Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust

Genre: Action
Company: Studio Madhouse
Format: 1 movie
Dates: 4/17/2001

The beautiful Charlotte, heiress to the Elbourne family fortune, has been kidnapped by the vampire Meier Link. The Elbournes will pay handsomely for her safe return; numerous bounty hunters are enlisted for the task. Among them is the mysterious man known as D. Half-human, half-vampire, D may be the only one to possess the powers necessary to defeat Meier and bring his would-be bride back home.

summary by Kain

 

Reviewed: 01/17/2002 by
Grade: 89% 

Highs: Deeper than it looks at first glance; topnotch art and animation

Lows: D’s character placed on back burner

I remember watching the original Vampire Hunter D as a kid and thinking how cool it was (then again, I thought setting ants on fire with a magnifying glass was cool, too, so it’s all relative). Looking back on it all, I have a much better appreciation for all of its faults and foibles. Sequels are rarely better than the original, so really I was looking for more of the same. Shame on me for not giving this anime a fair shake in the beginning.

I wasn’t convinced during the first thirty minutes or so; the plot seemed standard vampire fare, and there were but a few moments where the characters gave any hint of having distinct personalities. That is when the fun really started! The action kicked up a notch, and sequences were flying by on a breakneck pace. One of the biggest things I appreciated the most was the fact that most of the good guys were vastly outclassed and mismatched (except for D, of course. His role and significance are, to make a bad vampire pun, left in the shadows from beginning to end). While done purposely to enhance his dark mystique, I couldn’t help but feel the desire to learn more about D. The creators could have replaced D with just about anyone else and the story would have remained virtually unaffected.

Most people will ooh and ahh over the eye candy in Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. And with good reason. There is not a single hint of letup in animation quality; be it death-defying action or moments of reflective tranquility, every shot is done in meticulous detail. The colors and settings are perfectly suited for a gripping tale of the undead. Vampire lovers will fall head over heels for this riveting movie; the rest of us will come very close to doing the same.