Author: Ikeda Akihisa
Genre: Supernatural, Action, Romance, Harem
Released: Season 1 - 2004-2007, Season 2 - 2007-Ongoing
Volumes: Season 1 - 10, Season 2 – 4
Aono Tsukune is one of those useless main characters who doesn't really seem to be able to do anything. The Manga starts off with him finding out that he hasn't gotten into a single High School and despairing about said lack of High School.
His parents turn around and tell him he'll be going to Youkai High School, a place they found out about from a pamphlet dropped by a totally not suspicious *cough cough* guy wandering around. With this being the only school to turn to, Tsukune decides to enrol and after a long bus journey with a disturbing driver it's not long before Tsukune discovers the true purpose of the school, which just so happens to be teaching monsters (Ayashi) the traditions and ways of humans, in the hope that one day both worlds could co-exist peacefully.
It also just so happens that the first schoolmate he bumps into, Akashiya Moka, is a vampire who just loves (elongate 'o' for mediocre comedic value) the taste of his blood. Moka is apparently so super-de-duperly powerful that she has to wear a rosary to seal her powers, and when it comes off it's like she's a completely different person.
Yet again we come across a series where regardless of how the author tries to convince you you will never for a second doubt the main character will get with one of the girls (in this case Moka). To be honest it's not like any effort is made to convince you otherwise, but that just makes the lewd passes (which happen annoyingly often) of the other girls unnecessary and waste valuable time that the main characters could spend fighting people. The past sentence isn't a symbol of my love of action, by the way, beating people up with the power of heart is the only thing these characters seem to do. Of course, the main character is a useless shit whose only purpose is to take off Moka's rosary. She then proceeds to pulverise the character while uttering the catchphrase “Know your place”. This wouldn't be anywhere near as annoying if she didn't use it every god damn time she beat someone.
One thing that seriously bugs me if I'm reading action is when the main character is dependent on someone else's power. This is a trait held by the Manga for so long that when he finally ended up less dependent on Moka's power (only less depended, by the way, not actually independent, that comes later -_-) it's like a ray of sunshine shining down the damp, dark well that Rosario+Vampire has shoved you into.
I would say that the Manga gets better as it progresses but to be honest that shouldn't really be regarded highly considering “better” is the only direction it's actually able to go.
Any characters other than the main ones (Moka and Tsukune) seem to be there purely to act as deus ex machina, or as filters so that the main characters don't have to spend a chapter wading through shitty weak enemies. Seriously, they have no place in the main other than as soldiers or informants, and taking away any of their little side-stories would probably increase my liking of the series tenfold.
The main characters themselves, however, I like. While Tsukune is similar to pretty much every action main character in existence, I've always liked the stubborn, hearty attitude that they get while fighting to protect his friends (which only really includes Moka, maybe the others are too busy sucking to be kidnapped or targeted) and his home.
Moka herself comes in two flavours, Strawberry and 99% Belgian Chocolate. Both of her personalities heavily contradict each other, although rather than separate personalities I can't help but view it as a switch to make the sweet Moka look cool and kick arse. The inner Moka (who just so happens to be the original one) isn't really explored that much, making her nothing more than another “Fight Mode” without a substantial face. She is also a huge cock-tease and more often than you would care to enjoy she leans in for what looks like a sweet kiss, only head straight for his neck and start sucking a different kind of juice to what Tsukune wants her to swallow.
The school itself seems to be there only to act as extra stuff to smash to itty bitty little pieces. You don't often see any studying going on and when it is nobody's paying attention. It also closes down for six month for repairs (the result of a fight between the main characters and various arseholes) and somehow all of the students still have the knowledge required to wander along into their next year.
The art is alright, not really making use of all the space it's given but too much can be a clutter and I'd rather space than clutter, to be honest.
The plot itself is as average as they come, with a nice little rival faction aiming to overthrow the human race, appointing Ayashi as the new rulers of the world. I have nothing against this considering it's a tried-and-tested plot that can easily be taken new places (not that the author tries). However it is full of holes, especially regarding Tsukune's fighting power. What you read in the latter part of what's been released for the second season should really be inserted in between the third and fourth quarters of the first one, and the first half of what's been released for the second season should be burned alive and buried underneath a mountain of shit.
If you can get through the curiosity of finding out what this series is really like, save yourself from the noose and run to the hills, because this series isn't really worth the effort.
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