Warning: The following contains spoilers for Vampire Dormitory episode #7!!

The new series Vampire Dormitory just gave a fun twist to a well-known trope that some romance anime employ, where an unofficial couple can kiss without it actually “counting” to maintain the overall sense of suspense that the genre obviously prioritizes – but still keeping things fresh. However, this particular instance is so effective not just because the twist leverages a certain understanding of vampires, but due to the fact that the mechanics are based on two concepts so naturally correlated and completely ubiquitous regarding vampire mythos that it’s difficult not to appreciate the simplistic genius of it.

In episode #7 of Vampire Dormitory, the vampire Ruka can’t help himself but kiss the human Mito during one of the most cliché milestones in romance anime – a romantic fireworks display at the end of a traditional Japanese festival.

However, Mito had just bitten her lip moments before, so when Ruka kisses her, she wonders aloud if it was because there was blood on her lips, to which Ruka falsely confirms out of embarrassment to hide his true intentions.

Vampire Dormitory Joins A List Of Romance Anime That Tarnish First Kisses

Original series created by Ema Toyama; anime adaptation produced by Studio Blanc

This isn’t the first time that a romance anime has made a kiss not count by blaming it on something other than romantic desire. The genre is inundated with couples who are unable to convey their true feelings for each other, and many series save the first kiss as the final obstacle that both parties must overcome.

That’s because kisses are understandably regarded as the truest or most straightforward way that anyone can express their love for someone else. So, by keeping the first kiss elusive, the anime effectively prevents the couple from being an official item. However, the longer a series goes, the more difficult it is to justify why a couple hasn’t taken the plunge. So, some series try to mix things up by having a couple kiss but then tarnish it.

Even though Vampire Dormitory is still in its first season, the previous episode was so spicy that there was very little left for Mito and Ruka to do, and since blood is difficult for vampires to ignore, having Mito get some on her lips was the perfect way to tarnish a kiss that was actually made out of passion rather than bloodlust. This is similar to how the first episode of More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers explains away a kiss between Minami and Shiori since it was made to fulfill a mock newlywed school program that requires students to get intimate.

Another Vampire Romance Uses The Same Genius Situation

The tried-and-true romance trope has been utilized in supernatural series before Vampire Dormitory

As far as vampire romances go, this isn’t the first time that an anime has had a vampire kiss a human because blood got on their lips. In the first episode of the mature series Devils’ Line, the vampire Yuuki Anzai kisses the human Tsukasa Taira for that reason. However, the anime doesn’t use this situation as a means to keep them apart or negate a passionate moment, especially since they had just met only moments earlier.

The kiss therefore serves as the catalyst to their relationship. This is almost the exact opposite of what Vampire Dormitory is trying to accomplish now. Rather than subverting a major cliché in romance anime by having a couple kiss in the very first episode like is the case in Devils’ Line, Vampire Dormitory is using this very proprietary situation to embellish a fun but albeit extremely frustrating trope to minimize the ever-elusive kiss.