I adore you and agree with almost everything you have said here...except I got the idea that Kaname was young when he released Shizuka, and besides, that is not why Zeros parents died. They died becaue Rido, angered and humiliated by Shizuka escape with her lover, used his connections in the Association to put the ex-human on the list even though he was complete table and thus, sane. Zeros parents just happened to be the ones that took him out - as ordered.
I have been reading Vampire Knight since school and this is the literally my thoughts in your words.
I was so disappointed with this...
This could be so much better.m
I adore you!! I have the exact same complaints!!
I am a kaze fan for life. Will not change. So, I want to see some love for Zero.
I would have loved to see Ren and his interaction with the world.
I want to see how he tackles the bigotry in the Vampire and Hunter society. How he became who he is now. and his family.
Also, I want a story on Shizuka..her character was beautifully tragic. And her life with Ichiru is left unanswered. So many things can be improved to make this story good.
Ren as a whole is such an interesting character! He's the son of a hunter and a pureblood vampire, he's a vampire noble and forced into subservience to his sister by his nature. Ai has indicated that she has no problem giving him orders and he obeys them. He's the quiet watcher character that notices everything that goes on around him. Unlike Zero, he lacks the ability to rebel, and the strength that comes with that. He was also raised wealthy, not struggling. The potential for character development is so thick it's impossible to miss.
But it's looking like we might miss it anyway.
Can you imagine even half the things you could do with his character? All the ways you could run him through the wringer to find himself separate from his sister, his parents, and his legacy? It's such a waste!
I know!!! Ren will have a lineage of both pureblood and hunters. He would be compared to Zero and how the kiryuu lineage fell by the hunters. Would he be outraged by that? Or would he simply not care as he is not a hunter. Also, because he looks similar to zero, did Ai have any problems interacting with him at first? Did she feel jealous that he was truly Zeros son and not her? Or did she think that she could replace him but realize he was a different person. Vampires are described as incredibly possessive. But, they've not developed that to nothing more than a extremely dependent relationship. Possessiveness can have many forms from an intense need to protect to a deep deep love to darker evils. The manga has tuned down so many darker aspects of vampire life that it itself boasted about.
I feel that I can go on forever about the characters from vampire knight as it is a guilty pleasure of mine. I love the art, the characters and what it could be yet hate what it is. So I am forever forced to look forward to a chapter and be disappointed in the end.
I'd agree except Kaname wasn't the original Kaname. He was the ancestor. So he didn't have the consciousness of a child. The wiki says that he actually admitted to releasing Shizuka with the intention of her killing Zero's parents. Don't remember where though. Apparently Sara told him and when Zero confronted Kaname he admitted it.
Kaname did a lot of wrong and the reasons were not always justified. But I think he knew that. In his mind he always saw death at the end of the line. But he was going to twist the entire world around his final goal. That was all that mattered. Himself and everyone else were just pieces on a chessboard. It was a sad way to live and die.
Don't get me wrong, Kaname's character is just as rich as Zero's. That's why it's so easy to ship them. They're actually complementary. Their demons play well together, to paraphrase an author. But neither character would have been as powerful without the flaws they had, and they both had many. I love them both.
Oh I totally hear you. I'm working on 3 fanfics for VK right now and the more I get into the characters, the more I want to wax poetic about how complex the universe is and how many places it could lead. Taking 'Memories' and Yuki in general, out of the equation, most of the characters are carefully threaded through the universe in a way that is incredibly rare in manga. It makes them complex, if in varying degrees. Kaname and Zero are obviously the most detailed. But (prior to memories) each character had 'life'.
(Yuki was obviously meant to be an avatar for the reader, but that makes her a Mary Sue and a Mary Sue is a terrible character.)
If you want to know how much I love the universe, all you have to know is that I'm having Bloody Rose tattooed on my left upper arm. It's my favourite symbol in the universe, Zero is my favourite character, and it's just beautiful in general. Just need to wait a year or two in case I need arm surgery (since I'm not young anymore) and then I can get it done. This isn't my favourite manga, but it really is one of the most unique experiences out there. Psychology, politics, world dynamics, culture, ethics, survival...all of it came into play and made this truly shine beyond its medium. I don't regret reading the original, but I think it's safe to say the mangaka has exhausted her talent. There's no shame in it really, reaching our limits and stretching beyond them is how we grow. But from our perspective, it's just a shame.
Btw, have you read Blackened Wings Crimson Door series? If you are a KaZe fan and haven't, you should definitely give it a go. She's got two versions, one with 3P and one just Kaname/Zero (which is the one I read). Long, multi-chaptered books. They're the best out there at this point in time.
Give me the link to all your fanfictions!!!!
Also..yes I have read them. I have read almost all the vampire knight fiction known to man. My favorites are those where Yuki is a kind soul who wishes for the best of Kaname and Zero and also where they both love Zero. There are also some very very good self insert fanfics. If you're interested, I'll send you the links to my favorite fanfics. Some are OOC to the max but the author does a great job in storytelling that you get sucked in. While most stay true to the character.
Thanks but I'm a KaZe exclusive shipper. There are two exceptions: I don't mind Aidou as a partner but I've never found a decently written fic. I also read a good one with Kain/Zero (I think it's called 'Burning Lantern Bright). But generally it's KaZe or bust and I think I've read literally all of those. My favourites:
Crimson Series - BlackenedWing
Cross our hearts, don't hope to die - Yumiii
The Other Half Of Myself - YenGirl
Unholy Matrimony - Penguita38
I'm a little shy when it comes to posting my fanfic. I have a two short ones ready for final edit but then I think 'just one more edit' (●'◡'●)
I'll link you when I get the guts to post them <3
Should also mention I don't post WiP's because (1) I don't want to discontinue anything and leave writers disappointed. (2) The story can change dramatically as it progresses and needs an edit. If you don't mind a WiPs, I can give you a sneak peak of the long one I'm working on now. But it's probably going to change quite a bit as I refine the language, so you could say it's a little rough around the edges.
I have read them all.
My favorites are To rule the world-nariai
The week of four thirsdays- madmaend
Moon drop ' TNWwanderer
Any work by scarletdropoofink and more
The indication at the end of the original manga seemed to be that Kaname actually loved both of them. But because of the circumstances and Kaname's plan, he chose to prioritize Yuki. In hindsight the choice actually made a lot of sense, especially since Kaname organized the death of Zero's parents. Also in hindsight, we can see shades of affection between the two through the manga which would make such an end realistic. So I personally was hoping to see that affection integrated into this sequel. It's honestly disappointing to see the manganka reinforcing a singular love on Kaname's part. It cheapens his character.
I also really hated Yuki at the start of this sequel and was disappointed with Zero, who was so beautifully complex and strong in the original. Zero in the original showed a great ability to adapt and progress with his life despite how much was taken from him after Yuki made her choice to go with Kaname. This is especially shown with Aidou. I'm usually a 'forever' kind of person because that's what fiction is for. But I was honestly looking forward to someone loving Zero as completely as he had the capacity to love.
Instead, I got Yuki steadily dragging him around like a dog, holding him tethered on a leash. Waiting while she mourned Kaname and spitting on his feelings for her. I felt his character took a massive step back by letting her walk all over him. Both for the sake of their relationship and who Zero was.
Now the mangaka seems more aware that Yuki's character was coming across as a selfish bitch and is trying to enforce that Yuki did actually love Zero. But for me it's falling flat. She has to make Yuki more like Kaname in order to achieve it. Instead she should have just gone for it and united the three in equal affection. It would have made all the characters more interesting and the annoying brattiness of Yuki less grating. It also would have allowed the focus to shift more on what went unsaid in the original manga. We already knew that Yuki loved them both (selfishly and childishly IMO). But that brings their relationship to each other as being the only unknown.
Still, I was very much enjoying Kaname's interaction with the Ai and Ren. I hope we get back to them soon. I actually thought the manga was going to focus on Ren which would have been interesting since he should have some mixed feelings about Kaname. At least he should be wondering if Kaname hates him for being Zero's kid since the mangaka decided not to go with the teased 3P. It seems she's moving back to Ai though and honestly? I have no idea why. Ai is a fun character but she's a showy one. There's nothing to uncover there, there's nothing subtle about her. There's a lot of ways to bring out her interesting points in how she relates to the world but so far the mangaka has created another Mary Sue. Being bad at cooking is not adding flaws to your character.
The mangaka's world-building can't be beaten. Her art-style is usually gorgeous (the latest chapter was off but everyone has their bad days). Where she fails is navigating the relationships. Yuki has not grown to be a generally good person to the people in her life. She's selfish and arrogant, she maintains leadership only because of her power and Kaname's legacy, while simultaneously showing none of the leadership qualities Kaname and Zero both possess. Which is truly a shame because she is meant to be a strong female character, but the character is unable to demonstrate true strength.
That Ruka maintained her affection for Kaname was honestly ridiculous. That Yori went crying to Yuki as if Aidiou suggesting she get turned very politely made me wish they broke up because girls like that aren't worth a damn. And I loved how Yori was handled so it was sad that broke the character for me. Cross had a lot of potential here, his story only getting more interesting. But that they tried to hint at affection for Yuki's mother was terrible writing, and the mangaka's trying to maintain an air of secrecy with too much dedication. I no longer care about his character at all. Pairing up everyone was a huge mistake IMO. In fiction we call it 'pairing up the spares' and it's a generally cheap tactic better left to those of us who are fanfiction writers. Shiki and Rima had a fascinating relationship where they seemed to be in sync. It makes no sense that they would feel the need to add marriage to that. It conflicts with the kinds of personalities they have.
The sense of the plot overall is extremely scattered. This would normally be forgiven as memories', but not in the manner it was tackled. You can't write a story of memories where the person experiencing the memories is mostly absent. You can't have memories without an unreliable narrator. At the same time, these memories are useless. The plot is going nowhere. Nothing will change once Kaname learns what has happened, if these 'memories' are even being consciously acknowledged. Yuki and Zero are both dead. Kaname is living a human life. He's already tackling this well. All this backstory seems meant to feed the Zero/Yuki fangirls (of which I am not one. KaZe for life - and yes I am an adult). But those of us who like Zero usually appreciate the complexity of his character. The way he chose to adapt and survive but kept getting dragged back by his past. The potential for him to become stronger and cultivate independence and become a truly good man in time (as opposed to the dog the mangaka has made him), not by inheriting power but by fighting to be better. There were indications in the original that the manganka was unequal to the task of portraying such a character as she kept bouncing around the line she would have needed to walk. But it's sad to see it come to this end.
Overall, I will be here for the next issue and the next. I hate unfinished stories and I don't hate this manga. If I did I'd just skip over it it instead of ranting about where it failed. That I love this universe so much is why it has the power to break my heart. It's just incredibly disappointing for a writer to look at something with so much potential and creativity, and watch another writer screw it up.