First Impressions / Vampire Knight

Summary:

Up on the rooftop after Yuki faints into Kaname’s arms, Zero asks Kaname what Yuki meant by confessing they are siblings after all this time has passed without ever knowing about it. Kaname only replies that Yuki is 100% Kuran pureblood, and even a low status vampire like Zero should be able to sense it. As Kaname carries her back to his room, Yuki dreams about her past memories that have finally become unlocked.

In a warm family atmosphere, a very young Yuki reads a book with her parents when Kaname returns home. Her love for her older brother is tremendous even as a child, and they happily promise to marry each other like their own mother and father one day. (He also tells her he saw the special rose that blooms only once every 10 years, and promises to bring it to her next time.) But even in this house full of warmth and happiness, there are no windows to be seen, and Yuki has never even witnessed the light of day. Her family has kept her birth and childhood a complete secret from vampire society to protect her from those who want to abuse the power of the purebloods by harming their innocent child. Kaname is saddened by her isolation, but she tells him not to make such sad faces when he’s around her, because she’s fine as long as she has her beloved onii-sama.

Outside, a man with dual-colored eyes (Rido) stands in a snowstorm, looking towards their quiet home. Yuki’s mother and father come out to greet him and stand guard to protect their family, noting that Rido came even under the strict watch of the Vampire Council. He came to fetch their daughter, surprising them (since they thought no one knew about her). Inside, Kaname comforts Yuki because she can smell the blood in the air, and she runs to Juri when she enters the room. Kaname apologizes for not being able to take care of Rido himself. Juri kisses him on the cheek, asks him to please continue to take care of Yuki after they’re gone, and leads Yuki by the hand to another room, shutting the door behind her. She tells Yuki that she will make her forget all her memories of being a vampire, and make her able to live as a normal human being. As blood streams down her face, Juri is glad that she was able to be useful to Yuki one last time. As blood fills the room, Yuki blacks out.

In a room littered with female bodies, Rido drinks blood from another victim, ignoring Ichijou’s requests to stop before she dies. The window suddenly blows open, revealing the scent of Kaname and Yuki’s blood. He thinks it must have been nice for Yuki to wake up so peacefully in the method that Kaname chose, instead of the alternative methods Rido was hoping to use.

Kaname meets Aidou and Kain in front of the dorm, and Kain admits his surprise that Yuki was a pureblood vampire. Even more shocked, Aidou realizes she is none other than Kaname’s little sister. Correcting Kain’s incorrect assumption that the Kuran family never had a daughter, he explains that she is his true sister, kept secret from vampire society until now. Moreover, she is his fiancée. Assuming she still wants to be, that is. Kain and Aidou promise their loyalty to Kaname, not because he’s a pureblood, but because they’re his friends. Kaname feels spoiled by them as he takes Yuki inside. From behind a nearby tree, Ruka realizes Yuki’s true relationship with Kaname and dwells over this new information.

Still standing in anger on the rooftop, Zero clenches his fists until blood flows out, into the stormy weather and coincidentally onto the cheek of Rido. As Rido talks to Ichijou about the curse of the twin vampire hunters and his own hatred of Shiki for his betrayal, he begins to strangle “himself” just for kicks, and Ichijou reaches out to stop him. Not trying to pass by unnoticed, he condescendingly calls for Rima to come down out of a nearby tree where she was watching them.

Meanwhile, Yuki wakes up in a burning heat because of her sudden need for blood, so Kaname offers her his body. She licks his neck before taking his blood, and Kaname holds her closely while she lays on top of his body, telling her not to cry as her sad memories return one by one. Regaining her senses along with her memories, she recalls a bloody monster of a vampire that killed her mother and father. Panicking at the realization and shock that her parents were murdered, she accidentally releases a surge of vampiric energy, breaking a nearby window. Frightened by her own power, Kaname urges Yuki to calm down, and not take for granted the life that her parents sacrificed themselves for.

As she slowly relaxes, Yuki turns to Kaname shyly, embarrassed that she’s been in love with her own brother for all these years. Kaname basically says “so what?” before licking the spilt blood from Yuki’s lips, and reminds her that they are not human, and therefore they do not follow human society norms. They are vampires, (monsters), and in their society it is traditional for purebloods to intermarry to maintain their status. He reminds her that they are engaged, and asks her not to leave him alone again after waiting so long to reunite. Before she can answer, the scent of blood enters the room from outside again, and she panics – but calms down a little after Kaname leaves and she realizes it’s not Zero’s – Even though she has no right to worry about him now…

Outside, Rido uses Shiki’s power of using blood like a whip against Rima, angering her for attacking a model’s body and face. Thankful that she’s a vampire, the wounds heal almost immediately, but Ichijou tries to urge them both to stop fighting before someone really gets hurt. However, Rima becomes infuriated at the arrogant words coming out of Shiki’s body, and promises to pound Rido right out of it. In response, Rido launches a surprise attack of blood from underground, nearly hitting her fatally if not for Ichijou’s interference. Fed up, Rima yells directly at Shiki, calling him an idiot for letting someone take over his body so freely, and commands him to value himself more. Rido smiles, but loses control as Shiki’s consciousness surfaces momentarily. Rido tells Shiki not to fight back, smiling as he regains control.

Filled with memories of Zero, Yuki decides she must see him immediately, disregarding Kaname’s orders to stay in this room until he returns. Jumping out the window, she lands in the presence of Kain and Aidou, who were given strict orders not to allow her to escape. Completely blown off by Yuki, they are at a loss for what to do, so she suggests that if they don’t want Kaname to get mad, they can tag along if they want.

In the school, Kaname orders Seirei to take care of the Day Class students, and speaks with Ruka in the hallway. Ruka apologizes for her selfish behavior until now, but confesses she will always be loyal to him. He thanks her, and tells her that he trusts her, which makes her quite honored. This simple act inspires her to act like a strong leader, ready to rally everyone on his behalf before the impending danger. Surprised at her sudden change in attitude, Kain asks her if she’s alright, but Ruka just promises to show him the cool woman she really is.

In his office, Kaien opens a chest with a wrapped weapon in it, wondering if it will still lend him its power. Elsewhere, Yuki stands in front of Zero’s bedroom door, hesitating before turning the knob, but stops when she hears the gun click from inside.

 
 

“Preview:”

 

First Thoughts:

There are very few deviations from the manga this week, but things also toned down a bit from last week. There’s not much of a sense of impending doom going around. Yuki is more worried about talking to Zero than her own safety, but I kinda like that about her. Plus, it proves that even though she regained all her memories and is suddenly portrayed as a lot more powerful, she’s still the same person with a kind heart. I guess to that end, Juri’s wish came true – Not that personality and character aren’t simply icing on the cake when you’re trying to save your daughter’s life at all costs.

Anyway, I feel like there’s not much to talk about this week because it wasn’t very heavy on the plot, but rather building up background info and segues into the next big drama. This episode features: 1) Yuki’s flashbacks, where we are filled in about her family life and childhood up until her memory wipe, 2) Rido’s cruel personality shining while he fights with Rima, and we get to see Shiki’s consciousness peek out a bit when Rima yelled at him directly, 3) Yuki’s first vampiric hunger with her future husband (or not, depending how how everything finally goes down…).

Perhaps it’s just me, but I have noticed that (particularly) Japanese dramas and anime/manga about vampires romanticize this historically horror genre to the extreme, which is where a lot of the popularity comes from. Being bitten by a vampire has extreme sexual undertones (moreso in some series than others). In this series, the straightforward sexuality is missing, but the implications are still strong – especially with Yuki offering herself to Zero so many times, because she’s willingly allowing such intimate and forbidden access. Actually, one of the areas where I think the anime fails the manga is the interpretation of those most important moments. I remember back when season one first aired, and I watched Zero succumb to his thirst for the first few times, and I was completely disgusted with the weird licking and awkwardness of the whole scene. One reason it’s so sexual is because of that unstoppable, physical (“carnal”) desire and hunger that you give into. I’d love to hear some of the reader’s thoughts on this topic.

I’m happy with Ruka’s personality turn-around. Even if it’s just side character development, I much prefer her stronger personality over a depressed emo underdog in love. I was hoping that when Rima shouted at Shiki that it would be more angry, but she sounded almost desperate, and rather quiet. I guess it can’t be helped. It’s so not cool to shout when you’re a proper lady in vampire society. The episode ends on an intense moment with Zero shutting himself away from Yuki, ready to shoot her if she opens the door to talk to him. I’m looking forward to wrapping up the season mid-cliffhanger in four more episodes. Now that we’re close, I have a few good guesses as to where that will be. Do you?

27 Comments

  8. OK, now this junk makes perfect sense. I was wondering why Kaname was all over Yuki & it turned out to be just a siscon. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kaname ‘dies’ at the end of this. (& NO I didn’t read the silly manga & never will) It just seems like he will for some dumb reason…then again he completely deserves it like other characters that I predicted to die.

    Megas
    Reply

  9. vampire anime and historical references is a way for artists and the anime community to connect to committing taboos with sexual undertones. It is in human nature (whether concious or subconcious) to be curious with the opposite sex in different situations. like little kids playing doctor. I agree that a lot of vampire animes do focus on these parts, and it is used as a good romance plot background.

    islandloner
    Reply

  12. “Zero shutting himself away from Yuki, ready to shoot her if she opens the door to talk to him”.
    Not sure if he is shutting himself from her. I think that since he is a vampire hunter he sensed a vampire coming behind the door (not knowing that it’s Yuki), so he prepared himself. From the scene, I think they want to show how becoming a vampire changed Yuki’s life in a certain way (being afraid of).

    vladrin
    Reply

  14. Ru: Definitely a big possibility

    vladrin: You may have a point, but I guess it depends on what he says to her through the door next week. I might just be biased, but I don’t think it’s a far stretch to think he’d rather kill her than deal with the fact that she’s a vampire now (at least in his current state of mind).

    However, I don’t think for one moment that he isn’t fully aware of who is standing on the other side of the door. That being said, he’s pointing the gun at Yuki, not just “some vampire.”

    Trillian
    Reply

  18. Oh, and vampire Yuuki looks absolutely gorgeous. Especially towards the end of the episode. It’s also nice to see a closeup of her canines, they weren’t shown too well in the manga.

    And as far as romanticizing vampirism is concerned, I don’t think this is something that started in Japan. In any case, it’s very much prevalent in modern Western vampire fiction. To some degree, even the rather un-romantic original Dracula story has some romantic undertones if you look hard enough (which I did when I first read it, since I’m a sucker for vampire romance).

    Bane
    Reply

  19. Oh well, I could care less about the romance aspect of vampire anime. However, the tension does appeal to me more than anything. Love may enhance the tension. That sort of tension always lead to fighting. I would reconsider dropping this in the recycle bin if I get some pure blood action (whether fake or real, if the powers are there it doesn’t matter to me)

    Megas
    Reply

  22. @ Megas
    I think Kaname’s destiny is written, he’s going to die, why? well Kaname’s always saying he’s going to “protect” Yuuki one way or the other, ( that pretty much sounds to me like ” I WOULD GIVE MY LIFE 4 U”). I also see that Yuuki’s “LOVE” towards Kaname has been disminishing since… what? the 9th or 10th episode?.

    Zero, or how i’ve begun to call him lately “The Bad Karma Guy”; it would be UNFAIR if Yuuki ends with Kaname when Zero’s been with her REALLY THERE for the oh-so-called 4 years. Don’t misunderstand me i like Kaname better, but from my point of view he’s been losing points with Yuuki (romantically speaking) a long time a go.

    lyn
    Reply

  24. @ da troll
    Yeah I’m pretty much like my name sake in real life. Even though I really don’t like the anime, I can’t help but like characters like Kaname for their charisma & cunning. But they dig their own gaves way too often to avoid their unfortunate deaths…especially when they hang around the crew that kills them. Kaname’s siscon just adds to his karma.

    I wouldn’t call it be too smart for your own good but the idiot is trying to do everything himself. You can even say he’s sacrificing for a higher cause (not just Yuuki) However, I can’t admire that kind of junk when there are much easier ways of doing what he needs to do. Refusing help just confuses things. Killing Shizuka made him stronger but it also added another nail to his coffin.

    Megas
    Reply

  25. I love this show as much as I love the manga. And Kaname really does it for me. Zero I find boring. Kaname is strong and sad. I liked him even before I knew the real situation, but I am quite susceptible to the charm of the forbidden love that develops at this point.

    This anime, and the manga, are treading a nicely judged fine line of vampire sexual suggestion. I agree completely that that is one of the keys to the popularity of vampire fiction. It was represented well in the movie Bram Stoker’s Dracula, with the succubi. And again in the more repressed, but still evident, shoujo sexuality of the Twilight series. This show lets it out a bit further than Twilight, but still with biting in place of actual sex. At least so far.

    I don’t know about other Japanese vampire stories, but I am very happy to have the romance emphasized over the horror here. Horror and fighting are shounen memes. This is a shoujo vampire show. And that suits me. We may have tragedy, and we will have immense threats, but the relationships are the rich part of any story, for me.

    hashihime
    Reply

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