Vampire Knight Volume 8

It's a new century, and the vampire race is starting to try to get along with the human race.  A private boarding school, Cross Academy, is the middle ground for these two conflicting races.  Yuki's memory has been locked deep within her mind, but it is constantly knocking.  Yuki has been under the care of the headmaster of Cross Academy, so she knows the secret of the "Night Class".  She has even fallen in love with the top of the Night Class students.

Highlights

Yuki has finally decided to ask about her past.  She goes to Kaname Kuran, the one she adores most, asking him about her past.  Kaname agrees to tell her, but only if she becomes his lover.  Yuki has noticed that lately Kaname has been taking extra measures when it came to Yuki's safety, and even when it came to explanations of vampire affairs. 

Meanwhile, Shiki has finally returned to school, but there is something wrong with the way he's acting.  Kaname doesn't have to think twice in order to figure out that Shiki is possessed by Rido, Kaname's uncle. Kaname is the rightful head of the Kuran Clan, but Rido believes differently.  Rido plans to use Shiki to get a hold of Yuki, and use her to get the title of Kuran head.

Kaname bites Yuki to awaken her memories.  It turns out that Yuki is also a Kuran, Kaname's sister, and fiancé, though Kaname wishes this was not so.  Yuki does not seemed shocked by this, instead, she almost welcomes the news with a grateful heart.  Kaname goes out to deal with Rido, while Yuki sneaks out to go talk to her best friend, Zero.

Overall

This volume contained a lot of information compared to all the other volumes that I've read.  The major plot took twists and turns with every page. It was epic!  I was surprised at the end of this volume.  I actually saw it coming.  I was honestly more surprised that I guessed right.  The character development was at its extreme with Yuki and Kaname, but Zero (who was a big deal in the earlier volumes) was practically forgotten.  He was the same old Zero, who hates vampires and still wants to kill them, almost to the point of being a shallow character.  Zero's brother, on the other hand, becomes a major character, and even gets his own bonus chapter.

For being an important point in the story, I felt it was a bit jumbled and was moving to fast.  There was too much to get to, and not enough pages to do it properly.  There were also too many bonus chapters.  I've always considered Vampire Knight to be a Romantic/Gothic/Comedy, but in Volume 8, there was no comedy (sadness).  The last bonus story brought back the comedy, but it was still very serious.  If you couldn't tell, I missed the humor, and was overwhelmed by the immense amounts of seriousness and plot development.

Overall, I still really like this series.  I would have to say this volume is the weakest so far, and Matsuri Hino needs to be careful, or else the overall feel of Vampire Knight will be lost.  Those who like true vampire stories will enjoy this one, and if you've liked Karin, Vampire Princess Miyu, and xxxHolic, then I'm sure you'll like this series just as much.

ComicsOnline gives Vampire Knight Vol. 8 3.5 out of 5 painful memories.