Rosario + Vampire Volume 1

A powerful girl loves a wimpy wuss – if there was ever a classic shonen manga formula for romantic comedy, this is it. Toss in some monsters, mild sexual innuendo, kick-butt fight scenes and put it in a high school setting and you have Rosario + Vampire.

The stories do get repetitive, but it's nice to see Moka the vampire being strong-willed versus just being blindly devoted to her wimpy human boyfriend. While its cheesecake shots make it less than wholesome, Rosario + Vampire does include worthwhile themes for teens about friendship, loyalty and courage. A fun and satisfying, albeit formulaic teen fantasy.

By most definitions, high school student Tsukune is a bit of a loser. He flunked all of his high school entrance exams, so he finds himself at the one school he could get into, Yokai Academy. The catch is that "Yokai" means "monster" and Yokai Academy is a high school for vampires, demons and werewolves.

Fortunately for Tsukune, Yokai students are required to maintain human form, so his secret is safe for a while. As an added bonus, Tsukune also becomes a chick magnet to the demon girls, who inexplicably prefer this wimpy wuss over their hunky monster classmates.

The girl who's crushing on him hardest is Moka, a pretty pink-haired vampire, who's hooked on Tsukune's "delicious" blood. Thus begins another "magical ditz loves doofus" shonen manga romantic comedy, in the tradition of Oh My Goddess!. The key difference here is that Moka isn't just a blushing flower who'll do anything for Tsukune – she has a darker, meaner and more powerful side to her personality that's unleashed when her cross pendant is ripped off. This triple-caffeinated Moka is a full-fledged vampire who can kick demon butt with bone-crunching efficiency. She's also a less love-struck version of Moka, who angrily informs Tsukune when he's done something that has made him unworthy of her devotion. You tell 'em, sister.

With its fanservice flashes of thighs, breasts and underwear, Rosario + Vampire can seem a bit unwholesome. But if you scratch below the cheesecake, there are some worthwhile teen themes about friendship, loyalty and courage here.

On the downside, Ikeda relies on a single repetitive storyline: hunky monster loves Moka or pretty demon pursues Tsukune, misunderstandings and a fight ensues. Moka kicks butt and all is well again. It's fun for now, but it'll quickly become boring if Ikeda doesn't mix it up a bit in later volumes.

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