Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Vampire Knight: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

A vampire story for genre fans.

Vampire Knight is an action-packed fantasy series created by Matsuri Hino. The horror infused genre fare comes animation powerhouse Studio Deen (Ah My Buddha, Angel's Egg). The anime is produced by Fukashi Azuma (Shaman King, .hack//Roots), Tomoko Takahashi (Sgt. Frog, Pretty Cure), Yumi Ide (La Corda D'Oro – primo passo, Vampire Knight Guilty), and Yumiko Masushima (Tokyo Babylon, Vampire Knight Guilty). Fans of Gothic horror anime series with a unique sensibility will find this production an intriguing one.

Kaname (Daisuke Kishio) is a peculiar vampire of pure blood who helps to save the life of Yuki Cross (Yui Horie) when in need. Yuki can no longer remember anything that happened to her beyond the rescue – now having happened ten years ago. Despite her tumultuous past, Yuki befriends Zero (Mamoru Miyano) and becomes involved in Cross Academy at her school.

Yuki serves as a Guardian in the Academy. The school is divided in to two different groups: Day Class and Night Class. Danger awaits at every turn as the Night Class is entirely comprised of blood-sucking vampires. As Yuki's memories begin to return to her after years of being repressed in the recesses of her mind, the stakes are raised and the school finds itself in conflict once more.

Vampire Knight benefits from having some interesting characters in a Gothic storytelling fold. There is a compelling ensemble of characters on Vampire Knight and these characters help make up the unique universe of the production. Yuki Cross is an interesting leading character and she helps the series to establish a tone that works well for the genre storytelling. Kaname is a vampire that audiences will ultimately sink their teeth in to.

The animation on the production is decent-enough for the horror genre. Though Vampire Knight isn't as well animated as many modern anime productions are, the series still has a decent visual aesthetic that gets the job done. Under the art direction of Kazuhiro Itou (Maria Watches Over Us, Bincho-tan), the series balances dark and gray-toned aesthetics with lighter sequences. The Gothic tone fills the series with a stylish backdrop that enhances the production and its aesthetic goals.

"Dracula?"

Vampire Knight has effective character designs by Asako Nishida (Active Raid, Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl). The character designs stand as some of the best animated elements of the entire production. Each of the central characters is well illustrated and seems to have a distinctive aesthetic to explore. The characters often appear exaggerated and larger-than-life – which seems to fit the tone of a vampire series nicely. This element works wonders on the production and helps enhance it even when unexpected.

The cinematography by Seiichi Morishita (Hunter X Hunter, Galaxy Express 999) is one of the most intriguing creative elements of the production. The visual aesthetic even gives the anime production Noir infused vibes. The series has a clear Gothic undercurrent and this component helps the visual medium of the narrative work well. Seiichi Morishita is a gifted cinematographer and this is an example of how cinematography in anime can make a big difference in the visual quality of a production.

To help enhance the tone of the anime storytelling, the music score composed by Takefumi Haketa (Someday's Dreamers, Sweet Blue Flowers) provides the horror infused tone needed to make this production entertaining. The score isn't a top-tier effort yet it sounds good- enough to keep the experience engaging and worthwhile. Composer Haketa allows the score to fit the backdrop necessary to explore the characters and the themes. The music features additional instrumentation from Ayano Kasahara (cello), Hideyo Takakuwa (flute), and Otohiko Fujita (horn). The efforts of these superb musicians helps the score excel.

Written by Mari Okada (anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, Maquia – When the Promised Flower Blooms), Vampire Knight explores its interesting concept in a compelling way. There is something impressive about the storytelling prowess of the production and the way in which screenwriter Okada focuses on the character-storytelling at the core of the filmmaking. The emphasis on the characters helps make the series more unique than some other vampire stories and Gothic anime tales.

Directed by Kiyoko Sayama (Chrono Crusade, 3x3 Eyes Seima Densetsu), Vampire Knight is an anime series which fans of horror-fantasy productions will want to check out. The series has plenty of action-packed fun for genre enthusiasts. Set against a compelling backdrop, Sayama delivers something that audiences will enjoy as a unique genre offering. While the series isn't as engaging as some horror genre titles, it has enough interesting elements in store for audiences to be worth a look.

Vampire Knight: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from VIZ, Vampire Knight is presented in 1080i interlaced in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The release presents the series with a high-definition upscale. The scan is unfortunately not as robust as many modern anime productions. Everything is a bit lackluster compared to what is could be – the picture-quality is average at best.

Colors are muted and not as deep or engaging as one might hope for. The encoding is similarly average at best and is not as robust as one would hope to find. The interlacing is the biggest disappointing to the release: visible jaggies can be seen throughout. The visual finesse is certainly less impressive than with true progressive HD presentations. The encode is never as noteworthy as a result.

Vampire Knight: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The lossless audio sounds quite impressive and is better in comparison to the video-presentation. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The music sounds clear and concise. The audio presentation does a solid job of enhancing the viewing experience.

Vampire Knight: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Exclusive Short (HD, 3:09)

Art Gallery is a click-through gallery featuring 42 illustrations.

Clean Openings (HD, 6:16)

Clean Closings (HD, 4:48)

The release also includes a selection of trailers (HD, 1:10) promoting other releases available from VIZ Media.

Vampire Knight: The Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Vampire Knight is an interesting anime series with a Gothic sensibility. Fans of vampire stories like Twilight or The Vampire Diaries might find it worthwhile. The series isn't the best out there but it certainly has some compelling elements to make it worthwhile for genre enthusiasts. The Blu-ray release features an average video presentation (with an underwhelming interlaced upscale) but the audio presentation fares better overall. The release includes a small supplemental package which includes an art-gallery. Recommended.