Rosario to Vampire

If you ever got the chance to attend a School in a Fantasy world, what would you do? Master the mystical arts? Build up your own harem or reverse harem? Help those in need? Ultimately aim for world domination? Whatever it is you choose, you’re in that school for a reason and must fully grasp the laws of that world before going forward. The world would be full of possibilities, the good and the bad. Here’s our take on such an Anime…

“Rosario to Vampire,” also known as “Rosario + Vampire,” is a 13-episode TV Anime series that aired from the 3rd of January until the 27th of March in Winter 2008. It was produced by GDH, Yomiko Advertising, Happinet Pictures, Atelier Musa, Shueisha, Sotsu Music Publishing, and Imagine, licensed by Funimation, and brought to the little screen by Studio Gonzo. It features the genres of Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, and Ecchi alongside the themes of Harem, School, and Vampire. It was targeted at the Shounen demographic and received a rating of R+ for its mild nudity, which is best suited for mature audiences.

The Anime is based on the Manga series of the same title, which ran for a total of 10 Volumes from the 6th of July 2004 until the 5th of May 2007. Author and artist Ikeda Akihisa brought the series to life, and it was serialized in Shounen Jump (Monthly). VIZ Media handled the English publication under the Shonen Jump Advanced imprint from 2008 to 2009. The sequel series titled “Rosario to Vampire Capu2” aired in Fall 2008 for a total of 13 episodes. The Anime got popular enough to spawn Drama CDs, Visual Novels, Internet Radio Shows, and a Novel Adaption under its title.

The story is set in the seemingly ordinary boarding school of Youkai Academy, which hides a secret: this institution’s pupils are all monsters learning how to coexist with humanity. All these unique students attend school in human form and follow typical academic subjects like literature, gym, foreign language, and mathematics. Regardless, one pivotal rule at Youkai Academy must be upheld at all costs: any humans found on the school grounds must be executed immediately!

Now we come to the series MC, Tsukune Aono, a typical and average human teenager. There is one thing off about him; his grades are so bad that he cannot seem to enter any high school. His desperate parents inadvertently enroll him at Youkai Academy as a last-ditch attempt to secure their son’s higher education.

Completely unknowing of the school’s secrets, Tsukune casually enters this new world and happens to meet the school’s most attractive girl, Moka Akashiya. Strengthened by this determination to stay within this dangerous place in hopes of furthering his relationship with Moka, Tsukune has yet to realize what lies hidden beneath her outward beauty and charm: a menacing monster in the form of a vampire. Thus begins the Supernatural School Comedy, which explores our ordinary MC’s romantic exploits, experiences, and misadventures amongst a plethora of gorgeous but dangerous beings.

The premise of how Tsukune gets enrolled in a school he has zero ideas about, all by chance, where he is likely to get instantly killed by monsters who hate humans, is all fine and good. His fateful meeting with Moka, a powerful vampire, adds much more potential to this story. All of this is bestowed upon us during the first episode, but as the series progresses, the “story” takes a different turn. You will be greeted with an irritatingly excessive amount of female underwear shots (or simply panty shots) throughout the Anime henceforth. A certain amount of Fanservice is necessary for a series like this, but it’s ridiculously and unnecessarily abundant here. But what lies beyond the fanservice?

If you check out the Manga series, you’ll realize the grave blunder the Anime had committed: they overturned the intriguing plot and awesome action into a senseless fanservice show with watered-down action and a significantly altered storyline. All for what? An ecchi comedy? All the episodes follow a painfully repetitive pattern like so: Tsukune meets up with Moka, he then runs into an antagonist, he proceeds to get into trouble, the good-willed Moka attempts to help, he accidentally removes her rosary, and Moka’s alternative self beats everyone up, and everything is topsy-turvy again. This format only breaks in the final two episodes, which are reasonable compared to the rest, but still fails to capture everything that makes the Manga great. So yeah, don’t expect a good plot here.

If we take a look at the Characters apart from the bad story, they are pretty decent and likable to an extent. Tsukune is your typical teenage guy who’s always trying to help but only ends up being saved thanks to his uselessness. In her normal state, Moka is a sweet and friendly girl, while her vampire self is more violent and fast to act. All the other characters are okay-ish, but they’re nothing noteworthy except for Shirayuki Mizore. Her character is probably the most likable, and she deserves to be in the spotlight more; she makes the watch a bit more worthwhile for what it's worth.

Art and Animation are Rosario to Vampire’s strengths. The Animation is fluid, lively, and pleasing to the eyes. The Art is colorful, sharp, and neat all the way through. The character designs are vivid, flowy, and likable, except for Tsukune, who looks like your typical harem protagonist. This department deserves its due praise.

The Sounds and Music are pretty decent, too, albeit not groundbreaking. The opening theme is "COSMIC LOVE" by Nana Mizuki, which is okay but is quickly overshadowed by the superior Ending theme. "Dancing in the velvet moon" by Nana Mizuki really stole the show, making you eagerly await it at each episode’s finale. The OSTs are okay too, but nothing memorable.

Overall, Rosario to Vampire is not recommended. This Anime is quite disappointing because it had such good source material to work with but dropped everything great about it in exchange for some cheap Ecchi and Comedy within a senseless plot. The episodes feel like a real chore to finish, and you can quickly drop the series after any one of them. Regardless, this wouldn't be such a bad watch if you don’t mind a show with a lot of fanservice, a nonexistent plot, and comedic lightheartedness. Take it at surface value and nothing more.