is V.K. losing its touch?

hey, it's LANA DEL REY.
i've been on the Jap version of amazon and i've been looking at the V.K. titles and they all have 5/5 right up until volume 11.
which is the start of arc 2.
is the reason arc 2 has so many holes (and unanswered questions) because hino feels like no one cares for her manga anymore?
and i've noticed that the art hasn't been quite so sharp as it used to be.
and as much as i love arc 2, it just isn't as catchy as arc 1.
is it just me?
what do you guys think?

It's kind of lost it's touch.

The story is starting to drag especially the love triangle. Also we haven't had a good villain since Rido. Sara was a very disappointing villain.

Most fans have been tired to anticipate Hino's explanations, about the plot that she has created so far...

the LT...

Profoundly she has tired both ships, losing their faith and interest in the story since it's dragging. More than this very few fanservice scenes, certainly not enough to keep the fandom moving.

I think that part of fandom's misconceptions about Yuuki's feelings is also Hino's fault since she blends too many things in the way, making it very hard for one to see what Yuuki's real intentions are. Yes, it has been tiring all the way up to here and more than this i think that Hino could have made it even without presenting such a long LT. Or at least having sorted out the things, the results would be better for her than what they are now.

The plot
Vary vague, and very confusing. It's okay to prolong the mystery and such and it's exciting for the readers to try and interpret actions and certain events based on the profile of the characters and what they have learned so far, but it's frustrating when she throws a hint here and there, drops it for five chapters and then comes back to it, or does not develop it enough to be convincing at least to worth the anticipation. It's too dramatized this way without a real factor underneath.

Generally the plot is dragging too, still i wait answers since i have followed for so long and she owns to give them to us, if she wishes a complete story and not some kind of net with holes big enough for sharks to pass through.

The characters

Have really dropped i believe in relation to the expectations that she had raised through her story and the first arc.

If you exempt Kaname who is a complete character, Zero and Yuuki (IMO) were not given the development that we were waiting here. Yuuki, okay she is the heroine and somewhere in a shoujo, one should not expect too much or rapid changes, but for Zero, the plot so far has been disappointing.

His reconciliation with the pureblood and a greater depth of maturity was expected, we are approaching the end and there is little space left to really enjoy and live his change in becoming the mature and independent personality. He should have reached a point up to now, that independently of Yuuki, would be able to see more of his psychology changing towards the better. At least since there was no significant development between him and Yuuki in making a romantic step, there should be a point of satisfaction made for his fans as an overall character, which would justify and far better the decision to succeed Kain in the HA. Right now, Kain seems to stand alone in his co-existence project as a vampire hunter, a maturity that Zero still has not proven to have. At least there a few chapters, perhaps Hino leaves us with a taste of that change but again i think that she emphasized more a solid behaviour that we had seen in the past, instead of giving him more attributes to start shaping and improving him.

In overall, i do not blame the fans that have been tired of the script, i am also and unless some good answers are given, i shall not say that i was satisfied, because after all the LT, there is a plot and she should balance it.

i don't know about that, i mean the way HINO draws them are a lot better later on in the story, than when they were drawn in the beginning... i think it was an improvement from these... http://www.mangaeden.com/en-manga/vampire-knight/1/14/ ; http://www.mangaeden.com/en-manga/vampire-knight/1/15/ ( taken from chapter 1 page 14 & 15 ) to this... http://www.mangaeden.com/en-manga/vampire-knight/20/48/ http://www.mangaeden.com/en-manga/vampire-knight/20/49/ (taken from chapter 20 page 48 & 49)

the thing that i would agree on, is that HINO probably draws a lot less in the panels, and did drag a bit with the love triangle... but i think the love triangle is already done for.. i think that yuuki is going to stick with kaname (not saying that he will stay with her, given what's happened so far
) and i don't think there are many chapters left to the series anyway... these are just my opinions...

darkwolf123 wrote:i don't know about that, i mean the way HINO draws them are a lot better later on in the story, than when they were drawn in the beginning... i think it was an improvement from these... http://www.mangaeden.com/en-manga/vampire-knight/1/14/ ; http://www.mangaeden.com/en-manga/vampire-knight/1/15/ ( taken from chapter 1 page 14 & 15 ) to this... http://www.mangaeden.com/en-manga/vampire-knight/20/48/ http://www.mangaeden.com/en-manga/vampire-knight/20/49/ (taken from chapter 20 page 48 & 49)

the thing that i would agree on, is that HINO probably draws a lot less in the panels, and did drag a bit with the love triangle... but i think the love triangle is already done for.. i think that yuuki is going to stick with kaname (not saying that he will stay with her, given what's happened so far
) and i don't think there are many chapters left to the series anyway... these are just my opinions...

i completely agree!
her artwork has improved so much! kaname/zero almost look girly in the begining
i've heard that pple think that the artwork does not express much anymore, but honestly, i think they are wrong kaname has been looking depressed for awhile with pretty much a frown, but it's true to how he's feeling! yuuki and zero...it all matches in to where they are.

but yes, the love triangle may have dragged a little, though it has seemed obvious from the first that it was more of a yume situation.
zero should have progressed more, but on the other hand, it's hard to overcome what's pretty much ingrained in you since "birth" i think he has done quite well overall.

for yuuki though i'd say it's about time she caught up with her age! but perhaps kaname simply encouraged that.

how to take it really? i think it all folds in with the story.
the complications and mystery has not bothered me at all, i know that it'll get revealed soon

now some chapters were a rather of a drag and not needed and so rather frustrating to deal with, but hino has not done much of those, so it's ok.

it's hard to keep it up just right, so overall all i think she did a marvelous job imo.

it is almost done know, and i think the same...there will not be much more chapters now.

i love it as much as i did when i first read it!

Saphira_Kuran wrote:

darkwolf123 wrote:i don't know about that, i mean the way HINO draws them are a lot better later on in the story, than when they were drawn in the beginning... i think it was an improvement from these... http://www.mangaeden.com/en-manga/vampire-knight/1/14/ ; http://www.mangaeden.com/en-manga/vampire-knight/1/15/ ( taken from chapter 1 page 14 & 15 ) to this... http://www.mangaeden.com/en-manga/vampire-knight/20/48/ http://www.mangaeden.com/en-manga/vampire-knight/20/49/ (taken from chapter 20 page 48 & 49)

the thing that i would agree on, is that HINO probably draws a lot less in the panels, and did drag a bit with the love triangle... but i think the love triangle is already done for.. i think that yuuki is going to stick with kaname (not saying that he will stay with her, given what's happened so far
) and i don't think there are many chapters left to the series anyway... these are just my opinions...

i completely agree!
her artwork has improved so much! kaname/zero almost look girly in the begining
i've heard that pple think that the artwork does not express much anymore, but honestly, i think they are wrong kaname has been looking depressed for awhile with pretty much a frown, but it's true to how he's feeling! yuuki and zero...it all matches in to where they are.

but yes, the love triangle may have dragged a little, though it has seemed obvious from the first that it was more of a yume situation.
zero should have progressed more, but on the other hand, it's hard to overcome what's pretty much ingrained in you since "birth" i think he has done quite well overall.

for yuuki though i'd say it's about time she caught up with her age! but perhaps kaname simply encouraged that.

how to take it really? i think it all folds in with the story.
the complications and mystery has not bothered me at all, i know that it'll get revealed soon

now some chapters were a rather of a drag and not needed and so rather frustrating to deal with, but hino has not done much of those, so it's ok.

it's hard to keep it up just right, so overall all i think she did a marvelous job imo.

it is almost done know, and i think the same...there will not be much more chapters now.

i love it as much as i did when i first read it!

yay! another person who agrees! i too love the comic more than when i first started to read it!

darkwolf123 wrote:
yay! another person who agrees! i too love the comic more than when i first started to read it!

Mmm… losing its touch compared to what? Compared to the 1st arc for example?
Personally cannot make an objectively estimation yet for two reasons:
First cuz the 1st arc I’d read it in one go, while the 2nd chapter by chapter, which is quite different… and secondly cuz we do not have it completed.
The end of a story at least for me is very important. I have read good stories with crappy or rushed endings and that changed my whole view, not to mention that I never re-read them again.
So I preserve my final evaluation for the end.

However I agree with some points that have been mentioned.
The art for example … I think that has been improved majorly since the beginning at least as concerns the characters. I have heard some “complaints” about the panels not being so filled and such, but even if that stands for the monthly chapters, it doesn’t for the volumes… The art there is outstanding! I almost have melted them hahaha
And to be honest I think we would’ve been a tad unfair with Hino if we stuck on such details the moment that her art –even with its flaws- is one of the best out there. From so many shoujo that I have read I can only find very few, counted on one hand that can be compared with VK’s art. If I am to blame Hino for something is that she has spoiled me with her art that much, that now is very difficult for me to be satisfied from other mangaka lol

About the LT… I agree that has been dragged for long –unnecessarily IMO since I believe that VK had to offer much more than a LT … a LT which in the end of the day has overshadowed unfairly a rich and very interesting plot- but even though that the vast majority of the fandom seems to agree on that, still from what I see the most favourable theme which generates endless discussions is the LT… so how is this possible?
I for one, being tired from it, I was very reluctant discussing it … I’m not saying that I didn’t but with not so much pleasure as the discussions about the rest of the plot offered me.
What I’m trying to say here is; is it possible that the fandom itself to have played a role in this dragging? Sure every author that respects own self and its work doesn’t change the course or the core of its story according to its fans wishes; however perhaps it can be influenced by them on a degree preserving its popularity…

On the other hand, is it possible many things that weren’t meant to fuel the LT to have been viewed as such; from portions of the fandom, cuz it was convenient? A prime example is this last chapter … usually a bed-sex-scene in a shoujo seals the deal… leaving no space for the rival character … however in our fandom that’s not the case! O.o
Still there are fans who hope or wish that Yuuki will regret and turn to Zero eventually… (being indifferent to what this would mean for the quality of the story … but this is another story lol)
And I wonder; is this Hino’s fault? Is she the one who drags the LT always?
With that been said I do not mean that Hino didn’t play or troll with the LT many times… it’s just that I think is up to us sometimes to distinguish which parts/scenes/words had the greater gravity and which were there to spicy the LT or create obstacles and angst for the canon couple.

IMO what might have “tired” or discouraged some fans is the recession of the romantic element in general cuz bottom line VK is a shoujo and romance is very important.
Kaname and Yuuki were apart for a long time now whereas the Zeki didn’t have any progression as concerns romance… a few drops here and there or the underlying romantic emotions probably weren’t enough for a shoujo’s audience.
Secondly the seemingly disconnected rest of the plot, made it even more complicated especially for fans who read the chapter once every month and then dropped it till the next one. VK is definitely not for such readers because is like a huge puzzle demanding from the reader to place and re-place the pieces while waiting for new ones to be revealed…
Hence the mystery is good but perhaps Hino had “left out” part of the fandom for long by dragging it a tad farther than she should. Although this might be a false impression of mine due to I read this 2nd arc chapter by chapter as I said in the beginning.

But this last chapter raised again my hopes and expectations (and I’m not referring on the bed scene) that she will succeed to deliver a solid plot, picking up all the seemingly random scenes that had planted here and there giving in the end a complete arc as her 1st one.

We shall see…

For a fan who has read most of chapters in a monthly basis . ( I started reading in 2006 . When the now ended Shojo Beat magazine started in USA . Only read 9 online chapters in a row from 38 to 47 when that magazine was discontinued . ) I usually read series when completed or in book format . I tend to read more than 1 chapter of most series per time . The wait for the end has being long .

For the first half , I read V. K. without any outside input from fans . So I get basically my own opinions . After starting reading V. K. online . I began to read fans opinions and about 6 months later started to write my own .

I did notice a ton of differences over the years . Specially that the art has improved over the years . That the book version has add - ons on several chapters and more detail in background . As Hino tends to make a lot of corrections at the book version .

What I did found strange was to see so many people interpreting so different the story from my own .( And I'm talking about the first arc impression . The one I had no prior input from fans . Things got worse with the second arc plot . ) Specially when time has confirmed most of my initial ideas were right .

Maybe this is why a lot of people are disappointed with the second arc . They were expecting to see a development where the story made Yuuki discovers her love for Kaname was only brotherly and / or an illusion and her love for Zero was the real deal . But the story has continued to keep the LT alive by saying her heart continues to care for Zero and at the same time keeps looking after Kaname even after her leaving her . If the story was Shounen , this wouldn't happen . As the romance would be secondary to the plot . But maybe this lag to make clear who is going to be the final pair has make a lot of people mad when things don't sway in their favorite direction .

Maybe the main reason I continue to be a fan is because I have being patient . I had not freak as much as the common fan when things do not follow what I expected . That the little details and clues I gathered for many years did have some use as predictive tools . Making me expect some things many fans didn't . To consider a lot of possibilities . So not a lot of things take me by surprise .

And I did had to be patient to write in fan forums where I was the minority . As many times I was the one under attack for writing some "crazy theory "or defending some character actions . But the irony has being time gave me reason for some of that crazed stuff .

hmmmm, hard topic.
i think that the art has gotten better since the first few volumes BUT it has become blurry and unclear as well as less in little boxes. but other than that the art is fine!
i would say the first arc was more addictive BUT we have to remember that the 2ed arc isn't done and i'm sure that when it is done it will be just as good if not better then the 1st arc.
what i want to know is if MATSURI HINO is going to release a new artbook with all of her new drawings.
i would love this wouldn't you?
but i doubt we will get one since most manga's only ever release 1 art book.....

lalaland wrote:hmmmm, hard topic.
i think that the art has gotten better since the first few volumes BUT it has become blurry and unclear as well as less in little boxes. but other than that the art is fine!
i would say the first arc was more addictive BUT we have to remember that the 2ed arc isn't done and i'm sure that when it is done it will be just as good if not better then the 1st arc.
what i want to know is if MATSURI HINO is going to release a new artbook with all of her new drawings.
i would love this wouldn't you?
but i doubt we will get one since most manga's only ever release 1 art book.....

yes! a new artbook would be awesome. i wish she would consider it, as her artwork has after all improved. perhaps she may make an exception?
i do agree the panels are a little less...detailed. i suppose it doesn't really bother me, as the characters are so well done lol. still, it is nice to see some with more as she has done recently.
i agree. 2nd arc will prove just as exciting...i've not been disapointed yet

I don't know people are hasting this with this kind of commentary when the manga is still in the process of development and ongoing,how can you say it dropped when we got a good chapter 89 with some yume scene,also kaname said he won't run away from yuuki anymore,this means the final arc is taking it's place,maybe i could make some predict about chapter 90:


-Kaname wakes up and gets ready to trow his herat at the furnace,Kaien asks him if it'1s ok just to leave Yuuki alone?Kaname have the intention to sacrifice himself for love,to save Yuuki from bad vampires,by giving the hunters the best furnace to make anti-vampire weapons,but that's definatly not what Kaien,Ruka,Akatsuki,Rima,Senri,Yuuki or Hanabusa wants to happen,In the meanwhile Hino wants to show that mystery about Kaname's plans...


Even about the Touma clan attacking the Kuran Clan,If i were Hino i would make it so that Yuuki rocks on Kaname's blood again to continue the story of his past,after the HW died he achieved many things for her,that's the point,what have he done in that time 10,000 years ago? Even if he's the ancestor now i found Kaname pretty Like Human,with a troubled face when holding Yuuki,That means Hino is providing us another side of Kaname that we didn't know before,the chess players are already settled,Touma x Kuran...Unfortunally we can only find out at day 25 of february I can only wait while breaking my mind to understand whaat Hino is taking so long to explain the happy final end plot?


Even if her plot dropped a little,the ART is better than ever,she improved so much in a short time so i can't complain that much,even if i dropped the manga for 2 months it doesn't mean i had dropped it forever,i was just sad that the story was taking it to Kaname's death,just that,But i can say happily that chapter 89 gave me more hope than ever now!Even if Kaname went to the furnace,ayUUKI Would be there to stop him,and so as Kaien...

Now,the real question is:-Who would die in Kaname's place?
Touma?Isaya?or someone else who didn't appeared from the shadows.

So my answer to the question is,VK is not dropping on quality,it's just taking too long for Hino to make Kaname's real intentions and the final arc bringing some surprises that makes us a little bit disapointed,It's been ongoing for so much long time and is famous series,it can't end with a sad yume moment right?