by Julius Albert Custodio

Created on: November 06, 2009

In my opinion, "Rosario + Vampire" is probably one of the most entertaining shonen mangas I've ever laid my hands on. It's either I haven't read that many shonen mangas depicting oddly humorous vampires before or I may have really bad taste when it comes to manga titles in general. I know this for a fact because my views regarding "Rosario + Vampire" are a bit disparate to that of the manga reading majority (or at least the 'elite' ones). Fellow manga collectors have expressed their hatred for this particular manga because its plotline and themes has been done countless times already. Personally, I loved it to bits and I hope my modest review will encourage other readers to check it out.

"Rosario + Vampire" tells the story of Tsukune Aono, a typical 'loser' protagonist, who in a twist of fate manages to enrol himself in a school for supernatural beings. These aren't your run-of-the-mill fairies and sprites either. He's actually surrounded by monstrous entities who feed on human flesh and blood. It finally occured to Tsukune that from the moment he stepped into the school premises, his life will forever be changed for the worst. Talk about having bad luck on your first day! However, Tsukune's stroke of bad luck ends when he meets Moka Akashiya, the cute female vampire who started out as his crush and eventually became his most trusted ally.

The plotlines usually involve Tsukune getting into some sort of trouble and Moka saving the day by removing the rosary around her neck which transforms her into a powerful vampire (hence the title). The rest of the time, the manga tackles common high school themes like the awkwardness of puppy love, the importance of friendship, and the value of teamwork. It also boasts of a great supporting cast consisting of common characters from the horror genre, which includes a rather obsessive ghost, a perverted werewolf, a sultry succubus, and the school's "other" outcast: a witch.

The artwork is typical of a shonen manga, highly expressive and animated but nothing special to write home about. Actually, I really didn't buy this manga for the art. What it lacks in form it makes up for in substance. Although it tends to become too formulaic at times, I really liked how each chapters developed. It's unusually slow in the beginning, gets better towards the middle and the ending, compared to other mangas of this genre, has so much heart. "Rosario + Vampire" is quite fun to read, and knowing that this is a shonen manga, we all know enjoyment is always the top priority.

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