans together so, I wanna see some blood on da' floor. PS: I think in some parts of VK, Matsuri Hino trys to put in some funny parts but.. It doesnt seem to work..
CHARACTERS: I hate it when vamps are suppose to act "distant" or "cool". It makes me..furious! Seriously, Im getting tired of that.. The only person I seem to aprove of would be Ichijou Takuma. But, he's not exactly the best.. I LOVE THE HEADMASTER! He's hyper, giddy..and etc! He's the best, he PWNS. Kaname protects a bit tooooooooo much.. Zero acts like he's PMS-ing. Yuuki is just.. eh. Aidou is too vain within himself.. I can go alll day.
ENJOYMENT: By reading this review, you can tell that Im VERY disapointed. Matsuri Hino's MeruPeri (something like that) is a bit more enjoy-a-ble.
gophers-insides
Disclaimer: I watched the full thing in the dub, so I can't say for sure about the voice acting, but just know that I genuinely loved it and I think it is the best dub I have ever watched in my life! The line delivery was on point, so expressive, and better, the characters sounded exactly like humans. Again, I won't say anything about the sub, because I have not watched that yet. Very good anime, a solid 10/10. I would say it surpasses that of Kimetsu no Yaiba, Hunter x Hunter, Boku no Hero Academia, or any other top ranking anime today, in sheer storytellingalone.
Characters (10/10): The main characters are very complex and have you thinking, 'what would I do if I were in that position?' the main character, Yuki, is a sweet, very kind, loveable protagonist, perfect for this genre of anime. She might seem useless at first, but she is actually a very strong, independent, and powerful woman, setting an example for all the females in this world. One of the love interests, Zero, is just as amazing, he is very kind and very ambitious. He is a bit rash and hotheaded at times, but in the end he just means well, and will do anything to protect Yuki. The second love interest, Kaname, is a very kind man and nice man. He loves Yuki (it's pretty obvious!) and even protects her from Zero, showing a bit of a selfish side from him. But this is overpowered by his kindness and love towards Yuki. The supporting cast even has interesting personalities as well! Normally they would be one dimensional characters, but Vampire Knight breaks this trend and creates an amazing, memorable cast with voice acting, in my opinion, better than most anime.
Art (10/10): Aside from the story, I believe that this is the most important thing when it comes to anime! Now normally, good art usually means a bad story, and bad art could have a good story, but Vampire Knight exceeds in both! How awesome is that? Artists tend to have something called 'same face syndrome' which means you could do something as simple as putting a different style of hair over a character's face and it might look like a whole other character, and they do not have very recognizable silhouettes, but that is not the case for this anime. It has a very unique and distinct style, and you can tell their personality just from a simple glance! That's what I call good character design.
Storytelling (10/10): The storytelling is definitely the highlight of the anime. I will not spoil too much, but the concept of vampires, though it may seem as if it has been done to death, is actually done very well if you watch the show. The day and night classes are a very unique concept as well; again, it may seem like it's not, but trust me, it definitely is. The day classes (and this might be considered a spoiler) are actually unaware that the night classes are vampires! The story is honestly the main reason I recommend it, with twists and turns and plots like you've never seen before. As I have said before I will not spoil it, so what are you doing reading this review!? Watch it for yourself!
Soundtrack (10/10): Amazing. Memorable, catchy, and beautiful all at the same time. The ending and opening are really the best, they invoke deep emotions and get you pumped for what will happen next! You can tell they really thought it through, how they use certain tracks to emphasize the events of the show. It kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering if the characters would even make it! I loved it!
Overall: This is definitely an anime you should watch. It's great, has one of, if not the best storyline of all time, great memorable characters, beautiful art and music. If you are wondering whether you should watch it or not, I say go for it! It's simply the best anime I have ever seen. It may not be for everyone but it's worth a shot. (B.T.W. I recommend the dub so you know what I'm getting at!)
amyholic
First of all, I hate it when people say 'the only people that can like this anime are 14 year old girls'. I'm 18 years old and I loved this anime. I'm very into romance with animes, and I always HAVE to have at least one or two kisses. Although Vampire Knight didn't really have one, I still loved it. It provided the right amount of romance, even if there wasn't much kissing. I like how it has different elements to it, there's some thriller scenes, romance, comedy and some action. I would have liked more action, but apart from that it wasperfect for me.
The negatives? Like I said, lack of action, apart from that I can't really think of much else.
The soundtrack was great, it made my heart pound and I loved that. I was constantly singing the theme music for weeks after watching.
The art was better then average I'd say, sometimes Kaname could end up looking a bit odd, but apart from that it was nicely done.
I gave it a 9, but it would have definitely gotten a 10 if there was more fighting.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did :)
PsyPresident
Story (5/10) The story wasn't too bad compared to the other parameters, in my opinion. It could've been much better if the plot progressed quicker instead of having the same subject for many episodes in a row and also trying to explain things better and not leaving things in a open. Art (3/10) Absolutely disliked it. The only feature that could make the character noticeable were the different hair colors of each character, otherwise, distinguishing them and remembering them would be nearly impossible. Sound (2/10) This is merely my opinion but I hated the openings, endings and most of the background sound. Character (5/10) Some characters were boring, especially Yuki since shedidn't do anything special. Zero was kinda nice and Kaname too but that's only because I liked their style and way to do stuff.
Enjoyment (3/10)´
Nothing to add, just boring.
Overall (3/10)
Definitely one of the worst anime I ever watched. Only finished watching it because I thought something would happen further but it was a false hope. The sequel is much better since it reveals all the secrets and things we DIDN'T KNOW and WANTED TO KNOW in this season. A bunch of more action and suspense and less drama could've made this a lot better.
rayandjim
Vampire knight was a welcome change for me in terms of the darker tone of the show, compared to the usual reverse harem, soujo anime. I loved the fact it was not the typical sweet and innocent cliche anime, it had at least a little more depth to it. I say a 'little' because to be honest it still is far from being a well, rounded, engaging, action packed and thought-provoking anime. It still is very much targeted at teenage girls with a thirst for 'twilighty' things.. The story was not a bad one, compared with many other animes of a similar genre, as therewas the element of horror and mystery. The characters were fairly interesting. Kaname was my favorite, and Zero being a troubled soul also had his quirks and complexities. Sad to say our protagonist was rather weak and oh-so-obliging. I would be the first to say I hate an overly loud, domineering and arrogant protagonist, but seriously, Yuuki takes the feminist cause back about a decade.
If you have been watching Earl and the Fairy, Hakuōki, Special A etc, I think you would enjoy a similar feel but change of scenery. Other than that i believe you would find Vampire Knight rather average and perhaps best to be avoided..
Gods3rdEye
My first review... wow. Bear with me people. lol. WIll contain bashing and spoilers!!!!!!! Why my first review had to be on an anime I hate? Cause my hatred for it is so strong I must write it down. :) Anyways..... Vampire Knight.. OMG. I think this is the only anime I truly despise..... I couldnt even finish watching the whole thing!!! And its only freaking 13 eps long! Thats just sad. I only managed to watch like... what? 5 episodes I think? Pfft. The first ep I was excited to watch... mostly cause all my friends kept talking about it... so I feltthe need to check it out. Hmm... Vampires, Hot guys, fighting.. This anime sounds pretty good. *add to list*
... *begins to watch*.....*dies*
THiS ANIME WAS A FAIL! The anime equivalent of Twilight (dont get me wrong... freaking twilight is better than this -__-) Vampire Knight was a fail. Why? Well, lets talk about the main character, Yuki. Can I say MARY SUE??? The freaking girl is utterly useless and pathetic! She cant do shit and always gets herself into trouble having to have help from either Zero or Kaname. Not only do I hate her cause she's just a freaking useless mary sue, but she's like a freaking puppy following Kaname all the time... Desperately seeking him and practically willing to throw her life away for him. Talk about sexist archetype... Useless pathetic chick in need of hot vampire (which by the way is a douche in my opinion.) He also pissed me off.
Then theres zero.... aww.. My only favored character from this anime, despite his super emo-ness. Yea, his melodramatic suicidal emotions get annoying at times, but he actually cared for Yuki. And even though Yuki ''cared'' for him too, it seemed like she cared more for the douch bag Kaname than ever even though she met him a few days ago (compared to Zero who's been her childhood friend) I symphasize for Zero, he went through hell in the past... so I wouldnt blame him for acting emo.
Despite the characters pissing me off... it just gets worse. Yuki continues to get into trouble, Kaname has to save her, Yuki ignores Zero for Kaname, and Kaname looks like he's gonna devour Yuki but is desperately trying to resist.
I personally hated this anime. I even thought of giving it a second try and watching it.....then all the memories came back of those few eps I saw and my hate for it grew even more... lol. Watch it if you really want to... but I would NEVER recomment this anime to anyone personally. I heard the second season is better, but i honestly dont care. I know its still gonna be shitty. After hearing news from friends that she goes with Kaname and turns into a vampire herself and Zero goes his seperate way, I wasnt suprised.
Word of advise, stay clear of this anime. I truly still do not understand why this anime is so popular... I really dont. Disagree with me all you want... I dont care.. I still stand with what I wrote. And yes, I am a Zero Fan all the way.
ethann
Vampire knight is an anime about vampires where a school exists to try and promote a peaceful coexistence between humans and vampires a.k.a. cross academy. It centers around the lives of zero and yuuki who both have had their lives affected by vampires in their past and have been in the care of the chairman of the academy since their encounters with vampires. The story is quite interesting and perhaps slightly different from your usual vampire anime. It is more of a highschool drama. And i must emphasize the word "drama" here because that is the main genre that this anime would fall under. There isa lot of it throughout the anime. The anime also contains hints of romance though not very deep or romantic, you have a classical love triangle as well. In some ways the story can be said to be an action anime though there is not much serious fighting, more emphasis is placed on the characters' encounters and reactions, so violence is kept to the minimal. I found it a bit boring as a result, some say the manga had more action. However, unlike some of the other vampire animes, this one can be said to be more intricate and diverse in that there are more specifications and ideas about vampires as depicted by the writer. In my opinion, the anime is a an ok start to a longer series so hopefully the second season will be better. This anime can be a bit dark, but i think it has some meaning in it thatnks to this.
The art is not bad, typical shuojo style of drawing characters with big eyes and stuff. But i did not find any exceptional quality.
The sound again is nothing special though i took a liking to both the opening and closing songs which i thought were quite suited to this kind of dramati anime. However, there were no insert songs that brought out the atmosphere better.
The main characters were deep but besides that most of the other characters have not a big part in this anime. Though i found Kananame a very dark character, this story is quite dark anyway. Had there been more development of the side characters as well i think the story would be more complete.
I enjoyed the humourous scenes inserted in the anime which apparently is not as frequent in the manga. I think that the story can be quite gripping at the start because you are drawn straight into the story where the events are occuring quite fast. This helps to draw the attention of the watcher so if you do watch this anime you will probabbly be addicted to it becuase of all the suspense that ends each episode.
Overall, i think the anime is only average, perhaps due to length of the series. The ending of the anime is open but there will be a second series so that's ok(just a warning), but i have seen better as short as this one. Also those who don't like animes that are quite dark i suggest you don't watch this because it contains some dark themes. If this series was longer it would have been better, but since there is a second season we will see.
