Story: Vampire Knight Guilty is very much a traditional shoujo series about forbidden love. However, through the inclusion of vampires, the series takes on a bit more of a gothic feel which is heavily relied on to hold the viewer's interest. The story is mainly told from the point of view from the female protagonist, Yuuki, and her inner turmoil about her past and her feelings about the two male main characters, a vampire Kaname and a vampire hunter Zero, are the main driving forces behind the story. The story is also sometimes told from a third-person perspective, allowing the viewer to know details that Yuuki does not. While the story in itself is quite good and probably one of the best gothic romance animes out there, due to the switching of perspectives, the plot pacing can sometimes feel excruciatingly slow and often very repetitive. Yuuki continuously tries to tackle the same issues internally episode after episode to the point where it becomes very redundant; the actual story moves along much better when it is not dwelling on Yuuki's thoughts. This also creates a conflict in the main point of the story, since it sometimes emphasizes the mystery shrouding Yuuki and the other main characters and other times seems to try to hold the viewer solely by building up (almost uneccessary) romantic tension to keep the viewer watching to see which character Yuuki will end up with.
Short version: The story is conflicted in a way that it sometimes tries to be a mystery/suspense anime and other times simply a gothic shoujo/romance. 7/10
Art: The main character designs are lovely for shoujo and done very well' some character features are a bit too over-exaggerated (Yuuki's eyes being one example), but this kind of character design is fairly normal for the shoujo genre. The background is also illustrated nicely and gives off a bit of an eerie feeling to lend to the gothic mood the anime is trying to create. However, sometimes there are inconsistencies in the animation, many still frames, and skimping out on the details of background characters. For the most part, this can be overlooked because the actual art direction is done very well, showing the right images at the right times. Someone with a scruitinizing eye will definitely pick up on the flaws, but a casual viewer probably won't. One flaw of sorts that almost any viewer would immediately pick out is the rather boring ending sequence that looks like it was thrown together in five minutes.
Short version: Nice shoujo character designs and animation, but definitely not the best out there. 7/10
Sound: This is where Vampire Knight Guilty excels. Although the opening song is nice, but nothing to rave over, the ending song by Wakeshima Kanon is excellent and really gives the series an extra nudge into the gothic genre. The sound effects are also nicely done, as well as the background music which also gives the anime a rather eerie feeling, reminding you that you are watching something a bit darker than your average shoujo romance. The voice acting overall is great, but it is Miyano Mamoru (Best Actor in the Seiyuu Awards of 2008 for Setsuna from Gundam 00) that really does an outstanding job by voicing two charcters, twins, and giving them their own distinct nuances. Really excellent work. 8/10
Character: The main characters are all round, very well-developed characters for a shoujo romance, although their development is done in a way that negatively impacts the pacing. The anime almost forces you into their heads to experience thr emotions of certain characters, particularly in Yuuki's case, while leavin other characters in an air of mystery. You wouldn't be able to miss an instant of what Yuuki's thoughts and emotions are even if you tried. On the other hand, not everything is given to you on a silver platter, other characters remain much more mysterious and it is up to the viewer to try to unravel the mystery behind those characters themselves. It's a very stark contrast, but it works very well for the series. 8/10
Enjoyment: If you are looking for a shoujo anime overflowing with romance, this show will definitely hook you. It is filled with forbidden love, love-triangles, anguish, angst, unrequited love... just about any element you can think of that fits into the genre. However it is unique in its dark atmosphere. If you are looking for a shoujo anime and like the added bonus of a gothic edge and a bit of mystery, this is definitely the show to watch and would get a 10/10 in that regard. On the other hand, if you are looking for something that is more solely along the lines of suspense or supernatural without all the angsty romantic flare, give this one a pass.
Overall: An enjoyable, well-animated and produced show that definitely stands out in the shoujo genre as something a bit more unique than others. The added gothic edge and use of mystery will hook the lovers of the shoujo genre even more and probably pick up other casual viewers as well, since overall the show is better than your run-of-the-mill anime love story. 7.5/10 But, if you aren't a fan of the shoujo genre in the slightest and not interested in romance animes, you will want to give this one a pass. Although the show does contain a bit of mystery, suspense, and vampires, the main emphasis is undoubtedly romance, and there is no way to disregard that shoujo romantic factor in this anime to just enjoy it for the mystery and suspense it contains.
