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Vampire Hunter D-Bloodlust
 Home/Change Series
“Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust” was released in 2000. It’s the second animated story featuring the character from the novels by Hideyuki Kikuchi seen in 1985 OVA “Vampire Hunter D”, and originally drawn by Yoshitaka Amano. I saw it at the Urban Vision première, at the Egyptian Theatre, with the Director, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, in attendance.
"VHD: Bloodlust" is set in the distant future…
At some point, vampires took over our world, but this story takes place during the twilight of their reign. Having lost the numbers needed to remain in power, they’re hunted by Vampire Hunters (not exactly an imaginative title). One of these hunters is “D”, a half-breed, born of a human and vampire, a Dunpeal (a much more imaginative title).
D is hired by the Elbourne family to kill a vampire, Meier Link, and rescue their daughter, Charlotte. To make the hunt more interesting, the family has also hired a group of hunters known as the Marcus Brothers. The first to save the girl, wins the bounty.
When D tracks down Meier, we learn that Charlotte wants to be with Count Link. They’re in love, but the world doesn’t understand their (tragic) love. Meier plans to go to the ruined Vampire-Space-Satellite City, the City of Night, where they can be together in death (both gothic/romantic and sci-fi nerdy at the same time). To get there they plan on using the Vampire Countess Carmela’s gothic-rococo-hybrid spaceship.
The world won’t let Charlotte and Meier be together. D doesn’t want them to be together. He despises his own existence, and therefore loathes seeing a human together with a vampire. And the other main character, Leila, one of the Marcus Brothers group, doesn’t want them to be together; she hates vampires. Vampires killed her family and left her an orphan. Also, because of this experience, Leila views the world as hopeless; and she can’t change because of her need for a never-ending revenge (well since it’s the Twilight of the Vampires maybe it isn’t really never-ending-- but still the idea is: hate never dies).
If Charlotte and Meier can literally rise above the fate the world has in store for them, what will be the reactions of those who try to stop them? Are Charlotte and Meier a lesson in fate, or a sign of hope?
The lesson idea is interesting, but the ruined Vampire-Space-Satellite City and the combined Wild West, Sci-fi setting are both just a little too silly to take seriously. While strangely, anachronistically combined, the look of the movie is great. It’s Geek Chic, a Goth version of the Anime Noir look, which I first saw in “The Professional: Golgo 13”; but which has been perfected by Madhouse Studio. Still, the movie needed editing. The Barbarois (rejects from "Ninja Scroll’s" 8 Devils) and the other Marcus Brothers, besides Leila, had no decent character development (D doesn’t either, but he’s really “The Man with No Name”, so it’s expected). They were very similar to other Kawajiri monsters and characters; and only made the plot drag. While apparently too violent and gory for anything less than an “R” MPAA rating, the gore is toned down in comparison to other Madhouse Anime with similar animation styles. I felt a little gypped with the movie; but it looked… fantastically beautiful.
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8.65/10 
9.12/10
8.70/10 
65 votes