Its open season for vampires. Not in the classic Dracula/Hellsing/Blade badass archetypes of course, thanks to Meyer the rules on vampire mythology have been rewritten, now comprising of fluffy teenagers, who'd rather worry about organising school events then biting necks. Brother and sister Lori and Erika Sendo are your standard modern vamps, pretty, popular, zero aversion to sunlight, the works. Just be thankful they don't sparkle.
Despite introducing (and painfully explaining) the vampire subplot in the second episode, that minor detail seems forgotten to the point of being inconsequential during the following events. As the show attempts to warm the audience to its characters by showcasing day to day school events and the blossoming romance between Erika and Kohei Hasekura, clichés are kept at a distance. Until they make a sour point of returning.
Erika faces a dilemma, at the end of her high school year she must have bitten at least one human and made them her 'servant' - remains human but has supernatural powers and lasting life, or return home to Mummy dear and never see the light of day. Wow. Tough breaks [/sarcasm]. Of course Erika doesn't want to be a vampire, she wants to be human, which is why she actively denies herself blood, and I'll leave you to work out the consequences. So, the main problem I have with this storyline, is that I don't sympathize with Erika. At all. Presumably I'm suppose to, but honestly she just comes across as annoying. Ironically its not even Erika's fault. The show has fallen into the trap of presenting its vampires as perfect, so popular, so attractive, so good at school and sports, that the siblings are naturally idolized by their peers. What the average teens wishes they could be like. And all Erika has to do to maintain this is drink a couple of transfusions bags. Yet she doesn't want to. Because she is stubborn. Therefore annoying.
On top of that the premise has been done to death and much, much better. It lacks the broodiness of Vampire Knight or the comic charm of Karin/Chibi Vampire to be a really good romance. With the finale right around the corner, its doubtful the Fortune Arterial will be able to redeem itself. Not if the ending is as predictable as it seems. Erika bites Kohei. They live happily ever after. The end.
What a bore.
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