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Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
Violence: High
Sex/Nudity: Negligible
Music:
Runtime Episodes: 101m
Overall Rating: A
Artwork: A
Story: A
Comments: This was originally filmed in English, not Japanese. It is also rated R. Most anime is unrated. This movie is based on the Novels (not graphic novels) written by Japanese horror master Hideyuki Kikuchi. There are currently 17 novels in the series. They are currently being translated into english.
Voice Acting English: A
Voice Acting Japanese: None
Genre: Horror
Extras: Weblinks (2), scene selection, trailers for: Wicked City, Legend of the Crystals: based on Final Fantasy, Bio Hunter, The Cockpit, Psycho Diver, Dragon Slayer, Tekkaman Blade II, Wild 7, Twilight of the Dark Master, Gatchaman, Pet Shop of Horrors, Goku: Midnight Eye, the Professional: Golgo 13. US, Japanese, and Korean theatrical trailers. US and Japanese tv spots. A making of the movie featurette (22min 50sc). 3 storyboard to movie scene comparisons. The top 10 fan favorite scenes. Merchandise (a statuette of D, a t-shirt, cells from the show. I doubt that you can find them very easily anymore)



Date Reviewed: 9/30/05 Last Updated: 10/26/09

Basic Premise: D must track down a powerful vampire named Meier Link who has kidnapped a young woman named Charlotte Elborne. D's orders are to rescue Charlotte and return her to her father dead or alive.
Review: In the year 12090 Vampires have long since taken over the planet and humans survive in camps in dread fear of the vampires and rightfully so.  Howevever the vampires have been dying off.  Not by any real plague or war or age were the vampires dying off.  They just seemed to be dying because they were slowly being hunted off  Also the vampires just seemed to be tired of living.  Not all of the vampires felt this way.  Some desired to live on and continue their immortal rule over the humans forever.  That's where the expert Vampire hunters come in.

When the vampires took over the world they took to developing their scientific skills and learning.  They were very intelligent, wise, and talented and often had some degree of psychic ability as well, but they were all rooted in evil as well.  Some Vampires took to the stars and others took to creating genetic mutations like werewolves and other terrors of the night.  During the millenia of the vampires decrease in numbers hunters arose to take on some of these created beasts and the very best hunted vampires.  The rarest of the rare were Dunpeals.  Dunpeals were half vampire and half human.  Dunpeals are a cursed people despised by both humans and vampires.  They can tolerate the sunlight in limited doses and desire to drink blood, but do not have to.  They also do not age and have a reflection in the mirror.

D is a Dunpeal and he has been hired to rescue an old man's daughter, Charlotte Elbourne at any cost, dead or alive.  D also is in competition with the Markus Brothers, a group of vampire hunters that are human, but very good at what they do, for the reward money that comes upon completing the job.

This is one of those rare movies that can give goosebumps from start to finish.  The visuals are breath taking and engaging.  In one of the first scenes where D takes on a job you can feel the heat of the sun reflect off the desert sand and everywhere.  I feel like grabbing a drink of water and getting into the shade just seeing them talk.

Every scene keeps you on edge with anticipation and action whether it be from zombies or the creature behind the next turn or knowing who to trust or just simply the visuals.  Speaking of visuals I can't think of a single scene or frame that didn't look as if intense time and loving effort went into it.  It could be a gravel road or the moon, it all looks wonderful.

The characters are all full of life all of them.  Especially D.  D is such a quiet character, but even as expressionless and silent as he is he commands a lot of respect and hatred towards him and can say a lot in his silence.  There is a lot of pain and turmoil inside of him that is hard to see, but makes you want to know what he is thinking and feeling.  These are characters that you can care about and do not feel as if they are overacting or melodramatic.

The music is ok and mostly there just to set the mood and tension.  Music can truly carry a movie or destroy it, but in his case it plays a supporting role and doesn't try to take center stage.

Conclusion: This is a classic and ground breaking anime in terms of artwork and storyline. Very, very well done and is a classic.  It is one of the most well known anime movies ever made, even to people who do not know anime all that well. This is required viewing for anyone who watches anime in order to be considered anime literate.



Publisher: Urban Vision
Related Website: Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust, Vampire - D
Where Found: Best Buy, Amazon, Suncoast
Copyright: 2000
Author: Mata Yamato
If you enjoyed this anime try: Vampire Hunter D, the vampire Hunter D novels, Armitage: poly matrix, The Animatrix: Program


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