Pretear - The Corniest thing I've ever watched/read

Where do I even begin to start with Pretear? Okay, I'll start from the very beginning.

After randomly browsing the internet for anime I should watch, I stumbled upon the Wikipedia page for Pretear. While I thought that it didn't look that great, I noticed that it was a reverse-harem anime and I naturally got curious (because I'm very pro-reverse-harem). After downloading it and opening the file for the first episode I knew that this was going to be the funniest thing to watch. Not because it was a comedy, but because of how CORNY it was.

In the first couple of minutes into the first episode you're introduced to way too many main characters and you're left going, 'Okay, what the fuck was that?' You're left bemused not just because of the sudden splurge of characters but because you have to double take when you see the drag queen with the blonde ponytail and heeled boots. That's right, it's actually a guy.

When you're eventually introduced to the main character you'll soon realise that she's one of those characters that are akin to marmite. You either love her or hate her. Himeno = marmite. Personally, I don't think she's that bad. She's pretty much a typical, stubborn high schooler which I liked, but the fact that she did martial arts pissed me off. It wasn't just because it's the main thing that turned her into a mary-sue character, but because there was no real point to it, other than give her an excuse to punch Hayate whenever he gets too close and pervy. Other than that, she's a decent character for a reverse harem.

The other characters aren't really that great. While each of the characters have their own personalities and seem to have been thought out, I found myself wondering why there had to be so many. While the little kid characters were cute, I didn't think they were necessary for the plot and they only managed to confuse me further when first watching this. As for the adult characters... I have big issues with them. The character of Kei really pissed me off in the anime; he was stuck-up and self-obsessed. Same goes for the manga; he was stuck up and self-obsessed, but he had reason to be. In the manga he looked normal, he didn't look like a cross dressing weirdo.

One of the other main characters I have issues with is Sasame. When watching the anime for the first time, I found myself wanting to punch him when he said 'So do I' after Hino said that she believed all guys should be like him. I also found that half the things he said were some of corniest things I've ever heard in my life. It's worse than watching my mother's filipino drama films! And those were pretty bad! Thankfully, Hayate wasn't as corny as him. He seems like one of the most realistic and hilarious characters in the whole thing and he provided me with a great about of comic relief, as did the whole relationship with Hino.

The general plotline was relatively simple. Girl has to save the world with the help of seven 'supposedly' hot guys. There is very little in the way of twists and its all very linear, which is good for little kids, but not that great for 17 year olds who want something that can get their teeth into. With names like 'The Princess of Destruction', 'The Snow White Princess Pretear' and 'Puppet of Darkness', you wonder what in the hell the mangaka was thinking when he was writing the story. I mean, even my 8 year old cousin cringed at the names!

The art itself is bogstandard. Nothing stands out except for the creepy affects used in the anime when their eyes go emotional; it scared my cousin slightly when she first noticed it, which isn't really the effect desired from a romance scene. The costume designs were rather bizarre and crappy, though I loved how colourful everything was in the anime. (I <3 colour!)

In general, I think this was a pretty boring anime. Nothing elevates it above the rest and it's kind of embarrassing to watch with anyone except your younger siblings or cousins. The only thing that really makes it stand out is that it's one of those things you can really take the piss out of and not feel guilty about it because you know you're right.

Vampire Knight - Blood and Bullets

Phew! I've finished reading what has been published of Vampire Knight by Matsuri Hino and I have to say that it's one of those rare mangas which I will never get tired of reading. It combines two of my favourite things, vampires and romance, so I had feeling that I'd end up being quite taken with it when I first started downloading it.

If you haven't read or heard of it, I'll summarize it for you so that you get the jist. The story mainly revolves around Yuki Cross who acts as one of the prefects and guardians for the Cross Academy. The Cross Academy, which is chaired by her adoptive father, is split into two classes; the Night Class and the Day Class. The Night Class are an elite group of students who are also absolutely gorgeous, which sends the Day Class into a panicked frenzy whenever they see them. This is where Yuki comes in. Along with her fellow prefect, Zero Kiriyuu, she must ensure that the change over of the Day Class and Night Class happens with as little interaction between the two classes as possible. Why must she do this? Because everyone one of the students in the Night Class is a vampire. It is Yuki's job to make sure that no incident arises which would alert the Day Class to the Night Class' true nature. She is one of the guardians of this secret.

While this may look like a very simple looking story, you'll find that it quickly gets quite complicated as the various characters all have their own secrets that they can't tell anyone about. While it is essentially a shoujo manga, it stands above the rest in that there is one hell of a plot. Everything is premeditated and theres a great deal of suspense. It's because of this that I think that I admire this manga so much.

The artwork is relatively well done. The expressions of each of the characters are detailed, with the characteristically expressive eyes and the highly detailed costume decoration which is usual in Hino's works. While there is often little in the way of background drawing, with gaps often being filled with blotting effects and etchings, it works well in contrasting the beautifully detailed drawings. One of the draw backs however is that the only way you can distinguish the individual characters is by their hairstyles alone, which made me a little confused when it came to the characters of Aidou and Kain as they kind of look similar.
However, regardless of that fact, this manga is very pleasing in an aesthetic sense.

The relationships between the characters is also another thing that attracted me to this manga. While at first it seems like Yuki is destined to be Kaname, you see that her relationship with Zero evolves to something much deeper when she allows him to bite her in order to inhibit his impending insanity. She begins to question what Zero is to her and it progresses to the point where Zero nearly kisses her (KYaahHH! XD). However, while her relationship with Zero changes, you also see Kaname coming to terms with his own feelings for love for Yuki, and he is the first to confess these to her. Oooh... it makes me go all goo-ga just thinking about it. I really am starting to resemble Renge from OHSHC... -.-;;

There are so many swoon-worthy moments in this series which is the main reason why I'm suggesting it to all of those people out there who enjoy romance stories. One prime example of this is when Zero hugs Yuki just as their study session ends and this is the point in the story where I finally realise that Zero feels more for Yuki than I had originally thought. Another point which will probably make fan-girls go all squee (including myself) is when Kaname asks Yuki if she wants to become a vampire and live for eternity by his side.

Well I'll probably stop reviewing now because I really could go on forever, but as I suggest earlier, if you haven't read this yet then you should at least read the first volume and see what you think. (A good place to download this is at MangaTraders ;))

Over and out!

(PS. I apologise for how romance-based my reviews are becoming, but I become a bit of a nutcase when it comes to romance. X) )