Manga Mondays is a meme hosted by Alison at Alison Can Read where
bloggers can share their passion for reading mangas. It's a great place
to get new manga titles to try and to meet new bloggers. Today I'll be
reviewing the latest volume of Vampire Knight.
Description (from back of the book): The Vampire Hunter Society has imprisoned Aido in order to
interrogate him about Kaname’s connection to Sara Shirabuki. Meanwhile,
Yuki wants a fresh start with Kaname, but circumstances arise that may
force them apart.
Review: Volume 14 continues with the dark, moody, and thought provoking overtones of the last volume. Throughout the story we are asked how we see our main cast of characters, especially the evasive and mysterious Kaname. Through Yuki's eyes, Kaname has always been a sympathetic and admirable character. As the higher echelon of pureblood vampires, he is most revered and feared. He has shown Yuki kindness and protection when she was younger while displaying snippets of his vulnerability.
Unlike Yuki's rose tinted version, I see Kaname as a walking contradiction. He seeks forgiveness, but punishes without a second thought. He provides Yuki options but only after he has manipulated the situation and even her memories. He would like Yuki to see him as her equal, but he always carries an air of self righteous that purposely places him above all others. I feel deceived by Kaname every time I think I should give him a chance. I don't understand his actions, especially when it comes to punishment because it seems so arbitrary especially in this volume. He takes action against those that are hardly a threat, but yet turns a blind eye to Sara Shirabuki and finding out who killed the pureblood that attended his soiree.
Kaname isn't the only one evolving as a character. Aido, who is continually used as a comic relief, becomes much more serious in this volume. His loyalty to Kaname, even undergoing torture by the Vampire Hunter society, is unparallelled. His devotion, however, is strongly tested as this volume ends. I'm curious to see where Hino takes his character and I hope that he gets a storyline of his own.
In addition to Aido's new character growth, Sara Shirabuki is becoming a serious threat. Like the previous villain before her, she is also a pureblood vampire who is trying to form a race that will submit to her wishes. She uses her demure appearance to get close before she strikes. In a lot of ways, she and Kaname share a lot of similarities.
Our heroine Yuki is still confused about everything that is happening. Her ties to Kaname, who is suspected to help enable the new pureblood threat, gets her arrested by the Vampire Society. Yuki's arrest can only mean more beautiful artwork demonstrating the agonizing tension with Zero. Speaking of Zero, I wish he had more presence in this volume. Though a man of a few words, we can easily identify his feelings written all over his face for Yuki though he adamantly says he doesn't have any. We also know that he is physically weakening due to his self imposed diet. I hope he has a bigger role in the next volume.
Rating: 4 stars
Words of Caution: There is some strong violence, but most of it happens off the page. Rated T for teens.
If you like this book try: Vampire Knight Volume 15 by Matsuri Hino, Black Bird series by Kanoko Sakurakouji, Millennium Snow series by Bisco Hatori
Description (from back of the book): The Vampire Hunter Society has imprisoned Aido in order to
interrogate him about Kaname’s connection to Sara Shirabuki. Meanwhile,
Yuki wants a fresh start with Kaname, but circumstances arise that may
force them apart.Review: Volume 14 continues with the dark, moody, and thought provoking overtones of the last volume. Throughout the story we are asked how we see our main cast of characters, especially the evasive and mysterious Kaname. Through Yuki's eyes, Kaname has always been a sympathetic and admirable character. As the higher echelon of pureblood vampires, he is most revered and feared. He has shown Yuki kindness and protection when she was younger while displaying snippets of his vulnerability.
Unlike Yuki's rose tinted version, I see Kaname as a walking contradiction. He seeks forgiveness, but punishes without a second thought. He provides Yuki options but only after he has manipulated the situation and even her memories. He would like Yuki to see him as her equal, but he always carries an air of self righteous that purposely places him above all others. I feel deceived by Kaname every time I think I should give him a chance. I don't understand his actions, especially when it comes to punishment because it seems so arbitrary especially in this volume. He takes action against those that are hardly a threat, but yet turns a blind eye to Sara Shirabuki and finding out who killed the pureblood that attended his soiree.
Kaname isn't the only one evolving as a character. Aido, who is continually used as a comic relief, becomes much more serious in this volume. His loyalty to Kaname, even undergoing torture by the Vampire Hunter society, is unparallelled. His devotion, however, is strongly tested as this volume ends. I'm curious to see where Hino takes his character and I hope that he gets a storyline of his own.
In addition to Aido's new character growth, Sara Shirabuki is becoming a serious threat. Like the previous villain before her, she is also a pureblood vampire who is trying to form a race that will submit to her wishes. She uses her demure appearance to get close before she strikes. In a lot of ways, she and Kaname share a lot of similarities.
Our heroine Yuki is still confused about everything that is happening. Her ties to Kaname, who is suspected to help enable the new pureblood threat, gets her arrested by the Vampire Society. Yuki's arrest can only mean more beautiful artwork demonstrating the agonizing tension with Zero. Speaking of Zero, I wish he had more presence in this volume. Though a man of a few words, we can easily identify his feelings written all over his face for Yuki though he adamantly says he doesn't have any. We also know that he is physically weakening due to his self imposed diet. I hope he has a bigger role in the next volume.
Rating: 4 stars
Words of Caution: There is some strong violence, but most of it happens off the page. Rated T for teens.
If you like this book try: Vampire Knight Volume 15 by Matsuri Hino, Black Bird series by Kanoko Sakurakouji, Millennium Snow series by Bisco Hatori
Labels:
2012 100+ Reading Challenge,
4 stars,
Death,
Manga,
Manga Monday,
Paranormal,
Romance,
Vampire Knight,
YA
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Drooling with jealousy. I'm curious how you describe Aido in this volume. Kaname is a contradictory figure. It seems that he wants to be good to Yuki, but his instincts have him treating her poorly.
This is one series that isn't hard to find on the manga shelf at Barnes and Noble. It's lined up like nice little soldiers perfectly numbered at least two of each, so I know it must be a popular series. I did see a review of a novel I was checking out on Amazon and it stated it was a rip off of Vampire Knight. Would she be referring to this manga series? I don't want to name the book for obvious reasons.