The Series:
Geneon has released another girls-at-school anime show, but this one
has a twist; the main character comes from a family of vampires.
With all the usual trappings of a school anime Karin is a fun series
that also has a slightly more complex plot and a good amount of humor.
The way that the series treats the main character's vampirism is also unique
and could turn out to be rather interesting.
Karin Maacka has some problems. Her mother is overbearing, her
younger sister is a bit weird, and 'that time of the month' started on
a day that she has gym class. As if that wasn't enough to worry about,
she comes from a family of vampires. She's not a vampire herself;
in fact she's an un-vampire. Instead of having a deficiency of blood, she
makes too much which manifests itself as a nose bleed. This happens
whenever she's around the new transfer student, Usui. He's a tall,
fairly attractive boy, and whenever he gets around Karin, her blood level
increases to an explosive extent.
The vampires in Karin's family all have an affinity for a certain type
of blood. Her mother enjoys drinking the blood of liars and her brother only
drinks the blood of people who are stressed. Karin does have some
vampire tendencies, and she's attracted to people who are unhappy.
Her life gets even more complicated when the blood lust comes over her in a park one day. She bites the neck of a businessman and drinks deeply. (She doesn't kill him of course.) Usui sees her from behind and thinks
that she's a high school escort. It's a rumor that Karin wants to deny, but she can't think of any other explination for what he saw.
A few days later Karin bites Usui's mother after she's been fired from
her job. Usui once again sees what happens and can't believe his eyes.
When his mother awakens however, she's oddly happy. It's as if all
the sadness in her life has been sucked away. Usui is perplexed at
his mother's change in attitude, but the bite marks on her neck don't lie.
He starts to wonder if Karin could be a vampire.
This is a fun series though it's a bit too early to tell how it's going
to go. These first four episodes lay the ground work but still leave
a lot of questions unanswered. They need to explain just what type
of vampire Karin is. It's rather perplexing that the state in the
opening that she's not a vampire, yet she bites a person in each episode
(though granted one is in a dream.) It's also a little too early
to tell if this show is going to be a light drama with a fair amount of
comedy, or if the more serious aspects will come to the front. As
these episodes play out the show does become more grave (no pun intended)
but it never becomes somber. So far this is a show with a lot of
possibilities.
The DVD:
This DVD comes with four episodes and is housed in a clear keepcase
with a reversible cover and an insert. In addition to the DVD-only
version, there is a limited edition release that comes with a nicely illustrated
slipcase that will hold all six volumes of the series.
Audio:
This disc comes with the original Japanese soundtrack and an English
dub, both in stereo. I alternated tracks and found the Japanese track
to be superior to the dub. Karin's voice is just a bit too whiney and high
pitched for my tastes in the English version. Both tracks were clean
and clear however. There was some use of the front soundstage, and
the trrikikikik sound that was used for scene changes pans across from
left to right in a satisfying manner. Overall this was a solid sounding
disc.
Video:
The 1.78:1 widescreen image looks pretty good. The colors were
solid and bright and the lines were tight. The only problem with
the transfer is the fact that aliasing is present and is a little more
prevalent than the average anime show. There is also a touch of edge
enhancement in many scenes which can be distracting on larger displays.
Even with these defects the show looks fine and should please viewers.
Extras:
The only bonus item is a textless opening and a series of three trailers.
Final Thoughts:
It's a bit too early to really say where this show is going, but so
far it's worth picking up. With a good mix of solid story line and
humorous interludes the program is both fun and interesting. It also
has a few odd moments that give the show some style. Recommended.
Buy: