| Written by Sonata, on 11-04-2008 |
| Average user rating |
 (1 vote) |
|
 Vampire Knight, derided by some as ridiculous and adored by others, has finally transited from manga to anime. As usual, with a manga adaptation with a rather strong following, it is always treated more critically than other manga. Now, with its pilot episode, will V. Knight be able to fulfill its promise or is it time to set the flames on? (This reminds me of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles… Great manga but the animation failed.)
Audio:
To start… The opening song, "Futatsu no Kodou to Akai Tsumi (Two Beats and Red Sins)" by ON/OFF is haunting giving a gothic feeling to the anime – really fitting for a vampire-themed show. I also like the ending, "Still Doll" by Wakeshima Kanon. It honestly gave me the creeps (or maybe because I was watching the whole episode in the middle of the night) that reminded me of the same feeling when I watched Sweeney Todd. Another plus is the atmosphere given by the animation – Yuuki’s dazed + bloody look is made of win, in short!
I’m happy to say that I ENJOYED listening to the BGM of the anime. It sets the ambiance and fits the theme of the night. It is as if you are being pulled into the world of darkness.
Now, with the dubbing. Yui + Yuuki = perfect! Her voice fits Yuuki. Sweet but in a way has a tinge of mystery in it (d’you get my point?!). In addition, most of the guys sound all right, even though I feel that Kaname’s voice seems to bring a hint of haughtiness but that would be logical since he’s a vampire. Ichijou’s voice seiyuu is chosen well too… Susumu Chiba? Lastly, Miyano Mamoru totally nailed Zero. Somehow, just by listening to their voices (Yuuki’s and Zero’s) you can already feel that either one of them is drifting away.
Animation:
Thumbs-up to Studio Deen. Though I could not say that the animation is top-notch at least, it deserves ‘great’ as a rating. I always hold this animation studio in high regard (Fate/Stay Night, Fruits Basket, Full Moon wo Sagashite, Get Backers, Jigoku Shoujo, Kyo Kara Maoh, Rave Master & Rurouni Kenshin to name a few). The character designs were even better than in the manga except in some scenes, Kaname’s & Zero’s hairs looked like it was cell-shaded.
I should also give them thumbs up for the atmosphere given by the shading and the backgrounds. It sets the whole feeling for a vampire-themed anime especially in the opening sequence.
Overall:
For the great audio direction + animation, I would give this episode an 8/10. So who’s the target audience? Lem’me enumerate: bishounen fans (you’ll find lots of them here), likes a strong shoujo series that does not break too many boundaries, yet constructing each of its step with some intent & vampire lovers (obviously). For those who are waiting for action, you will not really find that here unlike Blood+ and Trinity Blood.
The pilot episode has started out a craze now if they could just continue with their work, this anime would definitely be one of those where fans will be begging for more episodes and would have a cult following behind.
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nice review for the first episode.. the animation was nice but like everyone said let just hope that it will continue that way. the pacing is slow bu they really did a great job on yuki 
I am always reading VK is Shojo Beat Magazine... If I will compare on how it was draw in the anime and in the Manga, the drawing in the anime quite sucks. I Really love the drawing in the Manga. 
