Karin

**NOTE**First off this is my first time writing a review and the only reason I am doing so now is cause of the lack of reviews for this manga so if this review sucks you now know why. Also this is my favorite manga and one of my favorite animes so this review may be a little biased though it still is a great manga biased or not.


Karin is a romance manga with a vampire theme but what makes it so good is in my opinion how the author always seems to be able to add a little twist to the series at exactly the right time. I also love the relationship between Karin and Kenta, they did it perfectly. At first co conspirators trying to keep Karin's secret from getting out, then as friends helping each other out, then as love interests to shy to tell the other there feelings then finally(?)(don't know if they ever become married in the manga or not or got betrothed so there might be another step in the relationship though I doubt the next step will be as something like each others ex's) as boyfriend and girl friend. And sorry if I spoiled the relationship there by saying that Karin and Kenta would get together but I thought it was pretty obvious that it was going to happen I mean this is a part romance manga and the two main characters are a guy and a girl so something is probably gonna happen. Back to the review: as I have been saying this is a great manga and I love how the comedy always has some humor in it instead ob just being dumb and how the art always works perfectly for every scene. If you are looking for a rom/com with a big twist then this is a must read. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

P.S. If you want to read it you can find it all at manga fox even the last volume that haven't been released in english yet (someone translated it... thank you for translating it zonnikku)

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The vampire genre on a whole is just down right over used and over served to the point that it now has it's own genre, but that doesn't mean there's no creativity left in it.

STORY: The basic set up is of the school life/romance set ups, girl meets boy, girl and boy fall in love, happy ending, the end.
Though, as over used as this set up is, a lot of us still keep coming back to it.

Why?

Cause coming back over and over again may end us up with precious worth while gems.

I consider Karin (Chibi Vampire in the US) one of these gems.

While following the set in stone way of romantic comedies, it also throws in an original spin on the vampire genre.
The heroin, Karin Maaka, is a typical manga highschool girl, she's well endowned, pretty clumsy, yep, normal every where you look at her.
But, she has quite a secret, she's a vampire (Surprise!) but that part of her anything but normal.
You'll see her walk around during the day time, just like a human, she's unaffected by the typical vampire banes like garlic and water, and she doesn't even need to drink blood.

But instead, she gives blood once a month by biting people's necks and injecting it through her fangs that appear only during that time.

The male lead, Kenta Usui, is the new scary looking class member at the school Karin attends. Despite the fierce look on his face, which isn't on purpose, he's quite the nice, hard working guy who's working towards a normal life, though he and his mother are quite poor.
In fact his life is really unfortunate, and that in itself is the catayst of the events in the manga.
Because their paths cross instantly (By instantly I mean as soon as Karin lays her eyes on him) and one of Karin's only normal traits as a vampire in this manga makes him her "blood type" (Horrible pun).

But their eventually soon to be romance isn't brought together by that nearly alone, the plot setups, character development, and nearly everything is written very well, and not much of it is lacking in most aspects.

The romance does not begin immediately though, as the beginning is more focused on comedy that ranges from hilarious to amusing, especially if clumsy characters is your type of humor, if they are, you're in for a hoot.

The pacing of the story is very comfortable, with each event coming very naturally. Good story twists, and even extremely powerful cliff hangers depending on your pacing on reading this series. At times the story can be quite addicting, making one eager to continue onwards, and kinda makes you realize it may be too short (Almost sixty chapters, but with pletly of bonus chapters that explore and expand the world of the manga).

The supporting cast consists of the titular characters friends and family members: Anju Maaka, Karin's solemnly spoken little gothic lolita sister, Ren Maaka, their cool older gigolo brother {And bully to Karin), Karin's parent's Henry Marker and Calera Marker, and Fumio Usui, Kenta's mother, whom looks too young to be his mother.
Though, of all of them, Karin's best friend Maki Tokito, may come across to a lot of people of being rather annoying, but overrall, a very strong cast of characters each getting their adequate spot light.
And their relations are full of strong chemistry as each of the main characters families act just like families would, making their relations a little more realistic and believable.

But even with my high praise of this manga, there is one obvious flaw from the get go; at times it can be very generic and predictable, especially to those who fancy themselves to be fans of the comedy romance genre, it really offers nothing new to that genre.

Instead adding more to romance comedies, it honestly makes other vampire stories look very uncreative by comparison.

ART: While this is comedy romance for the male audience, the art work has very strong shojo over tones.
The character designs are very diverse and not many look alikes are found (Aside from the ones that are on purpose).
However, the style is very artsy, and can be obnoxious at times.
So the look overall is potentially hit and miss, but it doesn't look bad it all.

OVERALL:
The Good:
+ Offers a much needed twist on the over served vampire genre.
+ Progression of the story feels natural and hardly rushed.
+ A cast of strong and likable characters, great support characters that are not ignored.
+ Has a good balance of comedy and romance.

The Bad:
- As a comedy romance story, it really adds nothing new, and can be generic and boring.
- Aimed at male audiences, yet it feels more like a shojo story for female audiences.
- Art can be a bit over obnoxious at times.

Of course this manga will never appeal to the Hellsing crowd, you want badass vampires? Karin is completely out in that department.

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Karin isn't your typical romantic comedy nor is it your typical vampire story.
(my first review! Yay!)

~Story~

The "story" of Karin isn't exactly anything special.

In fact, this type of story of forbidden love is common in manga.

What makes it "good", or I should say, "sets it apart from other manga" is the fact that it doesn't take itself seriously.

Sure, there are serious moments, but the comedy always manages to shine through. There's never a dull moment in Karin, and you'll always be wanting to read more.

~Art~

The first volume's character designs are vastly different from the latter volumes.
That's not a bad thing, but the earlier volumes seemed to have more individuality in the artwork, such as the thick lines, a heavy usage of black, and the varied facial expressions.

The latter volumes seem to change to thinner lines, more usage of screen tone, and a much, much heavier use of filters.

One of the things that really annoyed me was how the artwork seemed getting consecutively worse around volume 11 or so. Not sure if the author was rushing on the drawings because of deadlines, but it's very noticeable.

~Character~

Karin is what made vampires interesting to me again. Never in any other manga will you read about a daywalker vampire that is unable to suck blood and only injects blood.

Another great thing about the two main characters in Karin is that they don't act like the typical shonen romcom couple. Usually, couples in shonen romcom get embarrassed because they're thrown into crazy sexual situations involving panty shots, groping, and what have you.

These scenes rarely happen in Karin (and really don't ever happen again after volume 4). Instead, the two characters are embarrassed just from being around each other.

This sense of awkwardness of neither of the two ever have been in a relationship before in addition to both being extremely naive and inexperienced makes for a much more realistic portrayal of a teenage relationship, one you won't see in most manga, and most especially not in shonen.

~Enjoyment~

Karin will definitely entertain anyone who's into vampires, romance, or comedy.
For those wanting something serious and thought-provoking, look elsewhere.

A good read for anyone, regardless of age or gender because of the universal themes.

~Overall~

Great manga. One of the better romcom shonen out there.
One of the few you'll want to reread over and over and will leave you wanting for more after you've finished it.

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its a cool manga very cool and better than anime

it has : romance,action,vampire

like i said its story is different than anime so u must read it couse its better.in manga there isnt a vampire hunter (will),instead there is a half breed(half vamp half human)tachibana.so its story is different.our guy kenta usui learns maaka karin is a vamp but she doesnt suck blood she spills it out so its very interesting we always see vamps sucking blood but this one spills it out and blood is life to a vamp so its interesting.so kenta learns karin is a vamp and promise to keep it a secret between him her and her family.

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