Rosario + Vampire (Anime)

Rosario + Vampire is an anime series loosely based on the manga of the same name produced by Gonzo and directed by Takayuki Inagaki. The first season lasted for 13 episodes anime adaptation and aired in Japan from January 3, 2008, to March 27, 2008, on Tokyo MX, Chiba TV, and TV Kanagawa, with later runs on TV Saitama, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, Aomori Broadcasting Corporation, and Kids Station. While the second season, Rosario + Vampire Capu2, lasted for the same number of episodes that aired on TV Osaka between October 2 and December 24, 2008, with subsequent runs on Tokyo MX, Mie TV, Chiba TV, TV Kanagawa, TV Saitama, Gifu Broadcasting System, Inc., Aomori Broadcasting Corporation, and Kids Station.

Plot
Youkai Academy is a seemingly normal boarding school, except that its pupils are monsters learning to coexist with humans. All students attend in human form and take normal academic subjects, such as literature, gym, foreign language, and mathematics. However, there is one golden rule at Youkai Academy—all humans found on school grounds are to be executed immediately! Tsukune Aono is an average teenager who is unable to get into any high school because of his bad grades. His parents inadvertently enroll him into Youkai Academy as a last-ditch effort to secure his education. As Tsukune unknowingly enters this new world, he has a run-in with the most attractive girl on campus, Moka Akashiya. Deciding to stay in the perilous realm in order to further his relationship with Moka, he does not realize that beneath her beauty lies a menacing monster—a vampire.

Why It's Unfaithful to the Manga
'''Note: This only applies to the anime series. The manga is fine.'''
 * 1) Let's Get the Elephant Out of the Room: This anime lacks a huge amount of aspects that the manga had which made it so memorable. And as a result, it can arguably feel pretty hollow. This is why the anime itself was so poorly received and indeed angered by so many fans, because it paled in comparison to what it was based on.
 * 2) There's no continuous narrative between the episodes like the manga had with it's chapters. Almost every episode feels rather detached from one another and there's no overarching story being built up over the course of these episodes.
 * 3) It severely overuses fanservice, especially panty shots involving the girls and close-ups of their breasts. Yes, the manga had a large amount of fanservice, but it knew how to use these themes properly so that they don't feel like they're simply there for the sole purpose of trying to grab the audience's attention by pandering to them. But here, it's not just pandering, but can also get pretty tasteless at times.
 * 4) The overall tone of the series is much more comedic and less serious than the manga. As a result, it lacks almost all of the books' complexity, storytelling power, and so on. Sure, the manga had it's comedic moments (particularly in it's first season), but it still managed to build an overarching plot that wasn't damaged by those comedic aspects. And the second season is what truly solidified the manga's overall story. As the series became more story-driven and deep, and therefore, it received a much better reception than the first season. But here, the comedic moments play a big part in why there's almost no real overarching story driving the series. So they don't actually mess with the tone, they completely demolish them!
 * 5) There's almost absolutely no plot to this show other than the girls falling for Tsukune. This is inexcusable given how the plots of the two manga seasons could easily be adapted into a two-season anime with 13 episodes each. But, as previously mentioned in various other points, that plot is completely demolished by the anime's immature tone, fanservice, and lack of an overarching narrative. And what little plot there is is little more than a completely bland cliche fest (yes, the manga also had a large amount of cliches, but it still managed to execute them relatively well, unlike this show).
 * 6) The characters have been pretty flanderized here to lack a lot of the depth and complexity they had in the manga that saved them from being one-note harem stereotypes. Because here, they don't go through any real character development and are made even more basic in terms of personality in a way that makes them feel pretty bland.
 * 7) * Tsukune is now the clumsy and untalented guy who everyone falls in love with. He doesn't become a vampire at all that was shown from the manga. In episode 10, he seemingly kills Ruby's guardian Lady Oyakata with a can to smash the mirrors.
 * 8) * Moka is now the cheerful main love interest who is quite clearly preferred by Tsukune over the other girls.
 * 9) * Kurumu is now little more than a stereotypical "Alpha Bitch" and misandrist.
 * 10) * Mizore is now the obsessive and insecure love interest.
 * 11) * Yukari is now the tagalong kid who causes mischief for the group.
 * 12) * Ruby is now the masochist and borderline former villainess of the main group. She replaces her guardian Lady Oyakata's transformation into a merged giant plant monster.
 * 13) *The first antagonist, Saizo Komiya, is now a laidback in season 2 and doesn't even bother getting revenge on Tsukune and Moka in the manga. He even has parents in the anime version, where his delinquency may imply their insecurities and high standards for him (and of course, did his parents know he's a orc?).
 * 14) *Okayata, who was seeking to attack humans from the manga, has died and brainwashes Ruby to act like her and continue her plans.
 * 15) The second season somehow managed to be even worse than the first one (and given everything we've already said about the first season, needless to say, that's really saying a lot). As it barely has any connection at all to it's source material and feels completely alien to it. None of the plot points from the manga's second season were adapted into it, to the point where it feels like an adaption in-name only.
 * 16) Speaking of the second season, while it's ending was technically a decent one, it still featured what is likely the biggest ass pull even to be featured in the entire series (applying to both the manga and the anime). Why? Part of it had Tsukune somehow managing to call upon vampire powers that he's only used once before in the last season. Said other occasion being the result of him being injected with Moka's blood. Not only is there absolutely no foreshadowing to this happening, but it's confusing even to those who have read the manga. Because even there, there wasn't any indication that that was even possible.
 * 17) In the end, the fans of the manga would declare the anime "adaption" as non-canon due to the unfaithfulness of the source material.

Qualities That Make It Faithful to the Manga

 * 1) The animation is still passable for 2000s standards (as well as by today's standards).
 * 2) The characters aren't as mean-spirited towards each other here as they can be in the manga.
 * 3) As mentioned in GD# 6.7, Saizo is better off a laidback who no longer tries to torment or get revenge of Tsukune and Moka.
 * 4) Granted some of the bad aspects of the manga aren't present here such as many of the unexpected and unforeshadowed revelations/characters/ power ups and the full extent of Tsukune's wasted potential.
 * 5) The idea of replacing Lady Oyakata with Ruby as the merged plant creature would be an interesting concept.
 * 6) Decent Japanese and English voice acting.

Reception
The Rosario + Vampire anime adaptation received mixed-to-negative reviews from fans. With many criticizing it for it's lack of depth, atmosphere, or complexity, overusage of fanservice, and overly comedic tone, some enjoyed it for it not featuring the full wasted potential of Tsukune, as it pulls of the second season, and even the lack of the mean-spiritedness between the characters. As of 2021, MyAnimeList has a rating of 6.80.

Videos
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