Review by Holly Ellingwood
Published June 1, 2008

An average guy and a pretty vampire with a double identity find friendship and possibly romance in the romantic comedy horror action series Rosario + Vampire.

A manga that inspired an anime series that just finished airing its first season in Japan, Rosario + Vampire has fun, thrills and even a few chills. Tsukune is an average guy in every way, maybe even below average. He failed all of his high school entrance exams but a little bit of luck (or would that be unlucky?) lands him in the one school that will take him -- Yokai Academy. The problem is one small little detail -- it's a school for monsters! Tsukune wanders into the place completely unknowing of the danger his average human body has landed in. The first fellow student he meets however is a cute girl named Moka. They trip over each other and then she slips her fangs into him! Moka's a vampire and can't help but find his human blood to be delicious. Now he's intent on staying at the school for her sake, but how long can a regular human guy maintain that façade at a school filled with students that would eat him if they found out that he really is only human?

This vampire comedy series is a lot of fun and has some formidable obstacles for the couple right away. His being a human isn't only a problem for his survival at the school, he also finds out Moka is terrified of humans. She hates them because they were so terribly awful to her when she was a little girl.  She quickly proves to be the sweetheart of the school which opens the door for real peril to visit Tsukune's life when rival after rival appears. The first and one of the scariest is fellow classmate Saizo. But he's not the only monster on the prowl to bash any opposition to have Moka as his own. There's also a savvy scheming werewolf. And Moka has her own enemies like the succubus Kurumu and a pool of hungry man-eating mermaids. It's one horrifically funny comedy adventure after another as Tsukune and Moka face off and try to survive school together.

It's not just Tsukune who has a secret though. It seems Moka has at least one or two of her own. She must keep a rosary on at all times or else her other, much more powerful personality gets released. Just what will happen when she discovers Tsukune is only human? Can these two combat beasts while facing their own insecurities? She may be a vampire but love might is love, human or otherwise, after all.

The delightful new manga series has fun and appealing art. There's a lot of diversity and creativity with the various students and teachers at the school. When Moka changes into her full vampire self the drawing style changes enough that you can easily tell she has transformed into her more powerful and serious version. The chills come into play with some of the more lethal creatures at the school like the mermaids and Saizo. There is quite a bit of action with the monster fights as well as comedy and sweet moments in this manga series that has managed to fit in a little bit of everything very well.

IN SUMMARY:
Rosario + Vampire is love at first bite!