Vampire Hunter D (2000)

What would happen if Sergio Leone, in collaboration with Luis Bunuel, filmed in animation form a book by Stephen King, written by him in the mid-1980s (during the period of Stephen’s severe drug intoxication), where the main character would be Zorro, fighting vampires in the Wild West? The result would be surreal trash, but decadent, aesthetic trash. It would be "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust", or something very close to it. As much as I, to put it mildly, am not close to the stories of Kikuchi Hideyuki, how secondary the plot is, how vulgar the characters are, how intellectually and morally powerless the narrative is, ... so much captivating the decadent aesthetics of this anime are. Just as sweetness can be found in pain, so in the destruction of ethical and aesthetic beauty, in decay, one can find decadent pleasure like "Belle De Jour". Perhaps this is what catches “Bloodlust” - the visual aesthetics here are extremely consistent with the ethics of storytelling. It has a peculiar “beauty of ruins”, a borderline sadistic pleasure of destruction, the withering of goodness and beauty. It fascinates, just as a poisonous snake fascinates its victim, just as the viewer is fascinated by the animation of a bouquet of roses withering as Meier approaches to take Charlotte to the “underworld.” The animation, I note, in “Bloodlust” is amazing. The references to Leone's western film aesthetic are animated masterfully, D against the backdrop of a full moon looks as good as Zorro against the setting sun, and it all comes together with a gothic design fused with art nouveau. Eclecticism? Definitely, but it works in "Bloodlust", paired well with an equally eclectic narrative. We can say that this anime is an empty shell, a pretty rotten one, but you can’t deny its visual peculiarity.

Vampire Hunter D – Bloodlust (2000) is a Japanese animated film directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri. He has also directed big hit films such as ‘Ninja Scroll’. This sequel was created to the previous film in 1985 called ‘Vampire Hunter D’ as well as being based on the third of the Vampire Hunter D novels by Hideyuki Kikuchi.

The story follows a mysterious man torn between his allegiances as a Dunpeal, half vampire and half human. He travels as a vampire hunter and is employed by a family to track down their daughter whom was kidnapped the night before. But as he gets closer to reaching ... her more obstacles and problems arise in his way.

Characters
D – The son of the Vampire King and a human, he possesses the advantages of vampirism, as well as the weaknesses. He can control his bloodlust but suffers from ‘Heat Syndrome’ if exposed to sunlight for too long. This mysterious wanderer travels alone except for his parasitic companion latched to his left hand, and his trusty demonic-looking steed.

Baron Meier Link- A full vampire that abducts Charlotte in the night and falls in love with her in turn. Portrayed as the main antagonist through the majority of the film as he makes his way to Castle of Chaythe, the home of Carmilla.

Charlotte - One of the main female characters in the film, portrayed as a victim at the start following from her abduction. The chase is on to reach her and take her away from the vampire before she is bitten and becomes one herself.

Art/Animation
The animation in this film is detailed and well-coloured. Highlighting the features of architectural design for a chilling and dark atmosphere. An example of this would be the opening scenes where, it zooms out from the castle and graveyard to the town. And the careful detail used into the character design and appearances, especially their faces to enhance the mood with facial expressions.

Music
The music does a great job of fuelling the emotions and atmosphere the audience require to fully watch this film. This music composed by ‘Marco D'Ambrosio’ was set and produced perfectly in thought of this anime.

Conclusion
It isn’t the best film in the world that’s true, and although it is far from being called a masterpiece it is still worth a watch. If a true dark story without the happy ending crap is what you seek then your quest is at an end, so sit back and enjoy this film! Anyone that a good vampire animation is prompted to try this and I’m sure they will be happy with what they find.