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ローゼンメイデン 
Well, here it is, the final episode of the first season. I think the series has been an okay adaptation so far. The adapted character design is good but it's clearly hard to keep up with the quality. I hope that the second season have better budget and better animation to boot. The OP and ED songs are surprisingly good and fit the series really well. They are definitely one of the better elements of the series. I also think that the voice acting, despite some inconsistencies are generally okay. My main concern is where things will go from here. I don't think that the writers should rush season 2 if the manga is still not complete. I was a bit concerned with the last few minutes of the episode but after thinking about it, I don't think this will have much impact on the storylines that haven't been told yet.
This is slightly better than episode 11 mostly because it's filled with actions and surprising twist. There's also a good character development for Zero here and the story actually moves forward. At least now Kaname actually has some kind of purpose in the story apart from being a mysterious guy who saved Yuuki a few years ago. Although after watching this episode, I wonder how the writers will conclude the series this season. IIRC, the story that comes after this one is a rather minor story involving the council of ancients. I think that's a story that can easily be solved in one episode. In that case, I guess the first season will just end like a normal episode. The difference is that instead of waiting for one week for the next episode, the viewers have to wait for one season to watch the next episode.
This has to be one of the worst ever episode for the series when it comes to character design. My analysis back in the first episode about how the character design can easily turns ugly in the hands of lazy animators turns out to be correct. When I see an episode like this, I wonder if it's because the budget is so small that the animators refuse to labor on their craft more than necessary or if they just lose interest in what they do. It's probably hard for animators to be excited about each series that they do so I wonder at what point does the hobby turns into nothing more than a job that needs to be completed. Anyway, for some reason Ichiru sounds a lot like Zero in this episode so does this mean Miyano Mamoru voices both characters? That would be weird but kind of amusing as well since both are supposed to be twins. Ichiru sounds more like Tamaki from Ouran High School Host Club though, albeit an evil one.
ON/OFF - Futasu no Kodou to Akai Tsumi (26.7MB, PSP/Quicktime format)
It's been a while since I last heard this song but in general, it's still okay. Having said that, I realized now that part of the reason the song works so well is because it was accompanied by the opening scenes from Vampire Knight. On its own, the song is still pleasant to listen to but the lyrics don't feel as appropriate as it was when it was paired together with the OP scenes. The PV itself is okay but nothing to write home about. It's kind of nice of the singer to make references to Vampire Knight by using chains, red threads, and twin brothers (the singers themselves). But again, I feel some kind of disconnection between the song and the images in the PVs. I kind of miss the scenes where Shiki unleashes out his blood whip and when Zero offers his hand to Yuuki. Those and many other scenes in the OP makes the song a lot more meaningful.
Arrrgh. This whole catching up thing is starting to drive me insane. So close and yet so far. I am still 1 episode behind as usual and if I don't do the other one soon, I'll go back to be 2 episodes behind. Anyway, this episode shows another twist to Kaname's character and I personally think it's not doing a favor on him. I often wonder if the author intends on giving Kaname such a shifty personality or if it's actually unintended effects from wanting to make him look mysterious. If it's the later, I wonder if she realizes that he appears creepy and controlling at times? Maybe not because IIRC, Kaname's popularity is pretty high. At any rate, does anyone know if this is going to stay as 13 episodes series for the time being or if it'll continue on? I assume the first will happen until the series get another timeslot in another season.
I am really bad at this whole catching up thing. After 12 hours, I've only managed to complete this review and I am aware that a batch of new episodes are coming in soon. Maybe I should not bother trying to summarize the content while watching and just write down the general plot after watching it once. I wonder if that would actually cut down the time I spend in front of the blog. At any rate, I should really complete all of the back episodes ASAP because I'd be going back to work in a matter of days and I'd have even less time to review the series later on. As for this episode, this is actually rather entertaining but because there isn't anything substantial that happened in it, it's rather hard to talk about it. I was amused with the Pocky subliminal advert though. I'm not even sure if that was there in the manga. Hmm, Pocky. I missed the time when their ads were weird like the one with Shibasaki Kou and Tsumabuki Satoshi.
Once again, sorry for the slow crawl to episode review this week but I have no choice since I have to prepare for a presentation, which is due in the next 12 hours. I probably have to wait before I can review Special A. Anyway, this episode is so much better than I originally thought it'd be. First thing first, this episode have a lot of Shiki and Rima in it. I like both supporting characters and find it amusing that their day job is actually professional model. I didn't expect the anime writers to give longer screentime to showcase the fight between Shiki and that Level E vampire. To see Shiki using his power to fight that vampire was awesome. Moreover, the end of this episode suggests that we have finally reach the first major arc of the series. I'm really excited to see next episode because of one particular character. I just hope they don't botch her character design in the adaptation. I'm a bit cautious after seeing the color they used for her hair.
This episode reminds me that I am not fully aware of the limitations that the vampires in this story face. If one takes example from other vampire-stories, in 30 Days of Night, the vampires are free to roam around because for 30 days, the sun will not be seen in the artic area. The same can be said about the vampires in Interview with the Vampires, who get burned easily in the sun. While the vampires in this series also avoid sunlights, there have been times when they are seen roaming around during daytime, which is rather unusual for vampires. I also wonder if they have aversion to garlic or if there is a specific way to kill them. It's also interesting to note that unlike other vampire stories, the only vampires which can turn humans into vampires are the pure-bloods. As a result, it's impossible for the series to have some kind of story where a bunch of vampires turn several humans into their own kind.
I'm always amused with this particular part of the series no matter how many times I've read/seen it. I just think it's very dramatic and a bit harlequin-romance-esque. Especially with Yuuki saying "Together, let us commit the most unforgivable act". The first time I read it I though they were going to have sex but much to my disappointment, it's just more blood sucking. On a hindsight, this could just be an allegory that the author used to represent sex without the magazine censoring every single bits of the story. After all, the basic idea of the scene in question is that of a pre-marital girl willingly giving herself to a guy. Interestingly enough, for some reason vampires are often seen as sexual deviants, possibly because the act of sucking someone else's neck was considered taboo back then and still is for some people. What's amusing is how this element of taboo actually sexualizes the concept of vampirism more than it scares people away.
I have to admit that I'm quite surprised with the decision that the animation team made in regards to this adaptation. At first I thought they'd be staying away from all of the erotic part of the series but that's not true at all. This episode is particularly kinky with all the neck, blood, and finger licking good that each vampire does to another vampire or human. This also makes me realized how unfazed I am with this kind of thing anymore. A few years ago, I would be too embarrassed to include some of the screenshots that I took for this episode. Now, I just don't see the problem with it and sometimes they kind of amuse me. It makes me wonder if anime does lower my inhibitions or it just makes me shameless. XD Wait, maybe I shouldn't have wrote that because this is how the media over-exaggerates things and claims that anime is an evil influence that turns good people into the perverted types that anime fans are known for. :D
It looks like the animators finally decided to include some erotic scenes in the anime. It's been rather weird how the anime ends up being mostly comedic while the manga has such a dark and seductive tone to it. Even last week's blood sucking scene felt rather tame and rushed in comparison to the manga. This episode, however, does a good job in shooting the scenes in such a way that they appear erotic even though none of the characters actually bare much flesh (apart from their neck). The scene where Yuuki was pinned down by Zero is a good example of this. The shot of Zero's hand lingering down her neck is the kind of shot that usually never make it into an anime. Most anime usually are okay with a shot of an almost naked girl or something rather blatant like a girl straddling a guy. But it's quite rare to see one with subtle eroticism like the one shown in Vampire Knight manga.
Sorry for the late entry but I have another problem with my server. I'm getting really sick of this but I haven't got the time to research other good service provider. Anyway, this turns out to be quite good. The first half of the episode is actually an original work because the writers don't want to go beyond the 3rd chapter of the manga. Because of this, they create a humorous story where Yuuki and Zero gets to act as student disciplinary members (as opposed to their usual guardian roles). The second half of the episode is altered slightly so that it's more action-oriented and tense. Personally though, I think it could be a bit darker. I love horror film and I think the series can afford to be a bit more morbid. I personally am looking forward to the upcoming arc involving a certain woman. I hope the writers can make it as morbid as possible.
Wakeshima Kanon - still doll (22.2MB, for PSP/Quicktime) | YouTube version
This is a rather nice gothic PV that features cello, chains, praying mantis, voyeuristic old man, and of course, a gothic lolita. The girl who sings the song, Wakeshima Kanon, was apparently found by Malice Mazer's member, Mana. As a result, her image in the PV is influenced by their Gothic-Victorian style. In a lot of ways, the PV reminds me of ALI PROJECT and their various Rozen Maiden OP and ED theme. It's also interesting to know that the lyrics have this purposely stunted style to it so that it reflects the song title. Thanks to its creepiness, the song becomes a perfect ED theme for Vampire Knight. The PV itself shows a girl whose legs are chained so she can't go anywhere outside the house. Outside the house, an old man uses a small peephole to take a peek at the girl who now plays cello. Even without the reference to Vampire Knight, the PV does a good job of being creeptastic.
This episode takes a slight nosedive in the animation department. There are moments where the face of the characters looks a bit off. I guess that's to be expected since thet anime design is still quite complex that a minor difference can be easily spotted. One thing that this series continues to impress me, however, is the soundtrack. This episode features a gregorian-chant-like soundtrack halfway through the episode and I thought it really fits the mood of the story. Story-wise, things seem to move faster than I thought it will. But this is probably a good thing since they have a lot to cover and at the most, the animators probably only have 24 episodes to go. This, however, makes me wonder as to how they'll end the series. Will they leave it hanging until the manga is completed? Or will they create a 'life goes on' ending like Fruits Basket?
ON/OFF - Futatsu no Kodou to Akai Tsumi (video-ripped MP3, 2MB)
Even though the song's lyrics suggest a rather scandalous situation between two characters in the series, I really hope that I'm wrong about the two characters that I had in mind. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just ignore what I said up above but if you do and want to discuss it, please use the spoiler tag. The reason I'm doing this (even though the PV is not even out yet) is because I can't get the song out of my head and I can't stop playing the OP on my PSP. Maybe if I do an entry on it, I can get it out of my system. Besides, I wanted to do a full screencaps of the OP and I couldn't really do that in the episodic entry. While I haven't seen every single OP title out there, I think Vampire Knight's OP title is one of the best that I've seen so far. Granted, it's not fully animated but I don't think a good OP title needs to be fully animated to be effective and attractive. Sometimes the lack of detailed motions can be more exciting than fully-animated ones because what one's brain can imagine is a lot more stronger than what can be shown on-screen.
OP Theme: 「二つの鼓動と赤い罪」 - Futatsu no Kodou to Akai Tsumi by ON/OFF - AVI version (43MB) | PSP version (17MB)
Wow. Between this, Soul Eater, and Special A, I have no idea which one is the better anime. I personally love every single one of them. This one turns out to be far better than what I had in mind. It's actually quite funny and the animation/character design are gorgeous. I especially love the OP theme Futatsu no Koudou to Akai Tsumi. I have never heard of ON/OFF before but I'm very impressed. Their song really fits the atmosphere of this series. And the animation that accompanies the song just fit really well. The same thing can be said about the ED theme, which is quite eerie. If this is going to be a long-running series, I hope ALI PROJECT will get selected as one of the singers. The story itself is quite interesting and for some reason reminds me a little bit of Fruits Basket. Maybe because the female protagonists look like Tohru and the two male protagonists remind me of Kyou and Yuuki. Anyway, this is another impressive series that everyone must take a look.
