First Impressions / Vampire Knight

Summary

Still talking in the forest with Aidou, Yuki experiences the annoyingly painful rays of sunlight from a vampire’s perspective for the first time. She smells the scent of Kaname’s blood and senses some of the impending danger. The Night Class and Student Council work together to usher the day class students into a safe location, attempting to leave no stragglers behind. Ichijou takes Shiki away since his body is no longer needed for Rido’s purposes, and Ichiru prepares to welcome him back in his proper body after pulling the ribbon out of his hair that once belonged to Shizuka.

The day class students are led through a dark underground hallway, but Yuki’s roommate worries about her absence. When they prepare to guide the students into a large crested elevator, it starts functioning on its own accord – leading Kaien to believe someone dangerous is trying to come in the way they are attempting to get out, so he stands ready to guard them with his sword while Yagari takes the students to a different area. He asks Juri to forgive him (and changes his usual “boku” into an “ore” for the occasion).

Outside in the still morning air, two stray day class students are approached by a dangerous vampire woman but are saved by Kain before she can attack. Ruka and Seirei accompany him and take out the remaining lurkers in the area to protect the two girls. Kaien shows up to help out, and thanks the Night Class students for taking care of the Day Class, and thinks about the irony involved in vampires killing vampires.

In Yuki’s dorm room, Aidou is still chasing her around while she ignores his warnings and prepares to help protect the students by attaching Artemis to her leg by some straps – much to his embarrassment. Running back to the dorm to look for Yuki, Yori is confronted by a few more vampire thugs, but is rescued by Aidou and Yuki. Yuki tries to protect her by using Artemis, but it rejects her and she’s unable to hold it, so Aidou takes care of everyone with his ice powers. Yuki very sadly apologizes to Yori for this unintended display of vampire powers, but Yori hugs her tightly and scolds her for apologizing for something so irrelevant. Kaname shows up and asks Aidou to take Yuki to a quiet place, despite her eagerness to protect her friends.

Yagari has a few kind words with Kaien before stepping outside to take care of the vampire hunters who have come for Zero. He sends them packing with no trouble at all – (Don’t they look like a bunch of cosplayers ready to go play D&D?) They wonder why he’s disobeying the Vampire Hunter Leader’s orders, and he asks them if they actually believe they’re doing the right thing and gets a disgruntled noncommittal response, so they walk home empty handed.

Aidou takes Yuki back to her room and puts her to sleep with a spell. She wakes up after dreaming of Shizuka, and Kaname is there to greet her. He tells her it’s because Shizuka used to stay in this room a long time ago. Yuki wants to stay at the school and protect her friends but Kaname wants to take her away and protect her somewhere much safer. He asks her not to leave the room and entrusts her to Aidou for the time being. Aidou asks her if Zero is one of the people she wants to protect, but she sadly admits that she no longer has the right to worry about him.

Rido suddenly opens his eyes for the first time, and everyone is acutely aware of his presence throughout campus. Ichiru greets him and says he’s been awaiting his arrival. Alarmed at Rido’s presence, Yuki tries to run out of the room but Aidou stops her. He tells her she’s no longer a school guardian – she’s their pure-blood princess, and she’s in no position to run around getting hurt at a time like this. She gives a heartfelt speech that touches him enough to fake a food run on her behalf and let her escape while he’s not there to stop her. (Even though I’m leaving the door unlocked and unguarded, don’t you dare come out of that room!)

Locked up, Zero is still replaying all his happiest/saddest memories of being with Yuki, when Kaname greets him unexpectedly and spills his story that he’s been molding Zero as his chess piece in order to kill Rido. He drank not only Kaname and Shizuka’s purest of pure blood, but also drank Yuki’s blood to his heart’s content countless times. Not only that, but because he is the special half of the vampire hunter twins turned vampire, all this combined makes him the only vampire powerful enough to kill Kaname’s true enemy. Zero asks Kaname what makes him think he’d play along, but Kaname just places his bet that Zero would still never betray Yuki, and wants to protect her despite everything that’s happened. And since she’s Rido’s main target…

He leaves Zero to dwell over this new information alone in his cell at the same time Yuki prepares herself for the upcoming fight with a gun from the bedroom drawer.

 

Preview

First Thoughts

I apologize if it seems at all random this week – The plot weaved from one character to the next without any regard for the large cast. It’s finally revealed that Zero was carefully crafted by Kaname in order to become a ridiculously powerful vampire capable of killing Rido on Yuki’s behalf. I’m really not prepared to convince people who may have a hard time believing that the math works out, so you’re just going to have to trust me on this.

It’s also been brought to my attention that I neglected to mention Yuki’s hair growing longer all of a sudden, and this is for similar reasons. I really have no logical proof here nor there, and I hesitate to point out the obvious unless I can’t help it, so you just need to look into your heart and believe… Believe! .. That because she turned into a vampire, she obviously needs special long hair to change her appearance.

(Actually, it would make more sense if you stopped to think about the genre of manga this came from. In the original story, all the day class students and normal humans looked regular and plain, while all the vampires were unnaturally gorgeous and beautiful. In order to signify Yuki’s transformation into a vampire, I think the long hair was intended to make her beautiful to fit in with her new Night Class companions, but I’m sure most of you are aware of how successful the studio has been at making its female characters anything but hideous, so… there you go.)

Well, now Rido is awake and in his proper body thanks to Kaname’s interference, and Zero has a tough choice to make while his body undergoes certain uncomfortable changes that every young man faces at a certain time in his life (after drinking gallons of pure-blood vampires’ blood), and Yuki prepares to come face to face with impending doom. I feel like a kissing scene was dropped, but I’m going to overlook this until next week to give them a chance to weave it in at an odd moment. Until next Monday then…

30 Comments

  4. already saw the subs i really like this serie’s and the way its going.

    Some random stuff…

    this is the first episode the Artemis worked ^_^ wel kinda…. 😛

    Kaname watch over her for 10 years and didn’t figure out that when yuuki feels that she should protect the ones she doesn’t think only acts…. 😛

    teutates
    Reply

  7. So zero was just a tool at the end of the day, i mean his brother wants him dead the council

    wants him and kaname used him just for yuki’s sake i just feel bad for the guy whether he becomes the

    strongest hunter or not. Purebloods are a mess, they need counseling on ther issues.

    Joe Cole
    Reply

  9. Too bad Kaname isn’t going to get what he wants, or anything for that matter. But for him to actually want someone else to do anything just blows me away. It would be funny as hell if him & Zero ended up killing each other. Then Yuki can grow her hair even longer (till it touches the floor) & become a widow 😛

    Megas
    Reply

  11. The anime plot isn’t original, Hinano. After all, it’s based on the manga, even if there are cracks appearing all over the place now that we’re going into this season’s finale. It’s good that we get more monologue from Zero, though, since originally he was way too silent during most of these scenes.

    What I want:
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Bane
    Reply

  12. Aidou put YUKI to sleep with a spell?

    Not only did that not happen in the manga, it doesn’t even make sense.

    SHE IS A PURE BLOOD VAMPIRE. The kind that can single-handedly wipe out non-pure bloods with the flick of a finger.

    Not only is Aidou scared shitless of Kaname if anything happened to Yuki, where did he get the power to do so?

    Anonymous
    Reply

  13. Spoilers for future episodes make me VERY excited for what’s to come in the anime. <33 Studio DEEN is not going in all the right directions for this series, but I really love some of their additions. ^^

    happyhippo
    Reply

  15. I have seen many discussions on the website on the title of this manga/anime series “Vampire Knight.” The fact that Kaname referred to Zero as a game piece, does that mean he is the Knight piece? In that case does that mean Vampire Knight refers to Zero, because if Yuki is called a princess by all vampires, then her brother Kaname should be a prince, right? So wouldn’t that make Zero the leading male character not Kaname. Besides I have been counting many of dialogue lines in both the anime and the manga and Zero has won without a doubt. Just something to think about. I am starting to think that Kaname will disappear in the end. I mean he himself said that he has been raising Zero just to distroy his enemy. Most of the story has been showing that growth and all the things that has happened and has been happening to Zero, it is only recently that we have discovered the meaning of it all. His purpose. Just food for thought.

    Liza
    Reply

  17. nothing much happens in his eps. looking forward to eps 11..
    to liza,
    Kaname is the King of Kurans. If he is Yuki’s real brother, yes, he would be the prince, but he is the ancestor of Kuran. Zero and Kaname are the leads in the series and it would be very rare for a mangaka to kill one and leave the other victorious, unless she wants her sales to drop (and a bad move right now since Kaname has emerged as the most popular character in VK as of late) I can say is that this rivalry (for Yuki)would drag on in the manga. oh, and i’m Zero’s huge fan XD

    danie
    Reply

  19. i just have one question even if zero agrees with kaname based on his new information don,t think

    zero objective as a vampire hunter wouldn,t change afterall he has nothin to lose anymore he might as

    well use his new power to destroy the race that practically screwed his life up. somehow i think this

    is kaien and kanames’ fault come on now for ten years u didn,t do anything but observe yuki when u

    could woken her up already and prepared for what is to come.

    Joe Cole
    Reply

  22. As for the horse/knight… indeed it should be Zero, since Kaname “raised” Zero to be the Knight piece (lame chess references galore) who will devour Rido.

    Rido’s eyes being different never was expanded upon in the manga, however his “immortality” does not exist. That is, he is no more immortal than any other pureblood (and he says so himself in the anime when confronting Yuuki’s father). The reason he’s such a tough cookie for Kaname is because (as was already explained in the anime) he awoke him by using Yuuki’s real brother’s body as a host. This bound them, making Kaname unable to kill Rido, who is now technically his master (but doesn’t seem to have much control over Kaname apart from this). That’s why Zero is needed (I kinda thought this was obvious but ok 🙂

    Bane
    Reply

  24. The math on Zero’s blood drinking goes like this:

    Kaname’s blood + Shizuka’s blood (By drinking her blood, Kaname gained her power)= This guy is out of Class E FOREVER.

    Now take into account that he’s LOADED with Yuki’s blood. Yuki’s blood has been transformed into Pure Blood vampire blood. Meaning he now has the power of three powerful if not omnipotent figures.

    Summerized:

    Rido is soooooooooooo bone’d.

    DthGsOblvn
    Reply

  28. Se esta encaminando a ser la mejor serie de esta temporada, inclusibve por encima de gundam 00 s2(sólo contando esta éopca de fin de año)
    Por cierto que ending tan sublime, de los mejores que he visto

    Huitzi
    Reply

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