Why go to Nightschool? Gonna be different this time. Although it sounds as though it might be little more than a Vampire Knight or Harry Potter ripoff, Nightschool shows promise.
Creative Staff
Writer/Artist: Svetlana Chmakova
What They Say
NIGHTSCHOOL answers the age-old question: Where do demons get their diplomas? Schools may close for the night and the lights may be off, but the classes still run. The Nightschool is education for a different crowd -- vampires, demons and weirns, a special breed of witches. When Alex, a young weirn, enrolls in a Nightschool to learn what has become of her sister, will she be prepared for what she finds there?
The Review!
Technical:
It's encouraging to see such a well-done release for one of Yen Press's Original English Language manga authors. The volume has a softcover and a larger paper size that makes it easy to hold and flip through. The cover features Weirn Alex and her Astral familiar standing underneath a full moon. The scene is colored in dark blues and purples, and is framed by red rings of magical runes. The back cover features another shot of Alex beneath the moon, and a somewhat vague synopsis. It's printed in an angular, all-capital font, which makes it somewhat difficult to read. Under the synopsis is the Yen Press logo, and a Teen rating for language and violence. Paper and printing quality is high, and Chapter 2 begins with two full color pages illustrated in the same attractive nighttime blues and purples as the cover. At the end of the volume is a short bonus comic and a page of dedications from the author.
As this is an Original English Language work, there is no translation. Dialogue and sound effects are printed or illustrated in the original English. It must be noted voices relayed through the telephone are written in the Chicago font, which some may find unattractive. Petty complaints aside, for the most part it's a very solid production.
Chmakova's art is solid as well. I find a few of the character designs generic or unusual, especially for some of the minor characters. However, she has a very good eye for layout and panel design. Panels overlap and flow together to great effect for both comedy and action sections. Detailed backgrounds appear mostly to set the scene, after which Chmakova switches to more streamlined or simplified backdrops behind the characters. It's very easy to tell that she's a huge manga fan, as she uses a lot of the visual grammar such as superdeformed characters, sweat drops, glowing eyes and the like. One could argue that she's just a little too indulgent with goofy faces and physical comedy, but it's done with such giddy enthusiasm that it's difficult to hold it against her.
Content:
Now that vampires are officially the tween's favorite breed of hellspawn, it's very easy for older fans like me to be wary of them. I'm happy to report that Nightschool does not take its inspiration from certain inexplicably popular franchises that shall remain nameless. In plot and tone, it is most similar to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series. However, it's not fair to Svetlana Chmakova to simply write Nightschool off as a Buffy clone, as she's added some touches of her own.
The story follows teenage Alex, who is the titular Weirn. Weirns are not clearly defined by this volume's conclusion, but they appear to be a rare form of witch easily distinguished by the presence of an astral familiar. For reasons that are also not yet explained, Alex is being homeschooled by older sister Sarah. Sarah is a goofy and good hearted caretaker at the local nightschool, where witches, vampires, and other Occult-Americans get their education. Unfortunately, for unknown reasons, it appears students at the school are conspiring against Sarah and Alex.
So, if nothing at all is explained, what does happen in this volume? Quite a lot, actually. Chmakova ties together four separate threads, following four different groups of characters. First we have Sarah, the ne'er do well who oversleeps, shows up late, and reads manga, but is nevertheless winning the hearts of the students with her energy and creative new ideas. Second, Alex, who decides to sneak outside to a graveyard to "study" once Sarah leaves her to go to work. Third, we have Daemon, the leader of a group of vampire hunters. After viewing an omen in the sky, he decides to rescue a young mystic in the service of a wealthy family. This mystic has just had a disturbing vision that appears to concern the Weirns and a great calamity they may soon be responsible for. Finally, we have the young hunters themselves, led by the headstrong Teresa and more cautious Cassidy. They decide to patrol for rogue "ripper" vampires at the same graveyard at which Alex has decided to study. Chmakova displays a lot of skill in how she's able to introduce and juggle all of the characters without the whole thing becoming a chaotic mess. Unfortunately for the reader, the downside of giving all of the characters time to develop is that the inevitable payoff when all four stories collide doesn't arrive by the end of this volume.
In Conclusion:
Nightschool's first volume is a promising one. Lots of characters are introduced, and lots of intriguing questions are posed that make me look forward to the second volume. However, without these twists and details, the first volume's fantasy story of a high school for witches and vampires seems more generic than it may later prove to be. The volume's main strength is the quality of the dialogue and humor. Chmakova is able to poke fun at vampires and their cliches in such a way that suggests she'll be able to sidestep those same cliches in her own story. It's a solid start, but so far it's just a start. I really hope Nightschool is able to live up to its potential.
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