jayne.rippin - 2014-04-05 22:40:21

I should probably say right now that I only watched (i.e. struggled through) one episode, but it's the kind of thing that you only need about twenty minutes of for you to realise that watching any more would just be wasting precious minutes of your own lifetime.

I checked out this show because it's pretty. I love the colours, I like the attractive (if repetitive) design. Plus, it has vampires, and I like vampires.

But this anime made me so incredibly uncomfortable.The protagonist is so insipid it's exasperating. As soon as she realises that she's surrounded by creepy rapists (because that's all these vampires really are), she basically lies down and accepts the problem. One of these pricks literally takes to calling her "Bitch-chan/Little Bitch" and at that point I was so disgusted I felt like my skin was going to peel right off my body and slither away under the door.

I've read Twilight. I've watched some of Vampire Diaries. I've watched Vampire Knight. I've read a few manga with awful, romanticised vampires because sometimes it can be entertaining.

But please don't watch Diabolik Lovers unless you can somehow stomach how gross and creepy it is. Part of me wants to keep watching just to see if it gets better/worse, but I don't hate myself quite that much.

It's not even so bad it's good. It's just awful.

dlangosh - 2014-01-26 00:20:54

My first impression of Diabolik Lovers was that it was fucked up...

Despite it being such a train wreck Diabolik Lovers kept you watching. Even though I knew it was bad I just couldn't not watch the next episode. You can try, but it is near impossible to drop this anime. It might be because of curiosity and wanting to see how much shittier it could get...

It started as one of those, ‘It’s so bad, it’s good’ anime, however, it ended up being rather dull. After the shock of the whole constant bite rape and sadistic personalities of the Sakamaki brothers wore off (about half way through for me), it became as dull as Amnesia. However, it was a hell of a lot more watchable.

As expected with an otome game adaptation, the leading girl Yui is bland and does not stick up for herself. Seriously, I’d have kicked the Sakamaki brother’s arses to hell numerous times. Yes, I’d have probably gotten killed in the process but it is better than being a soft little bitch. Maybe I could have won them over with some personality to rival their own?

The length of each episode was perfect for this type of anime, however, the pacing was pretty shit at times. The final episode was a bit daft. You had the ED halfway through and then the OP shortly after. The final episode left a few things untied such as who the hell Yui is stupid enough to choose. I think it’s probably Ayato though. I myself prefer Laito but maybe I’m just insane.

Overall, Diabolik Lovers is nothing special. It tried to shock you but it could not hide its lack of story and overall pointlessness. I would not recommend it unless you love shoujo vampire or reverse harem anime and don't have anything else to watch. 5/10

kris.cathy - 2013-12-16 13:55:29

Pleased to meet you, little bitch.

– Raito Sakamaki (The douche with the hat)

I feel as if this entire series was a joke and I was the punchline. Generic, last minute attempt of a “story”, offensive characters that fit in with this masochist fetish or that masochist fetish. It’s like they didn’t even try.

Behold Diabolik Lovers, the first anime I’ve finished this season. Behold, the most enjoyable anime of the season.

Story? What story? Oh, all right, if you need a synopsis that is not “Blank eyed harem lead#4 is sent to live with 6 boys because of reasons. The catch is that all six are sadist vampires that proceed to suck her blood and touch her boobs while insulting her, one character per episode. Then they realized they ran out of vampires so they tried to plot but that didn’t work out I guess. Also harem lead#4 suffers Stockholm Syndrome apparently.”

Then maybe this will do;

Due to her fathers job Yui Komori is sent to live with six boys that turn out to be vampires. 10 episodes later we find out Yui has the heart of Cordelia and thus Cordelia takes over her body. half an episode later and this is solved with the single biggest asspull of a solution that I have ever seen in my dear life.

For a harem, the setup is pretty cool I guess. But I really can’t give this anymore than a 3.

I have got to say that these characters went from making me all kinds of uncomfortable to making me laugh. They are really kind of horrible, to be honest. With the cheesy flashbacks that didn’t really say anything about them; I can’t even call them tragic. Just dumb.

Though I gotta admit they did kind of amuse me as the series continued, especially mister bitch-chan.

Not gonna lie, I really do love the opening and the ending. The animation, too. While it was clearly a low-budget series, I think it’s one of the prettiest looking low-budget series I have ever seen. It matches the atmosphere, atleast. Also the eyes are so very pretty.

Confession time. Diabolik Lovers is the only series I have seen this season where I didn’t miss a single episode. The ridiculousness and such was kind of hilarious. And while the first three episodes left my eyes wide and wondering, the episodes after that were actually kind of… fun to watch. Especially the ending, where I felt so marvelously fucked over I was still laughing the next day in school about it.

Oh harems, how dumb you are. I’m not even gonna talk about how dissapointed I was that Yui didn’t end up stabbing everyone in that house and giving us School Days No.2. Oh well.

I would not recommend watching this unless you are a masochist and like dumb stories. Spare yourself, even if it is just fifteen minutes per episode.

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ischamberger - 2013-12-16 06:37:09

Since I watch the full anime before reviewing this is the first review that about the whole season then a few episode soo... let just get started.

Story: Yui Komori is a an ordinary high school girl who lived with her father, who is a priest. She was happy with her normal life until one day her father was called off to work and she is not allowed to accompany him. Yui instead is given a certain address by her father and instructed to go there, saying the people living there are "relatives". Yui follows her father's orders and arrives at a mysterious mansion as the address had suggested. As she discovers what's in the house, she meets the six Sakamaki brothers who don't seem "normal"...

Opinion: yea it not the ohmygod this is amazing story but it a story that design for a certain group of people. ( Yes, i was in the group of people) It based off a visual novel developed by Rejet. it is a story that could have done more for itself but it didnt. seeing as it was filler for the begining for the first ten minute and tell something interesting for it last five minute leaving the watcher something more to desire

Animation: as for the animation it was done be Zexcs. a company that also did Omamori Himari and Speed Grapher you may know you may not.

Opinion: it an interesting style well to me anyways because it a simple design but it every good that make you think there more to it but there nothing special about it yea it set the mood that the show was going for anyways

Sound: It music that repeated itself a lot and i mean a lot but the reason that i giving the a seven is because i don't ever remember watch a dark theme with like the opening theme. Yea, i dont even know how to describe it a all yea the only thing that i could say it that it remind me of some dark and fluffy if that make sense

Charaters:

Yui: After her father moved abroad, she is forced to live in a mansion with six mysterious vampires. She is quite gentle and very skilled in cooking. But most people seem to hate her because she is normally taken as a meal thought out each episode but i feel that how we be if that was us i mean i do what i could do to live.

(Left to Right Sakamaki Brothers)

Subaru Sakamaki: sixth and youngest son of the Sakamaki household. Subaru is the only son of Christa the third wife of Karlheinz the Vampire King.the loner type. He is usually alone and never cares about whats happening around him

Shu Sakamaki: First and oldest son of the Sakamaki household. He is the current master of the mansion. Shu and his younger brother, Reiji are the sons of Beatrix the second wife of Karlheinz the Vampire King Apathetic and lazy, Shu is someone who loves nothing but music

Kanato Sakamaki: is the fourth son of the Sakamaki household. Kanato along with Laito and Ayato the triplets, are the sons of Cordelia daughter of the Demon Lord and the first wife of Karlheinz the Vampire King. Kanato tends to cry often and gets angry when he doesn't get what he wants. He is always demanding for something and wants it right away, and when he doesn't get it, his demeanor changes

Ayato Sakamaki: is the fifth son of the Sakamaki household. Ayato along with Laito and Kanato the triplets, are the sons of Cordelia daughter of the Demon Lord and the first wife of Karlheinz the Vampire King. Ayato is an attention seeker and loves mischief. He looks down on others and loves to bully and tease people. He refers to himself most of the time as "ore-sama" and he calls Yui "chichinashi" (meaning breastless) at all times.

Laito Sakamaki: is the third son of the Sakamaki household. Laito along with Kanato and Ayato the triplets, are the sons of Cordelia daughter of the Demon Lord and the first wife of Karlheinz the Vampire King. Laito is extremely perverted. His perverted nature caused him to be suspended often from school. Laito is both a Do-Masochist (extreme masochist) and a Do-Sadist (extreme sadist). He is always cheerful and loves to joke and is similar to Ayato when teasing Yui. (also know as Raito)

Reiji Sakamaki: second eldest son of the Sakamaki household. Reiji and his older brother, Shu are the sons of Beatrix the second wife of Karlheinz the Vampire King. Reiji has refined manners, and though he might have a polite, sophisticated way of speaking which the creators describe to be 'butler-like', his words tends to come with a biting edge. He values rules and demands that they are followed by others, but he has a lot of self-made and strange rules. But despite how rigid he may seem, he still has some sense of humor, albeit a dry one.

Opinion: There all asshole but i alway love you Ayato-kun and Subaru-kun well subaru-kun did try to help her and ayato-kun is just great looking

Enjoyment: as for the show i like it （〜^∇^)〜

Overall: yea it not a story that everyone going to like or think highly of it but if you dont like it after two episode i say you should drop it but if not keep going with it
for the people the did like it an are looking for something else then i say Brother Conflice or Amnesia both are visual adaptation and i enjoyed those two as well as i did for this one yea i wierd if you think this was shit but my review so i dont give a fuck

petra22 - 2013-12-05 00:46:47

If you go into this anime expecting to take it seriously, boy are you in for a ride. However, if you watch it in the same manner you would watch a terrible sci-fy film such as Sharknado, BOY are you in for a treat.

The terrible plotlines and, for the MOST part, predictable characters, seem terrible and sadistic. (The only exceptions imo being Shu and Subaru, the only two who are seemingly sane.) Other than that, I have the pleasure of saying this anime had me laughing far more than many other anime that TRY to be a comedy. Grab a bunch of your buddies, sit around the computer or internet, and expect some chuckles at the utter absurdity of this series. The humor lessens up a bit around episode 9 or so when the horror known as a "plot" comes in, but other than that...comedy gold.

marlene.schamberger - 2013-10-30 14:21:07

Now, Diabolik Lovers is a strange anime to say thee least. No, it's not whacky animation and crazy characters married to an just as insane storyline that makes it strange, but actually the opposite.

To sum it up in the least, all I could say is that it is bland. The storyline itself is as stock-standard as can be and really lacks any sense of motive. In fact, the story is so minute that even when some sort of plot is given. It's never a real shock or huge discovery, it really comes down to "oh that's this episode attempting to be linear". Each episode on it's own seems to even have a structure. Opening, plot devise, get's attacked, plot devise, get's attacked, end. And you progress it just get's repetitive. Not to mention that each episode is only 15 minutes long, almost half the length of a normal anime episode, blantitly because of the lack of story. Quite simply, it doesn't take a genius to be able to understand the storyline.

This being said, it's not a shock for an otome game turned anime to be lacking in story. Heck, even I love a good otome game now and then but when it comes to anime, it just can't be done. It turns into this strange reverse harem when men are throwing themselves at the heroine left and right. The anime company doesn't have the funds too, nor do they want to make an otome game based anime any longer than 12 episodes when it's based off such a insipid idea to begin with. Otome games are meant so the player can pick one character to build a relationship between, but it's when it is tried to be put to screen when it begins to fail. Trying to write 5, 7 or even 13 somewhat character developing story lines together in 12 episodes without swaying too much to one character is incredibly difficult. It's because of this that I have to hand it to studios for at least trying to string together the interactions, no matter how sadistic.

Enough about that and to the animation. The animation itself isn't marvellous, but it is not horrible. The design has a thick lined and heavy saturated and coloured feel but it ties in well with the gothic victorian look. When it comes to backgrounds the outdoor scenery are detailed but but far too little leaving that half-finished canvas feel. However the interior backgrounds are quite detailed, going down to patterns fading with age in rugs. Also, I noticed that every background has a constant gritty texture, separating it from the clean cut animation and bringing the attention forward, and perhaps away from their...well..gritty backgrounds.

When it comes to sound design, the OST can be broken up into a few categories; ambient, attack and sh*t's about to go down. The OST constantly repeats and plays on the same sort of beat that I can almost predict the exact moment when it is going to kick in. Though, it does fit the mood and theme of the anime so I can't really complain about the design.

For the characters we have Yui the heroine then a mixture of six dos-m and dos-s. So like most otome games, you learn as you go about the main character. You're not expected to know anything about any of the characters so throughout the game you'd learn as their truth behind their pasts unfolds. I honestly wish I could give the writers kudos for trying to dramatise the oh-so dramatic backstories of each of the Sakamaiki brothers but it just doesn't happen. So the brother's in a nut shell;
Ayato-the main guy...that's it. Subaru angsty guy who likes to break stuff...apparently. Kanato the baby shouta of the group who is a partially insane, sweets loving spoilt brat who loves to talk to his teddy bear. Shu the other angst except he's quiet and listens to music through his butterfly...neck mp3 player...okay? Raito the pervert who wears a fedora to make him look manly...it's not working. Reiji the one normal one...oh wait, no.
Now the brother's all have terrible, terrible pasts of their own. However, if there is some glimpse into the past, its vague and so ill-explained that it doesn't make sense. In the end it comes down to a group of bishounen vampires who have Linkin Park's "Crawling" horrible backstories that have made them the sadists and masochists that they are today, who just happen to completely lust after a powerless girls blood. Oh and I mean Yui is powerless, she doesn't do anything! Not even run away when she had the clear proper chance to. She's not exactly a role model. She's just a hopeless girl surrounded by concupiscent teenage boys who bends to their every command. "But that's okay cause they're hot". Oh God help me OTL

Despite everything that I have said, despite just how much I have torn this show to utter pieces I haven't missed a week. In fact I was even excited as episodes were released. Maybe it's just cause I'm a girl, maybe it's cause I'm just going through a shoujo stage but I didn't stop watching it. It's not often that I like little brats but Kanato is my spiritual animal (though that might come down to the fact that Yuki Kajii voices him and if you don't know my infatuation with Yuki Kaji-you do now). I've gone to the lengths to listening to the drama CD's reading character routes from the game - the lot. I honestly don'w know, I don't understand it and don't expect me to explain it because this series really is good-awful but there was just no stop. It still isn't a masterpiece and no high-scoring in my books

Overall, I'm going to be frank; if you like otome based pretty boys throwing themselves at worthless, pathetic main characters, you'll like this. Especially if you have a sadistic or masochistic side or liking of the two. Unlike most otome game to anime makes, the brother's are violent not gentle and it's not some sweet love story played over six times.
Of course some obvious suggestions for similar anime's could be Brother's Conflict or Amnesia just for their otome-like mull-through of the story.

But Diabolik Lover's get's my 3/10

alyce13 - 2013-10-29 22:06:12

So, watch for the story? Definitely nope. Animation? Nope. Sound? Nope. Characters? Hah, unless you are some sort of extremely horny fujoshi looking for more material for her fantasies (or you're gay?), nope. Enjoyment? Like I said earlier, Fujoshi and gay people, this might be the anime for you. It's basically these 5 (or was it 6? Can't be bothered to remember) sadistic, vampire brothers, and one day this girl gets sent to their mansion, and they all begin to suck her blood, because apparently its just so damn delicious to them. So she looks around for clues as to why she was sent there, and who her father was, and whatever. AND SHE'LL PROBABLY FALL IN LOVE WITH ONE OF THE BROTHERS, AND IT'LL PROBABLY BE THE RED HEAD. So you wouldn't watch this for the romance either. I only managed to get up to 3 episodes because each one is 14 minutes each. I'd suffocate to death if each episode was any longer. Therefore I conclude in this review, that Diabolik Lovers is an anime that should not exist, let alone be watched. Kind of like Twilight.

cornelius.crooks - 2013-10-28 16:25:07

It's horrible. There isn't really a story, at least its not progressing really. I wanted to give it a chance, especially because Yuki Kaji is voicing Kanato and I thought it might be interesting.. But its not worth it.

In each episode Yui gets "attacked" by one of the different vampire brothers and really doesn't even try and fight them. She just lays there and says no..while she tilts her head back.. It's really degrading? to me. One of the characters, I forgot his name.. But he calls Yui "Little Bitch" or "Bitch-chan" and it really just irks me. I feel like this anime is so sexist and it completely misrepresents women and normally this isn't something that bothers me so much.. But Yui is just so weak and spineless.

psenger - 2013-10-18 19:39:43

This anime is horrible. But, bear in mind, that I only made it to episode two. *May contain spoilers*

Characters: I have no words. Never before have I come across such a terrible, dreadfully pathetic heroine. I understand that this is one of those anime based off of a game but...WOW. Even Amnesia was not this bad. All of the boys are abusive freaks out for her blood, they order her around, tell her that they will kill her, whip her...Harem is fine, whatever, but she is trapped in a house of guys who all want to either rape her or eat her. I'm cool with sadists, but these jerks were beyond sadist. They were practically rapists.

And then all she does is whine and shiver. She even obeys them. I was only half way through episode two and I was angry enough to punch the screen.

The end for me was when she allowed one of them to force her out of attending her first day of school just so she could make him food...and then she did nothing to stop him from biting her neck.

The boys...demanding, evil, pushy, abusive, no respect for personal space...every one of them. It was freaking annoying. One even calls her "bitch-san" whenever he addresses her and she actually responds.

Story: The story might be good, but I could not get past the awful characters to enjoy it. But there was a definite air of mystery.

Animation: It looked a little rough at times, but the boys were very well done (idiotic jerks).

Sound: Decent enough. In fact, it was the only thing I could stand about this train wreck of a show. But even then, the tracks were awfully cliche.

Enjoyment: I hated it.

Overall: I went in, ready for one of those sad reverse-harems, but looking forward to something light and fluffy. What I got was a dreadful story about the emotional, and verbal abuse of a girl who found herself in a nest of cocky vampires.

Don't watch it.

But who knows, I only ever made it to episode two. Maybe it got better. But it was so bad I highly doubt it could have.

bdibbert - 2013-10-15 22:53:15

Insul's Challenge: Diabolik Lovers

Well I knew this would be horrible as soon as the girl walked in and put her ear up to the sleeping man's stomach and claimed to hear no pulse.

Yui is a religious girl (probably JB) that enters the largest manor I've ever seen and stumbles into the sleeping man only to find out that he is the most metrosexual vampire that's ever existed. Sleepy man, named Ayato, then proceeds to call her an idiot and forces himself on top of her in a scene that can only be described as rape. He then licks her across the face, which from episode 1 I've learned is the formal greeting of the household, and as he's about to bite her neck another man named Reiji enters the scene abruptly stopping Yui's neck from getting bit, since the house is full of vampires or some shit and she doesn't realize.

The next scene introduces the rest of the household in what can be described as a reverse-harem (6 guys, 1 girl). Yui is then licked by two more vampires and the scene very quickly turns into a debate on who gets to feed on her, since you know, her only reason for being there is because her father specifically states that she HAS to live there. After interacting with the fedora-wearing Jonas Brother lookalike Raito ( http://i.imgur.com/Bxq8GKa.jpg ) Yui finds it in her best interests to run away from everyone and try to escape the manor. Well that doesn't work so she ends up getting trapped inside a room and finding one of her father's old diaries (who knows why it's there) and discovers that she is not his daughter. The show ends with Ayato peering over her and then he says the most cringe-worthy line in the entire show, "That's the look that gets my juices going," at which point the episode ends and the viewer hopes they never have to sit through something that painful again.