Rosario to Vampire

Before doing anything, this will be my first review. Also, don't kill me for bad grammar; English is not my first language or even my second—it's my third.

Story - 8
I gave the story an eight because it started out boring and typical (in my opinion) as a harem, romance, comedy manga which was what I expected at first. But eventually, the manga turned into something deep and dark and was great. However, it wasn't something you'd expect right away. So, it was great but not expected, which is why it got an 8.

Art - 8
Alright, don't kill me here, but I really don't have much to say about the art. Okay, moving on.

Characters - 8
The characters are all basic harem characters: wimpy guy, check; daring girl, check; shy and reserved, check; flat-chested, check; stalker, check. Although these characters are generic, the author presented them in a way that makes them memorable and hard to forget.

Enjoyment - 10
Enjoyment is the biggest part of any manga or entertainment medium. Even if everything else is great, if the author doesn't present it in a way that leaves a mark on your heart, then honestly, the manga would suck. With this manga, although the characters are generic and the story took a while to become good, the entertainment value was always there, keeping you wanting to read more.

Overall - 9
For me personally, I love this manga and consider it one of my all-time favorites. Even so, I must review it in an unbiased way, which leads me to give it a 9 instead of a 10.

Squint. Squint hard, darn it.

The story... starts off pretty generic. But it grows. It is classic formula, reminiscent of Love Hina with its "vacation" arcs. There's a repetition, a monster-of-the-week drama, where Tsukune or someone else makes a mistake and has to do some character-development and apologizing before the villain is defeated.

However, unlike many repetitive formulas, these small, incremental moments of growth pay off. The story and overarching plot sneak up on you, bit by bit...

Squint hard at the characters: Especially Moka and her inner-self. The subtlety in how she grows to accept Tsukune and the rest of the cast as her friends is... well, subtle. Not even fans of the manga recognize it, but there are moments where she breaks down in tears, or grins in admiration, and readers completely miss it. Please, do your best not to miss it!

Moka isn't the only character, though. Even then, the rest of the cast is pretty fantastic... Tsukune, the "typical protagonist", is surprisingly atypical, as the only human resident of Youkai Academy. He strikes a balance between the "luckless wimp" and the "destined hokage", not being a pushover who relies on his friends, but not being the "second coming", either. Kurumu is more than just a rival, Mizore is more than just a sweet face. Even Yukari tries to break her mold of being a lil' girl.

The art improves! And then it improves so much it begins to develop an uncanny valley. But even then, the increased definition and quality of the art add to the subtle maturation of the characters, as they live out their first year in school and begin to grow up... A wonderful mixture of story and art being cohesive and communicating a sense of maturation and the journey into adulthood.

And it fits with the tone. The seriousness of monsterkind, the comedy and restless moments of innocent youth - they seem to contradict one another and make the story seem inconsistent, but it's only through the use of these two opposite ends of the spectrum that you can achieve balance and moderation, and communicate a realistic story of characters growing up and taking on daunting responsibilities, pursuing reckless, dangerous, but precious love.

...Definitely enjoyable. Hits all of the marks of a good coming-of-age romance story. To see Tsukune grow, to see Moka (especially her sealed side) open up to him, both wonderful storylines and a gratifying romance.

In a sense, Rosario Vampire is a better manga than its sequel because it actually "concludes" on a conclusive, satisfying note. It doesn't promise so much, leaving the reader satisfied with a nice 40-chapter story that never overstayed its welcome.

Of course, it deserved and necessitated a continuation with how it ended... but it didn't have to end with more stories on the horizon. Not everything has to be dramatic, not everything has to be emotionally pulverizing. Rosario + Vampire's conclusion is balanced and nuanced, harmonious and easy to read.

Generic is an easy term to use. But let me remind you... squint. With an appreciation for detail and appreciating the entire context of the story, the worth of this manga is clear as day.

I'll do my best not to let Season 2 influence my ratings of the first season, but I can't promise anything.

Story:
The foundation of this manga lies in the harem genre. If you're not a fan of harems, don't worry; there's more to it. The setting is intriguing: a human at a monster school surrounded by monster girls. While romance is always present, the focus quickly shifts to action. Rosario + Vampire uniquely blends Action and Romance, offering something for everyone. If you're hesitant about reading something labeled Ecchi, rest assured that there's very little nudity (I only recall one instance where breasts are shown). Thanks to Tsukune's development from Moka's blood, the story remains interesting despite its consistent formula. However, the antagonists' motivations could have been more varied than just wanting to beat Tsukune because he's strong or targeting him out of jealousy over Moka. This can feel repetitive.

7/10

Art:
The artwork is absolutely stunning. The backgrounds look great, especially the graveyard in front of the dormitories. The fight scenes are well-drawn, making it easy to follow what's happening. The characters stand out the most. Everyone in Rosario + Vampire is incredibly attractive, both the girls and the boys. Even Tsukune, who looks rather plain compared to the other handsome guys, is quite good-looking. Despite being a Mizore fan, I must say that Moka (both versions) is one of the most beautiful girls I've seen in anime or manga. The more serious the scene, the more detailed the character designs become, yet it never feels out of place. Honestly, there's nothing negative to say about the artwork.

10/10

Characters:
As a harem manga, you wouldn't expect deep characters. Yet, some have more depth than similar characters in other works. Tsukune starts as a boring everyman but evolves due to vampire blood. Among male harem leads, he's pretty interesting. The female lead has a split personality: one side is the "boring" nice girl, while the other is a ruthless, heartless fighter (those legs, wow!). Since Inner Moka develops feelings for Tsukune late in season one, we don't get much drama yet. The rest of the cast hasn't had much time to shine either, but Kurumu is interesting as a beta female. Despite being a succubus throwing herself at Tsukune, she isn't perverted and even feels ashamed if someone sees her panties. It's an odd mix, but it works. She has a kind heart and would never force Tsukune into anything sexual. The characters are interesting but could be deeper (looking forward to Season II).

8/10

Enjoyment:
Combining Comedy, Romance, Action, Drama, and mild fanservice, Rosario + Vampire offers something for everyone. Likeable characters and a steadily moving plot make it one of the most entertaining manga of the past decade. Those looking for pure Romance or pure Action might struggle, but if you enjoy genre mixing, you'll be entertained. You should definitely give it a try.

9/10

Overall:
8.5/10

So, to kick off my review, I'll mention that I initially watched the anime before diving into the manga, which many readers found superior. After a lengthy break, I decided to give the manga a shot and was both delighted and somewhat disappointed.

Story (7/10): This is where I feel most conflicted. The beginning was quite average, similar to the anime, but it gradually grew more intricate and engaging. Eventually, I found myself really enjoying it. The story arcs were consistently interesting, and I appreciated how the main character wasn't static like so many others. Overall, if we're talking about the overarching narrative, I'd probably rate it an 8 or 9.

However, here's why it didn't reach those heights: Around the three-quarters mark of the manga, the story structure started feeling repetitive. To be blunt, nearly every chapter followed the same pattern. Without giving spoilers: MC and Moka have a fight. They decide they won't see each other anymore. The villain of the day picks a fight with one of them. The other comes to the rescue. They reconcile. Rinse and repeat. Every. Single. Time.

The first few times, it was intriguing as it conveyed character development. But... WHERE DID THE DEVELOPMENT GO? You'd think after the ninth time MC and Moka fight over a misunderstanding, they'd learn some communication skills and try to understand what really happened. Especially since the exact same thing happened in the last episode and they promised not to leave each other. But nope. No such luck.

Overall, good story arcs, repetitive individual chapter plots.

Art (9/10): Initially, the art was mediocre to the point where I didn't enjoy it much. Character detail fluctuated, shading seemed odd, etc., making me uncomfortable. Over time, though, the art style stabilized, and more detail was added to individual panels. Shading became more advanced and consistent, characters had a wider range of expressions, and the backgrounds became much more interesting without distracting from the foreground. By the end, I very much liked the art style.

Character (9/10): If I rated individual characters, most would fall between 6-7, but where the characters truly shine is in their interactions with each other. On their own, they are fairly typical harem archetypes, but when interacting, they become interesting and somewhat unique.

While I didn't love the main character at first (being the wimpy kid he is), he did improve throughout the story (and I mean he actually changed, not just that I liked him better). The girls' interactions with the main character are fairly stereotypical and not that interesting (why do they like him again?), unfortunately; however, their interactions with each other are usually emotional or funny, and the humor is well balanced.

Overall, stereotypical characters who become funny and unique through their interactions.

Enjoyment (7/10): Let me start by saying: If the chapters had more unique stories, this score would be 2 points higher. It kept repeating itself for so long that I got bored and wasn't enjoying it anymore, to the point where I had to force myself to finish it.

However, earlier on, it was very fun to read, and I always enjoyed it when a new part of the plot advanced or a new character was introduced. It was also good for a few laughs here and there. It was especially fun watching the main character change and grow throughout the story (unlike half a million other anime/manga MCs). I only wish the other characters grew as well. If it lost half the filler fights, I'd find it nicer to read.

Overall (8/10): Decent manga, with fun characters and good art (at least towards the latter parts), which had a good story but dragged on too long. I would recommend this for a read, but I would avoid marathoning it due to its repetition.

Rosario to Vampire turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable, contrary to my initial expectations. I was prepared for a dull harem manga with nothing unique about it, and at first glance, Rosario seemed to fit that description perfectly.

So you might wonder, "Why the 7 rating then?" I'm not a professional critic or reviewer, so my ratings generally reflect how much enjoyment I derived from the material. Being one of the first manga I ever read, I can say that despite its flaws, it managed to entertain me throughout its 10 volumes.

The writing in Rosario is among the worst I've encountered, with a shallow antagonist who appears suddenly and vanishes just as abruptly as all the other villains. The manga shines when it doesn't take itself too seriously. The comedy is well-executed, and I'll admit, I found some of the cliché jokes amusing. This aspect somewhat makes up for the less enjoyable parts, like the Hokuto arc, which was quite a struggle.

Rosario + Vampire isn't anything special. To begin with, it's not your typical harem manga due to its setting in a school filled with various monsters, so I'll give credit where it's due for some originality there.

However, that's where the praise ends. The recycled plot devices and lack of character development become painfully tiresome quickly. The characters are incredibly generic, making it unbelievable. It's like they just say, "Here's your typical loser harem protagonist," surrounded by numerous women who inexplicably love him...*yawn*. Other harem mangas at least change up the settings, such as scenes at school, during lunch, after school at someone’s house, or around town. This manga sticks to the same locations repeatedly, always introducing the same suspicious character who turns out to be the villain for that chapter—it's more predictable than Scooby-Doo. There's a lot of fan service, which I don’t mind since I'm a guy, but it seems like fan service is used to mask the series' flaws. They probably think people won’t notice if they shove a chest into the reader’s face.

There’s now a second series of the manga, but honestly, I couldn't care less. I haven't read it, but I’m guessing they’ve made the characters a bit older and added a new fan-service girl.

To summarize: - The setting is quite original; applause. - The art is good too, so thumbs up to the artist. - Recycled plot device; very predictable. - Generic and uninteresting characters; no development. - Lack of varied settings makes the story boring fast. - Over-reliant on fan service; used to hide flaws. - Typical whiny protagonist.

I'm a reader who is fairly new to manga, so these reviews of mine should be read with that in mind.

On the surface, Rosario+Vampire embodies many reasons why I never got into Japanese manga & anime before; it's packed with clichés. The school setting, the unwanted harem, the monster-of-the-week common plot—just to name a few. Friends recommended it to me saying, "It's better than it sounds," and indeed, it is. For one thing, it gets better with time. The art improves, the stories improve, and the characters develop more depth.

The story takes a darker turn from about halfway through this first run, and in my opinion, it's a change for the better. Tsukune undergoes significant character development because of it, as does "outer-Moka"; "inner-Moka" not so much in this first series (more so in Rosario+Vampire II).

There is a considerable amount of fanservice in the manga, though I hear the anime has even more. Most of the time, it doesn't detract from the story. It's noticeable that Moka tends to be treated with a little more respect by the artist than the other girls (perhaps because she's the main girl).

Complete trash, not worth any of your time.

Story 3/10: Almost non-existent, the story is so cliché it's not even worth mentioning. From the get-go, it gets stuck in an infinite loop of bad monster, take off Moka's rosary, end of arc. That changes midway into Tsukune saving the day instead of Moka, but it still follows the same loop. It gets boring and super predictable really fast.

Art 7/10: I guess this is the only part of the manga that isn't terrible. At the beginning, it has some problems, but with time, the art gets really good.

Characters 3/10: It's good enough that each character has different qualities and personalities, but that's it. There is no development at all in the 40 chapters; the characters are almost the same at the beginning and the end.

Enjoyment 2/10: Started reading it weekly on the Manga Plus app, and it was somewhat bearable, but I got bored quickly, so I was going to drop it. Changed my mind when I saw there are only 40 chapters, and I'm trying to finish it, but I find myself forcing my way through the pages hoping to just end this quick so I don't have to continue reading.

Overall 4/10: As I said before, the only good quality I find here is the art and maybe the fact that it's only 40 chapters long. After that, there is nothing that is worth your time. You are better off reading some other manga... Anything from Naoki Urasawa, for example.