I can't give up my addiction

| 9 Comments
Vampire Knight Logo.gifVampire Knight YukiZero.png


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. 




Vampire Knight Chibi
 Chibi versions of the three main characters (fanart)


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. 


5> Beyond Fandom - I mentioned Sagakure before.  She is so fascinating to me.  Not only does she scanlate the manga, she hosts multiple websites all about Vampire Knight love, makes fanart with Vampire Knight characters (example to the left - Young Zero and Kaname), keeps people up to date about current Vampire Knight news (like the new NDS game to be released in Japan on 29-Jan-2009 - AAAHHHH...it would work on any NDS, but it's only in Japanese), and lastly, she is involved in the world of fanfiction.  Fanfiction are original stories written about anything, but usually include characters from something like a book, movie, manga, anime, etc.  She has written multiple Vampire Knight Alternate Universe stories, along with many other really talented unpublished writers (Blackened Wing and YenGirl to name a few).  I mean, these aren't short stories either...some are hundreds of pages long.  I haven't read a hard copy book in months because I have been too busy reading tons and tons of Vampire Knight fanfiction.  Some are so compelling that it has made me think they have tapped into the author's mind to bring the characters more to life than even before.  I am in awe of all of these marvelous people.  I don't know how they have time to produce such great stories with such frequency, and I wonder why they don't get published for original work.  Maybe their love of Vampire Knight is so strong they have no desire to write about anything else.  Warning...some of their fanfiction is meant only for mature audiences and may contain themes some would find disturbing.


Links:

Sagakure

Blackened Wing

Fanfiction

Sagakure Fanfiction

Blackened Wing Fanfiction

YenGirl Fanfiction

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.

9 Comments

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