Rosario to Vampire 5 cover is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”

All-around average student, 15-year-old Tsukune Aono, failed to gain admission to any high school.  He ends up at Yokai Academy, which should be named “Monster High,” because every single student is a monster, which Tsukune learns only after he arrives.  He thinks that he’s finally gotten a lucky break when meets the spunky and beautiful Moka Akashiya, a vampire.  She loves to sink her teeth into Tsukune’s neck once in awhile, but Moka isn’t Tsukune’s biggest problem.  If the denizens of Yokai discover that there is a human at their school, they’ll kill him.

As Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 5 (Rosario to Vampire) opens, Tsukune and Moka launch the final attack against Lady Oyakata, who has assumed a monstrous form.  Then, Tsukune’s harem of admiring teen girls grows with the addition of Mizore Shirayuki, the Abominable Snowgirl.  She wants Tsukune to be her boyfriend, and she won’t take “No” for answer.  But is her reputation for freezing men that displease her completely accurate?  Finally, the mixed breed Monstrels attack Tsukune, believing that he is their biggest threat on campus!

THE LOWDOWN:  Every volume of Rosario+Vampire offers a delightful character addition to the growing menagerie of teen monsters and creatures of legend, myths, and folklore that populate this shonen series.  In some ways it’s like blending New X-Men (Academy X), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the manga Lum, and the late 1980s animated TV series Lum inspired, “Galaxy High.”  Imagine a lone human in those settings and you have an idea of what Tsukune Aono’s school life is like.  The art by creator Akihisa Ikeda is similar in style to Strawberry 100% (a fellow “Shonen Jump Advanced” title) manga-ka Mizuki Kawashita, and like Strawberry, ever volume of Rosario+Vampire is a fun read.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Readers who enjoy the unique way Japanese comics can mix comedy, action, fantasy, and/or horror, with a bit of innuendo, will like Rosario+Vampire.

A-