Rosario + Vampire

Rosario + Vampire (ロザリオとバンパイア) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akihisa Ikeda. The story revolves around Tsukune Aono, a boy who accidentally gets enrolled in a school inhabited by monsters and demons. He quickly befriends Moka Akashiya, a vampire who soon develops an obsession with his blood, and later meets other girls who soon take a romantic liking to him. The manga began serialization in the August 2004 issue of Monthly Shonen Jump and ended on the June 2007 issue (one extra chapter was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump in September 2007), and sold ten volumes between October 2004 and October 2007. Rosario + Vampire: Season II (ロザリオとバンパイア seasonII), a continuation of the series, is ongoing and began serialization in the November 2007 issue of Jump Square, with ten volumes available in Japan as of December 2011. The series is licensed in North America and in the United Kingdom by Viz Media, and in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment. The series also spanned three CD dramas, two visual novels, a novel adaptation, and two internet radio shows.

A 13-episode anime adaptation of Rosario + Vampire aired in Japan between January and March 2008. A second season of the series also aired in Japan between October and December 2008. The anime is licensed in North America by Funimation Entertainment, who will release both seasons on December 20, 2011. The anime is also licensed in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment, who will be releasing both seasons in 2012.

Plot
Tsukune Aono is a normal high school freshman who is unable to get into any private school due to his poor grades. However, with help from his parents, he gets enrolled to a private school called Yokai Academy. When he arrives at the school, he soon discovers that Yokai Academy is a secret school for supernatural monsters and mythological creatures disguised as humans, and any human who finds out about its existence will be killed without mercy. Realizing this, Tsukune fears for his life, thinking that his admission into Yokai Academy is a mistake. His luck soon changes when he quickly becomes friends with the beautiful Moka Akashiya, who turns out to be a vampire attracted to the sweet taste of his blood, sometimes biting Tsukune on the neck when the chance seems right. While at first Moka was upset upon discovering Tsukune's human identity, she realizes that he is the first real friend she had ever made. Despite Moka's vampiric nature, she is a kind girl and Tsukune quickly falls for her, and ultimately decides to stay at Yokai Academy despite the various dangers while hiding his human identity from the faculty and other students. Tsukune soon discovers that when he removes the rosario around Moka's neck, she transforms into her true vampire form (her true personality is sealed, the kind Moka being an artificial persona), being stronger and more powerful than almost any other creature at the school, and Tsukune is the only person who can physically remove it to transform her. However, "Inner Moka" has an entirely different personality, often cold and merciless, thus the rosary is only removed in dire emergencies.

As the school year continues, Tsukune becomes involved with other students who start out as enemies but who are won over into becoming his friends: Kurumu Kurono, a busty succubus; Ginei Morioka, a perverted lech of a werewolf who is a second-year student and president of the school's Newspaper Club; Yukari Sendo, an eleven-year-old witch; Ruby Tojo, a witch from the human world, and Mizore Shirayuki, a yuki-onna (a teen version of the legendary snow woman of Japanese folk tales) who stalks around Tsukune, believing them to be soulmates. However, after Tsukune befriends each of the girls, they become friendly rivals along with Moka, vying for Tsukune's affections, and later most become members of the school's Newspaper Club with Tsukune and stand by him even after they learn that he is really a human.

Later on in the second manga serialization, Kokoa Shuzen, Moka's younger half-sister, appears, and as time goes on, they discover dangerous organizations like the Anti-Schoolers and Fairy Tale, and must do battle against them to keep the school and both the monster and human worlds safe, and Tsukune starts to undergo changes that will truly solidify his role as the link between the human and monster worlds.

Yokai Academy
Yokai Academy (陽海学園) is a special school made for the purpose of monsters coexisting with humans. It is founded by the three Dark Lords, one of whom is the dean of the school. Yokai Academy is surrounded by a barrier called the Great Barrier (大結界), which separates the academy from the human realm, hiding it from plain sight. The only known way to get to Yokai Academy from the human world is through a bus that travels through a tunnel called the "Tunnel of the Fourth Dimension", which, according to the bus driver, has various "mouths" that open to various tunnels all throughout Japan. The barrier is powered by a rosario seal that is similar to Moka's deep within the academy, and according to Mikogami, if the barrier collapses, all of the suppressed energy contained in the yōkai world will flood over to the human world, creating chaos and disorder.

Manga
Rosario + Vampire began serialization in the August 2004 issue of Monthly Shonen Jump, and ended on the September 2007 issue. The first tankōbon was released in Japan by Shueisha on October 4, 2004 and sold ten volumes until October 4, 2007 under its Jump Comics imprint, spanning 39 chapters during its intial run. An extra chapter was serialized in the September 2007 issue of Weekly Shonen Jump, and was bundled with the final volume of the manga. The manga is licensed in North America and in the United Kingdom by Viz Media, releasing them between June 8, 2008 and November 3, 2009 under its Shonen Jump Advanced imprint, and in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment. Rosario + Vampire: Season II, a continuation to the series, began serialization in the November 2007 issue of Jump Square, the successor to the now-defunct Monthly Shonen Jump. The first tankōbon was released by Shueisha on June 4, 2008, with a total of ten tankōbon released as of December 2, 2011. Like the first series, Season II is licensed in North America and the UK by Viz Media, and in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment, with six volumes currently available as of October 3, 2011.

Anime
A 13-episode anime adaptation produced by Gonzo and directed by Takayuki Inagaki 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. Six DVD compilation volumes were released between April 25 and September 26, 2008, and a DVD/Blu-ray box set was released on January 29, 2010. The anime quickly became notorious for its excessive use of fanservice in the form of panty shots, leading the series to be censored on certain channels during its TV broadcast.

A second 13-episode season, entitled Rosario + Vampire Capu2 (ロザリオとバンパイア CAPU2), 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. Six DVD volumes were released between December 21, 2008 and May 22, 2009, and a DVD/Blu-ray box set was released on March 19, 2010.

The opening theme for the first season is "Cosmic Love" and the ending theme is called "Dancing in the Velvet Moon". For the second season, the opening theme is "DISCOTHEQUE" and the ending theme is "Trinity Cross"; all songs in the series are performed by Nana Mizuki, the voice actress for Moka Akashiya in the series. Both seasons of the anime are licensed in North America by Funimation Entertainment, and will be released on December 20, 2011 along with a limited edition release of the first season. Prior to the announcement, Funimation encountered production issues from the Japanese licensors, causing a series of delays with their release date. Originally intended for release on March 19, 2011, the release date was pushed back to May 17, 2011, and later to July 19, 2011, prior to the new release date. The anime is also licensed in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment, who already holds licensing rights to the manga, and will release both seasons in 2012.

Music
A series of character singles for the first season of the anime were released by King Records. The first set of singles, featuring Moka Akashiya (Nana Mizuki), Kurumu Kurono (Fukuen) and Yukari Sendo (Koyama), were released on February 14, 2008. The second set of singles, featuring Mizore Shirayuki (Rie Kugimiya) and Ruby Tojo (Saeko Chiba), were released on March 26, 2008, along with a compilation album called The Capucchu (ザ・かぷっちゅ). An original soundtrack was released on December 25, 2008.

A set of character singles for the second season were also released by King Records. The first set of singles for Moka Akashiya, Kokoa Shuzen (Chiwa Saito), Kurumu Kurono, and Yukari Sendo were released on October 29, 2008,   while the second set of singles featuring Mizore Shirayuki and Ruby Tojo were released on November 26, 2008,  along with another The Capucchu compilation album. A "Best Of" album entitled Rosario + Vampire: Idol Cover BEST (ロザリオとバンパイア アイドルカバーBEST) was released on February 18, 2009.

Other media
A drama CD of Rosario + Vampire was released by Shueisha on August 31, 2006. A second drama CD was later released by Shueisha on December 14, 2007, and a third drama CD based on the anime adaptation was released by Marine Entertainment on July 25, 2008. Most of the voice actors from the CDs were carried on to the anime series.

An internet radio show promoting the anime entitled Radio! Rosario + Vampire (ラジオ!ロザリオとバンパイア) aired on Onsen between December 27, 2007 and March 27, 2008. Another radio show promoting the second anime called Radio! Rosario + Vampire Capu2 (ラジオ!ロザリオとバンパイア CAPU2) also aired on Onsen between October 23, 2008 and April 23, 2009. The shows are hosted by Misato Fukuen and Kimiko Koyama, the voices of Kurumu Kurono and Yukari Sendo, respectively. A CD for the first radio show was released by Sony Music Entertainment on August 6, 2008, and a CD for the second radio show was released on June 24, 2009.

A novelization of Rosario + Vampire written by Fumihiko Shimo was released by Shueisha on April 4, 2008 under their Jump j-Books imprint.

A visual novel entitled Rosario + Vampire: Tanabata's Miss Yokai Academy (ロザリオとバンパイア 七夕のミス陽海学園) was developed by Capcom and was released on March 30, 2008 for the Nintendo DS. Another visual novel entitled Rosario + Vampire Capu2: The Rhapsody of Love and Dreams (ロザリオとバンパイア CAPU2 恋と夢の狂想曲(ラプソディア)) was developed by Compile Heart and was released for the PlayStation 2 on July 23, 2009. The player assumes the role of Tsukune Aono in both games, and both games features new characters exclusive to the series.

Manga sales
In Japan, the third volume of Rosario + Vampire: Season II reached #10 on the Tohan charts, selling 74,559 copies. Volume 4 reached #11 on the Oricon charts, selling 63,312 copies between June 1 and June 7, 2009, and #22 between June 8 and June 14, 2009, selling 26,858 copies. Volume 5 reached #17 on the Oricon charts, selling 42,705 copies between September 28 and October 4, 2009, and #19 between October 5 and October 11, 2009, selling 35,797 copies. Volume 6 ranked at #10 on the Oricon charts between February 1 and February 7, 2010, selling 58,549 copies, and #29 between February 8 and February 14, 2010, selling 24,387 copies. Volume 7 debuted at #13 on the Oricon charts between May 31 and June 6, 2010, selling 45,575 copies, and #23 between June 7 and June 13, 2010, selling 30,334 copies. Volume 8 reached #17 on the Oricon charts between November 1 and November 7, 2010, selling 54,130 copies, and 28 between November 8 and November 14, 2010, selling 22,451 copies. Volume 10 reached #24 on the Oricon charts between November 28, 2011 and December 4, 2011, selling 34,862 copies, and #21 between December 5 and December 11, 2011, selling 31,566 copies.

In North America, the second volume of Rosario + Vampire was featured on BookScan's Top 20 Graphic Novels, ranking at #6 in August 2008 and #16 in September 2008, with the fifth volume ranking at #7 in February 2009. Rosario + Vampire has also been featured on The New York Times Best-Seller Manga list, with Volume 6 debuting at #8 between March 8 and March 14, 2009, and #9 between April 5 and April 11, 2009. Volume 7 reached #2 between May 31 and June 6, 2009, #3 between June 7 and June 13, 2009, #4 between June 14 and June 20, 2009, and #6 between June 21 and June 27, 2009. Volume 8 rached #5 between July 26 and August 1, 2009, #2 between August 2 and August 8, 2009, #3 between August 9 and August 15, 2009, #4 between August 16 and August 22, 2009, #5 between August 23 and September 5, 2009, and #7 between September 6 and September 13, 2009. Volume 9 reached #2 between October 4 and October 24, 2009, and #9 between October 25 and October 31, 2009. Volume 10 reached #7 between November 1 and November 7, 2009, #6 between November 8 and November 14, 2009, #5 between November 15 and November 21, 2009, #7 between November 22 and November 28, 2009, and #3 between November 29 and December 5, 2009.

The first volume of Rosario + Vampire: Season II debuted on The New York Times Best-Seller Manga list at #1 from April 4 to April 25, 2010, #4 between April 25 and May 1, 2010, #6 between May 9 and May 15, 2010, #10 between May 16 and May 22, 2010, and #9 between May 23 and May 29, 2010. Volume 2 reached #2 between August 1 and August 7, 2010, #1 between August 8 and August 14, 2009, #2 between August 15 and August 21, 2010, #3 between August 22 and August 28, 2010, and #7 between August 29 and September 4, 2010. Volume 3 reached #2 between December 6 and December 19, 2010, #4 between December 20 and December 26, 2010, #10 between December 27, 2010 and January 2, 2011, #5 between January 5 and January 9, 2011, #6 between January 10 and January 16, 2011, and #7 between January 17 and January 23, 2011. Volume 4 reached #1 between April 3 and April 23, 2011,  #3 between April 24 and April 30, 2011, #9 between May 1 and May 7, 2011, #6 between May 8 and May 14, 2011, #9 between May 15 and May 21, 2011, and #8 between May 22 and May 28, 2011. Volume 5 reached #4 between July 3 and July 9, 2011, #2 between July 10 and July 16, 2011, and #6 between July 17 and July 23, 2011. Volume 6 reached #2 between October 2 and October 8, 2011, #1 between October 9 and October 15, 2011, #7 between October 16 and October 22, 2011, and #9 between Octoober 30 and November 5, 2011.

Reception
Carl Santos of Anime News Network gave the first volume of Season II a C rating and the second volume a B- rating. When he gave volume 1 a C, he noted that "you could do a lot worse". He notes that Season II has all the things that made the series good, but the attempt to reboot the series for the new semester caused it to lack intense feeling, reintroducing all the characters and going against weak enemies once again. For the second volume, Santos was more pleased with the introduction of a major villain and the fan service artwork in the lighter story, but lamented the lack of any visually threatening monster.

Matthew Warner of Mania.com gave volumes 1 through 3 ratings between B+ and A-. In his review for volume 1, he noted that while the first part was a bit weak with "predictable and bland stories," he remarked positively on the volume's cover art and artwork in general, especially the character artwork. For the second volume, he said it was better focusing on two stories and while noting the second story with Kokoa was weaker, it still "[delivers] quite a few solid laughs" and helps develop her character. In his review for volume 3, he claims while it starts out slow, he really enjoyed the story with Mizore, specifically the character development and seeing the characters put aside their disagreements for a common goal: to save Mizore.

Leroy Douresseaux of Comic Book Bin gave volumes 3 & 4 an A-. He noted the emphases on sexual innuendo comparing it to Strawberry 100%.