Gin no Cross to Draculea

A year or so ago if I recall I tried reading this story, and failed to get through the second of the 5 books. That being said I came back and finished all of it, and I am happy I did. Light novels come and go for me as I read different content as I feel like it, so my opinion should not be highly valued. That being said I thought it was better the second time around.

My major issue the first time is I found it so boring the second book through that I started skipping around and it all self destructed and this is because all 5 books follow the exact same ark style. So I found myself know exactly when things were going to happen and because of that everything was easy to predict. In fact beyond that my only other complaint was it was a Harem which I am fine with. The issue is.. the characters beyond the first book have like no value and are just there to waste your time.

First book introduces Rushella, Mei and Eruru and those are the only ones you will care about. Later a witch and a ghost kind of join in with a bit of a human.. and the whole time you will be like why are they even here. The ghost helps out in one instant which is cool but could have been just as cool written differently. The witch on the other hand.. makes sun block..? Needless to say the acquisition of each of these ladies takes a book each so 2 of the 5 books are about acquiring people I could care less about.

On a final note I think an eight suits this book well because even though it is no masterpiece and the plot is very easy to follow it made me laugh a lot. Though be mindful because I failed to finish it the first time I defiantly read this drunk to help make sure I got through it. Though I must admit you could just read the first and last book and be fine. Maybe the fourth book to get a bit of backstory but as stated the second and third books just bring in people, and after I did not like those as they were not fleshed out as much it became hard to finish. That being said if you cannot finish the second or third book just move on and accept the new cast by reading the chapters you skipped because they tell you which may be to much foreshadowing if you ask me. The ending is worth it for the boring parts though.

STORY

7~7.5/10

With the advent of popular literary works focused on Vampires and their peers, along with a lot of negative or degrading public (mostly from Netizens) opinion on the more recent works (which were even adapted to a complete trilogy), people may tend to turn away or be oblivious of other works related to them.

Surprisingly, Gin no Cross is not as bland as anyone might expect. While the concept of vampires as we usually know them came from the west, the premise is developed in a very Japanese atmosphere, with all it's key cultural spices mixed in it. And although a lot of Light Novels or manga involve the use of Western concepts told in the Eastern view, or twists, it does not feel all too "forced." More importantly, the use of allusions from famous Western literary works, merged with the author's own creativity and wit, has produced a likable plot.

Aside from that, it is surprising (and quite comforting) that even though this is a supernatural harem rom-com story, it does not dwell too much on fan service. Of course, there are still the very vivid descriptions of "events" to keep the reader latched on, but fan service aside, the actual content is pretty driving.

Just when you think you know all that there is to know about vampires, it turns out that you don't! And with the mix of the famous creatures known to hang out with vampires depicted as troublesome girls, you tend to forget that this IS a story about vampires.

Lastly, another notable property of this novel is the part where the author explains (through the events of the story itself) the origins of these so-called vampires and their progenitors. It actually offers a new perspective on how they came to be like that. And later on, the reason why they fear the cross, and so on.

TL:DR version-
Explanations aside, this is an enjoyable work with recognizable elements from "Van Helsing" and "Department 19", mixed on a platter of key Japanese cultural ingredients. Of course, make it a note that this is a harem, rom-com story, that which is not too focused on fan service.


ART
8/10

Illustrations are neat.



CHARACTER
7~7.5/10


The MC is keen-witted and has a tendency to retort in very amusing ways. It is also good that he is not a useless weight, contrary to most MCs of harem rom-coms. He is very active in this story and he really looks someone worthy of a harem, with ACTUALLY conquering the women around him, without really having that as an objective. In short, your ideal straight-faced, righteous, logically not too OP-ed, not as Orimura Ichika-Dense MC.

Of course, we have the tsundere/dominatrix/pure-at-heart main vampire heroine, and like every character of her type, sometimes she can rub off on you, but not so much. In fact, she's not that much of a tsundere.

Majority of the characters here have a mystery tied with them, along with specific arcs to that make them quite memoreble.


ENJOYMENT
7/10


OVERALL
8/10