English Dub Review: Vampire Dormitory “Love 2. The pretty boy is targeted.”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Mito meets Takara and Juri, part-time workers with Ruka, as she attends Hijirioka Boys’ High School. Now, working at the cafe, Mito enjoys her happy new life until she’s approached by her classmate, Ren Nikaido, who knows Ruka is a vampire…

Our Take:

Mito may have found a new place where she could come home, but there’s still one problem that could take that away from her: she’s disguised as a guy. With Ruka unaware of her true identity, Mito would have to work extra hard to keep it a secret and retain her role as his thrall. Of course, that does include working at the cafe with Ruka and attending classes at the Hijirioka Boys’ Academy. However, that appears to be easier said than done.

The first episode introduced us to a concept combining Twilight with She’s the Man, with Ruka and Mito attempting to find love for each other and within themselves. It was an interesting take on the fantasy romance genre that could likely improve in future episodes. The second episode expands upon this romantic concept by introducing its supporting characters that would play a key role in Mito and Ruka’s journey. One of them is Juri, a purple-haired boy who was initially suspicious of Mito’s secret but quickly became sympathetic towards her when an accident at work almost injured her. However, the essential character that could impact the rest of the season is the academy’s “bad boy”, Ren Nikaido. One reason is that Ren is the only person at the academy who knows Ruka is a blood-sucking vampire, leaving him and Mito as the only people hiding secrets at a human-boys school. Although intimidating at first, Ren is actually concerned about Mito’s safety, as he advises Mito to leave Ruka before she becomes a vampire. During the end credits, we also learned that Ren and Mito have something in common: they’re both seen as burdens by everyone.

Thanks to Ren’s warning, the series now has another obstacle that could affect the characters’ journeys. However, despite the risk, Mito was willing to take that chance, with her courageous words affecting Ruka’s emotions, possibly in the best way. The episode did pretty well in introducing its supporting characters and expanding the growth of Mito and Ruka’s friendship, especially the latter for his love of a magical girl anime. While I’m not entirely convinced of the story it’s providing yet, I am interested in how long it’ll last until their secrets are exposed.