Vampire Hunter D (2000)

This movie gripped me from the opening sequence, that set the tone for the movie. Flawlessly artistic animation, the way the camera pans on Iron Crosses being bent out of shape, the shadowy cape of a *whisper* vampire, a woman screaming then the opening credits. Suspense, action, great animation. I was hooked.

The story seems simple on the face of it, but couched in the plot are beautiful layers of character development. A vampire hunter, D (a dunpeal or vampire/human half breed) is commissioned to recover a rich man's daughter, Charlotte, who has been kidnapped by a vampire. She is wanted dead (if turned) or alive ... (if still human).

D meets up with a band of bounty hunters, all of whom have their own special powers, and personal demons. Against them are an array of gypsy monster/vampires. The animation and sound are so good that one feels compelled to watch and rewatch the fight scenes just because they are so well done. Each character is different and their story comes through, the only fault is the minor villains' motivations could have been made more clear.

The pacing of this movie is excellent, and it is definitely theater quality in all respects. I've introduced my friends to anime by showing them this movie, a few have become fans. The only drawback is after viewing this masterpiece, some of them complain it is hard to get other anime of this caliber quality (plot, action, animation, character, sound).

Unlike the original Vampire Hunter D, the Bloodlust movie is gothic, gory, beautiful and touching. Highly recommended to be watched on a big screen, preferably with surround sound. You won't be disappointed if you rent/download this. It's so good you'll want to own a copy to add to your anime collection, as the rewatch value is very high.

Other than the magnificent turd-like mass that was the first Vampire Hunter D movie, this one managed to take the first one, pulverise it, and make a nice hat for itself to strut about it. Because it deserves to strut around, really.

D is a half-vampire, half-Mexican--er, wait. Anyway, D is not human but he's not exactly a vampire. His powers allow him to hunt most other evil vampires and he takes up a mission to save some stupid human girl who wants to get it on with the undead, and so runs away with her vampire lover. While D tries to get the hussy back, ... a rival gang who also hunts vampires compete with him. This movie was excellence. Watching all the action, the fabulous choreography of the fights were simply jizz-in-your pants worthy.

Art and sound were pure amazing. It looks beautiful, and D can make the straightest of men drool over his beauty, really. He was hotter than the chicks, believe it or not. Sound was cool, felt like I was listening to an epic horror flick. Which I was.

Characters weren't so hot except for D who we've established is walking, delectable man-meat for the ladies and just the sort of guy folks like myself just wanna hang around and kill things with. Anyway, D's just cool and aloof and can kick all types of behind. The rest of the characters were cool as well, I didn't have a problem with them, since most knew when to die anyway.

All in all, Bloodlust is the best Vampire Hunter D movie ever. And it is better than you, too.

Vampire Hunter D. I read the book as the first "anime" thing I ever did. And now I own this movie and most of the books, I'm going to be ordering Coffin as well. This anime is definitely great but it does have it's flaws.

The dvd available in North America (at least in Canada) is only available in the english dub. For elitetists this is a huge problem, but the dub isn't terrible, it's pretty good as far as dubs go.

The theme for this, doomed love, is played so beautifully in this. There were a few scenes that ... almost moved me to tears. I loved the way the story progressed, they adapt it quite well from the book. The Markus Brothers and Leila also keep the pacing of the story quite well. There are a few scenes with them that really add alot to the story. There aren't alot of loose-ends, and it ends semi-ambigously but they add a very comforting scene right at the end.

The art in D is good. It's very distinctive, there are some beautiful subtleties to it. They put alot of time into some of the scenery which really show off the skills of some of these artists. Some of the character designs bug me, villagers all seem to have the same kind of frame and all moved very similarly. But they play a small part in the movie and the Markus brothers have some nice designs.

The gothic soundtrack in this is very nicely composed. It definitely suits everything that happens in this. It greatly heightens all the emotions you would feel anway. It conveys the hope and the hopelessness of it, as well as the darkness of the time.

The characters have changed slightly from the novel. These changes are for the most part quite nice. As far as progression of the story the characters pull them off quite nicely. I had a few problems with the changes that were made, but the changes they made push the anime in a completely different direction. D is how D always is, they don't change him at all...and they don't need to.

As far as vampire anime go this one is quite good. They show vampires in both ways, both as super-powerful as well as being weak zombies. So people who like both style of vampire won't be dissapointed. If you've seen the first movie and were highly dissapointed then you definitely need to watch this. It's a great movie, but if you can't find the jap audio don't sweat it too much, the dub is decent.

Based on the third novel Vampire Hunter D: Demon Deathchase written by Hideyuki Kikuchi. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is the sequel to the 1985 cult classic Vampire Hunter D. The sequel is directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, director of Ninja Scroll, Wicked City, Cyber City Oedo 808, and several others. I have followed a majority of Kawajiri's work, and I will say this still stands as his best. Now, I'll be the first to admit that when it comes down to his trademark ultra violence. This film ranks somewhere in the bottom. However, I feel it outshines his earlier works and later work when concerning story. ... Therefore, those whom are use to seeing the Ninja Scroll like violence along with that gratuitous sex found in the aforementioned film as well as Wicked City, should eliminate that from their list of "want to sees" because you won't find it here.

Immediately, the viewer will notice the production values. I have seen many anime series and films with stunning visuals, and this movie can hold its own with some of the best out there. Studio Madhouse brought their A game for this. After watching it several times, I still haven't noticed the slightest bit of jumpiness or reused cells besides the quick passing of lights in tunnels or road ways, which doesn't count as a flaw in my book. There is plenty of attention paid to the outstanding artwork and magnificent animation. The visuals are a feast for the eyes. The facial expressions, eye movements, rain drops, very detailed background, are all done with precision and care.

Most of the action scenes are incredibly cool to watch due to the well use of lighting and even camera shots; but I will mention the few scenes of sword swipes being followed by falling bodies and nothing more. Therefore, I can't praise this for overall good choreography. Still, when concerning the production values this is a budget well used. One scene that truly stands out to me takes place on a bridge. I won't give it away, but be on the look out for it should you ever see this. I will also mention now that the soundtrack is superbly done and fitting for the films overall look. The BGM at times utilizes fantastic piano pieces, among other well orchestrated instrumentals, along with solid vocals that brings out the best in its Transylvanian like setting. The voice acting is very good, and properly fits each of the characters in personality and design. Unfortunately, there is no Japanese language track.

The anime also sticks to its guns, and continues using what the original used so well. This happens to be the accurate combining of sci-fi elements with its Translyvanian and futuristic style, which greatly compliments its Gothic setting. These features are especially detected in the weaponry. The imagination was allowed to run wild because the viewer will be treated to seeing traditional crossbows, in conjunction with a fortress that utilizes a cloaking device and is heavily protected by lasers. The setting is a mix of styles, which is so well meshed together that nothing feels out of place. After re-watching this film recently, I think it's safe to say that Afro Samurai drew some influence from this.

When talking about style, the film definitely has to be given its props. However, the film also possess one of the negative aspects of Kawajiri's works, which happens to be weak character development. However, this area is a mixed bag in a way. Many of them were added only to provide some variety to the action scenes. This wasn't exactly a bad approach because the action scenes can be awesome. The battle tactics used by the hunters against the undead is a refreshing take, and at times, D is completely overshadowed; yet I felt no connection with any of them. This also applies to the villains. When looking at the villans, with the exception of Meier Link, they're also used as plot devices to carry the action scenes. Thus, giving them little to no depth. However, they are interesting concerning their abilities, such as a shape shifter and another creature whose ability I'll leave open.

D especially is shortchanged here with his development. The mystery surrounding his character worked in the original, but by this time he comes off as a mere shonen stereotype. You can actually pull almost anyone with a sword from the action genre to fill his role, and the story could very well be the same. This is actually in the bad thing category.

The story is very easy to follow and plot twist are minimal. I say that's the only problem concerning the plot. Other than that, it delivers some very good action, good character interactions, and memorable moments. The plot gradually builds and only gets better until the end.

Although not a perfect movie by any stretch; it's an entertaining one that hits what it aims for. I enjoyed this sequel far more than the original and the animation was not the only reason. I recommend this one to diehard and casual anime fans both, along with vampire fans. I already addressed the Kawajiri fans, so check it out at your on risk.

Highs: Very high production values, cool action scenes

Lows: Lacking character development, almost all characters are mere plot devices

Vampire Hunter D is a really long running novel series, starting way back in 1983, about a half-vampire who hunts other vampires in his ridiculously wide-brimmed hat. It had a movie adaptation way back in 1985, which was a cult hit back in the day (or so Wikipedia says) but has been all but forgotten nowadays. The 2000 adaptation Bloodlust is generally considered to be far better. It has 15 years advantage in animation technology. It has the acclaimed director Yoshiaki Kawajiri being given an absolute monster budget with Madhouse doing the animation, who were on serious top form in this period. And it shows. ... Oh boy does it ever show.

Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust is gorgeous. When it comes to sheer detail, I can't think of a single other anime that matches it. Maybe Akira? For all the detail Akira puts into its cyberpunk setting, Bloodlust puts even more into being as gothic as possible. It's the kind of movie that an angsty disenfranchised teenager with no friends would go crazy finding desktop wallpapers and making t-shirts from various screencaps of, possibly covering his walls in pictures from the movie and thoroughly worrying his parents, and maybe even wearing a wide brimmed hat to school and then getting it stolen by the football team. A younger me, being one of those football team bullies, would probably have been put off by something so unashamedly soaked in gothicness that I wouldn't have been able to enjoy it, but an older me found how dedicated it was to this tone quite enjoyable and refreshing.

The movie is set sometime in the distant future in god-only-knows-where-land. By removing themselves from any kind of timeframe or specific culture, they've allowed themselves to drape themselves in whatever type of set dressing they feel, giving the movie eclectic imagery that still all ties into the gothic tone it's going for. It's a movie you let yourself soak in as you get wrapped up in its world, even if it gets really cheesy sometimes. Heck, that cheesiness just adds to my enjoyment, because is shows how dedicated they are to this tone that they're willing to put in the slightly dumber stuff associated with that tone. It has an air of self-awareness to that sillier side too. For example, the vampire queen had a giant portrait in her house where she has one of the most ridiculously elaborate hairstyles, to which one of the bounty hunters remarks under her breath "nice hat". It's that same kind of tone Lord of the Rings has. It knows some of this high fantasy stuff is nonsense and a bit silly, but it's so dedicated to presenting that tone that you allow yourself to be swept along with it.

I can't say I've ever been that big on Kawajiri stuff in the past. While they sure look nice, they've lacked any sort of soul to the characters or the story. It's just a bunch of fancy looking dudes and women that all have the same hairstyle swooping around looking cool under fancy lighting, like the Cyber City Oedo OVA. Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust...well now, don't get me wrong. It's hardly Ghost in the Shell in terms of character depth or philosophising or anything, but it's got enough to it to keep me interested beyond the pretty pictures. There's no clear correct side to the war between vampires and humans. On the one side the humans look like bigoted ignorant morons who have hunted down vampires to the point that they're nearly extinct. On the other side though, the vampires terrorise humans and kill them, looking down on them as merely cattle.

That said, for the most part I was just allowing myself to be swept up in the tone and the set pieces of the movie rather than pay attention to the plot. This doesn't just mean that I was being over-awed by pretty pictures, although they are undoubtably pretty. It's how everything, from the setting to the way the characters act, to their dialogue, to how they dress, to how everything ties into this gothic tone it's setting. It's really masterfully crafted, with the possible exception of the dialogue between the vampire they're hunting and his lady friend, which were so full of "oh my dear how sweet are the petals that grace your vagina" and stupid sappy stuff like that. They were eyeroll inducing.

But yes, for the most part I was just allowing myself to be swept up in the tone and the setting, paying rather little attention to the plot details. It's the mark of a good movie, though, that you find yourself caring about all the characters without even realising it. Right at the end of the movie (spoiler warning here, but honestly this is a movie I could spoil from here and back and it would have no effect on your enjoyment of the movie)

The scene of the rocket lifting off. It's falling apart as it's taking off, taking with it the vampire and his lady friend. His kind are dying, he's just trying to find a place to rest with his female friend, who I'm pretty certain is dead at this point. We see the rocket taking off from the perspective of the female bounty hunter, and bear in mind that, at this point, the vampire and his minions have killed off all of her comrades. Yet as the spaceship takes off, she starts pleading for it to make it. It's a symbol of the dying vampire race, once majestic and awe-inspiring but now falling apart, yet still proud. The vampire's attempts to get away from the world with the girl he loved, you want him to leave the world nobly. You too start pleading for its safe voyage along with the female bounty hunter. And when it makes it, you feel so fucking good, without realising you'd ever really cared for their endeavours beforehand.

Also in Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust, when a vampire goes out into the sun, he doesn't sparkle. He starts to catch fire in little separate parts of his body as though he has patches of oil splashed over his skin that are spontaneously combusting with every second he remains in the sunlight. So yes, proper vampires =D

(Spoiler Free)
Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust is one of the rare anime movies wich is capable of delivering everything you'd expect and then some.

What you're probably expecting:
Vampires, swordfights, monsters, blood, well animated and exciting fights

What you're not expecting:
Character development, romance, gray morality, tragedy, high quality orchestral score, beautifully detailed hand painted parallax backgrounds, highly detailed character animations which depict hair moving in the wind and ripples of water as rain splashes down on a pond.

This anime was created by many of the same members who worked on Ninja Scroll so if you set your expectations at this level, then you won't be disappointed. Just ... be sure to watch the HD version, sub or dub is fine.

For as long as the medium of visual storytelling has existed, vampires have continued to be a subject of interest for many artists for a seemingly infinite amount of reasons. Perhaps it’s the elegant and ethereal nature of aristocratic vampires, the ones who lure anyone who falls for them into their grasp, only to feast upon them when the time comes, or the more sub-human vampires who stalk the night as barbaric creatures looking for their next meal. Whatever the case, the subject of vampires has presented itself with a number of ways to reinterpret, and sometimes question, the mythos surrounding these characters, and anime ... is no exception. This is where Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust comes it. While it might not necessarily be the first anime to involve vampires, it certainly presents them in a light that, for its time, was incredibly intriguing, and presented a vampire anime experience unlike any other.

The story for the film was based off of one of the original Vampire Hunter D light novels, which proved itself to be more character-based than narrative based. If there is one thing noticeable about the story from within the first couple of minutes, it’s that it seemed as though the film, for at least the first 40 minutes or so, was trying to be several different films at once. Is it a spaghetti western? A Ghostbusters-style supernatural comedy? A dark and dense vampire romance-drama? Although the film scrambled to find a solid identity while trying to tell a coherent story, it managed to figure out what it wanted to be by combining all the aforementioned story types and having them interact with each other. What results from that is a narrative that is fascinating to watch, as these story types are all different from each other, but does not prove itself to reach the full kind of potential that it should have. A little messy, a little clever, but ultimately satisfying.

As I said before, this film is all about its characters, and fortunately for this film, all the central characters exude charm and style from beginning to end. The forerunner of all of this is is D himself, who is written with a stoic, almost Clint Eastwood-style of cool that makes him more and more of a mystery that the viewer tries to solve as the movie progresses. What is interesting about him is that he doesn’t take a single moment out of the film to explain his back story, yet has his past explained through interactions with a number of characters, allowing for the emotional resonance within those memories to cement its importance within the story. As an example, there’s a scene involving a shopkeeper that currently stands as my favorite scene in the film, primarily for how it’s written and how it explains a lot about the character without directly involving the character himself. D is an anti-hero that strongly represents the film as a whole: dark, mysterious, a puzzle, and fascinating to watch.

The rest of the cast also has their own role in making this film a bit of a surprise upon first viewing, and that’s bringing about questions about the vampire genre through character development. While these characters start out as usual archetypes for the supernatural vampire/hunter genre (the loner, the gung-ho leader, the tortured soul, etc.), they somewhat break out of that mold by the time the film ends, but not too much that it provides answers to some of the questions that their roles pose within the genre: Why change a human into a vampire? Why turn your back on your own kind?, etc. What this film manages to successfully do with the characters, though, is to develop them beyond just walking tropes and provide them with strong-enough personalities that, once their task in the film is done, they have left a good-enough impression on the viewer. The only exception to this might be the parasite that resides in D’s left hand, whose catty remarks often lead me to believe that those lines were ad-libbed by the actor and were not part of the original script.

And then there’s the art. My goodness, the art in this film. The entire style of the film was based on illustrator Yoshitaka Amano’s original art for the novels, which featured his trademark wispy ink work and androgynous individuals. Trying to adapt such a fluid art style may sound like a formidable task, but the animation studio Madhouse went above and beyond in allowing for his style to fit an animated format. As a result, the film is presented in a semi-realistic, but still characteristically anime style that has the potential to appeal to viewers who might not like anime, but enjoy horror and animation all the same. The character designs present the whole cast with distinct features without anyone looking out of place, all while putting them against lushly-detailed landscapes, both during the day and at night. There was one particular scene involving D, the hunter Leila, and a girl named Charlotte, that took place by a river near a forest that I wished could have lasted an extra 5 minutes just so I could look at the art a little more. If there is any reason for you to give this film a watch, it’s for the beautiful artwork and expertly-handled animation, some that I find to be vastly underrated amongst the pantheon of stand-alone anime films.

If the animation is the most impressive part of the film, then the sound and voice acting would, while not being the exact opposite, have to be the area that would benefit from the most improvement. Much of the soundtrack composed in this film is a mixed bag as far as its overall enjoyment goes. Some of the music does its job in accenting the excitement of certain scenes and nothing more, while others can be grabbing in how sonically powerful they can be. The latter is especially true for the last quarter of the film, which features an ominous choir joined by a powerful and gothic lead organ. The rest of the music, however, is mainly synthesized, which strongly contrasted against the high quality of the film’s artwork. The voice acting itself, which I listened to in English, was passable for the dub of an anime, but nothing superlative. However, it was interesting to hear people in a film that, while they are considered industry veterans now, were only really beginning to dip their toes in the water as far as the voice acting game goes with this film. While the dub certainly isn’t the worst to come out of the anime boom of the noughties, it isn’t one that would certainly convince people who prefer their anime subtitled that dubs can have their merits as well.

Despite its flaws, I ended up enjoying the movie a lot more than I thought I would. I first saw the trailer for this film over 10 years ago, and ever since then, I’d wanted to watch it because it intrigued me so much. When I finally sat down to watch it, I found that it was worth the wait, challenging my expectations with each scene and presenting me with some beautiful artwork to go along with it. This is a film that I don’t often hear in conversations about good anime films, but one that I wouldn’t immediately place on the same pedestal as anything Studio Ghibli has done. It’s a highly beautiful, but slightly indecisive, film where the strongest parts of the film have aged wonderfully and have made the film worth watching.

Bloodlust is a movie about a half vampire who hunts vampires. The basic setup is that a young woman from a wealthy family has been taken from her room by a vampire. The family responds by hiring vampire hunters to go after her. That's where D, a half vampire, enters the picture. The movie primarily focuses on D and a second group of vampire hunters going after the vampire and trying to bring the young woman back. It's pretty well constructed and there are a lot of references to traditional vampire lore. So it's pretty obvious that a good deal of research went into this. ... That being said, it does have a lot of original ideas and it's presented very creatively. The action scenes are very intense, although a few end very anti-climactically, and interesting to watch. My only issue with the story is that the beginning has an exposition dump that gives information that could have come out in the narrative, in fact, most of it does rendering that entire scene pointless.

The characters really vary. D and Leila, one of the other hunters, are both really well developed and interesting but the rest of the characters are pretty flat. Their motivations make sense but they don't have a lot in the way of personality. The only reason it kind of works is because the focus stays mostly on D and Leila.

The art is very nicely done, albeit a bit dated. The dark colours throughout most of the film set the tone well and the use of brighter colours for the ending is very symbolic. The only real issue I have with the art is that some of the monsters just look silly rather than intimidating, although there are only a few cases where that happens, like the werewolf inspired monster who just looks really ridiculous after he transforms.

The voice work is spectacular. Tanaka Hideyuki and Hayashashibara Megumi both give really strong performances. The only real weakness of the voice acting is Nagai Ichirou who just sounds bored when he delivers his lines. The music is very sombre and suits the tone well.

The yuri factor is a 1/10. The female characters barely interact with each other and their interactions don't illustrate sexual tension.

My final rating for Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is an 8/10. It has a few issues, but overall it's a very good film. If you're a fan of horror or you like vampires when they're done well you'll probably enjoy it.

I was planning to watch this movie if I had the time. I was watching YouTube videos and saw this in the related bar. I decided "Why not?"
and pressed play.

Story 8/10:
The story is very cool. You have two sides of the story you can enjoy. You have the love story and you have the vampire hunting story. You can root for either side. (D or Myir)

Characters 9/10:
I think the characters are one of the strong points of the movie. Each main character has an interesting past. At first, I hated certain characters, but as their past was revealed, ... I understood why they acted that way.

Art 9/10:
The art was another high point of the movie. The backgrounds are drawn well and so are the characters. When you see a character up close, their face is outlined nicely. The movie is greatly animated for a 2000 film.

Sound 8/10:
I watched this in dub and MAN they picked the right voice actors. Usually, when I watch dubs, I find one or two characters whose voices I don't like. But with D, I felt that each character's voice fit perfectly. As for the music, I can't remember it. I only remember the music for the opening sequence and that was it. But, at least we know the sound doesn't stick out like a sore thumb.

Overall 9/10:
This movie is a classic. If you like vampires, you need to watch this. With, the spectacular dub, the art, and the 3-dimensional characters you should enjoy it.

Thanks for reading my review! Feedback is greatly appreciated :).

i love vampires and i always seek movies that tell a good vampire story ... and i think this is my favorite one ... i don't know how to write a proper review since i never read any of the reviews on this site .. they're too long and opinions may differ so am only writing this so that more people know about this hidden gem and get to watch , it is that great ..
The story is amazing .. the art is the best thing you'll ever watch .. basically everything here is just amazing .. do yourself a favor and ... watch this movie if you want a mature , dark movie and of course if you love vampires like me :)

sorry for my English ... it's my second language

Art: Detailed designs, vivid colors, nicely shaded. For example the werewolf-like creature on the bridge jumping around. The level of detail on each frame is good enough to stand on its own, even though the scene is so short and fast that you probably can't notice it.

Animation: Fluid, which is very impressive given the level of detail as mentioned earlier about the scene of the werewolf jumping on the bridge.

Choreography: Stylish, though not entirely to my liking. I prefer to watch fights rather than one-sided killings, although it is more realistic that way since this is a movie about monsters. The detailed drawings ... of monsters, their fluid movements and the special effects are what makes this movie really outstanding.

Conclusion: To be fair, the choreography in this movie is lacking, but the outstanding fluidity makes up for it.

This movie is an enigma to me. It is such an absurd premise for a movie, but such a simple idea. It both should have made waves with its animation, all the while went mostly unnoticed. I watch this movie once a year, and each time I come away stunned and speechless at what I had just witnessed. Trying to describe this movie to someone is like teaching someone a new language, you'll need to repeat it a few times before they really start to understand.
the plot is mediocre, the characters are mostly ... flat, the visuals are pleasing, but never groundbreaking, and yet I cant help myself but recommend this movie to anyone that wants to hear me incoherently ramble for 20 minutes. My honest opinion as someone who has watched it 4 times now, is this is a movie best experienced at least once, with friends, and weed or alcohol would be greatly advised. all this to say, you should watch it, and become a part of the club who also cant help but recommend it.

“Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust” is a visually captivating and intriguing anime movie that weaves a unique narrative around the theme of rescuing a girl from a vampire, who, in a twisted way, he’s in love with. The plot offers an interesting take on the vampire genre, where love and conflict collide.

The story revolves around D, a mysterious vampire hunter who is tasked with rescuing Charlotte, a young woman held captive by the powerful vampire Meier Link. The narrative explores the complex emotions that arise when love, obsession, and the desire for freedom intersect. While the plot is engaging, it’s fair to say that it falls ... into the “okay” category, earning it a rating of 6/10. The movie’s strength lies more in its visual storytelling and character development.

In terms of characters, D, the stoic dark hunter, remains a constant and, for some, a rather unexciting presence, rated at 5/10. The character’s stoicism and enigmatic nature may not be to everyone’s taste, and as I mentioned, the other hunters in the story bring more intriguing and dynamic elements to the narrative.

While D’s character serves a particular purpose, it’s the supporting cast, especially the other hunters, who inject life and complexity into the story, rated at 7/10. Their unique personalities and motivations add depth to the movie and make for more interesting character dynamics.

As the movie unfolds, viewers are treated to a richly detailed world filled with gothic landscapes, supernatural creatures, and atmospheric settings. However, it’s worth noting that the art style, while unique, may not be to everyone’s (including myself) taste, with some finding it a bit unconventional or even, in my words, “a little ugly.”

In conclusion, “Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust” is a must-watch for those who appreciate unique takes on the vampire genre and stunning visual storytelling. While the plot may not be the movie’s strongest point, and the art style and the stoic nature of the protagonist D may be polarizing, the movie’s supporting characters and their interactions make it a memorable experience.

Overall Rating: 7/10

The Pros:
The Story
Though this film's story is simple on the surface , it has the benefit of being filled with interesting, well written characters that have believable relationships, and all have character development. The film's villain is also one of the more complex I have seen in anime.
The setting:
Though film is set in the far distant future the world is very gothic and dark in nature from the character design, environments, and creature design. There are swords and horse drawn carriages, but also crazy guns, and awesome robot horses. The setting and animation style really make this film feel unique.
The animation:
It is gorgeous. ... The action scenes are all beautiful to look at.

The Cons:
The climax. I won't get into specifics and spoil anything, but I personally felt some aspects felt forced so the animators could have an awesome looking fight scene.

Overall:
The good story and characters, awesome and unique world, and amazing animation make this film an action lovers delight. Strongly recommend to any anime fans that like action.

Kawajiri's Masterpiece!

Bloodlust is a sequel to the '85 OVA and is based on the third VHD novel but you don't have to watch nor read any of the earlier releases to enjoy this one.

Young lady Charlotte gets kidnapped by the Noble vampire Meier Link because he wants to marry her. D, the half vampire half human vampire hunter accepts a deal to find Charlotte and bring her back home for a lot of money and because of personal reasons as well. What D doesn't realize is that the Marcus Brothers, a group of human vampire hunters, are also hired to bring Lady Charlotte back and ... thus we have a rivalry between the two vampire hunters.

The animation is what you'd expect from Madhouse + Kawajiri... Perfection, the aestethic is exactly what i associate with good anime. It's very colorful and very similar to Ninja Scroll in terms of art direction and character designs. Action scenes are very well paced and animated there are no flaws to see here!

What i really like about this movie is that it's not just about D and the villain Meier Link... Charlotte, Leila, the Marcus Brothers, Link's goons, everybody has their own goals and relationships and make themselves useful in this movie. Our protagonist, D has good reasons to save Charlotte, first he obviously needs money but also because he doesn't want more half vampire breeds, like himself, to exist and suffer as much as he does. It's definitely an improvement over his 1985 version but still some things aren't explained like his left hand but that will probably never be explained in anime form.

One nitpick i have is we never get to see a certain fight which would've been awesome but for some reason was cut short probably due to budget or something, but the ending does make up for it so i still had to give it a 10/10.

This movie is so good it's probably the best anime movie i've seen, it has everything i like i really don't get the low average rating.

So I was thinking about how in general I've seen anime and stuff that had kind of grimdark anti-heroic sort of characters and sometimes it works and sometimes not so much, Vampire Hunter D is the former category, and it's also named Evangelion and consequently people might be sort of less familiar with it.

I saw it because a friend had it awhile ago and I believe it's technically Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, a movie which came out in 2000 which I'm pretty sure is this one so here's hoping..

Anyway! Vampire Hunter D is about the Vampire Hunter D, who travels the kind of ... bleak post-apocalyptic world in search of treasure and in the back, revenge. It's not so much a startling sort of experience but there is something sort of charming about D, like something beneath the wide brim hat and this kind of introverted quiet sense that shows it isn't so much an anti-heroic character but more like a partially heroic one...

So isn't so much a world and character without purpose or cause, but kind of just like a crooked moral compass, one that functions intermittently. He is sort of without purpose in the grander sense, why go and fight a revenge against this guy anyway, why not go a different direction, and yet there's something about all the staging and kind of theatrics that makes it sort of compelling anyway. It's kind of like watching Phantom of the Opera or something, it's just like this sort of stagey drama that is just kind of like a romp into the night or something, you know what to expect and kind of what you feel but you end up just sort of magnetized anyway.

I couldn't give Vampire Hunter D a super high score, because on the one hand he's really kind of a jerk at times, he's not really like a super good character, but at the same despite all those things it really is so much more compelling an anti-heroic (or as I say, partially heroic character) than so many other things like Yuno Gasai or whatever that girl's name was that are more like fake-dark type of characters.

It's like, it's wrong and weird, and yet, it doesn't matter too much at the same time, because there's something about the whole aura and experience that is somewhat compelling.

D himself like I'm saying.. just something about those brooding eyes and this like torturous sort of thing, like... it's like there is this constant sense of doing things that are kind of questionable along with a sort of awareness of that.

Also, I'm not really a fan of AMVs but in this case I thought this was pretty well done and thought I'd put it here to generically primp the thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybyU0pdIu4Y

So yeah, I can't really give it a crazy high score because it is just kind of a messed up anime, but it's like the "good" kind of messed up, so I gave it an 8.

That's kind of a weird way to summarize the situation, but I think what's what the grimdark antiheroism thing was all about in the first place, it's not a neat thing all together thing all the time, but it would be unwise not to pay it heed.

Based on a horror book by Japanese author Hideyuki Kikuchi and with character designs by FINAL FANTASY's Yoshitaka Amano, 1985's VAMPIRE HUNTER D was a low-budget, B-grade direct-to-video release was criticized by many for its cheap production values and simplistic story. Even so, it still managed to find an audience that was gradually garnering interest in Anime thanks to being exposed to edgier, more violent works than one would expect from the West, such as AKIRA, WICKED CITY, etc. Sixteen years later, a second film was made, helmed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, the man behind the aforementioned WICKED CITY as well as the similarly popular NINJA ... SCROLL. It's also very loosely based on the third book Kikuchi has written, called "Demon DeathChase." Not having read that book in question, my review will not be comparing this movie to its source material, but in terms of how it stands as a film.

If you were among those who found the original VAMPIRE HUNTER D underwhelming, then this semi-sequel should serve as a better alternative. It's arguably superior to its predecessor in many respects. For instance, the animation is stunningly rendered and rich with gothic colors, shadows, and lights. The cheaper, cruder animation style of the 1985 OVA could never even hope to compare. Its storyline, too, is a step above the more simplistic, forgettable plot of the original. This time around, D is on the trail of Meier Link, a charismatic vampire who has apparently captured a lonely woman. But has she really been taken against her will? Further complicating matters are competition from the rough and ready Markus brothers, a suspicious, troubled bounty hunter named Leila, monsters, and ultimately, the ghost of the bloody countess Carmella.

The characters' motives in this tale are much more complex, and not the simplistic archetypes the first tale depicted as. D, in particular, gets a bit more depth; while his primary motive is to protect the innocent, it is implied that he harbors other emotions. Being a "half-breed" vampire/human offspring (awkwardly transliterated as "dunpeal" as opposed to "dhampir"), he is against the existence of his own kind, to the point that he does not wish to see another such offspring occur. It's also implied that greed is a bit of a motivation; he gouges the bounty price in order to accept the job, for instance. More intriguing is the dynamic between Meier and his "captive", Charlotte, which can be best alluded to as a "Romeo and Juliet" style romance. Meier, incidentally, despite his seemingly cold demeanor and feral nature, is not the major villain; he is simply a tragic figure who simply wants to live a peaceful life with his new love without being surrounded by hatred or bigotry. Which also brings the question over whether all vampires are evil incarnate or not. This brings an edge of ambiguity to what could have otherwise been just another chase/slasher movie. Charlotte is probably the least interesting character in the movie, but that's mainly because she is given very little to do. The Markus brothers get to have more screen time, and they are clearly portrayed as in it mostly for greed. Even so, one of them, the frail Grove, seems to possess a somewhat softer side. Leila is arguably the most interesting character in the movie; she starts off as antagonistic and aggressive, but as the movie progresses, we're given traces of her backstory and are permitted to see a softer side emerge. The change of heart she undergoes is intriguing to watch.

Kawajiri's past films such as NINJA SCROLL and WICKED CITY sometimes had a rather nasty, misogynistic vibe, particularly in their handling of otherwise competent female characters and were rather heavy on gore. BLOODLUST, thankfully, is free of any such offensive bits, making this arguably the director's most accessible work. Which isn't to say that this is a movie that children can sit through, on the contrary. This is still very much a violent movie, with plenty of battles involving stabbing, brief decapitations of zombies (bloodlessly), arrow showers, and of course the occasional blood spurts. Luckily, it's not overdone, although some of the monstrous creatures in the movie can come across as intimidating. Particularly intriguing are a trio of hybrid demons called "Barbarois." These include the jester-like Benge with a voice like Mark Hamill's Joker who can attack by sliding through the shadows of unsuspecting prey, Caroline, a witch whose threats include merging herself into spikes or camouflages with trees, and a werewolf named Mashira. Although brief, these three prove to be quite a formidable trio. There's also a brief scene involving an ancient crone riding a unicycle who is implied to be leery toward our hero, as well as a briefly tense confrontation in a stable. Although the primary antagonist, Carmilla, doesn't show up until the last reel and as such, comes across as a rather minor character, she is nonetheless a sneaky, manipulative villain.

The overall tone of the movie is one of genuine darkness and melancholy, but there are brief moments of humor which, depending on the viewer, could either break the mood or at least lighten the tension. Much of it comes from D's left hand, which occasionally shifts into a spooky looking face and proves to be a capable force to be reckoned with. Mostly, however, he's there to mostly badger his "master" for fighting against his instincts and provide laughs. These are supplied by Mike McShane, who brings a lot of personality and life to this bizarre character with pure smugness to boot. His last line in the movie is also the best: "You're not so bad after all. You just DRESS bad." While some folks may find the hand to be a jarring character, he does provide an amusing contrast to his often stoic counterpart.

It should also be mentioned that VAMPIRE HUNTER D: BLOODLUST, despite being animated by Japan's MadHouse, is also something of a Western co-production. The thunderously powerful music is provided by Marco d'Ambrosio, whose score is rendered by both a full orchestra and chorus and in the manner of a dramatic action-thriller. Nonetheless, it's a great accompaniment to the picture, especially the organ-powered, vocal-chanting cues during the climactic scenes. In another unusual move, the movie's primary language is English. That's right, a Japanese animated movie whose English language voice track might not be considered a dub at all. It was even released in Japan with Japanese subtitles! While opinions on the matter of voice acting may be subjective, I found this particular movie to have solidly good performances, easily superior to the laughable corny dreck of Streamline's 1992 dub of the original VHD. This English language cast is helmed by Jack Fletcher, who has provided great dubs for titles such as PRINCESS MONONOKE, CASTLE IN THE SKY, KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE, and TENCHI MUYO, as well as FINAL FANTASY X. Andrew Philpot brings a quiet, understated tone to the title character which is eerily fitting, while not holding back on some of the more action-packed scenes. McShane, as mentioned, is hilarious as his left hand. But the best performance by far is John Rafter Lee as Meier Link; with a rich voice that oozes with charm and charisma, he is simultaneously chilling and sympathetic as this character. Pamela Seagall has a few stiff moments as Leila, but otherwise is solid, and Julia Fletcher is a suitably sultry, villainous Carmilla. All in all, I have nothing bad to say about this cast, although it should be noted that their performances are still very much "post-synching" as opposed to pre-lay, so there are some occasional stilted lines. For the most part, though, the script flows fairly well. (For purists who would rather hear this movie in Japanese, there IS a Japanese language track in existence; disappointingly, though, it's only available on import DVDs from Japan.)

If there is any complaint to be made against VAMPIRE HUNTER D: BLOODLUST, it might be that the sound mix is unbalanced. The voices are mixed a bit too low in the center channel, while the music and sound effects come across as blastingly loud, to the point where the viewer is required to turn up the volume on and off at the more quieter moments. Perhaps a bit more consistency in the sound levels would have been welcomed, but it is a bit of a problem regardless.

All in all, however, VAMPIRE HUNTER D: BLOODLUST has aged gracefully well and works as a much more complicated and interesting vampire story than the original did. Even if you're not a fan of the original, chances are you won't be disappointed with this.

Bloodlust is a weird title. I like it, but it can feel tepid. It neither embraces spectacle nor offers any insight, so I'm left wondering what to make of it. It has this air of sophistication resulting from its fairly tight writing; the antagonists aren't far from understandable, the heroes aren't far from empathetic, and the events aren't far from believable. D is still a lovable quasi-badass who behaves like he has autism, even more this time around. I don't know, it just feels rather monotonous for a title about a vampire chasing monsters for money, all presented quite superbly by the way. I suppose ... it has to do with this commitment to seriousness that, although is exactly what the original novels strive for, feels misplaced. Such approach is definitely not my cup of tea. Given its tone, I'd gladly accept an exploration of D's psyche in face of all the shit happening around him. When he kept his promise I thought 'isn't he cute' while wishing for a movie dedicated to his solitude. As for this, it needs either more action or contemplation... or both.

The original "Vampire Hunter D" OVA from 1985 can best be described as mediocre. In 2000, Madhouse demonstrated how it should be done with "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust", a movie gleaming with polish and brimming with gothic beauty.

And that's the main strength of the movie - it's a beautiful one, filled with striking artwork, smooth animation and a unique sense of style. I found much of the designs "Bloodlust" breath taking, especially the architecture of the gothic castle. The characters designs are also distinctive, coupling delicate, porcelain features with an almost elven elegance.

Curiously, the sense of beauty found in such abundance elsewhere in the artwork ... doesn't extend to the faces of the female characters. While the men's faces are blessed with a feminine grace, the women's had an almost masculine look. While beauty is present in the individual facial components, when put together, it always goes missing.

"Bloodlust", despite using a brighter colour palette than its predecessor, nevertheless manages to generate an atmosphere darker and more intense than anything the original OVA could manage. I thought the music did a particularly good job at setting the mood. That said, the voices are the more interesting aspect in the sound department: "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust" is one of those unicorn anime originally voiced in English. Maybe that's why the English voices doesn't sound too bad, though there are still moments where the performances fell flat. The audio mixing levels also sounds off, at least in the version I watched - the sound effects are like 10 times louder than the voices.

While blessed with superb production values, "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust" suffers the same story problems as the original OVA: it's confusing and incomplete. By the end, I still knew very little about the protagonist D. Perhaps the makers wanted to maintain D's sense of mystery, but the same excuse cannot be used for the rest of the characters. The relationship between Charlotte and Meire was one where the explanations felt especially inadequate. Unexplored plot elements aside, there were also jarring plot elements such as the rocket ship that doesn't feel like they should belong in the same story. Despite the problems, the story in "Bloodlust" still eclipses the original OVA: at least you can tell what's going on - you just don't know any background information.

Though I would have liked a more fleshed out plot, I still enjoyed "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust". Its visual flair and mastery of suspense and atmosphere kept me engrossed. This is how a vampire anime should be done!

Personal rating: +1.5 (very good)

Beautiful art, soundtrack, and overall a fun story to watch. The movie is beautiful and offers a very interesting setting and story. This is one of those animes you could just get lost staring at due to how beautifully crafted it is. Now on to the story, it's very reminiscent of stories such as the witcher where you have a bad-ass stoic main character where his mission is to hunt down monsters. The overall plot is somewhat cliche due to how it is an action-focused story, but that shouldn't sway you away from feasting your eyes on the beautiful art and great world building.