Vampire Knight is about a girl name Yuki, who is attacked by a vampire at the age of five, then rescued by Kaname (also a vampire). The story fast forwards 10 years. In that time, Yuki was adopted by the headmaster of Cross Academy, a school designed so that humans and vampires can co-exist peacefully. In this school, there is a day class for the humans and a night class for the vampires. However, the human students have no clue that the beautiful night students are vampires. 

 

The main characters in this story are Yuki, Kaname, and Zero Kiyru. Zero’s family was killed by a vampire four years earlier and was the only survivor, so he was also adopted by the headmaster. Yuki and Zero are some of the only humans who know the school’s secret. They became what the school calls the “Disciplinary Committee,” and their job is to make sure that no one from the day class finds out about the night class’s secret. In the first volume of Vampire Knight, Yuki’s love interest is Kaname (mostly because he saved her life) and thinks of Zero as a very good friend, but things may change as the series progresses. With all the twists and turns in this series, it’s impossible to tell which boy she will wind up with in the end until you see it with your own two eyes. This is definitely a worthwhile read if you’re looking for some complicated romance with some great action.

 

Vampire Knight has a very interesting cast of characters. Zero is the quiet and mysterious character and one you often find yourself feeling bad for. Kaname is the high class vampire with much more power over vampires and humans alike than he needs, so usually you either hate or love this character. In some ways this book is like Twilight, because you’re either Team Zero or Team Kaname; however,  Vampire Knight is NOT the same as Twilight.. Then there is Yuki. Yuki is a bit clumsy, but is very endearing and is always trying to help people. There are still many other fun and interesting characters (mostly vampires ) that all together make a fantastic story.

 

Matsuri Hino has four series published in English. The first was Captive Hearts, a five-volume series that ran from 1999 to 2002. Next was MeruPuri, a four-volume series that ran from 2002 to 2004, then Vampire Knight, 19 volumes long and ran from 2004 to 2013. Last, but not least was Wanted, a one shot that was published in 2005.