Rosario + Vampire

Alternate Titles: None

Original Japanese Release Date: 2008

Episode Length/Run-time: 13

Summary:

Tsukune Aono is your standard, slightly wimpy yet good hearted anime guy who is generally incapable of getting good grades.  As a result he is unable to get into any private high school.  One day, he stumbles upon an invitation to a mysterious private school.  His parents, so happy he got into anywhere, agree to send him off.  However, it ends up being a school for Youkai, demons.  At first he wants to leave, but after meeting the beautiful Moka Akashiya, who is also a vampire, he decides to stay and masquerade with the other students as a demon in human form.

Review:

The music is generic at best, and eighties synthesizer at worst.  They have about 4 themes that get re-used every episode.  One theme if it’s romantic or touching, another if it’s comical or childish and so on.

Animation style is standard from what you’d expect, the big eyes and brightly colored hair.  But the anime is clearly low-budget.  The animation is at times clunky leaving some images to linger a bit too long or look odd.  Or they have cheap outs by repeating cels, having the character cover their mouth with their hand, or even have the mouth not moving at all (like a monster’s mouth just sitting open)

The fan service in this anime is off the chart’s ridiculous.  Even in touching moments they have a panty shot, it’s like a quota they have to fill every episode, and that quota is about three every thirty seconds, CAMERAS DON’T GO THERE!  I decided just for the sake of justifying my argument, I would count the number of panty shots in a single episode.  There were easily over 40 panty shots in a single episode

Every title is something + A Vampire and the “something” is just ridiculous.  How much do you expect from something called “A school swimsuit + A Vampire?” (and guess what this episode is about? Swimming! Guess what the girls do, dive in his face with their boobs and crotch and have their tops fall off all episode) After this episode, episode 5 I was like please, please, make it stop?!  They had a whole interlude of just singing and the girls romping around in bathing suits.

Character wise, Moka is the main female character, but if you don’t like her don’t worry she’s just part of a harem.  She’s kind of multiple personality, the strong vampire person and the weak human side.  Of course, they’re both beautiful, the human side is cute, sincere and slightly clumsy.  And the other side is the bitchy powerful side who doesn’t like the lead.

Vampires are allergic to water in this series because it has “purifying effects” and it makes them be all electrocuted.  But don’t worry; they pulled over a thin explanation to this thin plot issue.  When she does stuff like washes her face “it’s neutralized with herbs.”  But this weakness is crazy, just being splashed drains her power

Tsukune is the main male character and is just as pathetic and generic as every other male character you see in anime.  I feel like he’s there to just get his ass kicked.  Granted he is fighting deamons as a human, but even if he wasn’t he would still likely get powned.

Each episode is formulaic: Random fan service excuses happen that they attempt to call a plot or story, one of the students turns into their monster form and tries to kill someone else, a touching moment, then when they’re about to lose the battle Moka changes form and wins the battle for everyone.  And nothing ever happens.  Oh wait, something does, they add more girls every episode or two of a different generic anime female variety (you know, cute, aggressive, childish, standoffish, ect…) to appease the fan and add to the already cliché harem.

Nothing about this anime is enjoyable, if you want something this close to hentai there is something better out there.  Or just watch hentai, seriously.  There’s no plot anywhere in this series and it just drags from the first episode on.  Watch the first episode and if you love it then you’ll like the series, if you don’t like it there’s little hope.  They try to slap something together before the end of the show which actually was interesting.  But two episodes, mediocre in execution at best, was too little too late.

I wouldn’t wish this on even my worst enemy…. Well… Maybe my absolute worst….

[starrater]