10,000 years in the future, the world has become a very different place; monsters roam the land freely, and people, although equipped with high tech weapons and cybernetic horses, live a humble life more suited to centuries past. The story focuses on a small hamlet plagued by monster attacks and living under the shadow of rule by Count Magnus Lee, a powerful vampire lord who has ruled the land for thousands of years. When a young girl is bitten by the Count and chosen as his current plaything, she seeks out help of a quiet wandering stranger, D. It so happens that D is one of the world's best vampire hunters, and he takes it upon himself to cut through Magnus Lee's many minions, and put an end to the Count's rule.
(Source: AniDB)
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literaturenerd
Overview: Time to look at a 1985 classic that made a huge impact on the popularity of anime in the US. It is the height of the Cold War and Reagan is in the White house. This was before Akira and Ghost in the Shell and besides Speed Racer and Astro Boy, Americans had no idea what anime was. All of a sudden we Americans see a cartoon with ultra violence, tits, and crazy steampunk nonsense that is never explained. We take one look at this incoherent acid trip and go...FUCK THIS IS AWESOME! This was the birth of the teen and older anime community inthe United States. This is Vampire FUCKING D!
Plot and characters: 5/10
The plot is that 10,000 years the future, vampires have taken over the world and human civilization is a mixed up mess of modern technology and 1800s Romanian peasantry. Why? Who the fuck cares!? This is Vampire Hunter D, we don't need no stinkin logic! A powerful vampire lord called Count Lee in reference to Christopher Lee is terrorizing the countryside. A half human half vampire of noble vampire birth has decided to side with the humans and take down the vampires. The plot and cheesy voice acting will immediately remind the viewer of the Castlevania games and especially Symphony of the Night. However, this was actually made before the original Castlevania on NES and actually helped inspire the Castlevania series! One bizarre but funny thing in this film is that D also has a hand with a mouth that eats things (now we know where Deidara gets it), but unlike Deidara's, this hand never shuts the fuck up. D at one point even has to threaten to cut it off if it won't stop talking! In the end, D rescues the damsel of course, kills Dracula/Lee and the castle crumbles exactly like in the end of every Castlevania game. Actually the design of the castle as seen from the outside in Symphony of the Night is based on the castle in this movie!
Art and sound: 5/10
The art was decent for the mid 1980s and there wasn't really a high standard for anime at the time. It looked better than any anime Americans had ever seen to that point, so keep that in mind when watching this from a modern perspective. Saying the animation sucks is like watching Fritz Lang's Metropolis or Sergei Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky and saying the special effects suck. It simply isn't helpful to compare to modern standards and you have to appreciate how great it looked relative to its own time.
Overall: 6/10
Don't expect amazing story telling or character depth, but this is a must see for people that want to learn more about anime history and for fans of Castlevania! It is nostalgic, cheesy, and a fun way to spend a boring, rainy afternoon.
Venneh
Title: Vampire Hunter D Novels, Manga, Anime: Vampire Hunter D was originally a series of seventeen novels written by Hideyuki Kikuchi and illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano (famous for his work on character designs and the logos for the Final Fantasy series) starting in 1983. Vampire Hunter D was adapted into two separate media; manga and comics. The manga was an adaptation in which Kikuchi hand-picked the artist, Saiko Takaki, began running in 2007, was licensed Stateside by Digital Media Publishing, and is currently ongoing. The comic, whose rights were acquired Devil's Due Publishing (the parent company of Digital Media Publishing) in July 2008, is knownas Vampire Hunter D: American Wasteland, and will be written by Jimmy Palimotti (known for writing the Sci-Fi series Painkiller Jane and work on Monolith).
Vampire Hunter D, an 80 minute movie, was produced by Ashi Productions (known for their work on the Sailor Moon S and SuperS movies) and directed by Toyoo Ashida (famous for his work on... well, there's nothing really to speak of here). It was released in 1985 in Japan and licensed Stateside by, in order, CBS Theatrical Films, MGM, Streamline Pictures, and, the current holder of the license, Urban Vision Entertainment.
Story: Doris Lang, the daughter of a werewolf hunter, is out hunting werewolves one night when she is bitten by Count Magnus Lee, who then decides to make her his bride, marking her with his bite marks. She hires a vampire hunter known only as D, who she meets out in the middle of nowhere one day, offering him food and herself to take out the Count and save her from becoming his bride.
...Where to begin with this?
This story is all over the place. I mean, there's a general narrative here, and it's something resembling coherent when it's looked at overarchingly. In execution, however, it is made of WTF. There are sudden jumps from scene to scene, subplots are bought in out of nowhere, and twists are thrown around like they're candy, with all of this having little to no explanation whatsoever. Moreover, the thing just drags, with scenes seemingly added simply for the point of drawing out the movie, which really shouldn't have happened.
I honestly can't tell you what the hell happened here. I was watching this with my anime club tonight, and we just gave up on even trying to understand what happened about a half hour in and just started mocking it mercilessly.
Art: For the 80s, this is halfway decent. The character designs are extremely pointy and detailed, but they're based off of Amano designs, which explains a lot.
However, it has not aged well. Action scenes are done mainly with pulsating lines in the background, not to mention flashing lights that could probably induce epileptic seizures in those susceptible to them. The movie's extremely heavy on the gore, but the way that blood works in this is incredibly stylized and not even close to reality in the slightest. Characters' color palettes will change from scene to scene, far more than lighting should account for. Most notably, the hat that D wears creates a black void in the upper part of his face with only his eyes showing, and it's incredibly painful to watch, especially when it doesn't move even when the lighting does.
There is some nudity in here, however, it's not really all that well done, and it's paired with images of death and gore and such that I'm sure that, by the process of association, if you showed this to kids, they could very easily never ever ever want to have sex ever.
Music: Meh. I didn't notice this much, but it didn't make that much of an impression on me, either. So, we'll say passable.
Seiyuu: As with the music, I didn't notice them that much, but neither did they make that much of an impression on me, so, again, we'll say passable.
Length: This movie just dragged on and on and on; it should've ended at the hour mark, and a good deal of the "twists" could've been cut out, and it would've been semi-decent.
Overall: Don't watch this. It's not worth it, except for mocking purposes.
Story: 4/10
Art: 4/10
Music: 6/10
Seiyuu: 6/10
Length: 5/10
Overall: 25/50; 50% (F)
Phill-z
I own every Vampire Hunter D light novel. I've read all of them at least three times (it's really easy they're only about 200 pages) So when I saw this movie I spent a good portion of my time going ".......what?" Story: The story is ok. I felt they spent too much time focusing on the story when it would have been much better for them to use the story to transition the action scenes. They make it a little less complicated than the book, but not to the point where it really detracted from it. Art: The art is VERYold-school. You have to get over that very quickly or else you're not going to enjoy this anime at all. That old-style seemed so uninspired to me, it wasn't trying to be incredibly original and it wasn't.
Sound: With the old-school art comes the old-school sound effects..again get used to them. I can't say that I enjoyed the music, but that would mostly be because...it's old, it didn't stick into my mind at all as to what it could have been.
Characters: This is where this anime falls incredibly short. Every single character is a stereotype. You have D, the most incredibly powerful vampire-hunter on the face of the planet...and you really know it. He never seems to struggle and in every battle you know he's going to win. Magnus Lee...what can I say about him? I watched the dub...because it was the only one available to me and they just tried to make him the image of Dracula. But my biggest concern was Doris Lee. In the novel she's a powerful woman, she kills monsters too and she does a great job of looking out for herself and her brother. In the movie they make her dependant and very weak, no character for her at all.
Overall: Watch this for the experience. If you've been watching only recent anime, stuff from the last 2-3 years...watch Vampire Hunter D and appreciate how far along this art work has come. After you've watched this, watch Bloodlust.
animan095
Exciting, thrilling, mysterious. This rather old movie, is definitely a masterpiece for it's era. Taking into consideration it's age, you simply can't attempt to compare it to mordern animes, by those standards it falls rather short. But, if you judge it according to the standards of the time it was made, you find a fast-paced filled with action and horror that can easily outmatch many horror movies, be it animated or acted. You also find in it many aspects of horror, that are fairly common in movies and series following the same genere. Although to tell the truth, the story had such a fast pace that allthe critical scenes didn't have much impact; but at this point one can't do much about so it's best to enjoy it.
Visually, it obviously had a very old style of animation, but neverless it was quite appealing according to it's horror genere. Scenes were constanly repeated, but as a necessity rather as of laziness. So mamy chatacters, scenarios, and places were shown in this movie that is one can infer that they would have had a very hard time keeping up with it.
The music score, was just as old as the movie itself, but it sucessfully gave it the ambience needed for a a horror movie. Maybe not memorable, but rather enjoyable.
And as personal comment, I'm surprised that fanservice and panty shots were already present since then XD
Luquillo
Along with Akira, Vampire Hunter D is one of those old anime titles where its popularity is based pretty much on one thing and that's nostalgia. When nostalgia runs wild it can definitely cloud one's honest judgment. However, Vampire Hunter D does a decent enough job backing up why it's an entertaining film; but to claim it as one of, or even the greatest of all time in terms of sheer quality are heavy exaggerations and thrusts one towards complete madness. The works of Miyazaki and Satoshi Kon are tough as hell to compete against and this is more of a fact than opinion. The moviedoes have one big thing going for it which is style. I like the mix of sci-fi with the classical Transylvania setting; to include the monsters and flesh eating beast that roam the country sides devouring live stock adds to the horror like feel. The plot is well paced and the movie accomplishes what it sets out to deliver, which is a solid action romp well utilizing its horror setting.
Vampire Hunter D does have its problems though, in which the fans of it love to ignore with a smile; such as undeveloped characters and plot holes big enough to fit the moon through. D is a cool character that screams for more background, but this really isn't a gripe for me any longer because the mystery actually works here for him. However, the characters fill typical vampire roles even for that time, but Count Magnus Lee overshadows D because I like his drive. His craving just seems too realistic. I will go ahead and refrain from detailed plot issues as not to ruin the movie for those whom haven't seen it.
Although effective for that time, the animation is dated and I can think of several old titles that still hold up well until now, with Neo Tokyo being one of them. As well as one that pre-dates it by six years, which happens to be Miyazaki's Castle of Cagliostro. To my experience, those whom favor superior visuals first will more than likely walk away hating this movie. The action scenes can range from just barely ok to brutal, with characters sliced in half to fingers being crushed off. I really don't have a problem with the artwork, but I think the BGM is more hit than miss and wasn't always used properly, because at one point I can think of the music was used at the wrong time. One scene that stands out to me happens to be the first appearance of D. While watching him slowly approach on his horse and completely shrouded with mystery. I think the scene would have been more effective with the complete removal of music, with more focus on the sound effects: such as the whistling of the wind, coupled with the slow, eerie plodding of the horses steps. I believe this method would have only enhanced the style of the movie, instead it just had a rather bland feel to it and D really didn't give off an aura as an intimidating figure; but then again that's just me.
Vampire Hunter D is a title that will always be a part of my collection. Even though I respect its cult classic status and find some enjoyment in it. I can't shower it with praise because it's a very flawed film that I doubt could make a top 50 anime list of mine or even probably 100. I mainly recommend this to die hard anime fans. However, those whom need top notch visuals first are better off skipping it.
Highs: Very good setting, action, lead villain
Lows: Plot holes, story issue, most characters have very little depth, dated animation
MadTitanProd
Vampire Hunter D is part of my collection and is also one of my favorites. (I’d go with VHD1: 9.1 VHD2 9.0 for those wondering). The main character, Vampire Hunter D, highlights and stars in this 1985 classic that is set thousands of years in the future where Vampires once ruled man, but now are being slowly erased. The animation is done with very dark brooding colors. Backgrounds in many scenes are just black. The characters even sometimes don dark apparel in the blackness making where you watch it so important if you want to see the 80s anime artwork andcharacter design. This makes it tough to see if you aren’t watching at night with the lights off (my personal recommendation). It really does a great job of setting the mood, however, with creatures coming out of the darkness that have nothing but the cruelest intentions.
The sound creates just as much atmosphere as the picture and this one won’t let you down. Some of my all time favorite character voices are Count Magnus Lee and the booming echo of the giant fireball throwing henchman. On occasion there will seem like a missing sound effect or the dialogue will be a little muddled, but overall it does its job supremelely. If you have surround sound or headphones the Three Sisters scene is awesome and really freaky. The music stays steady throughout the movie, and amount to not much at all. It fits right in with the pace of the movie, though, and lets the sound effects create the ambiance.
The plot moves along briskly for the most part and never fails to introduce new characters or monsters at every opportunity. The overall lack of diialogue makes the plot second hand to the art and action but a good story is in the movie. There are a couple holes in the plot that are puzzling but nothing at all that will distract from the movie for first time viewers. Without giving up too much info for those that haven’t seen it , D must rescue a beautiful girl in distress. I know, you’ve seen it right? But he’s got to go through a horde of grotesque monsters! Seen that too, huh? Well, this is one of the original animes to do it, so take a look at where some of that got its beginning. It’s well worth it.
~Grifty.
Shura-shurato
One of the Movies from the 80´s considered as cult and its definetly not your everyday anime to watch, and its SCARY as hell at some points if you are quite familliar with vampire stories.Personaly i choose this over the bloodlust version because i like the oldskool art, unscensored violence and the animation in sketched and books is just brilliant, and for this im looking for the older audience. and D itself was one of anime's all time fav heroe's. The music is sometimes repetitive but it has good opera music with violent scene´s and the best of all: IT WAS FULLY HANDDRAWN!
FiviG
*If you are thinking about watching Bloodlust consider watching this first!* I don't say that because there is any continuity to the movies, there technically isn't as far as i know. But watching this before Bloodlust allows you to get a better sense of the main character D. This is important because fast forward 15 years (real world) to when Bloodlust is made and D is still the same age just doing another job. It's kinda crazy but if you accept the internal logic of the movies, watching both movies (starting with this one) is a better experience than just Bloodlust. In doing so, you canreally look at the D movies as episodic adventures in the same story.
So, this movie serves to give the viewer some background information on D, that the viewer can then take into Bloodlust. And because of that you can then not only look at Bloodlust as chronologically coming after this movie in universe but also in the real world, as you see how times have changed from 1985 to 2000, yet D is still the same. I don't know why but I find that really cool.
In short, by watching this first i found an increased appreciate of Bloodlust and you might as well, but Bloodlust is also a great movie by itself.
atsarmo
From start to finish this movie is a true miracle. Vampire Hunter D is a movie that if you consider your self a fan of anime you must see to be credible. The monsters, the gore, the story, the atmosphere, the themes, the setting...all done so wonderfully. The art is amazing, though dates, nobody can deny this hand drawn gem. The way shadow is illustrated is so uniwue and japanese you will think your mind is playing tricks on you and hallucinating. The cross hatch work is something that is so hard to replicate. D is a great character too.Watching him interact with this bleak, evil, daunting, and demonic world of the future is so good for some reason. I don't know, maybe it is just a nice shot of the 80s for me when I watch this but it is truly my favorite vampire flick ever. I have seen them all and it is like the ultimate adventure/hammer,george a romero, amano, artistic, syphony of true grit cult horror. Science fiction, post apocolypyic future, horror, adventure, western (in some of the direction surrounding D), and pure classic japenese master swordsman are just a few of the genres this movie reps with authority.
I would really challenge anyone to give me a negative point of this movie. The last scene run through the castle is one of the best climaxes in film period. Watch this!
JTurner
VAMPIRE HUNTER D has always been a cult favorite of many Anime fans dating all the way back to what historians would call the "dark days of Anime". Back then, Anime had limited exposure to American audiences, aside from the occasional showing of children's cartoons often mangled and edited. But with the release of Katsuhiro Otomo's controversially violent but nonetheless brilliant AKIRA, an interest in edgy, darkly animated, gritty features from the Land of the Rising Sun was ignited, and so it followed with several titles imported. This low-budget animated direct-to-video feature from 1985 was one of them. Based on a book by renowned JapaneseHorror author Hideyuki Kikuchi sporting smoky-hazed illustrations by Yoshitaka Amano (who would later gain cult status for his work on the classic FINAL FANTASY series and later, Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman"),VAMPIRE HUNTER D aimed to be an edgy thriller, a horror movie, and even a love story all rolled in one. That said, critics were not unanimously ecstatic. Reviews were mixed, with most criticisms centered on the somewhat stilted animation or sometimes inconsistent characters. To this day, VAMPIRE HUNTER D has its share of detractors. But it also has its share of devoted fans, many of who had grown up in the West with a dubbed version produced by the late Carl Macek and his company, Streamline Pictures.
Set in a post-apocalyptic future where vampires and mutants have overrun a human world, VAMPIRE HUNTER D begins on a dark night with a deftly choreographed action scene. Here we see Doris Lang, a courageous werewolf hunter's daughter stalking her gardens in pursuit of a T-Rex like monster with sharp teeth and scarlet eyes. Chasing it into the forest on horseback, Doris finds herself face to face with an even more imposing threat -- a hulking, shadowy vampire known as Count Magnus Lee. Naturally, the bloodthirsty aristocrat takes a drink from our heroine's jugular vein. The following day, Doris encounters a lone figure on a cyborg horse -- a mysterious cloaked stranger called "D." Desperately, she hires him. The rest of the movie involves D doing everything in his power to slay the evil count to save Doris from an eternal life as a walking undead. Meanwhile, Doris must protect her impulsive little brother, Dan, and fend off the advances of an unwelcome suitor, the arrogant mayor's son Greco. Matters are further complicated when D also has to deal with L'armica, Count Lee's jealous daughter, and the ambitious Rei Ginsei, a deadly noble wanna-be who will do anything to earn his master's favor. During all this, Doris falls madly in love with D -- but it turns out that her rescuer (surprise) is half-vampire himself. (This explains why his left hand has a creepy-looking face that can talk to its master or even suck up nasty creatures.)
Despite its promise of multi-threads, VAMPIRE HUNTER D turns out to be a much more simplistic story in execution, even bordering on predictable. Somehow the viewer knows that the lead character is going to triumph in the end in spite of the obstacles he faces in his quest. More problematic to viewers expecting flashy visuals might be the animation. As mentioned, this is a low-budget animated feature, resulting with a cel count that borders on choppiness in places. As such, the dramatic style of Amano's character illustrations loses a lot in the transition to screen. Furthermore, the backgrounds, although dark and appropriately imaginative, lack detail at times. As such, the film can seem visually dated to many viewers. Likewise, the soundtrack shares similar qualities. Although the sound effects are appropriately haunting and scary, at times they do sound cheesy, particularly the synthesizer sound effects when Count Lee sends rays from his eyes. The musical score from TM Network's Tetsuya Komuro is fittingly epic and sometimes spooky, although it is obviously driven by synth instruments from the '80s.
Faults aside, VAMPIRE HUNTER D still delivers some entertainment value for viewers willing to overlook such technical shortcomings. In spite of its aforementioned predictability (some might argue this movie was tailor-made for Western audiences), VAMPIRE HUNTER D delves into some complex issues: D's inner struggle to resist his own instincts when Doris makes sexual advances on him and his inability to express his true compassion to others results from some very understandable emotions. It is also intriguing to discover that the villainous Count Lee's actions are motivated mostly by the desire for sport rather than malice, although he still does exude evil in every scene. The action and fight sequences are also skillfully choreographed in the style of a samurai-slasher.
It's also important to note that this movie has its share of graphic violence--there are quite a bit of gory sword fights, resulting with stabbing, amputating, or slicing in half. There is also one particularly disgusting moment toward the end where a character's head explodes, exposing his insides. (A character's face is also briefly stabbed in the eye in the subsequent scene.) While all this may sound pretty extreme for squeamish viewers, the cheap production values actually make the violence less gruesome and more campy, making it easier to sit through than most blood fests. There are also a few very inoffensive nude scenes. This is a movie best appreciated by an adult audience; parents should think twice before considering showing this to children.
Perhaps it's partially because of this graphic nature that VAMPIRE HUNTER D succeeded in crossover success from its native country of Japan to the West. Dubbed in 1992, Streamline Pictures' release has been a nostalgic favorite for old school Anime fans to this day. Having said that, critics and many fans of the time still staked it with scathing reviews. I at one time appreciated this older dub, but over the years I have grown less and less fond of it. I'm not sure what it was that turned me off from it over the years, but then I figured it out: it sounds dreadfully stiff and stilted. In all fairness, Michael McConnohie, Barbara Goodson, Jeff Winkless, Lara Cody, and Kirk Thornton are all fine voice actors. The problem is that they were saddled into a production that veered on pure cheese and a lot of choppy-sounding dialogue ranging from mundane to laughable. There were also instances when Macek did a bit of tampering with the music, extending Komuro's score longer than usual sometimes sounding out of place with the visuals. Most infamously, the opening scene in which Doris is confronted by the Count has a rather corny "permit me to introduce" myself monologue which not only diluted the mood, it gave a very laughable quality that sadly would be exacerbated by phony Transylvanian accents and even a groan worthy love confession ripped off from THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (Doris: I love you. D: I know.) The sound quality was quite bad, too, although that may be on the fault of the equipment used at the time, so I wouldn't dock the dub against it.
Sentai Filmworks, who rescued this title and gave it an eye-popping remaster, also provided a new dub, while jettisoning the Streamline version for their release. This will likely be a point of contention, as a lot of Streamline titles which received new dubs (AKIRA, CASTLE IN THE SKY, MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, NADIA: THE SECRET OF BLUE WATER, THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO, 3x3 EYES) have often been harshly maligned by old school fans, even though some might argue in the cases of some of those films, these newer versions were sorely needed, as a lot of these older dubs hadn't aged well at all.
I do have a couple of minor issues regarding Sentai's newer dub, but unlike the Streamline version, this revamp, headed by Matt Greenfield of ADV fame, does a very commendable job of bringing the movie closer to its more serious intent, stripping it of much of the unintentional humor. The script is a fresh new translation of the original Japanese and sounds much better written and more natural, giving a more "adult" vibe. As far as the voices are concerned, the weakest voice of the dub is the same character that I had similar issues with in the Streamline version: that of Dan, Doris' little brother. In all fairness, Shannon Emerick does bring a bit more spunk to the role, but her voice, like her older dub counterpart, still strikes me as unconvincing for a little boy (at least she's not as distractingly feminine, though, thank goodness!). Otherwise, the rest of the cast is appropriate and well-fitting for the most part. I will always prefer Andrew Philpot and Mike McShane as D and his chatty left hand from Yoshiaki Kawajiri's later semi-sequel VAMPIRE HUNTER D: BLOODLUST; however, John Gremillion's performance as the title character is still a big improvement over that of McConnohie from the original, sounding far less cheesy and more natural throughout. As D's left hand, Andy McAvin, who also plays Rei Ginsei, is also thankfully less nasally than his Streamline counterpart, and even gets the best line: "This guy is such a HAND-ful." Luci Christian also sounds much more convincing and puts a lot more emotion into her role as Doris, making her a sympathetic character and her dialogue is thankfully free of any Kate Capshaw-isms. However, it's David Wald who really steals the show; as Count Magnus Lee, Wald has a smooth, regal-sounding baritone who sounds somewhat similar to Keith David. He's also very charismatic and dripping with pure evil; a HUGE improvement over Jeff Winkless' laughably stilted turn in the Streamline dub (the fake sound vocal effects not even helping). Surprisingly, both he and his daughter, L'armica (Brittany Karbowski) are both given upper-class accents as opposed to the Transylvanian ones in the older one; frankly, though, I think it's all the better for it. It's a bit of a surprise that the people of Doris' village, including Greco, are given Southern accents until one remembers that this is supposed to be a "Western" vampire. It takes some getting used to, particularly in the case of Jay Hickman's drawling Greco, but having said that the actor does provide a bit of a slightly humorous touch to the role, giving him more character than Steve Bulen's too wispy-sounding and not forceful enough turn. The sound mix also sounds really good; not only are the voices better recorded, the music and sound effects also much more crisper than the Streamline version. As mentioned, Streamline's dub was not well received by the Anime community; time will tell if Sentai's newer dub gets better recognition (although Streamline loyalists will find it jarring either way), but as far as I'm concerned, this is a huge improvement over the original.
While I still maintain that Kawajiri's VAMPIRE HUNTER D: BLOODLUST is the superior version of this tale -- much more complex and ambiguous -- thanks to Sentai's new treatment, this vintage fan favorite once again prowls the night.
Lemmy7003
I went into Vampire Hunter D with a lot of hopes. I’d heard about the film for years, and there are few things that get me excited then some weird-ass, edgy as balls vampire slaying action with some delightfully 80’s style. And whilst I got some delicious art and at least a bit of fun action, Vampire Hunter D fell way below my expectations, falling into a lot of the problems a lot of anime just seem to naturally have. First, I’ll start with the good stuff – generally, this film looks great. It’s opening scene, in particular was fantastic – the dark, grassy fields, thelegendary reveal of Count Lee, and Doris slaughtering the monster attacking her horse. It’s all fantastic and set my expectations really high for the rest of the film. The general design of the film is really well made, even if it is peak 80s style. One section I really liked was D’s initial assault on Lee’s castle – we get to see a massive variety of monster designs that are honestly quite disgusting to look at, in the best way possible.
Though, I have to talk about the elephant in the room – I think the fight scenes are honestly really poor. Like, really, really poor. I’ve got nothing but good things to say about the animation, which is draw-dead amazing at times, as expected from Madhouse. No, I just thinking the choreography and action of the fight scenes are awful. It felt like more then half of the ‘fight scenes’ are just shaking stills of D and other characters preparing attacks, whilst glowing speed lines backlight what feels like every scene in the film. Every fight feels like it’s over in mere moments and it honestly feels like we don’t get to see any really cool abilities in the entire film outside of a light that weakens Vampires and their kin.
The story isn’t much better, but it’s at least serviceable. D has to help a young woman named Doris, who has been marked by the bite of the Vampire Count Lee, for the purpose of marriage. It plays out pretty much exactly how I’d expected. Additionally, I really like the setting, a weird fusion of medieval Europe mixed with science fiction interiors. It’s a little underused, but the interior of Lee’s castle is stunning in particular. Where I have greater problems is in the characters themselves. Sure, I don’t think I’m trying to expect any amazing writing out of any of the characters, but none of them sans D seem to have an interesting bone in their body. It felt like, by the end of the movie, the only character I gave two damns about was Rei, the mutant who serves Count Lee. I honestly felt bad for the guy getting screwed around by literally everyone in the movie.
I had a lot of hopes for Doris to be a cool character, especially after the fantastic intro, but by about halfway through he movie she felt incapable for doing anything for herself. She literally just become something to protect, and someone to fall in love with someone at blatantly weird looking and unsettling as D. There was also a lot of… I don’t know, pointless sexualisation of her? I know this was the 80’s, but her outfit is utterly stupid. Like, why is she wearing half a skirt. Along with stuff like having her chest exposed for literally not reason for about three seconds, fully animated, it just felt like they did a massive disservice to what could have been a really cool character. On a better note, this being the 80’s, this film is brutal as all hell. Gore, brains and blood practically rain by the galleon, and it’s a sight to see.
Vampire Hunter D isn’t a flat-out bad movie. It’s a movie I dislike, but I can totally see why it’s one people enjoy. But to me, it commits the cardinal sin of being flat out boring. I awaited the end with bated breath, not to see the thrilling conclusion, but to just get the whole experience over with. I do urge you, that if you enjoy vampires and crazy gore, you might really enjoy this movie, and I think it’s really up to you to decide if this is your kind of thing.
zaburai
Well to be honest this "classic" certainly dosen't live up to itself and i will explain why. Story: Your normal boring vampire story, vampire wants to kill me so I will get a vampire hunter eh boring. It mixes up things with the vampines but overall the story is very bland and boring Art: I didn't mark it down because it was old but because it is so dark and blue? Yes blue, I have to say sometimes it is hard to see anything as the screen is so dark. Music.......was there any as I didn't hear any. Character: practically no character development, the characters are pretty forgetful. If youare thinking of buying this for a fiver don't!! save that fiver for some good anime not this dribble.
FAKEANIMEGIRL
(Check out my profile for a link to my site containing more up-to-date reviews and bonus media!) So I was unexpectedly a big fan of the 2000 Vampire Hunter D movie, which surprised me with its unique and highly atmospheric setting backed up by beautiful art and a heavy Gothic tone. It might've etched its way into my top five anime movies, and it became a given I'd have to see this one as I was desperate for anything more. My hopes weren't high thanks to the awful poster currently on MyAnimeList, but fortunately the movie has more things in common with what I liked aboutthe 2000 movie than things that separate it.
This 1985 adaptation of the novel series is distantly connected to the 2000 one due to the fact that Vampire Hunter D is basically an anthology series. I was initially worried about which to watch first, and now that I've seen both I can safely say it doesn't matter and that people are better off just jumping into the better movie (2000, no surprise there). 1985 Vampire Hunter D (hereby referred to as "1985 VHD") doesn't have more exposition or anything of the sort, and is maybe even slightly less descriptive of the setting. Vampire Hunter D takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting 10,000 years into the future and combines elements of Gothic horror, dark fantasy, and occult science. It's a warped, chaotic mix but takes itself dramatically and outside of its action scenes plays everything off with a cool sense of calm. Like said earlier, atmosphere is the key of both movies. 1985 VHD features the same captivating designs as 2000: various monsters, creatures, twisted castles, blood red moons, and advanced technology mixed into a regressive society akin to that of the Dark Ages in Europe. While the imagination of the world still runs through you with its various mysteries and surprises, it's less evocative in 1985 VHD due to its inferior stylistic rendering. 1985 VHD features brighter colors, less detailed stills, stiffer and more inconsistent animation quality, and lower production values all around. It is by no means a lazy work, just on a lower scale perhaps more necessary for its era and not as willing to indulge in the bleakness of the setting, as an 80s audience probably would've been as well.
1985 VHD is lacking a sense of beauty that 2000 VHD had. It's not as well directed and the images it conjures aren't as memorable. For dramatic effect a lot of simple techniques are used like mono color scenes, and the animation in general features a lot of solid, broad color strokes that lack the finer details of 2000 VHD that gave the world a sense of enveloping realism. It's a good example of how two things can share the same strengths and ideals but be so far apart in their goals because of how they're displayed. 1985 VHD is still worth watching for those same sensibilities, as those won over by 2000 VHD's world will enjoy seeing the additional context 1985 naturally gives. You see more of how average humans survive and learn more about D, and there's a bit more sci-fi used in the building designs. The story and writing themselves are a somewhat weaker this time around as well. This may just be an issue with the story chosen to adapt, but the side cast isn't nearly as memorable as the other hunters from 2000 VHD. There's a lack of mystery regarding the plot because it's so basic. A local vampire claims a human girl as his next bride, and she hires D to protect her, but the core story is as basic as that. The villain is generic and doesn't feature much, unlike 2000 VHD's which offers some sympathy and curiosity as to his relationship with his human victim. The action scenes suffer for the earlier simple reason of weaker art and animation, but the powers on display are less interesting as well. No real surprises like Grove, and the climactic battle is settled quickly and easily. The story's structure is rather odd too. While 2000 VHD was more of an adventure story that allowed the movie to show off more exotic locations and designs, 1985 VHD sticks to a smaller setting and alternates between a ranch, town, and castle. 2000 VHD also escalates better as D travels closer to his target, but 1985 VHD enters an awkward lull as D enters the castle for the first time early in the movie on a rescue and then returns 50 minutes later for a final confrontation.
For an extended tour of a marvelously broad dark fantasy universe, going back to 1985 VHD is well worth the trip for big fans of the later movie, but it suffers in the ways you'd probably expect. At the same time, I'd like to restate that it wasn't as big a step back as I thought it would be. The things I loved about 2000 VHD were all still here albeit in a smaller dose. Given the fact that these are the only two existing anime of Vampire Hunter D, even watching this feels like a blessing and I was once again completely affectionate towards its aesthetic and tone. It's also worth mentioning that the dub was handled in 2015, and although it features different cast members than the great 2000 VHD dub, it's still professionally done with experienced actors.
kekekeKaj
Originally a series of novels about a vampire hunter who is half vampire himself, Vampire Hunter D's first transition to the anime world takes the form of this self-titled OVA from 1985. At the time of writing, the ever reliable Wikipedia describes this OVA as "a cult classic among English-speaking audiences". Amidst the lavishing praise - the effect of which is spoiled somewhat by the clumsy prose - there's a bit which notes that the OVA featured "memorable voice acting performances in both English and Japanese". Now, aside from struggling to recall anyone lauding the original "Vampire Hunter D", I've also watched "Vampire Hunter D"in dub myself, and the only way I would describe that dub as being "memorable" would be to couple it with an adjective synonymous with "shit".
Despite being made decades ago, "Vampire Hunter D" manages to look and feel even more ancient than its considerable age. The action sequences comes off as stiff and lacking in fluidity; the colours used are so dark that I could barely tell what was going on sometimes.
In addition to the low production quality, "Vampire Hunter D" shows its class with opening scenes featuring a girl running around with a skirt so short that it resembles a handkerchief tied around her waist. This enabled panty shots to be taken with ease from any angle, and, needless to say, we're treated to exactly that. Thankfully, the forthcoming tidal wave of fanservice turned out to be smaller than what the opening scenes suggested, though what fanservice there were felt shoved in with little regards to its impact on the mood and atmosphere. But apart from those occasionally blips, the atmosphere of the "Vampire Hunter D" is actually strong for the most part, and is probably the most competent aspect of the anime. The well selected BGM tracks helped; the atrocious English dub didn't.
As an anime adapted from an established franchise, "Vampire Hunter D" feels like it's more aimed towards an existing audience. To someone like me who knew (and who still knows) next to nothing about the franchise, the anime feels incomplete. "Vampire Hunter D" clearly has a wealth of backstory regarding the main character D, but not only does this instalment reveal very little of his backstory, it seems almost reluctant to do so. Pity, because what it chose not to tell are what interested me the most. Ironically, the story it tells instead is pretty stale and cliched - especially the romance elements - but still manages to be confusing due to the narrative failing to explain things properly or just deliberately withholding information to keep up the sense of mystery. One of the effects of this is that the motivations of the characters are often unfathomable - I have no idea what they're fighting for half the time. And to be honest, it's also hard to care too much since all the characters except D himself are rather bland anyway. As for D... it'd be nice if the anime told us ANYTHING about his past instead of just being a gigantic cocktease.
Since "Vampire Hunter D" is so tight-assed when it comes to backstory, it's only a prequel in name to the "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust" movie which came out in 2000. The reason I bring this up is because that movie is superior to this OVA in just about every way. So if you're interested in the franchise, you could just skip this OVA and go straight onto the movie because, honestly, you're not missing much here.
Personal score: -0.5 (mediocre)
Kaname94
Without EXTENDED knowledge of the background this anime just happens. Scenes without connection, sentences without weight, action without deep motives. The worst of Berserk outclasses this in about every aspect. Have you seen extremely poor video game/manga adaptation before? No? Look no further this is it. Whom to recommend? Kids? Cannot due to gore and nudity... Young adults? Maybe, but even there, most anime contains far more weight, hype, character. Perhaps with time it was tuned too well with later coming shows, but this anime itself today is unwatchable at best. Do yourself a favor, there are plenty other anime out there. Do not let over the 7 scorefool you~
I have not logged in for ages, did so now only to help others to avoid the mistake I did as a horror/anime/gore/mystical/vampire story fan by watching this.
I can understand if nothing like this happened before, it may motive others to have an edgy main character, but that's the best that can be said on my part. I am really sorry for having to write this, but it is an honest opinion.
zetsushiki
My friend introduced me to Vampire Hunter D. Apparently this is some kind of classic, so I decided to check it out. He is a huge fan of this but I didn't even know that this movie existed in the first place. The art for this movie is pretty great especially for a 1985 film. Someone into today's anime may not enjoy this one though, but I'm used to the art style as I watched the old animes from the 80's before, like Ranma 1/2. The animation is very fluid, colors are nice to look at. Probably not the best art if you compared itto today's standards for anime. It also contains some nudity. ( Cover your eyes, children! )
I think what drew me in the most would be the story. It was very interesting to watch, and I could feel the horror and suspense as I watched it. Plot may be difficult to understand for some viewers or confusing, but I enjoyed how this movie focused a lot on the plot. I was able to understand it pretty well. I've never seen an anime with a story like this before, so I have to admit that I was pretty entertained. It contains sexual themes that may make viewers feel uncomfortable ( it did for me, I guess that adds onto the horror aspect ). The only part that's cliche about it is D and Dorris, other than that I think it's pretty original. They definitely should do better with the story telling though because it was a bit all over the place.
This is probably the most flawed part in the movie. Many of the characters are one-dimensional. D has pretty unique abilities, and let's all admit that Dorris is your typical damsel in distress. All the characters are so damn flat and cliche. It just screams of FLAT. One thing that made me uncomfortable was how women were very sexualized in this movie. Everyone wants Dorris, eh? Most characters here are barely likable or relatable for the viewer.
The music in this story is barely memorable. It's basically mediocre but not something I would sing to or think about when I see this anime. Voice acting is interesting, much different from today's anime. I think it's pretty good and refreshing to see how different voice acting was back then.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie but I wouldn't rewatch it again. If you like horror with sexual themes and sci-fi, give it a try because you'll like it. I tell you this as a horror and sci-fi fan ( though I technically love every genre as long as the story is told well ). Hope my review actually helped people get an idea of the movie.
Noog
I watched this film twice, first in Japanese, then again a few days later in English. I knew nothing of this film or the lore, but I had seen some gifs of the two VHD films on a message board that I thought they were fantastic. I have witnessed much animation and media in my life so I am not easily impressed, but in the first 10 minutes of this film, I was utterly convinced to be in awe of a genuinely terrifying world under beautiful artistic execution. This film pulls few punches in it's animation and design- there is only one scene I thought to bean unnecessary re-use of frame(s), which is partly why I couldn't give this film a perfect score. If I were to give something a perfect score, I would be stating that nothing could surpass it, given that this film instantly became my personal favorite, I was very close to giving it that perfect score, but I will give it the score of, "the most well done film, in spirit and intent, regardless of being animation or not."
This film (Japanese voice language) absolutely nails the atmosphere, symbolism, and nuances it intends to insinuate. The world is presented as terrifying, yet survivable- To be alive in this era as a human requires competence. The "damsel" presented in this film is not a dainty flower comparatively, she challenges the main protagonist immediately and only reveals her true or more "vulnerable" self when convinced of his competence.
The english dub tarnishes this character, as well as every single character, and demotes them into stereotypical archetypes. Doris, the "damsel", is immediately a ditzy damsel, rather than a prideful wounded warrior of a terrifying world. Half of the human characters are granted "southern" accents in english. The southern accents are incredibly jarring and forced. I was amazed that they thought this to be a good decision when designing the english dub. There is absolutely no indication of "southerness" in the story, atmosphere, or presentation of the film in japanese. The only thing I can think of is that the younger brother of the damsel character, her name Doris, his name Dan- maintains a farm. So the people who dubbed this film were under the impression that participating in animal husbandry would equate to having a southern accent. If you're not convinced of this being a sign of one-dimensional creativity, the damsel type character- Doris, does not share a southern accent and neither does the two character's "father figure". I could rant endlessly about how butchered it is to view this masterpiece in english, but I will continue only about the original film instead.
In my eyes, this film is overflowing in symbolism. Symbolism is subjective, so take what you will from it, but the author of the original source material is said to be heavily invested in "occult" themes for the stories by which this anime has been based upon, so it is not outlandish to attempt to read the metaphysical information presented through out.
My take on this story, symbolic perspective, without spoiling, is that of the power of freedom of will, the forces that suppress freedom, the vulnerabilities those forces "prey" upon to suppress freedom, and the true power human beings have to overcome these preying force and become truly free in mind, body, and soul.
The main character is a being who knows two things- what he is and what he may become. A man who gives compulsory conscious thought to not only his actions, but his intentions behind the actions as well. The main character is representative of a man that has superseded his superego and no longer views himself as a "victim of circumstances" (Determinism archetype), but as free and true being only confined momentarily to this mortal coil. My perception of this was reinforced in the protagonist's self defining claim, "we are transient guests of this world"- an ellegant and simple allusion towards a self realized concept of eternal existence, which again is played out in both physical and metaphysical symbolism. The "nobility" (vampires) are physical entities that exist for eternity and the main character shares this quality. The main character does not submit to his "genetic predisposition" (determinism) and instead becomes the "ideal self" externalized. Characters that share this archetype include: Socrates of Athens, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Siddhārtha Gautam (The buddha), and Krishna (Hinduism). The protagonist faces temptations, challenges, illusions, manipulations, and a very fearless oppressor (hint: that vampire looks like the George Soros, Koch family, big nosed international banker, oppressive aristocratic type).
The main protagonist might sound like a very complex character as I describe him, but he is not and that is the beauty of authenticity. The main protagonist is a simple being only but following the path of truth and beauty while denying the temptations of momentary pleasure in favor of the greater gift, inner peace, aka happiness. The main protagonist might seem to be "stoic" and "emotionless", but it is quite the opposite. The archetype he is based upon is influence greatly from the stoic philosophies of the classical greek and roman philosophies clearly, but stoicism is misunderstood completely as stereotypical trope, rather than a school of thought on the perspective of what life and death is.
You will realize that the main character feels all emotions across the pantheon and that his joy is abundant, yet never external. The main character's deeds are all of his destiny and freedom of will to reshape the worlds both physical and nonphysical. This is all about one character in a film filled with great characters. The antagonists are fantastic representations across the same themes that deal with an contribute towards the identity of the main character. The in-fighting and conflicting interests among "nobility" are profoundly similar to that human "nobility" in real life. It's not hard to imagine the "people" who maintain economic, military, and media influential power living absurdly vampire-like; I mean, what do you think they do when they're born into economic, fame, or regal royalty? These nobility type people, and their lackeys, have interesting perspectives, especially when juxtaposed against the main character's perspective (he has the power to change a mind, it's called empathy).
Animation is beautiful and well executed, I don't need to say anything beyond that.
The sound atmosphere is fantastic. Of course it is completely altered in english.
This is the most profound anime film I have seen. Animation is special to me in comparison to live action film. I believe animation, in the 2d realm, to be the greater medium of expression of ideas comparatively, so I would go as far as to say that this is the most profound film I have ever seen, only slighting edging out it's equally great successor in the 2000's film Vampire Hunter D. Bloodlust
Daevawolf
Fair warning if you're epileptic. I'm not personally but even this was a little too much for me. There is a lot of flashing so maybe don't watch it fullscreen if you aren't all that great with flashing colors. There is a LOT of times where the screen will flash black and white. It happened so much that I ended up feeling dizzy and got a headache through out watching it. Afterwards I had to go have a rest, even though I had woken up a few hours before starting the movie. I would have enjoyed 1985's Vampire Hunter D a lot more if there was lessflashing. I can handle a bit but this was too much. Other than the flashing, it was a pretty good movie and I have no other complaints.
Fear_the_Reefer
This story takes place in the distant future, when mutants and demons slither through a world of darkness. Mankind has not yet disappeared from this world, but surviving in it has become a struggle, with some ancient war, lost to time save for it’s place in myths and legends, having rendered the world as we know it into a vast, unforgiving wasteland. The few communities that we’ve managed to form have been cobbled together from different points in human cultural history, with stone buildings, clothing from both Victorian and wild West sensibilities, and technology that wasn’t technically available until far later. Conditions are livable, atthe very least, but the worst of all is the fact that despite the measures we’ve concocted to battle the various demons and mutants that stalk our crops, livestock and children, we’ve fallen under the mercy of the Nobility, a class of ancient vampires who live out their eternal lives in their castles, allowing us to live our pathetically fragile and ephemeral lives more out of amusement than anything else.
One such vampire, the cruel Count Magnus Lee, has become bored with his immortality, and after what is rumored to be somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 years of life, he’s taken to finding ‘distractions’ to help him pass the meaningless years. By distractions, of course, I mean human women, untainted, unturned, cast into unbreakable trances so that he can marry them, break them and ravish their mortal bodies on a nightly basis. His newest obsession, orphaned farm owner Doris Lang, won’t go down without a fight. Even after he’s marked his territory with a quick nibble at her nubile neck, this tough ginger has recruited a mysterious drifter, the silent Vampire Hunter known only as D, to protect her from harm and bring about an end to the nobility, whom he insists on referring to as transient guests. Thus the fight is on between an accomplished supernatural slayer and one of the most powerful opponents he’s ever faced as D, half vampire in his own right, once again finds himself in a battle to protect one half of his geneology from the other.
If Vampire Hunter D’s visual aspects look dated in any way, it’s because this particular anime film... OVA? Film? I see different sites claiming both. Anyway, it was released in 1985, which was a far different time than the current anime landscape. I won’t go into too much detail about the way anime styles have evolved over the years, as that would be another full length discussion entirely, but suffice to say I don’t really think it’s fair to judge an anime based on the restrictions of it’s age, especially since the spectrum of quality was just as diverse then as it is now. By the standards of 1985, this... I’m gonna call it a movie... isn’t quite the most beautiful material available at the time, but it’s still firmly on the high end of the spectrum, with a clearly generous budget and a sense of restraint about how and when to use said budget... For the most part. Yeah, they could have saved a significant amount if they’d skipped the oh so important shot of parting blades of grass that the film opens up on.
Well, that’s a minor nitpick... There’s some filler from a visual standpoint, but it still looks gorgeous anyway. Production Reed, formerly known as Ashi Productions, is an animation studio that did the majority of it’s work in the eighties and nineties before taking a handful of long hiatuses in the new millennium. Aside from Vampire Hunter D, very little of what they’ve worked on has managed to stay out of obscurity, with a few examples being Blue Seed and... Well, Vampire Hunter D... Seriously, who remembers Minky Momo? And if I’m being honest, what little I have seen of their production history points to D as being a rare standout. The movements aren’t always fluid, but they rarely ever feel cheap or stilted either, and out of them any action scenes that this movie has been packed with, I can’t remember a single one of them looking bad. There are some corners cut, but none that you’ll really notice, save for one particular moment where certain characters are getting captured, and some of the most obvious speedlines are employed. It’s jarring but brief, thankfully.
Despite being dated, the animation did actually hold up nicely in it’s original DVD release, but it was also very recently released on bluray, and the difference in quality is more noticeable in some scenes than others, including a walk through an ancient battlefield that I always found way too dark, and now we can see the details in the bones and debris a lot more clearly. I’m also pleased to note that the cleaned up presentation hasn’t altered the dirtier elements of the design, namely the desperate old west setting full of makeshift clothes, arid desert and a town full of people who’ve spent their entire lives performing physical labor to get by. It has, however, provided the opportunity for the designs more gothic elements to shine through in all their beauty. Part of what makes this series so iconic is the blend of gothic, sci-fi and western elements, all of which play an equal role in the design of D as a badass hero, Doris as a tough beauty, and Lee as a villain who doesn’t even have to move or speak to feel intimidating. The random mutants and monsters are also really cool and diverse, with the possible exception of a bland dinosaur looking creature in the beginning.
The soundtrack, composed by Noriyoshi Matsuura and Tetsuya Komuro, is a bit underwhelming, but there are a few memorable tracks here and there. D’s theme in particular, which plays at the end just before the credits roll, starts off with an intense action anthem before quickly settling into a more lonely, melodious tone, as if to tell the tale of a warrior whose exploits you may witness one day, but who endures years of uninterrupted travel that you don’t see once he rides off into the sunset, painting a more complete picture of the kind of life he leads and the kind of character he is than the movie ever properly establishes. Actually, D has three themes, and one of the other ones, that plays when he enters the film for the first time, is also pretty cool, with it’s lighthearted tune undercut by a beat that warns of danger and tragedy i the future. I called the soundtrack underwhelming, but I didn’t really mean to say it was bad... With the exception of D’s Themes, none of the tracks are really memorable, as they blend so flawlessly into the movie that they sound strange when dettached from it. They do their job well, and that’s not a bad thing by any means.
As for the dub... well, there are two dubs, one from Streamline pictures, and the other from just last year, done by Sentai Filmworks. I’m not gonna lie, when I was first getting into anime, and this was maybe the second anime movie I ever bought(right behind Cardcaptors movie 1), I almost never watched it in English, vastly preferring the Japanese track, and I’ve heard a lot of people say the same. Descriptions of the original dub range from ‘It’s tolerable’ to ‘Burn my freaking ears off,’ and while the acting was decent for the time... Well, for the most part, Doris’s brother was an earsore... The writing, in parts, was just terrible. For a quick example... Trust me, this is not as bad as it gets... There’s a scene about halfway through the movie where a certain character who’s just been turned into a vampire is looking at an old friend in a new light. In the Japanese, he says that he’s always thought of her as like a granddaughter to him, and he’s now wondering why he never raped her. Honest, but creepy and abrasive, so a rewrite was in order. In the first dub, he replaces the second part with “I can tell now that she’s a beautiful young woman.” Nicer, but it feels neutered, almost too safe.
In the Sentai dub, however, the line is changed to “But now that I see how beautiful she is, it’s a wonder I never violated that beauty,” which is a line that retains the honesty of the original while still finding much more tasteful way to word it. There are a lot of scenes that were able to find a touch more subtlety in the new Sentai dub, such as an early scene where Doris offers to sleep with D in payment for his work, in a later scene where the count’s daughter is weighing her fate against a recent revelation about her lineage, and one very specific scene where they originally dropped the worst possible Star Wars reference. Seriously, Doris says she loves D, who drops the fucking “I know” bomb on her. I’m not making that up. There’s also a moment early in the film where Count Lee meets Doris for the first time, and it’s supposed to be silent, but the Streamline dub chose to fill in the silence with an introduction stolen right out of classic Dracula, which doesn’t sound that bad at first, but even on first listen, it just feels unnecessary. Sentai, on the other hand, left the atmosphere and ambience speak for itself.
When it comes to the two primary characters, Doris Lang and the titular vampire himself, I feel like the performances were equally good in both dubs, despite different approaches that were taken. Both Michael McConnohie and John Gremillion bring a sense of strength and stoicism to the character of D, with the trade off being that while Gremillion plays him as more raspy and weary, playing more to his history of combat, while McConnohie’s steely, controlled delivery plays more to the character’s air of mystery. also, McConnohie does double duty in playing D’s talking left hand, while another actor plays him entirely in the Sentai dub. Barbara Goodson and Luci Christian both play Doris as strong-willed and determined, with the main difference being that Goodson makes her sound older, making her constant fanservice and attraction to D far more palatable, while Christian plays her as much younger, sounding more like a teenager, which makes the threat of danger against her feel more palpable. Shannon Emmerick plays a much more likeable Dan than Lara Cody did, and that’s also pretty cool.
One of the more obvious changes between the two dubs is the change in the nobility’s accents, with Count Lee and his daughter Larmica going from Romanian to British. There was really nothing wrong with Jeff Winkless’s performance, Dracula inspired as it was, but with the incomparable David Wald taking his place, he’s easily outshined, as you can feel the millenia of boredom and almost casual malice much more richly in Wald’s throaty delivery. Unfortunately his daughter didn’t fare the change so well, as Edie Mirman’s prideful, seductive performance almost feels mocked by Brittany Karbowski’s much brattier interpretation of the character. This could have worked, mind you, if Brittany didn’t overcook her accent, sounding like a middle schooler who just saw her first Harry Potter movie. To be fair, she’s stated in the past that she’s well aware of the fact that pulling off accents is one of her weak points, so I’m tempted to blame the director on this one. Actually, to be honest, while the new dub is well acted and well written, it does feel poorly directed in a lot of areas. I’d recommend the Sentai dub between the two, but neither can touch the Japanese track.
I think I was about 14 the first time I ever saw this movie, and it happened at a friend’s house as part of their birthday party celebration. I had never heard of it before then, outside of the fact that it was one of the many ridiculously overpriced M-rated anime that I wasn’t old enough to buy at Mediaplay. I was still fairly innocent at the time, with my deepest knowledge of Anime revolving between what was airing on American TV and what I could find in manga form at the public library, and Vampire Hunter D blew me away as the first adult-oriented anime I’d ever seen. My fragile little mind was blown away not just by the ominous music and tone, or the dark, gothic design, but also by the graphic bloody violence and full-on nudity that I’d never seen from any other title prior. I bought the DVD soon afterwards, having tormented my poor parents into ignoring the content warning on the back, and I just about wore that poor disk out with my constant rewatches. Seriously, I still have that copy, and I can barely get it to play.
To this day, Vampire Hunter D is not just my favorite anime movie, but also one of my favorite movies of all time, but if you think that means I’m going to give it a gushing masterpiece review, you’re sadly mistaken. I’ve learned over my years of reviewing that you have to separate your personal and professional tastes in order to be fair, and to be fair, Vampire Hunter D is not very good. It holds up very well from a visual standpoint, but when it comes to the story and the writing, it doesn’t really stand up to close scrutiny, which I’m sad to say is the case with most cult classics. For a brief overview of the plot, a young woman is facing the possibility of being abducted by a cruel lord of inhuman ancestry and questionable royal standing, so she hires a silent protagonist to retrieve her every time she gets taken. He must travel to the lord’s castle, battling grotesque monsters, several mercenaries and the lord’s own children in order to get her back, only to have her get captured again immediately afterwards.
I’ve seen people compare this movie to Castlevania... I’ve never played it, so I can’t really speculate... But personally, it feels a lot more like a Super Mario Brothers story to me. I mean, yeah, there are obvious differences... Thank god D isn’t followed by a green clad brother named L... But just like the classic line of Mario games, it does get a little tiresome seeing a story’s lead female just getting traded back and forth between the hero and the villains like a volleyball. To be fair, the original books, including the first in the series, which this movie was based on, do have a lot more exposition and explanations given about all of the characters and the environment they cohabitate, but that’s just the thing... This movie isn’t a book, and that book isn’t particularly easy to find outside of the internet, so it’s more or less unlikely that anyone coming into this movie will have read the proper text beforehand, and by virtue of a movie being visual media, they shouldn’t have to. There’s so much more to this story than the movie gives us, and it’s sorely lacking without it.
Right from the beginning, we’re given two sentences of dialogue to describe the world we’re about to be dropped into, and that’s it. It’s entirely possible to just take the movie at it’s word and not think about it, but considering the state the world is in in this story, with demons and dinosaurs existing alongside classic monsters like werewolves and vampires, there’s obviously a rich history behind it all, and it’s damn near criminal to leave all of it up to our imaginations. The history of the vampires... Excuse me, the Nobility... Is particularly important, because not only is their role in the history of Earth and human society never touched upon even once, but when it’s mentioned that Count Lee could be up to 10,000 years old, it leads to headache inducing questions about how long they’ve existed, how long we’ve known about them, why D keeps calling them transient guests, why half-vampire Dampiels are somehow stronger and better equipped to survive in the sunlight, and are exempt from that same transient label. The very few answers we get just wind up increasing the mountainous pile of questions that the book may or may not have addressed... I don’t remember, I read it thirteen years ago.
Well, I do remember a few details that would have been nice for the movie to include, like the fact that four of the nameless monsters in the movie... A giant rock creature, an old hag, a flying S&M conehead and a hunchback full of spiders... All had names and identities at one point, and were all members of the mercenary Rey Ginsei’s gang. They’re reduced to glorified cameos in the movie, just a bunch of featured baddies to be mowed down. I also distinctly remember the three lamia sisters from under Lee’s castle having a backstory that got cut from the movie entirely. The interactions between Rey and Greco were also supposed to go on longer, with the two of them entering into a partnership as allies against D. There’s a lot of pulp that got cut out of the story, including a hint to the relationship between Vampires and humans revolving around their weakness to garlic, and the list goes on, but even if you can forgive all of that, there’s still a ton of stupid shit that happens in the story. I won’t go into all the little examples, but if you want to see them, I did an Inconvenient Questions post about this movie, which I’ll link at the end.
So if I have all of these problems with the movie, do I think it’s a bad movie? Well, it’s not very good, but no, I don’t think it’s necessarily bad, either. As rushed and poorly executed as the story may have been, it’s still a story you can easily get sucked into, and the characters are compelling enough to get invested in without really knowing them as well as you should. The action and all the battles are still fun to watch, and the designs are still cool enough to hold your attention. Well, mine, at least. With the exception of D, who comes off as yet another example of every badass lone wolf wet dream that socially challenged emo kids have ever attached themselves to over the years if you haven’t learned more about his backstory and personality from the extended book universe, none of the other characters feel one note, they all have their own personalities and motivations. I found Larmica to be particularly compelling, but hey, even the annoying Greco had some depth to him. It’s just too bad this 80 minute film couldn’t have added in about an extra half hour of material to flesh out it’s setting and characters better.
Vampire Hunter D was originally available on VHS and DVD from Urban Vision, but has been long out of print, at least until Sentai Filmworks rescued and rereleased it in 2015. I actually would recommend tracking down a copy of the original release, because unlike the more recent bluray release, it had a ton of special features in it, including trailers, interviews with the Japanese cast and a preview for the video game, which I’ve played... It’s for the PS1, and it’s pretty terrible. It’s actually based on the second movie, Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust, which is superior to the first in pretty much every way, and is based on the third novel in the series. The novels by Hideyuki Kikuchi, as well as a pretty decent manga series, are also available stateside. There’s also a handful of art books, if you’re so inclined.
While I can’t entirely dismiss this movie as so many other critics before me have done, I can certainly acknowledge that it’s more junk food than most viewers realize. It does it’s job as a gateway anime, drawing in less experiences otaku and younger viewers with it’s dark tone and mature content, even if such content isn’t always presented in the most mature fashion. It survives in today’s market mainly as a right of passage for these fledgling otaku, especially once they’ve broken away from the current releases and started to venture into more old school offerings, but that isn’t to say that it’s aged well, as it’s obvious cool factor does little to make up for it’s bare bones world building, rushed story and absurdly strenuous pace. If anything, it stands as a symbol of how badass vampires can be in Japanese pop culture(along with Hellsing, which had a lot of similar problems), and in a market where the noble undead have recently been used as harem and romantic comedy fodder, this distinction is still an important one, lending this film both credibility and relevance beyond it's years. I give Vampire Hunter D a 6/10.
https://fullmetalnarcissist.com/2015/10/17/361/
