Does Vampire Knight Take Place in Japan?

[Suoh Sayaka]

This is basically just me rambling and I might end up sounding racist ((I'm not racist)) so I hope that I don't offend anyone. :)

I probably won't make any sense either. . . I haven't really thought this through so if that happens. . . Sorry for wasting your time.

So, as I was researching some information for an RP that I plan on taking a part of in the near future I came across something interesting. In episode 5 of the first season of Vampire Knight, Yuuki goes to eat at an ice cream shop. The ice cream shop goes by the name "Una Carozza" which is by no means Japanese or anything near the language.

As I write that I know that some people might come up with the argument that "Not all signs in Japan are in Japanese." which is true, but if they aren't completely in Japanese, they are more likely than not to be in "English."

Una Carozza <<-- Not English.
((Episode 5 - Part 1 - 7 minutes in.))

I also realize that noticing one detail isn't enough to make other people question whether or not Vampire Knight is in Japan. ((I didn't question it before, I don't plan on changing anything about my character to state otherwise because the thought that "Vampire Knight - Japan" is something we all seemed to have accepted.)) But also when you look at the features of the characters and the structure of the buildings. . . It doesn't seem like Japan at all.

Asian - Dark Hair/Dark Eyes/Slightly Tanned
European - Light Hair/Light Eyes/Pale

((That sounded EXTREMELY racist. . . I'm sorry, but this is only my observations. . . Please don't flame me because of it.))

I know. . . I know. . .

No anime character actually looks like a real person. The artists purposefully use different colors in hair and eyes to help people distinguish characters from one another and to also make the anime more pleasing to the eye. If you were to see a bunch of characters that all had black hair and brown eyes, would you want to watch the anime? ((Probably not. I know I would probably get bored with it pretty quickly. -Short Attention Span.-))

But even if the characters don't look Japanese, the country/continent that this anime takes place on also reflects in their society and their clothes. The styles of the the Night Class and the people in the town do not reflect that of the Japanese culture to any extent. Kaname is almost always seen wearing suits that reflect a European background, very elegant and sophisticated. The only character in the anime that even shows any signs of being Japanese is Shizuka, and that is because she wears a Kimono. O_O?? ((But then Shizuka has silver hair and purple eyes.))

But even as I think that, I have this little ((Very Irritating)) voice in the back of my head telling me that clothes don't make up a culture. That the Japanese are known for their random taste in fashion. That to classify something as non-asian because of how they dress is being super prejudice and that I should smack myself for it. But then if I don't go on what they're wearing, I can find other reasons for it not to be Japan.

For Example. . .

The building structure. The buildings that we see in both the manga and the anime do not look like they are from Japan at all. They look more or less European. Elegant staircases, buildings that don't reach the sky, windows all over the place. I know that Hino-sensei takes an interest in European architecture, but even if it's just an interest then would she base her manga in Japan, but still use those buildings? What we see in the school, the town, Rima's House, Aidou's villa, none of it screams ((Or even faintly whispers)) Japan to me.

Another reason I have for questioning this is "St. Xocolatl’s Day.”

Xocoatl's <<-- Not Japanese. . . It's actually Aztecan/Mayan. ((Thank you Google Search.))

Aztec = Japanese? Maya = Japanese? Ancient Civilizations = Japanese?

((My mind is WTFing at this point, but I must continue.))

Even if "Xocolatl" is the Aztecan/Mayan word for "Chocolate" I don't think that they had a "Chocolate Day." They used the cacao seeds to create a forthy, spicy beverage that, not unbelievably sweet candy. The chocolate that we know today was actually created Europe, by the Spanish, when the Spanish conquistadors brought the seeds back after conquering the mesoamerican people.

I have also taken the legends of Vampires into consideration when thinking of this. Vampires aren't easily associated with Asia. ((Well not as much as they are associated with Europe.))

Although vampiric entities have been recorded in many cultures, the term vampire was not popularised until the early 18th century, after an influx of vampire superstition into Western Europe from areas where vampire legends were frequent, such as the Balkans and Eastern Europe,[4] although local variants were also known by different names, such as vampir (вампир) in Serbia, vrykolakas in Greece and strigoi in Romania. This increased level of vampire superstition in Europe led to mass hysteria and in some cases resulted in corpses actually being staked and people being accused of vampirism. - Vampire Wikipedia

Vampires aren't seen in anything that even comes close to Asian Culture and if you take out the names of the character, Vampire Knight doesn't come anywhere near Japan either. I mean, if you changed the names of the characters to things like "Kyle" or "Michael" then there would be no connection at all to Japan. ((Minus Shizuka's Kimono.))

O_O??

By now I acutally have no idea where I am going with this blog post. I should probably plan these things out in the future, just so that I don't get comments going "You're crazy." and the like. But I still question whether or not Vampire Knight takes place in Japan which is something that I've believed my entire Vampire Knight career.

So I question you guys. . .

Does Vampire Knight take place in Japan?

((Am I the only one questioning this? Am I the only one that thought it was in Japan? @.@)) -Confused-

[Himeko Reika]

I really think it does take place in Japan. I mean I can understand the ice cream shop. I mean we have shops here too that can be Chinese for specific reasons. (Like the shop owners could be Chinese and go with a Chinese name.)

Considering everyone in Vampire Knight speaks Japanese, I am going to assume it's in Japan. But when the english dubs come in, then well I guess it really won't be Japan..? Well actually it probably still will because on the Valentines day event they had the Japanese (Kanji?) for their names up on the signs.

But I don't believe Vampire Knight is taking place where Japan is like today. Since it's made up and not real, (I mean you don't see guys with silver hair carrying a gun around) But who knows, they might not even be in a country that exists in the real world.

I also think it's in Japan because of the names the characters were given. "Yuuki" is obviously Japanese. But I don't think "Cross" is. "Shiki" Is Japanese. "Sayori" Is Japanese. Aidous sister "Tsukiko" Is Japanese, ect.

But as I said, the story is made up. So really, anything can be done in it.

Also (I mean no offense to this or anyone.) but if you notice in the Day Class, all the HUMANS have different colors of brown, whether it be light brown, dark brown, which is a normal color for Japanese people. (Apart from Sayori who just happens to have orange hair.) While in other countries there is blonde, black, ect. (I'm not saying Japanese people don't normally have those colors. But you don't really see a normal Japanese person with natural blonde hair. It's possible, but rare.)

As for the Vampires, including Zero, most of them have different kind of hair color. Rima, Aidou, and Kain has blonde, Shiki has a weird kind of red, Zero, Shizuka, Maria, Ichiru, Seiren have silver/gray/white. (I think a few silver heads, oh well.) But I just think they have those hair colors because they are not human.

I hope that was easy to read/understand.