Book Review Round-Up is a random feature where I do short reviews for 2 or 3 books in one post. This is one is another manga round-up.  Enjoy!

Manga #1: Vampire Knight, Volume 1 by Matsuri Hino

Published January 2007 by Viz Media|192 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed it from the library

Series: Vampire Knight, Volume 1

What It’s About: Yuki Cross has no memory of her past prior to the moment she was saved from a vampire attack ten years ago. She was adopted by the headmaster of Cross Academy, and now works alongside Zero to guard the Academy’s secret. Cross Adademy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy’s dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires!

What I Thought: I really liked Vampire Knight!  I randomly picked it up at the library, because the title caught my eye, and it seemed really intriguing.  It was definitely a good choice on my part, because I really liked the idea of a day class and a night class really interesting.  And two students who attend the day school but also know about the Night Class and are doing everything in their power to keep the secrets of the Night Class.  Zero reminded me of Kyo from Fruits Basket.  I have no idea why I am suddenly reminded of Fruits Basket characters in some of the manga I’ve been reading, but I am.

It was a little darker than I expected, with vampire-hunters and revelations- mostly the one surrounding Zero, which I want to know more about.  Certain things were repetitive, like Zero being from a vampire-hunter family and the only survivor of an attack on his family, and Yuki being saved from Kaname.  They seem to have an interesting relationship, as do Yuki and Zero.

It also felt like a prequel of sorts, because we were introduced to the school and characters.  I know that’s what first books do, and even though it’s volume 1, something about it felt more like a prequel than a first volume.  It was still enjoyable, and I can’t wait to get into the story a little more. I really liked the shading and detail for the artwork. It’s something I’m also impressed with, mostly because I can’t draw if my life depended on it.  But the detail, especially in black and white is really impressive.

My Rating: 4 stars.  I really liked the story, but certain things were pretty repetitive, and that got to be frustrating. But overall, I would definitely recommend it.

Manga #2: MeruPuri, Volume 1 by Matsuri Hino

Published July 2005 by Viz Media|192 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed it from the library

Series: MeruPuri, Volume 1

What It’s About: On the way to school one morning, Airi loses her mirror – one that had been passed down to her through generations – and suddenly finds herself in a bizarre situation. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect Aram, a little boy from a magical kingdom, to have emerged from the mirror in the short time it took her to track it down!

What I Thought: So, when I checked out MeruPuri, I didn’t realize that it was the same person who did Vampire Night!  There are things I liked about MeruPuri, but I didn’t like it nearly as much as Vampire Knight.  I thought the curse on Aram was interesting- it makes me wonder about his relationship with his brother.  Even though it is explained later on in the manga, I still can’t help but wonder about it.  And the magical mirror that leads to the world Aram is from!  I liked that part of it, but I couldn’t tell you much of anything about the characters.  Although I could tell you a little more about Aram and his brother than I could tell you about Airi.  She’s a little bit forgettable, considering it’s her mirror.

The artwork is pretty awesome, which isn’t surprising, considering how much I liked it in Vampire Knight.  I just didn’t find the story as interesting or compelling as Vampire Knight, but I may pick up the other volumes sometime in the future.

My Rating: 2 stars.  There were some things I liked about MeruPuri (like the artwork, and a couple of the elements of the story) but it didn’t capture my attention the way I thought it would.