Manga Mondays (57): Vampire Knight vol. 12 - Matsuri Hino

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Vampire Knight vol. 12 - Matsuri Hino

Summary

Yuki and Zero lock eyes, but they turn away from each other. Yori wanders around the ballroom, and Sara Shirabuki finds and talks to her. She tries to lure Yori away, but is stopped by Zero, who grabs her wrist. Yuki squeezes through the throng to get to the fracas, and she convinces Zero to let go of Sara. Zero takes Yori away, while Sara asks Yuki if she wants to be her friend. Kaname arranges for Yuki to meet privately with Yori and Zero, but Zero declines. At the party, Sara Shirabuki's Pureblood fiance, Ouri, goes missing, as well as a vampire hunter. A scent of blood suddenly fills the air, and Yuki goes to investigate while Kain finds the remains of the dead Pureblood hidden underneath a tablecloth. Yuki finds Zero and Kaien investigating the body of the dead hunter, who committed suicide after becoming a vampire. (courtesy of Goodreads)

Review


*My comments about this volume have very little in common with the synopsis...

I went into Volume 12 after having been frustrated with the last several volumes. Vampire Knight became extremely complicated and rather weird, but I was too invested in the series to give up. I'm pleased to say that I am more interested in the series after reading Volume 12. It's still really complicated and I'm not following it completely, but I'm getting caught up in the drama.

It's been a year since Yuki and Zero last saw each other. In the outside world, everything is falling apart in the vampire and hunter society. Kaname and Zero have each become very powerful in their own groups. Yuki meanwhile is being held virtual prisoner in Kaname's home.

I started out this series very solidly in the Team Kaname camp. After this volume, I've made a complete switch to Team Zero. Kaname is horribly restrictive of Yuki and very patronizing. He makes Edward Cullen seem like an easygoing, devil-may-care boyfriend in comparison. It's hard for me to know whether he really cares and worries about Yuki, or if he's trying to hold her back for his own purposes.

Yuki thankfully is getting out of the Kaname-love-haze which she's had for most of her life. She's sick and tired of just sitting here. She no longer wants to be a hummingbird in a flock of hawks. She wants to sore with the best of them. And she does. She rebels against Kaname's restriction and goes out on her own trying to make a difference.

Zero plays a role in this volume, but he didn't catch as much of my attention as Yuki. I like how Zero holds his own among the other vampire hunters. While he's pledged to be Yuki's enemy, you can also tell that he trusts and cares for her - even if he won't admit it.

I read a few other manga in between Volume 11 and Volume 12. One of the reasons, I enjoyed Volume 12 as much as I did was realizing that the drawings are superior to a lot of the other manga out there. I love how Yuki is drawn. She is slight and delicate, yet with a look of determination. I especially love her long, straight hair. Both Zero and Kaname are strong - with sharp jaws and broad shoulders, but have a beauty to them as well, with hair falling into their eyes.