Vampire Knight Is More Than Animes Twilight – Its Way WEIRDER – CBR – Comic Book Resources

Vampire Knight's dark, pseudo-incestual storyline makes it one of the most unique vampire romances of the 2000s, of which there were plenty.

During the late 2000s, vampire romances reached its peak of popularity with series like Stephenie Meyer's Twilight and its myriad of copycat tales. But a real standout from the wave of popular fiction is Matsuri Hino's Vampire Knight, which is (of course) often compare to Twilight. These series have a few surface-level similarities: a complicated love triangle, vampires and humans coexistingand attending school together, a romantic story focus. ButVampire Knight takes supernatural romance to another level by adding gothic horror into the mix with creepy, possessed children, repressed traumatic memories and pseudo-incest making Twilight look like blood-sucking romance for softies.

RELATED: Blame Japan, Not Netflix, for Tokyo Ghoul's Censorship

Throughout Vampire Knight, antagonists would spiritually possess other vampires. One particularly disturbing possession is that of Rido Kuran a Pureblood vampire and one of the main villains of the series. Appearing as a young boy with heterochromia, Rido Kuran spent over a decade transferring his soul from one living body to the next, awaiting the day he could get revenge on Kaname Kuran. With a childish creepiness rivallingThe Shining'sGrady Twinsand some truly unsettling powers, Rido is the definition of an unexpected threat. His first encounter with Yuki Cross ends with acasual kiss on the cheek that leaves her unconsciousand their second encounter has her pursuing him around the dark corners of a vampire gathering. Rido Kurannever fails to create an uneasy atmosphere, as his status as an ancient being in a child's body keeps everyone guessing at his intentions.

Another disturbing aspect of Vampire Knightinvolves the trauma of Yuki's repressed memories. Unlike Twilight,where most of the emotional drama centers on Bella's issues with her romantic interests andtheirworlds, Yuki comes with own issues that aren't so easily solved.Kaname purposely removes her vampire memories to protect Yuki from the trauma of losing her parents and tohelpher fulfill her mother's dying wish for Yuki to live as a human girl. As the series progresses, Yuki searches for her lost memories, which eventually leads her to hallucinate and become paranoid. She sees blood in placeswithout any and has visions of a mysterious, blood-soaked woman. Yuki's paranoia is the stuff ofhorror films, but by bringing the audience into her mental descent and allowing them to see their heroine truly scared, Matsuri Hino does an excellent job of bring Yuki to life on her own, apart from the drama of the love triangle.

RELATED: Shonen Jump's Best New Monster-Slaying Manga, Ranked

But, beyond reveling in the horror roots of vampires, Vampire Knight is also just straight up...weird. The pseudo-incestuous relationship between Yuki and Kaname forms the core of this weirdness, and it's definitely complex. Kaname is the progenitor of the Kuran family, and Yuki is destined to be his bride to keep their vampiric line pure and powerful even though he is a distant relative. It's even more uncomfortable because, up until this reveal, Kaname was essentially a big brother to Yuki, but now audiences and Yuki are forced to think of him as her lover.

The weirdness then goes a step further when Zero Kiryu develops feelings for Yuki, completing the love triangle. Zero himself is pretty complicated: as a child, Zero was turned by a Pureblood named Shizuka Hio, giving him a dangerous bloodlust. To control his thirst, Yuki offers her blood to him, butKaname also forces Zero to drink his blood because of Shizuka Hios Pureblood in his veins. As a result, Zero has both Yukis and Kanames blood within him, giving the three of them literal blood ties. But, as a result, he can detect their true feelings for one another, even though Zero has feelings for Yuki as well. At the end of the series, Yuki still holds strong feelings for both Zero and Kaname, which results in her conceiving children for them both. While strange, it wouldn't be so bad if the series didn't imply that her love for Zero is due to Kaname's blood flowing inside him. She even makes the ultimate sacrifice for Kaname, giving her own life so he can be resurrected as a human, proving how much more she loves Kaname. This entire love triangle is twisted, but that's exactly what makes it such a great addition to the vampire romance genre.

Vampire Knight'swillingness to descend into gothic-tinged horror and the disturbing aspects of the unnatural love of vampires is what makes it unique, a true standout from the Twilight-alikes of its time. And although these storytelling components may be a bitunnervingfor audience members, the seriesdoes well in giving audiences the best thin an story can give: something dfferent.

KEEP READING: Noblesse: Trailer, Plot, Release Date & News to Know

Boruto Just Got the BEST Mentor Possible - No, Not Naruto

Ederlyn Peralta is an Anime & Manga Features Writer for CBR. She has an MA in Comparative Literature from San Francisco State University and a BA in Japanese from UC Berkeley. She spends her time playing with tarot cards, collecting crystals, and consuming too much pop culture entertainment. She runs a personal blog, "Just Something About LynLyn" and you can find her on Twitter: @lynlynsays.

Read more from the original source:
Vampire Knight Is More Than Animes Twilight - Its Way WEIRDER - CBR - Comic Book Resources