Rosario + Vampire Stole My Heart (Even Though It Sucks)

For those of you too smart too fall for the bishie trap that is Rosario + Vampire, it is a manga/anime following a human who goes to an all-monster school and falls in love with a vampire. I mistakenly read the lablel as Vampire Knight, a series I have always loved. I don't know how I had forgotten that not a single Vampire Knight volume has a bright neon yellow cover. Anyway, I read/watched it, and tripped face first into a ridiculous fandom.

So, Rosario + Vampire features a very good cast of characters, even if the anime was basically the Birdman of panty shots. The main kid, Tsukune (I thought it was pronounced sookoonay but it's actually skoonay), is hilarious. The leading lady, Moka Akashiya, is incredibly lovable and evolves over time in a great way. There's a polyamorous bisexual tween witch, a troll, a werewolf, and so forth.

When I first picked up the first volume, I was completely surprised. When I saw "Rosario" in large text, I couldn't help but think of Will and Grace's Rosario. This tripped me up, as I was not presented with a story featuring a vampiric housekeeper working for Megan Mullally and married to a gay man.

Rosario + Vampire's episodic formula gets so predictable, you can read the situation before the opening credits roll. I'll give you a quick summary:

• Tsukune pals around with his friends while a new character is introduced
• While the gang is palling around we see glimpses of the monster of the week
• One of the characters is singled out by the monster of the week
• Targeted character increases affection (or lack there of) for the rest of the group
• Monster of the week reveals it's true form to targeted character, meanwhile the group discovers the issue at hand
• They go find the targeted character before the death blow
• Tsukune takes a bullet for no damn reason, and pulls of Moka's restraining rosary
• Moka murders the monster of the week
• Everyone's happy together

That's about the gist of the series. I could have sworn they reused a few panels/shots more than once. I still love it, so don't get me wrong. It appears to have a great cult following that I can really get behind and enjoy. It may be obscure, but Rosario + Vampire is a must see.

I loved the way it played with the shojou genre in a way I haven't seen in a while, mostly since it is qualified as a shounen. I could watch this over and over again without getting bored, and I suggest it for any otaku looking for a change of scenery.