| Vampire Knight | |
Cover of first volume of Vampire Knight released in Japan by Hakusensha on July 5, 2005 |
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| ヴァンパイア騎士 (Vanpaia Naito) |
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|---|---|
| Genre | Romance, Supernatural, Action |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Matsuri Hino |
| Published by | Hakusensha |
| English publisher | Madman Entertainment Viz Media |
| Demographic | Shōjo |
| Magazine | Hana to Yume(Former), LaLa |
| English magazine | Shojo Beat |
| Original run | January 2005 – ongoing |
| Volumes | 14 |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Kiyoko Sayama |
| Studio | Studio Deen |
| Licensed by | Viz Media Manga Entertainment |
| Network | TV Tokyo |
| English network | ABC3 |
| Original run | April 8, 2008 – July 1, 2008 |
| Episodes | 13 |
| TV anime | |
| Vampire Knight Guilty | |
| Studio | Studio Deen |
| Licensed by | Viz Media |
| Network | TV Tokyo |
| English network | ABC3 |
| Original run | October 7, 2008 – December 30, 2008 |
| Episodes | 13 |
Vampire Knight (ヴァンパイア騎士 Vanpaia Naito) is a shōjo manga and anime series written by Matsuri Hino. The series premiered in the January 2005 issue of LaLa magazine and is still on-going. Chapters are collected and published in collected volumes by Hakusensha, with eleven volumes currently released in Japan. The manga series is licensed in English by Viz Media, who has released thirteen volumes so far. The English adaptation premiered in the July 2006 issue of Viz's Shojo Beat magazine, with the collected volumes being published on a quarterly basis.
Two drama CDs were created for the series, as well as a twenty-six episode anime adaptation. Produced by Studio Deen, the anime series' first season aired in Japan on TV Tokyo between April 8, 2008 and July 1, 2008. The second season, aired on the same station from October 7, 2008 and December 30, 2008. The anime uses many of the same voice actors as were used for the drama CDs. The anime adaptations were licensed for release in North America by Viz Media, the DVD released on July 20, 2010.[1]
Contents |
Yuuki Cross's earliest memory is of being attacked by a vampire and saved by Kaname Kuran, also a vampire. Ten years later, Yuuki and a vampire hunter, Zero Kiryu attend Cross Academy as school guardians protecting the "Day Class" and the "Night Class" from each other to keep vampires secret. The story follows Yuuki's discovery that her childhood friend, Zero, has spent the last four years trying to fight his transformation into a vampire, and he has finally succumbed. Yuuki struggles to help Zero fight his bloodlust and to recover her own lost memories, while suspecting that Kaname knows more than he is saying.
When his uncle, Rido Kuran, returns to kill Yuuki, Kaname is forced to reveal her secret by biting Yuuki and awakening her true nature as a vampire, returning her memories of being Yuuki Kuran, his younger sister. Rido is killed by Zero and Yuuki while Kaname faces and destroys Rido's allies, the Vampire Council, revealing himself to be one of the original vampires and the founder of the Kuran clan. Yuuki and Zero part as enemies after Zero reveals he intends to end everything, by killing all purebloods, even her. Yuuki leaves with Kaname and they return to the Kuran family home.
The story restarts a year later with Yuuki's dealing with vampire society and new enemies, as well as her craving for Zero's blood. Zero has spent his time hunting and now is offered the leadership of the Hunter Association, that he's going to represent at the first meeting with the vampires. Yuuki sees Zero for the first time since the incident, but he turns away. Pureblood Sara Shirabuki's fiance is found murdered by a hunter she later confesses to Ichijou she had transformed and commanded as well as her wish to become queen. Yuuki comes to her own conclusions and announces that if any vampire wishes to die, she herself would kill them, so that they need not change a hunter. She is attacked, but saved by Zero and taken away by Kaname, who reveals that he is not her brother, but the founder of the Kuran family after the rise of the vampires 10,000 years ago, the result of a cataclysmic event. Also, the hunters are the result of a female pureblood's sacrificing herself.
The first chapter of Matsuri Hino's Vampire Knight premiered in the January 2005 issue of LaLa, where the series is still running. The individual chapters are being collected and published in tankōbon volumes by Hakusensha, with 14 volumes released in Japan as of June 2009[update]. The series is licensed for an English language release in North America by Viz Media. In addition to publishing the individual volumes, the series was serialized in Viz's Shojo Beat manga anthology from the July 2006 issue until the magazine was discontinued after the August 2009 issue. It is licensed for English release in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment, which has released fourteen volumes as of July 2010[update].[2]
Two drama CDs have been released for Vampire Knight. The first, LaLa Kirameki, was released as an extra with the September 2005 issue of LaLa. The second, Vampire Knight Midnight CD-Pack, was released only via mail order.
Studio Deen produced a twenty-six episode anime adaptation of the Vampire Knight manga, using many of the same voice actors featured on the drama CDs and directed by Kiyoko Sayama. The episodes started airing on TV Tokyo in Japan on April 8, 2008 and ran until the season conclusion on July 1, 2008. The episodes were also aired at later dates on TV Aichi, TV Hokkaido, TV Osaka, TV Setouchi, and TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting Co. The second season, named Vampire Knight Guilty, premiered on the same station October 7, 2008.[3][4] The final episode aired on December 30, 2008. On July 24, 2009, Viz Media announced it had acquired the license for the Vampire Knight anime and would begin releasing it to DVD on July 20, 2010.[5] In the UK, the first volume will be officially released on DVD via Manga Entertainment on November 22, 2010. In Australia, ABC3 began airing the series (English-language version) in March 2011 and began repeats on July 3rd later that year.
The series uses four pieces of theme music. The opening themes of both the first and second season are performed by the duo On/Off, with "Futatsu no Kodō to Akai Tsumi" (ふたつの鼓動と赤い罪) as the opening for the first season, and "Rondo" (輪廻 -ロンド-Rinne) as the opening for the second. Kanon Wakeshima performs the first season ending theme, "Still Doll", and also the second season's ending theme "Suna no Oshiro" (砂のお城). The soundtrack is composed by Takefumi Haketa and consists of 30 tracks (including the opening theme and ending theme).
Two light novels created by Matsuri Hino and Ayuna Fujisaki were published in Japan by Hakusensha in 2008. Both novels feature two individual side-stories that use the characters of the manga, but are not specifically based on chapters from the series.[6] The first novel, Vampire Knight: Ice Blue's Sin (ヴァンパイア騎士 憂氷の罪 Vanpaia Naito: Aisu Burū no Tsumi), was published on April 5, 2008.[6][7] The first story within the novel looks at an incident that occurred at Cross Academy in the year preceding Yuki's arrival, while the second story details an accident that occurred while Zero was still in training to be a vampire hunter.[6]
The second novel, Vampire Knight: Noir's Trap (ヴァンパイア騎士 凝黒の罠 Vanpaia Naito: Nowāru no Wana), was published on October 3, 2008.[6][8] It details some of the Cross Academy romances, as well as detailing the accident that happened when Aido and Ruka go to visit Senri and Rima's modeling studio.[6]
Vampire Knight DS (ヴァンパイア騎士 DS Vanpaia Naito Dīesu) is a Japanese dating simulator based on Vampire Knight that was released by D3 Publisher in Japan in January 2009.[6]
In November 2008, the official Vampire Knight, titled Vampire Knight Fanbook: Cross (ヴァンパイア騎士 ファンブックX Vanpaia Naito Fanbukku Kurosu), was published in Japan. In addition to providing additional information about the series characters and story, it includes images and details from Hino's storyboard.[6] The fanbook has been licensed by Viz Media and was released on October 19, 2010.[9]
A 94 page Matsuri Hino Illustrations Vampire Knight was released on July 5, 2010, the artwork included one original double page spread created for the Artbook and a compilation of 100 previously released Vampire Knight color artworks.