From Plus To Cross.      Her Shoes.      Flaw of Supply and Demand.

Rosario Vampire Season Two Volume 12.
For the third or fourth time with thanks to Hastings for putting it out on the shelf days ahead of schedule.


    There is a podcast I like to listen to. It's about a sci-fi show from the 1960's. (There was a time you could say things the 20's, 30's, and even the 80's. Now you have to say "The 1930's or people could get confused.) The format the hosts use is to give a synopsis,talk about things they noticed, and finally give their thoughts and feelings. For spoilers' sake I'm going to skip the first one and go straight to the other two. To me it seems that Akihisa Ikeda is doing two things: dragging this out as long as possible and tie up as many loose ends as he can with a deadline of 13 volumes. In the process we (or more precisely me) the readers are getting the feeling that Ikeda is tired of the series.

    I know the feeling. You've been working on something for many years Sometimes you get tired of it; and you're not doing what you want or you want to do something else. But, you have to finish up one project before starting another. Inevitably things drop through the cracks. There's a lot of people that just up and disappear. Some are brought in like Issa Shuzen only to be forgotten. Then we still have the whole gauntlet match going on. Also Gyokuro's mad plans revealed seem to be just an attempt to add more drama where we really didn't need any. Every time we think we could be encountering the final battle, nope.

    Much to my disappointment more than a few of my snide comments about how this volume was going to run came true. Things like crashing the airship, mass extinctions, and even a Volume 13. While not all of it can true exactly as I said, close enough. I was worried about this volume and I was right. Even with the extended deadline of a Volume 13, things are not looking all that great. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm seeing an ending with a whole lot of loose ends. Ikeda is better than this; but even the best can get beat down and want to hurry and finish.

    There was I part I really liked. It was in the fight between Koko and Kahlua. Koko had a flashback and a great personal relevation that meant something. She even learned to accept what someone said was the compliment it was meant to be. Unlike the flashback with Xilong. Which to me felt like total filler. However we have known Koko now since Season 2 Volume 1; six or more years now. I think I speak for a few people when I say I care about what happens to Koko far more than what happened to a guy we've only seen for a few chapters.

    All told I'm not happy with this volume, and my hopes are not high on the next.
Panty shots: 2. Side Boob: 1 Everything Else: 11.



Juxtaposition Mixer.
(I was kinda right. (Wasn't I?))

    In two previous articles I talked about how the two Mokas are mislabeled and a rather crazy theory behind the Rosario Seal. Let's see what current facts give to my past ramblings.


I do have a snarky comment on this. You'll have to wait until the end to see it.

    I wrote that people were wrong in calling the pink haired Moka "Outer" and the silver haired Moka "Inner." In reality it is more more of a change in emphasis. They are both the same person. Outer Moka is really a part of Inner Moka. Different aspects of Moka's total personality given time to be on display.


See what happens when you run over a vampire's lunch box? They go insane and start talking to themselves.

Two words, kid: "Silver Bullets."

    Later on I talked at length my thoughts on how the Rosario Seal works and cited a rather couple of odd examples of this in other media. Ultimately I came to the conclusion that "Outer" Moka was really Akasha hiding in plain sight. Okay, I was wrong about that particular conclusion; but I think I was on the right track in making the Transformers comparison. How so? I compared how the Autobot Matrix of Leadership worked to how the Rosario Seal worked.


Judd Nelson would rather be remembered for his other great rolls like... and... uhm...
    While essentially true, there was a much better example from Transformers: The real Season 5 (AKA Powermasters/Super God Masterforce. (By the way I recently discovered there was an American Season 5. It was worse than the Generation 2 rehash.)) So what's the similarity? Is the Rosario Seal a Powermaster version of Daniel Witwicky? (Appropriate because he just sucks all the life out of the series.) In the Season 5 anime we get treated to a group called the Pretenders. (No, not those ones.) What they are is a group that look just like humans but in reality(?) are fully sized Transformers. No I'm not going to go into pages long explanations how this is. I've decided to keep this article far more pertinent to Rosario Vampire than all my previous ones. (And admittedly my plot of SEO by bringing in Transformers in the last article didn't work. As usual)


    In conclusion the Rosario Seal cloaks the real Moka in a Pretender Shell that looks like Akasha. The "Outer" Moka is indeed "Inner" Moka with her feelings that she keeps to herself turned up to eleven.

    So why don't I go back and delete the previous talks or even just edits out those little bits of embarrassment? I stand by what I said. Most of the information is accurate. While I could save myself time in writing it all up by going online and reading Volumes 12 and 13, I promised not spoil it for myself. Plus I plan on having fun with whomever decides to write me about that. I'll say "Did you read my 4th Rosavam Article.?"


Title: Nancy Has Three Repaints.



Mistake-A-Palooza.
 (Okay, okay. It's not that bad, but it sure was an adventure looking for them.)

    Remember that little research project I did for the last article? You know, the panty counter. For that study I went all the way back to Rosario Vampire Season 1 Volume 1 and made a count of all the upskirts, panty shots, and nudity. Something caught my eye along the way. It was the occasional mistake.

This should immunize me from criticism for criticizing a real genius.
   Before we go any further. I'm the guy that can't even spell the name of his own web site correctly. If it weren't for the fact that I have a template page that I copy/paste whenever I make a new comic page I'd never get it right. I often put two Ns in Penelope. Recently I used the 2013 character models for the Daisukino Sisters instead of the 2014 versions. (I discovered the mistake quite late in the comic making process and said screw it. They're walking, no one will know if I just keep my mouth shut.)

    While compiling the number of times Mizore pillows Kurumu (1) my attention was understandably not focused on finding shading errors. In fact in all of Season 1 I only found 6 7 real errors. (I threw in a few non errors as well.) I am pretty sure that there are more to be found. I really don't want to re-read all of that again. I might many years from now. (Get this: while looking for the pic of the first mistake, I found another.)

    
From Season 1 Volume 1, Pages 88 and 89. Tsukune and Moka are inside the nurse's office while Kurumu is outside. Then everybody is outside. This may not be a mistake. There is what could be called an establishing shot. Meaning in that during that one panel Moka and Tsukune ran all the way around to the outside. On the ground underneath a flying adversary instead of going to the roof and surprising her from above.


S1V1 Pg. 94. Do I need to insert a picture of the cover of the manga?
(Or for those on a desktop browser you can right-click off to the side and click "View Background Image.")


S1V2 Pg. 70. Not a mistake. Make a note of that device of Yukari's.


S1V2 Pg. 94. Insert Fourth Wall Joke here:



    
S1V4 Pg. 18 and S1V5 Pg. 17. It could be said that Ms. Nekonome went and picked up Gin in her car; but it was never said.


    
S1V5 Pgs. 76 and 82. Somehow Tsukune winds up on a frozen pond. Did he try to run away from Mizore by going right by her and onto the water?


S1V7 Pg. 76. The second time we see Yukari's crystal ball in all of 26 chapters over a four year period; and it breaks. We certainly can't let her have a handy little device that can locate anybody and reveal the future, now can we? We don't want people sending in comments about how Yukari has such a tool and NEVER USES IT!


S1V9 Pg 98. Not a mistake, yet.


S1V9 Pg. 169. Rosavam is not known for fourth wall commentary.


S1 V9 Pg. 188. This is from the Meaningless End of Volume Theater; so you shouldn't expect any real continuity at all. However it is fun trying to figure out who number six is. Probably not Tsukune's cousin because this looks like it takes place before the chapters in which Kyoko makes a visit. Could it be Ms. Nekonome? Or is it possible Mizore is counting Inner Moka?


     
S1 V10 Pgs. 106 and 126. I had to download and look at some fan translations of this chapter to figure out what was going on. Apparently in the original Japanese, Tsukune always called Moka "Akashiya-san" whenever he was talking to his mother. Then when Moka shows up at his doorstep he didn't ever make a proper introduction.


S1 V10 Pg. 120. I think it is perfectly understandable that Kurumu is getting dressed on the run; she was totally naked. Why is Mizore? She's already in an outfit that safe to fight in. She should know that a school swimsuit tends to hold in heat and she is putting on more clothes? As a snow fairy she should know that would really disadvantage her in a fight. Maybe in the heat of the moment she forgot. Or maybe she took her swimsuit off and put her school uniform on.

While doing the upskirt count for the previous article, I noted in the ensuing fight between Mizore and Kurumu there wasn't one upskirt of Mizore. This is keeping in tune with the rest of the series of Kurumu getting hit with all the panty shots; but why not the one time when a character is wearing a one piece swimsuit under her clothes? I know I'm going into dangerous territory with this comment: Why is it in a series that allows nudity that there are no panty shots?


    
S1 V10 Pg. 189 and S1V5 Pg. 118. The final story of Season One takes place before Volume 5. More than likely around the time of Volume 3. Mizore was introduced in Volume 5 and at the time she had longer hair.


     
S2 V2 Pgs. 21 and 33. Now the doppelganger can NOT copy clothes. Note the example of copy/paste in the lower left corner is wrong. In the anime, that spot on Yukari's back would go from a simple design pattern to an actual hole.


     
S2 V2 Pgs. 73 and 77. Doppelganger can not copy clothes, so where did the bra come from; then where did it go? For the third time the animation is wrong with the explanation on how the copy technique works.


S2 V2 Pg. 93. Why has Doppelganger changed back to male? To prevent embarrassment of being photographed in female form? Why? Is this Doppelganger's real form? Does the power wear off? I thought he was always trying to hide his real face.


S2 V2 Pg. 101. When was there ever a ban on club recruiting? I was going to post a pic of all the recruiting going from Season 1; but Tsukune makes my point.


     
S2 V2 Pg. 164 and S2 V8 Pg. 16. Ten year old Inner Moka couldn't pick up Ko; but ten year old Outer Moka can swing Batty around?


    
S2 V3 Pg. 16 and S2 V5 Pg. 44. Up to this point Gin has never been described as talking like Jeff Foxworthy.


    
S2 V4 Pg. 21 and S2 V2 Pgs. 150 and 154. Koko has always made a big deal out of not wanting to be treated like a little kid. In a flashback Koko doesn't seem to mind it when it's Kahlua doing it.


S2 V5 Pg. 60. This line was written by people who have never met anybody from the south; or even listened to Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, Ron White, Bill Engvall, Rodney Carrignton, Tim Wilson, Johnboy and Billy, and so on and so forth.


    
S2 V6 Pgs. 55 and 59. Nothing like an older sibling to butt in on a conversation they weren't apart of.


S2 V9 Pg. 77. I'm writing this out before Volume 12 has come out. Maybe it will be explained why Hokuto is now in a wheel chair. If not then maybe in Volume 13?


    
S2 V9 Pg. 85 and V10 Pg. 55. Doesn't anybody check the character bios at the beginning of almost EVERY volume?


     
S2 V9 Pgs. 65 and 97. Everything in this house is magical. Even the stairs. The further away you get from them, the wider they are.


S2 V10 Pg. 92. Pretty brave to lie to the face of the leader of Fairy Tail. I don't remember those two ever graduating. In Season 1 the last image of Kirai and Hokuto was standing by the cliff.


S2 V11 Pg 72. One of my most favorite movies to quote is "Spaceballs." There is a line towards the end that fits perfectly.


S2 V12. Coming whenever it is available on iPad; and then I will wait longer to avoid spoilers.

 This is not meant to be a catalogue of all the mistakes ever made in the series. Just a few of the ones I caught.
Comments and suggestions can be sent to me here and here. Bitches gripes and complaints can be filed here.



I'm not done yet. I'm well into plotting and planning the 5th one.