Shocking! Akihisa Ikeda’s “Rosario + Vampire: Season II” may have been a bubbly harem anime series with action and humor, but with the eleventh volume, things are much more dire, serious and tragic than ever. If you are a fan of the series, you will be shocked with this latest volume. Recommended!
© 2007 by Akihisa Ikeda. All Rights Reserved.
MANGA TITLE: Rosario + Vampire: Season II vol. 11
SERIES BEGAN IN: 2007
WRITTEN BY: Akihisa Ikeda (æ± ç”°æ™ƒä¹…)
ILLUSTRATED BY: Akihisa Ikeda (æ± ç”°æ™ƒä¹…)
FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shonen Jump Advanced
PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media
RATED: T for Older Teen
RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2013
Average human teenager Tsukune accidentally enrolls at a boarding school for monsters–no, not jocks and popular kids, but bona fide werewolves, witches and unnameables out of his wildest nightmares! On the plus side, all the girls have a monster crush on him. On the negative side, all the boys are so jealous they want to kill him! And so do the girls he spurns, because he only has eyes for one of them–the far-from-average vampire Moka. On the plus side, Moka only has glowing red eyes for Tsukune. On the O-negative side, she also has a burning, unquenchable thirst for his blood…
In 2004, mangaka Akihisa Ikeda (creator of the 2002 fantasy series “Kirutoâ€) created a new series titled “Rosario to Vampire†published in “Weekly Shonen Jump†and lasted from through 2007, followed by a new series titled “Rosario to Vampire: Season 2″ which is currently ongoing in Japan.
With two anime series, video games, CD dramas and ongoing manga storyline, suffice to say, the series has its share of fans.
“Rosario+Vampire†is a harem series which focuses on protagonist Tsukune Aono, a normal high school freshman who is unable to get into any private school because of his bad grades. But his parents enroll him into a private school called “Yokai Academyâ€.
But when Tsukune arrives at his new school, he realizes that it’s a school for monsters disguised as humans and because it’s a top secret school in which humans are not to know about it, if he reveals that he is human and knows about the school, he will be killed.
One day, while thinking about leaving the school, he accidentally runs into a beautiful pink haired girl named Moka Akashiya. Moka turns out to be a sweet vampire and is attracted to the taste of his blood (she takes small nibbles instead of large bites). Moka had lived in the human world at one time and does not like them for some reason. She also wears cross that is fixed upon a collar and can not be removed.
But because she has made friends with Tsukune, she instantly bonds with him, not knowing he is human. And because this normal teenager is able to catch the attention of a beautiful girl at school, others become jealous and one decides to confront Moka of why she would be with a weakling like Tsukune.
And through circumstances, he reveals to Moka that he is actually a human and she is shocked to find out that someone so kind, is a human being. But one day, while trying to defend Moka from a male monster trying to make her be with him, somehow he is able to remove her cross from her collar which activates during a time of need and Moka transforms to a Class S vampire (the most powerful vampire) and the true inner Moka is revealed.
Needless to say, she defeats the male monster and from that point on, both begin to become great friends and fall for each other.
But along the way, other female students (supernatural) also begin to fall for Tsukune and all start to hang out as a group, but at the same time, each girl knows they are rivals in gaining Tsukune’s affection.
In season two, after finding out Tsukune is human but still cares for them despite these monsters not being human at all, each of them cares for Tsukune and wants him as their husband. But in “Rosario + Vampire Capu 2″, it is quite obvious that Tsukune is falling for Moka, but also the interior Moka. And actually, he cares for all the ladies close to him.
But it’s a new school year and Tsukune can’t wait to see Moka and the others. And while hurrying to school, he accidentally runs into a violent, outspoken girl named Kokoa Shuzen and “accidentally†gropes her breast. Needless to say, the first meeting between Tsukune and Kokoa, doesn’t go quite well.
Meanwhile, Tsukune reunites with Moka, Kurumu, Yukari and Mizore. Including their lecherous newspaper president Ginei Morioka and even Ruby Tojo has found various jobs at Yokai Academy.
But just when everything seems to be going well,suddenly, Moka begins receiving threatening letters that some one is out to kill her.
Scared and devastated by the recurring letters, each wonders who may be after her…and we learn the person responsible is Kokoa Shuzen, the girl that Tsukune accidentally ran into but also the half-sister of Moka (interior Moka). Kokoa has been emotionally scarred since her sister left her and she doesn’t understand why her real sister has been locked inside this other Moka. And now, Kokoa has developed this hatred towards Moka, for not letting her sister be free.
“Rosario + Vampire: Season 2″ is a series that focuses on family. As Moka has to deal with her half-sister Kokoa, what happens when she gives internal Moka the chance to be free?
Tsukune has to deal with his mother who has found out that he has become popular with a few girls at Yokai Academy, his cousin Kyoko who saw Tsukune’s friends fight with their supernatural powers and now wants to find out what kind of school that Tsukune is attending.
Also, we meet Mizore’s mother Tsurara Shirayuki and Kurumu’s mother Ageha Kurono and find out that like their daughters, these two were rivals in high school over a guy (who happens to be Yukari’s father).  But this time, both mothers insist in having their daughter win the affections of Tsukune.
Throughout season 2, we learn that there are those who want to bring the real Moka out and let the outer Moka die. But Tsunkune has sacrificed his life to save Moka and in essence, during the revival of Tsukune, Moka’s blood has mixed with his to make him into a ghoul. But after a Body Alteration spell, he now has the powers of a master sorcerer.
Wanting to save Moka who has been captured by her older step-sister, Aqua Shuzen, who loves inner Moka bu wishes nothing but for the destruction of humanity and wanting to allow Gyokuro to use Moka in order to awaken Alucard.
In volume 11, we are taen to the past when Fanfanf Huang and Xilong Miao were children and how both swore they would never let their family feud destroy their friendship. But we learn that the truce could no longer be kept in the present due to some ominous presence that has yet to be revealed.
Meanwhile Kiria Yoshi, who has joined with the Fairy Tale Organization tries to kill Tsukune, Kurumi, Mizora and Yukari but for some unknown reason, Hokuto Kaneshiro wants to aid them and fight against Kiria.
As the four try to save Moka, Tsukune and Kurumi end up confronting Kuyo t he fox demon. While Kurumi and Mizora find Moka who has been taken hostage by Aqua.
Will the four survive their most difficult battle yet?
The main characters of “Rosario + Vampire†are:
- Tsukune Aono – The main protagonist. A normal human teenager who is mistakenly enrolled into Yokai Academy. Because it is illegal for humans to attend a high school for the supernatural/monsters, Tsukune tries to keep his human existence a secret (only Moka knows he is a human). He really cares for Moka, but also cares for his other friends and tries to protect them. And because he is courageous and willing to befriend them, these female characters fall for him.
- Moka Akashiya – The first student that Tsukune befriends. She is a sweet and kind vampire with a rosario (cross) attached to her collar. It is sealed and no one can remove it but when things get tough, Tsukune is the only person can break off the rosario and reveal the cold “inner†Moka who is an S-Class monster. She cares for Tsukune deeply and loves the taste of his blood.
- Kurumu Kurono – She is a succubus who sees Moka as a rival because of the attention she gets from guys. Kurumu also has G-cup breasts that she tries to seduce Tsukune with and can use her hypnotizing spell on males. She chooses Tsukune to be the guy she will try to win over and marry.
- Yukari Sendo – The smartest student of Yokai Academy at young at age 11. She is a witch and because witches are seen as half human, she is discriminated against by her fellow schoolmates and has moved school to school because she didn’t not get along with anyone. But because both Tsukune and Moka accepted her and want to be friends with her, she has interests in both Moka and Tsukune.
- Mizora Shirayuki – A depressed girl with freezing supernatural powers. Because Tsukune became friends with her, she became infatuated with him. She is known to be quiet and always sucking a lollipop.
- Ginei Morioka – A werewolf and the president of the Newspaper Club. He is also a mega pervert and tried to get Tsukune in trouble at one time. But despite his pervertedness, he has helped the group at times when they are in a bind.
- Kokoa Shuzen – Moka Akashiya’s half sister and often angry. She loves her sister to death and despises the current Moka where her sister is sealed inside. She is often seen talking to her pet bats.
- Ruby Tojo – Introduced as a rival in the first season, she is now working at Yokai Academy under Mikogami but the truth is that she does so, because of her hidden infatuation with Tsukune.
In the past, I was critical of “Rosario + Vampire” as being a banal harem series but somehow Akihisa Ikeda has managed to take the series to a whole new direction volumes ago by making it more grittier, darker, violent and exciting.
With volume eleven of “Rosario + Vampire: Season II”, I really don’t know how to describe it but to say that it’s full of action and the battles are much more serious and tragic. And by saying tragic, it’s possibly the most shocking volume of “Rosario + Vampire: Season II” yet because major characters appear to have been killed off.
Of course, I have a hard time believing that this is permanent considering we have seen these characters for so many chapters and have been part of this series for so long.
But this latest volume is shocking and unexpected that I can’t wait to see what happens in volume 12.
As always, Akihisa Ikeda’s character designs and illustrations are simply wonderful but its the latest developments of the storyline involving Moka that is surely going to surprise viewers, who have been used to the bubble, humorous nature of the series, now having things turned 180 and situations have become more dire, more emotional and tragic.
If you are a fan of “Rosario + Vampire”, this eleventh volume is possibly the most action-packed, shocking volume yet!
Recommended!