Anime Review: Rosario + Vampire

Alright, so maybe Rosario + Vampire isn't something you want to get caught watching if you have a girlfriend. However, it is a very good series that made its debut on Chiba TV the third of January 2008.

From the moment I first started watching Rosario + Vampire (also known as Rosario to Vampire) I basically fell in love with it's colorful yet comedic view of monsters. You see the story line is about a young man named Tsukune Aono, his grades are so bad that he can't get in any average private school, so he enrolls in a school that is out of his home town.

On the way to school he meets Moka Akashiya, a young cheerful girl that just happens to be a vampire. She has this rosary around her neck, and when removed her inner vampire is revealed. Moka's rosary is normally pulled off by Tsukune while in some dangerous situation, each episode has its own fight towards the end and Moka must transform to a vampire to save the day.

One thing I will mention is that, Moka's inner vampire has a different personality, and while very sexy, she is still pretty dangerous. While transforming, Moka's hair changes color and a few of her body parts get bigger, such as her breasts.

Eventually, Moka discovers that Tsukune has broken one of the school rules, he is only a human. In that private school, humans are hated and killed, after all, the students are youkai, or basically monsters disguised as humans. By that time she had already somewhat fallen for Tsukune, and keeps the fact that he is a human a secret.

Throughout the series, other girls show up to fight Moka over Tsukune. The first one is a large breasted succubus, with a bubbly personality. After that a witch appears, a snow creature, and another witch. They all seem to fight over Tsukune except for the second which who doesn't come into the series till near the end.

Furthermore, none of the girls besides Moka even knows that Tsukune is a human till later on in the show. About mid-way through the series the group joins the newspaper club, which leads them to a lot of interesting adventures.

One thing I would like to point out about the series is how great the opening and closing themes are, "Cosmic Love" by Nana Mizuki is the opening and "Dancing in the velvet moon" by Nana Mizuki is the closing theme for episodes two through twelve. Episodes one and thirteen just use the opening song for the closing.

Rosario + Vampire is a trill ride for any anime fan that just wants to watch a comedic romance with a dash of vampire fetish. I found the animation to be actually impressive, it wasn't too dark or gothic, it was very colorful and well polished. Throughout the show you will see dozens of bouncing breasts and pantie shots, so know that Rosario + Vampire does have a lot of ecchi elements.

Two Thumbs up!