Reviews for Rosario to Vampire Capu2 (6)
kaintfm
Inagaki Takayuki
Kiyomaru Satoru
Rosario to Vampire Capu2 is, at a glance, a very bad ecchi comedy. The story is non-existent apart from the monster-of-the-week framework, the female characters are in love wit...
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25.01.2010 07:45 - direct link
(rs7284)
Rosario to Vampire Capu2[/i] is, at a glance, a very bad ecchi comedy. The story is non-existent apart from the monster-of-the-week framework, the female characters are in love with the male lead for no apparent reason, and exhibit no personality traits outside of their basic character clichés, and many of the jokes are repeated week to week. However, an ecchi comedy is, perhaps, not the best way to look at Rosario to Vampire Capu2[/i]. When viewed as a harem parody, many of Rosario to Vampire Capu2[/i]'s faults become virtues. Everything about Rosario to Vampire Capu2[/i] improves when you begin feeling like you're in on the joke.
Lets be honest. Rosario to Vampire Capu2[/i] is silly. Not just silly, but over-the-top silly. Many of its episodes are so far fetched that they go beyond silly and move over into parody. After the 5th episode in which Tsukune, the male lead, and Moka, the female lead, became surrounded by hearts and flowers while reciting their names to each other a minimum of 4x each in mockingly lovey-dovey fashion, I began to see Rosario to Vampire Capu2[/i] less like Love Hina[/b] or Tenchi Muyo[/b], and more like the Excel Saga[/b] series, or the Puni Puni Poemi[/i] OVA. With the way all of the women in the series immediately fall madly in love with Tsukune regardless of the fact that he has no positive qualities, or the fact that every time Moka transforms into a vampire, the voice-over begrudgingly states exactly what is happening even though it should be obvious after the first time it happens, these moments begin to feel less like bad writing and more like deliberately exaggerated parodies of similar scenes and cliches from other harem/ecchi/comedies.
Now, for some technical aspects.
ANIMATION
The character animation is quite good for a TV series. The characters are uniquely drawn and easy to tell apart without having to differentiate them by hair color or clothing. While the animation was done with ecchi in mind, the designs are not overly focused on huge breasts, instead offering a... how shall I put it? A wide selection to choose from. Many of the woman are attractive, but the ecchi moments tend toward the gentler side, composed mostly of panty shots and cleavage rather than outright nudity or sexual situations. The backgrounds are decently done, though unlike series such as Seirei no Moribito[/b], none of them are particularly beautiful or interesting, merely setting the stage for the characters to inhabit.
AUDIO
The OP/ED were decent, though I skipped over both after the first time. There were no real standouts in the audio department. The seiyuu did a decent job, and the music never drew much attention, which I consider to be a good thing. The sound effects were spot on, though again, none really stood out as being anything more than standard.
CHARACTERS
Characters? More like caricatures. None of the characters change from their initial personalities, and their personalities are like paint-by-numbers. Tsukune is the male lead, a weak adolescent with no discernible good qualities. Moka is the female lead, a vampire who wears a cross (yeah, it didn't make sense to me either) that grants her a more likable personality. For the rest of a Tsukune's harem, there is the ice witch who stalks Tsukune, the succubus who frequently attacks him with her breasts, and the witch who is way too young to be a part of this harem.
STORY
The underlying story is a simple one: Tsukune is a human attending a monster academy. Every week, a student or teacher will freak out for no apparent reason and cause havoc. Tsukune ends up in danger, accidentaly removes Moka's rosary, Moka becomes a vampire and cleans house, episode ends. While there's no real story to speak of apart from the monster-of-the-week, the design of the series appears to be that of “parody through repetition”. There are a number of situations that are repeated in some manner in every episode. These are, in no particular order:
1)Tsukune and Moka stare longingly at each other while the screen fills with hearts and flowers. Tsukune coos, “Moka-san...” to which Moka replies, “Tsukune...”. They repeat these lines several times before being interrupted.
2)Ruby, a witch and recurring character, appears on screen with a new job, explaining that, “A lot of things happened, and so now I'm a gardener” or “A lot of things happened, so now I'm teaching geometry” or “A lot of things happened, so now I'm a potted plant”. When this happens, Ruby appears to be off in her own little world while the rest of the cast does their best to ignore her.
3)One of Tsukune's harem, apart from Moka, will confess their love for Tsukune, at which point the other members, apart from Moka, will attack the confessing member, causing a brawl between the entire harem to break out.
4)Tsukune will remove Moka's cross, usually when he or Moka are in danger, causing Moka to go into a “magical girl” transformation into a vampire. This transformation includes her breasts and butt getting “enhanced”, her hair turning white, and her eyes turning red. Moka will then shout “Know your place!” to the monster-of-the-week and kick them into the sky, giving the viewer a long view at her white panties. During every “magical girl” transformation, a voice over says “Whenever Moka's rosary is removed, the vampiric blood in her will be released” or something to that effect.
5)A blushing Moka succumbs to her vampiric desire and bites (more like kisses) Tsukune on the neck, saying “Capu-CHUUUUU!”
So, why the list? Because these situations occur in every episode, and while watching the series, I began to find the familiarity comforting. I also found the variations on these scant few jokes rather funny as a parody of harem and ecchi clichés. The way the women leap onto Tsukune with wild abandon for no apparent reason. The fact that the the voice over intones the exact same line during every vampire transformation even though it was common sense after the first time it happened in the first season. It began to feel like these scenes were winks from the writer saying, “Yes, we know it's ridiculous, and that's the point”.
Is this enough to recommend the series? I don't know. While the series works as a parody, was parody really the goal, or is it simply an unintended side-effect of a poorly written ecchi comedy? That I cannot answer. I can, however, answer the important question: Is it funny? The answer is, yes... sometimes”. Perhaps not funny enough to get my recommendation, but if you're looking for something safe; something with no challenge; something that you can auto-pilot through before the next episode of Ladies v Butlers[/b] is subbed, then Rosario to Vampire Capu2[/i] isn't the worst choice you could make.
Lets be honest. Rosario to Vampire Capu2[/i] is silly. Not just silly, but over-the-top silly. Many of its episodes are so far fetched that they go beyond silly and move over into parody. After the 5th episode in which Tsukune, the male lead, and Moka, the female lead, became surrounded by hearts and flowers while reciting their names to each other a minimum of 4x each in mockingly lovey-dovey fashion, I began to see Rosario to Vampire Capu2[/i] less like Love Hina[/b] or Tenchi Muyo[/b], and more like the Excel Saga[/b] series, or the Puni Puni Poemi[/i] OVA. With the way all of the women in the series immediately fall madly in love with Tsukune regardless of the fact that he has no positive qualities, or the fact that every time Moka transforms into a vampire, the voice-over begrudgingly states exactly what is happening even though it should be obvious after the first time it happens, these moments begin to feel less like bad writing and more like deliberately exaggerated parodies of similar scenes and cliches from other harem/ecchi/comedies.
Now, for some technical aspects.
ANIMATION
The character animation is quite good for a TV series. The characters are uniquely drawn and easy to tell apart without having to differentiate them by hair color or clothing. While the animation was done with ecchi in mind, the designs are not overly focused on huge breasts, instead offering a... how shall I put it? A wide selection to choose from. Many of the woman are attractive, but the ecchi moments tend toward the gentler side, composed mostly of panty shots and cleavage rather than outright nudity or sexual situations. The backgrounds are decently done, though unlike series such as Seirei no Moribito[/b], none of them are particularly beautiful or interesting, merely setting the stage for the characters to inhabit.
AUDIO
The OP/ED were decent, though I skipped over both after the first time. There were no real standouts in the audio department. The seiyuu did a decent job, and the music never drew much attention, which I consider to be a good thing. The sound effects were spot on, though again, none really stood out as being anything more than standard.
CHARACTERS
Characters? More like caricatures. None of the characters change from their initial personalities, and their personalities are like paint-by-numbers. Tsukune is the male lead, a weak adolescent with no discernible good qualities. Moka is the female lead, a vampire who wears a cross (yeah, it didn't make sense to me either) that grants her a more likable personality. For the rest of a Tsukune's harem, there is the ice witch who stalks Tsukune, the succubus who frequently attacks him with her breasts, and the witch who is way too young to be a part of this harem.
STORY
The underlying story is a simple one: Tsukune is a human attending a monster academy. Every week, a student or teacher will freak out for no apparent reason and cause havoc. Tsukune ends up in danger, accidentaly removes Moka's rosary, Moka becomes a vampire and cleans house, episode ends. While there's no real story to speak of apart from the monster-of-the-week, the design of the series appears to be that of “parody through repetition”. There are a number of situations that are repeated in some manner in every episode. These are, in no particular order:
1)Tsukune and Moka stare longingly at each other while the screen fills with hearts and flowers. Tsukune coos, “Moka-san...” to which Moka replies, “Tsukune...”. They repeat these lines several times before being interrupted.
2)Ruby, a witch and recurring character, appears on screen with a new job, explaining that, “A lot of things happened, and so now I'm a gardener” or “A lot of things happened, so now I'm teaching geometry” or “A lot of things happened, so now I'm a potted plant”. When this happens, Ruby appears to be off in her own little world while the rest of the cast does their best to ignore her.
3)One of Tsukune's harem, apart from Moka, will confess their love for Tsukune, at which point the other members, apart from Moka, will attack the confessing member, causing a brawl between the entire harem to break out.
4)Tsukune will remove Moka's cross, usually when he or Moka are in danger, causing Moka to go into a “magical girl” transformation into a vampire. This transformation includes her breasts and butt getting “enhanced”, her hair turning white, and her eyes turning red. Moka will then shout “Know your place!” to the monster-of-the-week and kick them into the sky, giving the viewer a long view at her white panties. During every “magical girl” transformation, a voice over says “Whenever Moka's rosary is removed, the vampiric blood in her will be released” or something to that effect.
5)A blushing Moka succumbs to her vampiric desire and bites (more like kisses) Tsukune on the neck, saying “Capu-CHUUUUU!”
So, why the list? Because these situations occur in every episode, and while watching the series, I began to find the familiarity comforting. I also found the variations on these scant few jokes rather funny as a parody of harem and ecchi clichés. The way the women leap onto Tsukune with wild abandon for no apparent reason. The fact that the the voice over intones the exact same line during every vampire transformation even though it was common sense after the first time it happened in the first season. It began to feel like these scenes were winks from the writer saying, “Yes, we know it's ridiculous, and that's the point”.
Is this enough to recommend the series? I don't know. While the series works as a parody, was parody really the goal, or is it simply an unintended side-effect of a poorly written ecchi comedy? That I cannot answer. I can, however, answer the important question: Is it funny? The answer is, yes... sometimes”. Perhaps not funny enough to get my recommendation, but if you're looking for something safe; something with no challenge; something that you can auto-pilot through before the next episode of Ladies v Butlers[/b] is subbed, then Rosario to Vampire Capu2[/i] isn't the worst choice you could make.
