Vampire Knight Guilty Volume 3   Starring (voice): Daisuke Kishio, Mamoru Miyano and Yui Horie Manga Entertainment RRP: £12.99 MANG9047 Certificate: 12 Available 27 June 2011

Yuki Cross finds herself stuck between two worlds as a ‘Day Class’ Guardian at the Cross Academy, run by her adoptive father Kaien Cross. Her job is to protect the female students of the day class from the boys of the night class. It’s not just their womanhood that needs protecting as the attractive boys of the night class are all vampires, led by Kaname Kuran. The principle, Kaien Cross, hopes to foster understanding between the two races, but some cannot forgive the vampires for what they are - including Yuki’s partner and childhood friend, vampire hunter Zero Kiryuu...

Volume Three of Vampire Knight Guilty (2008) has episodes eight to ten: Spiralling Recollections, Revival of the Mad Emperor and Prelude to the Battle - of the second season of the show, which eventually ran to thirteen episodes. The show was directed by Kiyoko Sayama and written by Matsuri Hino, who also wrote the original manga.

This is another show that has me humming ‘The Never Ending Story’ mostly because, like a lot of long running anime shows, it feels like it’s mostly made off padding.

Ah well, Yuki finally gives into her pureblood vampire side whilst the show engages in a convoluted story about Yuki’s heritage, with a few flashbacks to explain her past and various plots around the vampires involving power plays between the factions.

If you have seen and liked the show so far, there is very little I can add, the animation is above average, the plot labyrinthine and slow. I do have concerns that the disc has only three episodes and no extras; it doesn’t feel like much of a bargain.

The picture is a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer, and very pretty it is too. The artwork remains high quality, with distinctive character designs.

5

Charles Packer