The Story:
The story begins with a regular ordinarily human boy named Tsukune Aono who accidentally attends to Youkai Academy, a private school for monsters. There he must keep his true identity a secret in order survive because if anyone finds out that he is in deed human, he'll be kill on the spot. Lucky for him he makes some new friends (who happen to be beautiful girls who all fall for him) that fight along side him and one of his new friends, Moka Akashiya, so happens to be the legendary monster, a Vampire. The whole setting for this story was really well made in my opinion and in fact had some really good monster facts that I didn't even know about. The relationships that Tsukune has with his friends is relatively strong, especially with Moka. Also each challenge that they faced was pretty tough but they manage find a way and pull through. If I had to give any flaws it would be that the first few chapters can take a while to get up to speed, some of the fights can end abruptly and Tsukune and Moka can misunderstand each other a lot under certain circumstances but the story has a whole is good so I can't complain.
The Art:
In the first few chapters of this series, I found the art to be good but nothing to spectacular. As I read more chapters though the art got better and better, especially with the characters and battle scenes. For instance the characters faces early on were nicely drawn but in later chapters each character had much more emotion in there faces and can tell what they are going throw, it was nice to see. Although the battle scenes I think were the most unique. They had such good angles and foreshortening on characters arms and legs that it was really nice to look at. I really give props to the Mangaka on that.
The Characters:
Here I would like to talk about each of the Main Characters of this series one at a time (this part may take a while, sorry)....
Tsukune Aono: At first he doesn't do much in beginning except shield his friends so he can protect them and removes Moka's rosary to awaken her Vampire powers. However by chapter 10 he really starts to man up and eventually because a bad-ass with powers of his own. I really grew to like his character throw out the series and additionally he really likes Moka and tries to spend every moment with her.
Moka Akashiya: Now there are two sides of Moka in Rosario+Vampire. The pink haired Moka is the one who first meets Tsukune and is very nice, smart and the considered to be the most beautiful girl at Youkai Academy. She quickly befriends Tsukune and tells him that she is a Vampire, however her Vampire powers are sealed away due to the rosary that she wears around her neck. She can't take it off herself but it turns out that Tsukune is the only one who can and when it does come off, the pink haired Moka transforms into her true Vampire form complete with red eyes and silver hair. The silver haired Moka can kick your ass very quickly and tends to be more violent. I liked both Moka's, pink haired Moka shows that not only does so truly care for Tsukune but her friends as well and silver haired Moka is such a bad-ass.
Kurumu Kurono: She's might be the most energetic of the group and is also a Succubus. She was OK when she was first introduced but soon I grew to like her too when she started to trust her friendship with Tsukune, Moka and the others and she can hold her own in a fight when needed. She really likes Tsukune and often tries the most to win over his affections throwout the series.
Yukari Sendou: The youngest of the group since she is a genius student who skip a few grades. She is also a Witch who can use magical attacks such as tarot cards and most common a washtub that she uses to drop on peoples heads (mostly for comic relief). Not only does she really like Tsukune but also really likes Moka too and claims she wants to be with both of them. She may be my least favorite in the series but she is likeable and plus she's really funny when she picks fights with Kurumu.
Ruby Toujo: Another Witch who at first was a enemy that hated all humans but thanks to Tsukune and company, she becomes their ally and friend. I don't have much to say about her without giving away that might spoil anything except that she does see Yukari as a very good Witch friend and she to really likes Tsukune. And unlike Yukari, I liked her a lot and found her to be a better Witch.
Mizore Shirayuki: Without a doubt, my favorite character in the Manga. She is a Yuki-onna (Snow Women) who can freeze water into ice and can use ice and snow as a weapon. She can also create ice clones of herself and others. She always seen with a lollipop and like every other main girl, she really likes Tsukune. So much so that she stalks Tsukune everywhere he goes from behind trees, bushes, etc. She often freezes any of the other girls who tend to get to close to him. Plus she seems to be the only one who can tell how Tsukune is feeling and would do anything for him see him happy, even if its not what she really wants in the end. Clearly that is enough to make her my favorite character.
Now there are some supporting characters that were good but the only one I'll mention here is the Bus Driver on account that he was very mysterious and really cool.
Enjoyment:
It took a couple of chapters for me to really start enjoying this Manga but I feel it succeed during chapter 10. There were moments that I found it to be funny at times. The main characters were likable throw out the series and I enjoyed how they overcome many obstacles. Plus the art was very nice to look at from time to time.
Overall:
I may not like the Anime but the Rosario+Vampire Manga is a very good read. It may start off kind of slow but give it time and it will reward you with a good story, good battle scenes and likeable characters. So if you enjoy your Mangas with Monsters, Werewolf's, Witches, Lizard Creatures and of course Vampires, than give this one a shot. It may be right up your alley.
Final Score Card:
Story: 7/10
Art: 8/10
Characters: 8/10
Enjoyment: 8/10
Overall: 8/10
