If you are looking for a quick, cheesy Japanese vampire drama - this isn’t it. Yes, I was also surprised by this drama. One glance at the cheesy poster made it look like the Japanese equivalent of Vampire Idol. The synopsis made it sound like a teenaged highjinks with a soft-porn touch. Sorry, that’s not what this movie is about. Story: The vampire-love-me-or-loathe-me synopsis seems shop-worn - something straight out of a quickie romance novel. Despite this initial setting, the plot generally made sense and the supernatural storyline dovetails nicely into the other school story lines. It’s a puzzlement why these Japanese vampires seem to follow the traditional European vampire rules but - it doesn’t happen enough to block the flow of the story. Twists and turns within the plot are also not telegraphed ahead of time. I was about halfway through when I realized that this series was going to have a noona-romance component - you’ll have to guess how! Acting/Cast - Another surprisingly good performance from the Japanese idol actor Nakayama Yuma as the conflicted, would-be vampire Kuromiya Ruka. He’s such a willowy guy who always looks likes he’s going to break into whatever the Japanese equivilant of aegyo is - and then he hits the ball out of the park when it comes to portraying a questioning, modern man. Actress Kato Rosa who plays the slightly older teacher Natsukawa Makoto also does a great job. She’s innocent, caring, funny, kind - without going over board. What is also pleasant is that she is a slightly rounder shaped actress so it’s completely believable that guys from all walks of life would like her. You just want to hug her. As this is set mainly in a school, there are a variety of of idol and teen actors involved. I don’t know how the director pulled it out of them but the ensemble cast did great jobs being classmates and romantic rivals. Sometimes, school dramas take this over the top but this group seemed like a real classroom in all its teen angst and glory. Also, Kyo Nobuo who plays the teacher heroine’s school principal and other romantic lead, Fujii Masayuki, also did a fine job showing how love can sometimes veer into madness. Sadly, someone has inflicted a ridiculous costume cape on the man with the largest photo on the poster, Masahiko Kondo, playing the vampire Kaito. Even though he plays an essentially selfish role as a vampire who simply wants some company, his dialogue was also surprisingly deep. That damn cape, though, keeps you from taking him seriously. Thank goodness it doesn’t appear to be standard Vampire-issue wear. Music: Really some lovely piano music that grows quite organically from the plot. Rewatch Value: I would definitely watch this again, if only to see Kato Rosa pull off her kind, real-life performance once again. This probably won’t be my highest rated J-drama ever but it is so much more than that synopsis and poster would lead you to believe. Give it a try!