All-around average teenager Tsukune can't get accepted to any high school save one...but on his first day, he finds the rest of the student body doesn't appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can't wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec'--are those her teeth around his neck too...? Tsukune's going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in H-E-double-hockey-sticks of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn't between the jocks and the nerds but the vampires and the werewolves?
Akihisa Ikeda (池田晃久) is a manga artist/manga-ka best known for the manga series Rosario + Vampire (ロザリオとバンパイア Rosario to Vampire). He's been a huge fan of vampires and monsters since he was a little kid. He says one of the perks of being a manga artist is being able to go for walks during the day when everybody else is stuck in the office.
More monster makes an apperance in this one, and I love all the different monster info you get when new monsters appear XD. Rosario + vampire volume 2 by Akihisa Ikeda get a 9.5/10 stars.
This book is utterly adorable and stupidly silly, I LOVE IT. It's a fun, fantastical read with crazy creatures and insane YA tropes. I just can't get enough. It's definitely one of my guilty pleasure reads at the moment. I cannot wait to binge this series and keep working my way through it. I'm impressed! I remember seeing these books on the book store bookshelves WAY back in the day when they came out, but I was a little student with no money and thus never picked them up.
This is definitely a young-fish YA book. There's lots of boob grabbing and oggling at women, but it doesn't really bother me too much. It's a goofy YA book and I'm not expecting it to be something out of this world mature.
I like that this book expanded on the fact that the monsters aren't only going after Tsuname now. I'm kinda glad the crew is all getting in on the action too! It's great to see this series slowly expanding and getting more fun.
At what point do you give up on a manga series? I'm pretty quick to drop a series that I'm not enjoying, but what do you do when you can recognize a series' potential, but the volumes have yet to achieve that?
That's my problem with Rosario Vampire. It's really silly. Most manga is silly, but this is verging on the eye-rolling ridiculous. Every chapter encounters a new classmate/monster who either wants to kill Moka (the hot vampire chick) or Tsukene (the human boy narrator). And you also have to deal with semi-nudity and glorification of large breasts - like Tsukene being hypnotized to squeeze Moka's breasts, which are so large in the drawing that she's probably fall over backwards if she was real. I tolerate the pandering to teenage boys, since I realize that's what sells copies, but it's still annoying.
My chief annoyance is the sameness of each chapter. New monster. Moka rescues Tsukene or Tsukene rescues Moka - or in this case, a character starts out as a monster villain, but then turns into a friend who rescues the others. Moka wants to suck Tsukene's blood. Tsukene's hiding as a human. I'd like to see some more character development and story movement.
And while I have more complaints the compliments about this volume, I still want to stick with it. I'm not sure why. I have read reviews that say it gets better. Mostly, there's just something about the concept that has drawn me in. We'll see how much longer I can go on.
This manga is not terrible, let’s just say that. But it has a lot of problems.
The art is beautiful and I think the art itself is where the author’s talent lies most heavily, not plotting. The plots of each volume…pretty laughable to even try to identify them with the idea of ‘plot.’ The situations are so see through you know well before anything goes down just how it all will end.
Fan service is always appalling when it happens upon a page, though expected, but some of the scenes are too ridiculous and insulting to bear.
One of the biggest things that turns me off when reading is how unfoundedly every female creature flocks at the main character. It’s stupid, unrealistic and makes the volumes hard to get through. Tsukune has his modesty, his kindness and his loyalty going for him, but the ladies don’t recognize those attributes and use them as a basis for their undying love for him. The love is just thrown in there to make him look like a big shot, a young boy acting as a damsel in distress, needing savior from the girls around him.
I think what keeps me reading these books (despite having bought them all for really cheap and used) is the incorporation of different monsters and what possible ridiculous motives they might have. That, along with the arc of the Rosario and the tensions and connections it creates between Moka and Tsukune. In the end, I’m still going to read into the “second season” to see if it will get any better. First series : 2/5 stars
This was a good volume, that touched on bullying and discrimination but was still pretty lighthearted at times. It's rather predictable though. Tsukumi or Moka will get attacked and Moka will transform. She is a one kick girl too, but there is some mystery with the new figure at the end. I don't mind it being this formulaic right now because it is still early in the series, and each villain is different. I also like that the girls are friends despite all wanting one guy, it's nice to see that in a series like this.
Rosario+Vampire is the story of Tsukune Aono, a high school student who is so average it's almost ridiculous, who ends up enrolled in Yokai Academy, a school built solely for monsters. Overall, the manga is actually pretty good. I enjoy the storyline and have enjoyed the series as a whole.
The start of the second volume introduces us to Yukari Sendou, a witch and girl genus who skipped several grades. She is actually my least favorite character of the whole cast, not because I actually dislike her personality or the funny things she does and says, but because I'm not really comfortable with the whole 10-year old girl wants to sleep with Moka and Tsukune aspect of the story.
Tsukune and Moka also end up dealing with ishigami, an art teacher who is, like most monsters they face, kind of psycho. And the third chapter even has some major character development for Kurumu, which I felt was necessary because in the first volume she doesn't appear to be anything more than a large-breasted fanservice girl. This volume actually gives her some depth.
Overall, I enjoyed volume two. It has a good deal of character development and even introduces us to the character who will later on become one of the early main antagonists of the series.
After reading volume two of Rosario Vampire, this manga seems like it'll be easier to stick with. The intensity of the drama really shot up at the end of the volume, making it more than just a fluffy shonen rom com with a supernatural gimmick. My biggest problem with it right now is that, for some reason, the manga artist is much more comfortable exploiting Kurumu than Moka, having her be the subject of a disturbing blackmail and stalking chapter and, at one point, having another character call her a slut. I don't know if I'm just too used to the behavioral norms of harem manga to bat an eye, but having a character handled like that seems out of place to me, even if she is a succubus. At the very least, these situations are never presented as her fault, but it still seems somehow off, given the rest of the manga's good-natured tone. If I understood the end of the volume correctly, though, it's about to take a turn away from being a goofy, mildly fan service-y sitcom, which should help to curb that problem. I'm really curious about what'll happen in the third book.
So in this volume we continue watching Tskune try to get through a monster high school and deepen his friendship with Moka. In this second volume, Moka, Tskune and Kurumu (and Gin) meet a new ''enemy'', cute, strange, little Youkari. I actually find Youkari's perverse feelings so weird, especially as she's 11 and it especially made me uncomfortable with the lolicon part (I honestly thought that meant a Lolita convention...) It still follows the same formula of predictability but I still love it! I love how the Newspaper Club was more of a thing in this volume and it's cute to see all the characters (excluding Gin) working together and forming a bond. So, more baddies are introduced at the end of volume 2 that will definitely have a bigger presence in the story line than most of the mini battles I'm, admittedly, so fond of. As I've read this first few volumes, in particular, many times before I am excited to remove the fogg over my memory in regards to these new enemies! Another fun and super quick read!
I really enjoy seeing the different monster types pop up in the story. So far with the first two volumes it seems that every new portion within the volume they meet a new monster who has something to do with story going on with the main characters. It reminds me of network cartoons so far with the villains. Although, towards the end of this volume we encounter a group led by a former teacher looking to cause major problems for our main characters.
its a funny book base on an average boy who gets in a school of monsters but hes the only human and if the rest find out hes died. The only reason he stays is becuz of moka whos a hot girl(vampire) She may look nice on the outside but when taken off her rosario she becomes a butt kickin vampire. Together Tuskine and Moka fight for survival,eachother,and their love
More of the same. Every chapter a new bad guy monster wants to kill Moka or Tsukune. Moka or Tsukune comes to the rescue. Everyone lives happily ever after, the end.
And yet I keep going. It's just got so much potential. The basis is intriguing, if only the author would GO somewhere with it. Oh well, I have one more volume from the library and after that I'll give up, probably.
Tsukune’s new school life continues to be far from normal as Yukari, a young witch who’s also the school’s top student, becomes part of the gang when he saves her. We also see Moka up against a killer art teacher, Kurumu being blackmailed by a fellow student and their newspaper club being threatened by the school’s protection committee. A- (91%/Excellent)
Yet again another book I could not fault and loved it. I like how each book introduces new monsters and gives the reader a small description about the Monster itself. Really getting into these books and can't wait to read the next installment
I really enjoy how they introduce characters in this series, Kurumu(girl on the cover) is also an awesome character, her being a succubus makes it SLIGHTLY less cliched.
Bölümler belli bir formülü takip etse de okuması keyifli. Kendi içinde başlayıp biten bölümlerden ibaret olsa da karakterler gelişim gösteriyor. Yeni yokai tipleri görmek eğlenceli. Karakterlere daha da ısındım bu sayıda. Biraz komik biraz absürt biraz tatlı biraz heyecanlı yani biraz karışık bir seri. Ara ara açıp birer bölüm okumalık.
The introduction to the worst character of all, yes, there are some enemies I would rather see than this girl.
Yukari. I hated her the first time I read this manga, I hated her when I saw her in the anime. She is annoying, frustrating, and for someone who is a so-called genius not that smart. Doesn't she see that she isn't making people happy? If you love someone you don't cling to them, or stalk them, or even hurt their friends just because they get close. I would even call her a witch, but more like a *insert word that rhymes with witch*. Even later, as the story continues, she doesn't improve. She is still annoying, weak, and meh.
Luckily, her introduction doesn't last long, it is just a shame that she will now be in the party forever. So we will see a lot of her as the series continues.
The rest of the volume was pretty great, we got missing girls, an art-teacher with a secret, a yakuza like school committee, a pervert who is hurting Kurumu, a birthday, and a cliffhanger at the end. It was definitely a packed volume, and I have to say that even though the worst character is in it, I did enjoy myself a lot.
While the Kurumu parts were a bit too much at times, it did bring the group closer together, and I hope that in the future when bad stuff happen to one of them, that they will talk it over and ask for help. No one should have to go through the stuff that happened to Kurumu.
We meet new monsters, and I always love those little notes next to their introduction about what kind of monster they are. So interesting to read!
We still continue on the theme of humans vs monsters, and we have an added middle part to it, witches. Not liked in the human world, and shunned in the monster world due to them not being monsters but closer to humans. At these moments I did feel a glimmer of sadness for Yukari.
I had hoped for a confession, but somewhere in my mind I knew that such a thing will be taking a long time to come. Moka is just too oblivious and it doesn't help that Tsukune gets interrupted by other people all the time.
I also can't wait for the art to improve, the art is still pretty cartoony and at times a bit bad.
But all in all, definitely a volume that I enjoyed, and I will be reading the next volume soon. I am not sure if I will write a review for each and every one of them as I just want to read them in quick succession, because it is so much fun to read, which I can't do if I have to stop to write a review every time. :P
I think the first serie gets 4 stars while the Season II gets 5 stars.
The first serie is too predictable, almost the same simple plot occurs in each volume, the first volumes, that quickly gets resolved in the same volume. It's only in the last volumes that it starts getting more interesting. In the other hand Season II is much better, it has better plots, they last longer, and the villains cannot be beaten up solely by Moka this time, they all have to join forces in Season II. Tsukune is also more capable to defend himsef this time in Season II.
I personally like that the manga has strong female characters who can handle themselves most of the time. I really like the characters.
The drawings are quite beautiful, even more so in Season II, and the world in the background the artist created is amazing. It really feels like Nightmare Before Christmas, with creepy ruins all over the place, gloomy cemetaries and empty forests with dead trees, creepy school, pumpkins, etc. I've spent a lot of time admiring the background while I was reading.
The nudity might be an issue for some.
So I think if one is patient enough to get through a part of the first serie, and are not bothered by the nudity, will finally get to the better stuff later in the first serie... and to the much better Season II.
I wasn't sure after the first volume if I'd carry on with this series - clearly I have and I'm glad I did so.
This volume was far better than the first. Each seems to have four/five separate stories with an overriding plot. In this volume we are introduced to a new character by the name of Yukari Sendo. A young witch often picked on by her classmates for being less of a monster. As a result, she uses her magic to be a pest and inflict harm on those who do her wrong.
Although this looks very child friendly from the cover, if we ignore the ridiculously short skirt that is, Rosario + Vampire is definitely for older readers. There is some suggestive mature content, abusive behaviour and slut shaming. I would suggest a reading age of fifteen plus.
I was very happy to see the overall plot move forward in this volume. I was starting to think it wasn't going to by the third story and it started to feel stagnant. Finally, though, we're starting to get some semblance of plot. A new villain was introduced but was shrouded in shadow. I'm intrigued to see where this new development goes.
The good news... this volume is a slightly bigger improvement from the last in terms of fun storyline. The bad news... it's still nothing special. I have to wonder why a school for monsters is not more heavily patrolled by staff. The students seem to be able to get away with anything and everything. I would think with the school's mission...and the fact that...well, MONSTERS are their student population there would be more supervision of everything. But apparently the teachers there just don't care what the monsters are doing to each other... or you know... major plot hole.
Well, needless to say, I liked this volume a lot better than the first. I like that the main characters are starting to become friends and it's not so obnoxious. But the tiresome monster shows up....Moka defeats them... life goes on until cycle restarts is getting kind of blah. I'd have to think with so much violence, the school would have SOMETHING other than their Yakuza "protection patrol" to help keep the monsters in line.
More of the same as volume 1. Enemy appears, menaces one of the characters, is defeated. A new character is introduced, but she's a loli witch so its just more typical harem standards. One time Kurumu gets to beat the villain instead of Moka, and the end of the book is setting up a group of big bads, but it's still standard, cliche stuff.
A good contrast is with Vampire Knight, Vol. 1 which takes some of the same themes, and while it is as cliched in concept as Rosario, managed to make the characters memorable with good dialogue, interesting situations, and better internal consistency and logic. This feels like you could swap it out with any generic harem manga and not lose anything of interest.
I've seen the comments from a number of reviewers that this is a "harem manga"? Didn't know that was a thing, and I'm not certain exactly what it's supposed to mean, but I can see how it might be weirdly apropos for the series.
The world building is fantastic, the art works great, with just enough individuality to not be just another manga, and the characters and their abilities are intriguing. Unfortunately the plot remains stuck in sitcom style episodic comedy, and the treatment of the female characters is absolutely sex-obsessed teenage boy. Hoping that a story worthy of the world and art shows up soon. Otherwise this will have been a slightly amusing but over all sad waste of potential.
OMG!!!! Best manga ever created! I can never really find a good vampire romance book made for my age. I must say though it does have some inappropriate parts but, not that bad. If you like humor,vampires,romance,blood,fights, and a high school story then this book is just for you! From a 11 year old which that tries to protect Moka to a protection committee that tries to do the oppisote of their job, it's an outstanding work of art. The drawings and storyline come together in this epic manga that will want you coming back for the next book in line! I am so reading the next book as soon as I can!
Review by K.M. : "This one shows more loyalty the friends have and how much they care for their human friend and the characters get cuter and more interesting as the books go. Still not good for those under sixteen."