To whom it may concern,
I have an addiction...
Yes.
I admit it. I am addicted to Vampire Knight. If you have never heard
of it, I'd completely understand why. Before Sept 2008, neither had I,
but that fateful day at the Atlanta Anime Weekend, I watched 1-Hr of
the anime because I love vampires, and it had vampire in the title.
It only took about 10-Min from when I started watching the cartoon to
realize, I MUST KNOW EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT VAMPIRE KNIGHT
AND I MUST KNOW IT NOW!!!!
So
what is Vampire Knight? Well, it's the latest manga series by Manga
Artist Matsuri Hino. As you can guess, it's about, well,
Vampires...duh. Here is the premise (from One Manga):
Cross
Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the
Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to
their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to
school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school,
there to protect the Day Class from the Academy's dark secret: the
Night Class is full of vampires.
That
is such a simplistic explanation for what this manga is really about.
Wait, do you even know what a manga is? It's a Japanese Graphic Novel,
or "comic book" for the layman. It is typically read from right to
left and printed in black and white. It is NOT JUST FOR CHILDREN!!!
There are manga for every age group and preference. I'm new to the
world and it is HUGE. It's a little overwhelming to know what's good
and what sucks. I guess I was lucky to find such a great one from the
beginning because I have been reading a lot of other ones, and they
just aren't as good.
Why do I love Vampire Knight?
1> It has Vampires...hello...I LOVE VAMPIRES (Before Vampire Knight, there was Twilight, before Twilight, there was Buffy/Angel/Spike, before Buffy, there was Lestat, etc etc etc). I love when there is an unrealistic impossible relationship that should not work, or a duality and feud within one self for control or even a soul. It's unrequited at times, brutal at other times, but deep down, there is beauty in its horrific nature to want something so bad knowing that what you want will kill the thing you love.
2>
The art. Matsuri Hino knows how to draw beautiful characters. It's
not just their faces or their hair, but their clothing is so
exquisite. It looks like fashion designer sketches.
3> ZERO KIRYU. There is a love triangle between Kaname Kuran (Pureblood Vampire leader of Moon Dorm at Cross Academy), Yuki Cross (Adopted daughter of Headmaster Cross and human guardian of the school), and Zero (cared for by Headmaster Cross after his family was brutally murdered by a Pureblood Vampire and other guardian for the school), but to me the whole series is interesting and keeps me coming back because of Zero. He is the most tortured soul in this manga and as the one destined to continue to be hurt, all I want to do is hug him, love him, and make all that sadness go away. Yet, every month I watch those distressed eyes fall further into despair as everything that kept him grounded to the world he wants breaks apart leaving him more alone than ever. I know he is the underdog, and I know there isn't much hope for his future, but is he a victim of his circumstances, or has he been used and manipulated by everyone because of his kind spirit that ultimately wants to trust and find love? I don't know what will happen, but every month, I wait with baited breath to see if Miss Hino will redeem herself and not write/draw Zero off as the enemy. Please Miss Hino...work your magic and bring Zero peace. He deserves it.
4>
The fandom - In the US, only Vampire Knight Volumes 1-5 have been
released as books, but new chapters are released monthly in Shojo Beat
(Manga from the Heart <3). However, these are still WAY BEHIND what
has been released in Japan. Volume 9 has been released in Japan, plus
Anime series Vampire Knight and Vampire Knight Guilty (basically two
seasons bringing us up to where the manga finished at the time) have
been aired since 2008. I say "basically" because they don't match the
manga exactly. This means Volumes 6-9 and two seasons of anime have
not been released to the US yet! WHY?!??!?!??!!!!! Sucks.
BUT,
here's where fandom comes in. There are fans who take the monthly
chapters of the Japanese manga and perform scanlations. They translate
the Japanese versions into English, and then upload them for English
readers to stay up to date. I read Vampire Knight scanlations at One Manga where Chapter 47 was released 23-Jan-2009, scanlated by Sagakure.
Then,
there are the anime subbers who add English subtitles to each episode.
I watch the videos in their entirety on Crunchy Roll for Vampire Knight or Vampire Knight Guilty in High Definition, but they are also on YouTube (added into three 10-Min videos per episode).
These
people who do these things are not making any money for their efforts.
They do it because they are part of a community. It is a community
where I feel like an outsider still, but I am deeply grateful for what
they do and would love to be a part of their world. Because of them, I
am up to date with the manga and have watched the full released anime.
Links:
I
may have an addiction, but I have no intention of giving it up. I
can't. I am too involved in the world and even though I am late to the
party, I will enjoy every minute of my time spent in the world of
Vampire Knight.
Vampire Knight Volume 6 - available stateside April 2009.
Yours eternally,
Diane
*I tried not to reveal any spoilers from the series because I want you to read it or watch it for yourselves.
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