by Matsuri Hino, 196 pagesCross Academy serves two student bodies: humans by day, vampires by night. Headmaster Cross, himself a former vampire hunter, dreams of peaceful coexistence between the two, and the latter's agreement to attend, albeit without the former's knowledge of their true nature, is a testament to their faith in his dream. At least, it was. Now there are only day students, as the vampires have largely followed their dorm president and now de facto leader Kaname Kuran after the recent chaos brought about by collusion between corrupt elements from both the Vampire Senate and the Hunter Society. And Cross's own loved ones have been caught in the crossfire. His adopted daughter Yuki has recalled her forgotten past and chosen to leave with her long-time protector Kaname. And Cross's ward, Zero, a victim of a vampire attack as a child, and once friend to Yuki, has vowed to kill her the next time they meet--that is, if he doesn't descend to a level E crazed vampire first. But Cross won't abandon his dream, and he won't abandon hope for the ones he cares about. Can anything heal the wounds of this seemingly eternal conflict?
Oh, the angsty vampire melodrama! It is fun, dark, complicated, and, obviously, melodramatic. I still have a hard time telling some of the side characters apart (and there are a lot of characters to keep straight, especially amongst the younger vampires), but the main trio and the primary adults are easy enough to pick out. The plot is chuck-full of intrigue and internal struggles and the characters are both individuals and archetypes. I want to know what happens next! I hate soap operas, and yet I am happily sucked into this one. Go figure.
I read this back when Shojo Beat magazine was still around and I got sucked into it too. I need to get the manga volumes and catch up-it's angsty but so good!
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