English Dub Review: Vampire Dormitory “Love 12. The pretty boy vows?!”
Overview (Spoilers Below):
With Mito and Ren’s marriage underway, Ruka takes a final shot to tell Mito how he feels. He hands her the sang sucre as a last gift, but will it be enough to restore Mito’s memories of her beautiful life at the dorm?
Our Take:
The last few episodes of Vampire Dormitory have been rough, and I’m not just talking about the characters. I understand it’s part of the romance genre, but some of their actions have left me feeling more questionable than emotional. I wouldn’t say the show has gone entirely downhill, but it does feel like it hasn’t improved with its tropes. This makes the season finale a make-it-or-break-it situation that determines the overall series.
Unsurprisingly, the season finale of Vampire Dormitory played off exactly as I expected. During the wedding between Mito and Ren, Ruka successfully restores Mito’s memories of him, thanks to the sang sucre, which turns bright red at the beginning of the episode. This signifies Ruka’s deep love for Mito, foiling Ren’s father’s plan to become ruler of the vampires. More importantly, Ruka finally realizes that Mito and his “destined partner“ are the same, and guess what? He accepts Mito for who she is! But, of course, Mito still has to disguise herself as a boy to keep living in the dorm. The good news is that she’ll be safe with Ruka…at least until the second season.
I’ll explain my thoughts about this show in my upcoming season review. Until then, I can say that Vampire Dormitory is another typically flawed romance anime, but with vampires. It started well until its second half, which relies heavily on its predictable cliches and dumb character choices, especially in its finale. But, on the bright side, it’s more tolerable than Twilight. As for what we might expect in its potential second season, Takara and Juri’s relationship is at a complete standstill, and a new student has arrived at the academy. If we were to get a second season of this, we may find out who that student could be. Unfortunately, I didn’t care much about the show to make me eager for its continuation.
I hope this turns out to be another Gravity Falls-type show with an overarching storyline.