SpuffyWeb
Sadly Over-hyped
SunnyHello
Nice effects though.
Bluebell Alcock
Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies
Shostakovich343
A good representation of something that sucks, usually sucks. "Vampire Hunter D" might have been better had it not been loyal to the source material, i.e. had it not been so incredibly dumb. The film is based on a Japanese multi-media series, scrapped together from every available genre of pulp, among which science-fiction, western, Lovecraftian horror and, notably, vampire fiction. If the film had told its story with any self-awareness or irony, it might have been enjoyable, but it takes itself as serious as a Star Wars prequel, thus only succeeds in boring.The story manifestly centres around a vampire hunter calling himself "D." - since I cannot think of anything vampire-related starting with the letter d, I will assume his surname is Doofenshmirtz - who battles the night breed with his trusty sabre from the back of his mecha-horse. One starts wondering why the story is set in the future in the first place, but noting the prowling demons outside (demons have appeared somewhere in the future, by the way) it is probably so humans can defend themselves with lasers and electric fences, as to prevent mass genocide by means of shish kebab. D. excels in his profession because he is a dhampir (snort), half-vampire, half-... dhuman, which would have provided for some strong character building, had it not been more profitable to do away with character arcs and recycle the same persona through 26 novels, and counting.I had intended the previous paragraph to summarise the story, but the world building takes its toll on my common sense. Then again, there is not much to discuss storywise; the most enjoyable aspect of the film is watching what contrivances the screenwriters could come up with to make the plot seem more than "kill the vampire, save the girl", stretching the runtime to a nevertheless meagre 1 hour and 20 minutes.Watching "Vampire Hunter D" is mostly bearable because it looks nice. The designs, which show influences of 1950's Hammer horror, create a fitting atmosphere in their gothic architecture and oppressive greyness and the animation is good for its time, although the resolution of characters in the background can be low and the strong gusts of wind inhaled by the symbiote in D.'s left hand (don't even bother) look laughable.Perhaps it is best to remember "Vampire Hunter D" by its influence as one of the first anime aimed directly at adults, or rather teenagers who want to be *edgy* and are aroused by blood and the mention of the possibility of the deed of intercourse. I am getting cynical again, but how could I not be? The film is a Frankenstein's monster of pulp genres, awkwardly held together by the most basic of plots, forbidding any developed and worse, any enjoyment. It should be noted that the vampire is called "Count Lee", and it should be noted that everybody involved is able to keep a straight face saying so.
MaximumMadness
One of the earlier feature-film anime releases to find popularity outside of Japan, "Vampire Hunter D" is also amongst the earliest of its genre to be aimed primarily at adult audiences with its inclusion of Gothic horror, brutal violence and some sexuality. Based on the characters and novels created by Hideyuki Kikuchi, the film is often highly regarded in the world of anime fandom for its important contributions to the art-form, both aesthetic and in terms of broadening its worldwide appeal. Even to this day- more than thirty years after its initial release, it stands tall thanks to these contributions to the entertainment world. And while its quality might not quite measure up to its historical importance, it's very much a fun and engaging piece of Sci-Fi/Horror, and fans of not only anime but film in general should definitely give it a shot.Thousands of years in the future, the Earth has crumbled into something of a post-apocalyptic dystopian world, with human culture having fallen apart and somewhat regressed while supernatural terrors roam the land. After headstrong teenager Doris Lang is attacked and bitten by the Vampire Lord Mangus Lee while patrolling her property, she seeks the help of a famed and mysterious bounty hunter known only as "D" to protect her and her younger brother Dan- knowing this dark lord of the shadows seeks to make her into his newest bride. And so, the three will have to band together to fight off Lee's mutant assassins, corrupt townsfolk who now fear Doris, and the dreaded count himself to survive!While the plot line is a bit simple and is comprised of mainly the most basic of cliché and trope, I find it actually works quite well thanks to the wonderful use of atmosphere and the very likable characters. Despite showing its age, this is still very much a beautiful film and the immense talent of all involved (including director Toyo Ashida, original novel illustrator Yoshitaka Amano and composer Noriyoshi Matsuura) is on full display. It's got a great, grand and very captivating mixture of both Gothic and Sci-Fi design philosophy, in addition to keen character and setting design that sets up such a delightfully dreary mood from the opening frames to the end of the climactic battle. It sets just the right tone from which it builds its thrills and chills upon.The characters are very archetypal and highly enjoyable. D makes for a wonderfully moody anti-hero. His classic design of long flowing black robes and pale skin evoking a wide spectrum of feelings in the viewer. His lack of dialog and crytptic backstory also help us view him as something of a blank slate, where we can put ourselves in his shoes and get sucked into the story. Doris and Dan make for a great sort-of foil to D's simplicity, and both are infectiously likable characters that you just can't help but root for. And Lee makes for a very fun villain. Obviously inspired by a famous actor with the same last name and was famous for playing a certain vampire in a series of films, Lee's just pure, old-fashioned Universal monster-movie cheese and contrasts wonderfully with the Japanese sensibilities of the storytelling and character design.However, part of both the biggest strength and weakness of the film is its fun but very uneven sort-of episodic approach to storytelling. It both does and does not adhere to traditional three-act structuring, with some sequences (particular in the middle section of the film) that begin to feel more akin to volumes or chapters or even video-game like "levels" than thought-out scenes there to develop the plot line. It's all in the spirit of giving D and the others increasingly fierce opponents to fight, and it is a lot of fun in a sort-of schlocky way. But I find it distracts from the overall narrative. It leads to too much of a disconnect to the story, and eats up a bit too much screen time, making you lose focus of just what's at stake. Yes, it's fun seeing D battling various monsters... but not at the expense of the basic storytelling. I think this style of story structure was a fun experiment here that didn't quite work, but lead to future films perfecting the concept, including notably the second film in this franchise, "Bloodlust", which had more of a "road-trip" quality where the episodic approach worked significantly better.Still, despite this quite severe blunder to the narrative structure of the film, I can't condemn it too badly. Because it's still great fun. It's still very moody and sometimes spooky. And it's still wild and thrilling entertainment that should leave most audiences satisfied. Not only is it an important film in the grand scheme of anime's history... it's just a really good, solid film in general. I know plenty of non-anime fans who have seen it and enjoyed it for what it is. And I'm still waiting for more feature-length adventures from this character. It may not be a perfect film. But it's perfect entertainment.I give "Vampire Hunter D" a very good 8 out of 10.
Donald F
Demonic villains! Near-constant panty shots! Super powers! And bloody deaths! Vampire Hunter D is one of those animes of the era. Exploitative in sex and violence, and generally unambitious. These kinds of anime can either be atrocious or hilarious, if not both. Vampire Hunter D earns distinction because, in comparison with others, it isn't as focused on raunch. There's efforts to build character, and there's a cohesive plot. Granted, it isn't great by any means, but you have something to attach to beyond the action.Elsewise, its what you'd expect. And if you're up for that kind of movie, Vampire Hunter D is pretty fun. Its mixture of Gothic fantasy and dark sci-fi give it a unique aesthetic compared to its peers. Its got the twists and thrills you'd want, too. I'd say it even has a good synth soundtrack! The animation isn't that good, though. It passes well enough, but sometimes its embarrassing.It gets your blood pumped, and elicits a few good laughs. Its not good good, but its not bad good either. I enjoy it for what it is - popcorn that doesn't taste too familiar. If you want the ultimate Vampire Hunter D experience, watch its follow-up, Bloodlust, after this.
JTurner82
Based on a series of best-selling novels by Japanese Horror author Hideyuki Kikuchi, this 1985 direct-to-video animated feature has been a cult favorite among Anime fans. 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, who introduces himself as Count Magnus Lee (in a rather corny monologue which exists only in the English version). 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 vampire hunter known as 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 Lamika, Count Lee's jealous daughter, and the ambitious Ray Ginsay, 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.) The concept is sound, but this movie's execution may turn off viewers expecting a multi-faceted story and flashy visuals. The plot, while otherwise apt, borders too much on predictable; even a chilling sequence where Ray Ginsay paralyzes and (temporarily) murders D by way of using an essence-draining candle loses its impact because we already know that our hero will eventually prevail. The character designs were by Yoshitaka Amano, best known from the ever-popular FINAL FANTASY videogames, but his stylistic illustrations are sadly compromised by the simplistic and flat animation. The backgrounds, although dark and appropriately imaginative, lack detail and the cel count is very choppy. It is important to note, however, that all the animation defects are simply attributed to the fact that this was made in 1985, a time when Japanese Anime productions were mostly made on the cheap. Even still, it does leave a B-grade stench on the product.This same B-movie quality also applies to the audio aspects of the picture. 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 dated-sounding electronic instruments.As far as vocal acting is concerned, the English dub, produced in 1992 by Carl Macek's Streamline Pictures, does not feature anything in the way of memorable or convincing vocals. With the exception of Edie Mirman as Lamika, who brings a sultry arrogance to her role and, perhaps to a lesser extent, Barbara Goodson as Doris (who is decent, but sometimes she comes across as bland) the rest of the performances range from dull (D sounds too much like a radio announcer) to lackluster (Dan, in particular, sounds more like a woman than a boy). Other factors which bring down the dub are the cheesy Transylvanian accents and the even more lame writing (in addition to that aforementioned monologue delivered by Count Lee, there are other groan-worthy lines, most of them uttered by D's left hand). Regrettably, this does not mean that the Japanese version is any better. While D is decently voiced, Doris, Dan, and Lamika all have shrill, irritating voices in the native language track which actually sound worse in many scenes than in the dub. In other words, neither language track is remarkable, nor easy to recommend over.All these faults aside, VAMPIRE HUNTER D *is* a good story. 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 human 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. The action and fight sequences are also skillfully choreographed in the style of a samurai-slasher. Sadly, the routine execution does weigh down the movie's potential.It's also important to note that this movie has its share of graphic violence--there are quite a bit of gory swordfights, resulting with stabbing, amputating, or slicing in half; toward the end where one character's head explodes. 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 bloodfests. There are also a few very inoffensive nude scenes. Even so, this is a movie best appreciated by an adult audience; parents should think twice before considering showing this to children.VAMPIRE HUNTER D is a good film, but it's not what I would consider one of the all-time greats. For a more meaty and complex treatment of the story, Yoshiaki Kawajiri's BLOODLUST should be a more viable route.
