ROSARIO VAMPIRE (MANGA VOLUME 3)
August 7th 2009 23:06
Category: Graphic Novels/Comics
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Story & Art by: Akihisa Ikeda
Translation: Kaori Inoue
English Adaptation: Gerard Jones
Touch up Art & Lettering: Stephen Dutro
Cover: Hidemi Dunn
Interior Design: Julie Behn
Cost: AU$12.95/US$7.99/CAN$9.50
Journalism can be such a sensitive area of employment, sometimes even in the most liberal of places a journalist can find they have drawn the ire of various authorities or vested interests. Of course that is nothing in comparison to working within the free press in places such as Iran, North Korea, Iraq or even various repressive regimes around the world. A tough gig indeed, one that quite often could at the very least cost you your livelihood if not your very life and the life of those nearest and dearest to you. So imagine if you were the only human who was involved in bringing out the school paper in a school devoted entirely to students who are monsters and have no real desire to share their schooling with a human. Then just to add spice to the mix throw in a literal bunch of fascist minded thugs who call themselves the Protection Committee that are in reality nothing more than enforcers who like to put the squeeze on those students weaker than them.
This is the situation that our protagonist Tsukune Aono finds himself in, he has somehow gained enrolment into a school for monster seeking to live in the world of humans as well as becoming involved in the school newspaper club run by his homeroom teacher, Ms Nekonome and a second year student Ginnei Morioka, a werewolf with a thing for the ladies. What Tsukune and his friends Moka, Kurumu and Yukari don’t realise is that the previous newspaper club was taken out due the sudden attentions paid to it by the School Protection Committee, the monster equivalent of the Red Guard. It seems they were a little bit too inclined towards the concept of ethical investigative journalism and questioned the actions and activities of the Protection Committee, an act that brought down the wrath of said committee on their heads in a very severe manner.
This time around though the Committee even though they have considerable clout cannot just move against a school club because they want to, they have to have due cause. There has to be some kind of rationale for their actions otherwise they will find themselves on the receiving end. Of course though in regards to Moka she sees herself as a power unto herself and her kind, monsters who deign to take a high and mighty stance with her or her comrades are likely to end up in the local hospital ward if not wanting to find a deep, dark hole to crawl into and never come out of lest they incur her further wrath. In a school full of monster, some of whom you would think are truly ferocious and at the top end of the ‘food’ chain it is in fact the vampire that is the mightiest of all monsters and thus this rather cute, friendly young girl is the most dangerous thing walking around on campus. It would definitely make you want to go, hmm note to self, do not under any circumstances piss off Moka, be nice, polite and generally friendly to her and then get on with your life but do not aggravate her.
Granted Moka can only access her true monstrous powers when the Rosario around her neck is removed, but even so it isn’t worth anyone risking, well at least anyone with a modicum of a) intelligence and b) well developed survival instinct. Get yourself into a situation where that Rosario comes off and you could find yourself in a literal world of hurt, the physical kind not the emotional. This is effectively what one member of the Protection Committee learns to her chagrin. She thinks she is bullying the newspaper club into accepting the status quo and in the end only ends up getting pounded by Moka, who doesn’t break a sweat as a result. Just goes to show how truly frightening and awesome vampires are.
As I said earlier though, the Protection Committee, even though they learn of the trashing of one of their own by a member of the newspaper club they cannot use that as an excuse. Strangely they do have a rather bent sense of ethics and propriety, but still they are thirsting for blood. Naturally though if they were to discover one of the members of the club was a human then they would have carte blanche to do what they like, a brutal systematic purge of such dissidents would be accepted as par for the course….Cultural Revolution anyone? This is effectively what happens, the committee learn that Tsukune is a human and move to take action in a suitably brutal and monstrous manner. But they have no idea of the consequences such action will cost them.
It is interesting to see such a story that introduces elements such as freedom of the prese, brutality against journalists, abuse of privilege and responsibility along with the themes of friendship and loyalty in a manga that is aimed at teenagers. The Committee is meant to exist as a means of preventing disorder and chaos instead it has become the very thing it seeks to prevent and the school itself exists to aid monsters live in harmony with the humans yet if a human is found on their grounds they are to be killed. An interesting paradox and as Ginnei says to Kurumu as she and Yukari rush to save Tsukune and Moka “What if Tsukune really is human, would you still go in to save him?” to which she replies “You fool, of course I would.” Strangely after this confrontation between the members of the club Ginnei is willing to risk himself on behalf of Tsukune. Just goes to show that the bonds of friendship are not purely surface and that perhaps the lady’s man werewolf does view the awkward and bumbling Tsukune as a friend regardless of his true nature.
Actually it was this facet of the characters that I found truly fascinating and touching, they are all willing to put their lives on the line in order to save someone they regard as their friend. The fact that he is not like them is not a consideration, what matters most of all is that bond of friendship, that is something that we should all cherish in our lives although many of us take it for granted and don’t realise what a truly wondrous gift we have in our friends and comrades. Perhaps that was why I found it so touching, that I realised that I myself have taken many of my friend and the benefit they are too me for granted. Either way this particular volume is an enjoyable reading experience one that I felt was well worth the effort of tracking down and reading. An enjoyable experience and if you get a hold of this volume I hope that you feel a similar way.
Story & Art by: Akihisa Ikeda
Translation: Kaori Inoue
English Adaptation: Gerard Jones
Touch up Art & Lettering: Stephen Dutro
Cover: Hidemi Dunn
Interior Design: Julie Behn
Cost: AU$12.95/US$7.99/CAN$9.50
Journalism can be such a sensitive area of employment, sometimes even in the most liberal of places a journalist can find they have drawn the ire of various authorities or vested interests. Of course that is nothing in comparison to working within the free press in places such as Iran, North Korea, Iraq or even various repressive regimes around the world. A tough gig indeed, one that quite often could at the very least cost you your livelihood if not your very life and the life of those nearest and dearest to you. So imagine if you were the only human who was involved in bringing out the school paper in a school devoted entirely to students who are monsters and have no real desire to share their schooling with a human. Then just to add spice to the mix throw in a literal bunch of fascist minded thugs who call themselves the Protection Committee that are in reality nothing more than enforcers who like to put the squeeze on those students weaker than them.
Granted Moka can only access her true monstrous powers when the Rosario around her neck is removed, but even so it isn’t worth anyone risking, well at least anyone with a modicum of a) intelligence and b) well developed survival instinct. Get yourself into a situation where that Rosario comes off and you could find yourself in a literal world of hurt, the physical kind not the emotional. This is effectively what one member of the Protection Committee learns to her chagrin. She thinks she is bullying the newspaper club into accepting the status quo and in the end only ends up getting pounded by Moka, who doesn’t break a sweat as a result. Just goes to show how truly frightening and awesome vampires are.
As I said earlier though, the Protection Committee, even though they learn of the trashing of one of their own by a member of the newspaper club they cannot use that as an excuse. Strangely they do have a rather bent sense of ethics and propriety, but still they are thirsting for blood. Naturally though if they were to discover one of the members of the club was a human then they would have carte blanche to do what they like, a brutal systematic purge of such dissidents would be accepted as par for the course….Cultural Revolution anyone? This is effectively what happens, the committee learn that Tsukune is a human and move to take action in a suitably brutal and monstrous manner. But they have no idea of the consequences such action will cost them.
It is interesting to see such a story that introduces elements such as freedom of the prese, brutality against journalists, abuse of privilege and responsibility along with the themes of friendship and loyalty in a manga that is aimed at teenagers. The Committee is meant to exist as a means of preventing disorder and chaos instead it has become the very thing it seeks to prevent and the school itself exists to aid monsters live in harmony with the humans yet if a human is found on their grounds they are to be killed. An interesting paradox and as Ginnei says to Kurumu as she and Yukari rush to save Tsukune and Moka “What if Tsukune really is human, would you still go in to save him?” to which she replies “You fool, of course I would.” Strangely after this confrontation between the members of the club Ginnei is willing to risk himself on behalf of Tsukune. Just goes to show that the bonds of friendship are not purely surface and that perhaps the lady’s man werewolf does view the awkward and bumbling Tsukune as a friend regardless of his true nature.
Actually it was this facet of the characters that I found truly fascinating and touching, they are all willing to put their lives on the line in order to save someone they regard as their friend. The fact that he is not like them is not a consideration, what matters most of all is that bond of friendship, that is something that we should all cherish in our lives although many of us take it for granted and don’t realise what a truly wondrous gift we have in our friends and comrades. Perhaps that was why I found it so touching, that I realised that I myself have taken many of my friend and the benefit they are too me for granted. Either way this particular volume is an enjoyable reading experience one that I felt was well worth the effort of tracking down and reading. An enjoyable experience and if you get a hold of this volume I hope that you feel a similar way.
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