A class of Bloodsuckers
Review by PAULINE WONG

VAMPIRE KNIGHT Vol.1
Story and art: Matsuri Hino

Publisher: VIZ Media; 200 pages
(ISBN: 978-142-150-8221)
For ages 16+

The Cross Academy has two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. Both are kept as far apart as possible and well, something is fishy, don’t you think? In this case, it’s more than fishy - it’s deadly. That’s because the Night Class is full of beautiful, intelligent and gifted ? vampires.

Yuki Cross, the headmaster’s adopted daughter, is charged with separating these two groups (for obvious reasons). At her side is the grumpy and deliciously good-looking Zero Kiryu. Together they ensure that the secret of the Night Class is never revealed. Wouldn’t want a mass panic among the ordinary mortals of the Day Class now, would we?

The headmaster has a vision of peace between humans and vampires, but Zero has other ideas. Worse, he has a dark curse upon him as a result of his past. Yuki is all for peace; she was saved by Kuran Kaname (a vampire attending Cross Academy) when she was five and was brought to live with the headmaster. Yet, can she really keep that vision when she nearly becomes the victim of a vampire herself?

Vampires are all very fascinating and stuff, but what is a good plot without good artwork? No worries here, dear readers, the artwork is simply gorgeous. It is neat and clean-cut, with no dark, gloomy backgrounds (which vampire stories tend to have in abundance).

Though, watch out - there is a fair amount of blood involved, albeit not in the "thick sauce" kind of way, but "dark shadows" kind of way. That means that the blood is not drawn dripping or oozing out of open wounds, it is shown with shaded areas, which is a lot less graphically explicit. So, despite the blood, the violence level is relatively low.

The plot is interesting enough to keep readers glued, what with the sizzling chemistry between Yuki and Zero. To add to the drama, Yuki shares an intense connection with Kuran, which they both know run deeper than mere attraction.

Overall, this is a fine read, especially for gothic shojo manga fans. It will most likely not be a huge worldwide sensation but it will definitely find a loyal following. I, for one, am looking forward to Vol.2 already.