Thanks to barnesandnoble.com for this cover image of Rosario + Vampire #1.

Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”

Fifteen-year-old average student, Tsukune Aono finds that the only high school he can get into is Yokai Academy.  When he arrives, Tsukune discovers that Yokai is practically “Monster High,” as every single student is a monster.  Yokai is the place where young monsters learn how to live in a human world, and Tsukune wants no part of that.

He’s ready to leave the school until he meets the spunky and beautiful Moka Akashiya.  Moka is the cutest girl in school, and she takes an immediate liking to Tsukune – flinging her arms around him and sinking her fangs into his neck!  Together, they’ll navigate the Yokai turf war that includes werewolves, mermaids, and the school newspaper.

THE LOWDOWN:  When I finished Rosario + Vampire, Vol. 1, I realized that although I enjoyed it, the success of this series would really be judged on future volumes, and it must be somewhat successful because the Japanese original is still going strong since its 2002 debut.  Like a drop of vanilla extract in cake batter, Rosario + Vampire seems like a dash of Charles Addams (famed New Yorker cartoonist who created “The Addams Family”) in a Saturday morning cartoon – perhaps, something like Chris Columbus’ short-lived, 1986 CBS cartoon series, “Galaxy High.”

Manga-ka Akihisa Ikeda and his staff excel at drawing gorgeous characters – particularly long-haired, buxom girls.  Pretty girls aside, this is good visual comedy with lots of gags – much of it built around bosom jokes (as poor Tsukune often finds his face jammed into a well-built young woman’s cleavage).  I like this pop gothic/cartoon horror setting (being a big Charles Addams, Tim Burton, Richard Sala, Scooby-Doo fan), and I’d like to try at least a few more volumes.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  As part of VIZ Media’s “Shonen Jump Advanced” line, Rosario + Vampire is light fare with innuendo that will likely appeal mostly to teen boys.

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