SUMMARY
In the early half
of the 119th century, Vampires (called aristocrats) ruled the Earth.
Taking what they want, and killing those who get in their way, the human
race lived a wary and precarious existence, terrified of the night a
vampire comes to their town. Now, the vampire numbers are dwindling, and
human kind is starting to take back their world.
In a small town, the daughter of the richest man there
has been kidnapped by the fleeing aristocrat, Mier Link. Desperate
to bring back his daughter, her father hires a vampire hunter. His name is
D.
However, this job will not be easy. Another group of
hunters led called the Markus Brothers are also on the job. Also, Mier
Link is protected by a group of mutants called the Barbarois. To make
things more complicated, the bloody Queen Carmilla wants Mier and his
captive for some reason of her own.
Can D rescue the girl before the Markus brothers do?
Does the girl want to be rescued?
DVD VISION TEST
VIDEO: The video is fantastic. You can see every detail
of this beautifully animated film. Despite most of it taking place in the
dark, you can still make out the elegance. There are 0 defects or pixels.
No color bleeds or overblasts. This is a gorgeous looking transfer.
AUDIO: Plenty of bang for your buck on the English track. Unfortunately,
there is no Japanese audio track. The 5.1 English track has fantastic
surround sound elements. Dialogue is center, while music and special
effects come from the sides. Be forewarned, during the high impact or
music intensive scenes, the audio shoots up, and you get slammed into the
back of wall by the increase.
EDITS: Nothing to the actual film has been made. Since this is a joint US
and Japanese film, there is no needs to edit.
EXTRAS: A little more than their typical batch. An interesting making of
Vampire Hunter D, the original trailers, and some character sketches round
out an decent batch of extras.
WIDESCREEN REVIEW
STORY: Once
again, another great story by Wicked City creator Hideyuki Kikuchi has
been animated. Yoshiaki Kawajiri has given us a moody and dark film with
his trademark combination of nihilism and minimal dialogue.
ACTING: The acting is excellent, compared to other UV releases. With some
animation "stars" like Pamela Segall (Spinelli from Recess),
John Dimaggio (Bender from Futurama), Dwight Shultz (Hardy from Golgo 13),
and John Rafter Lee (Trevor Goodchild from Aeon Flux), in this film, you
have some of the best. Each plays their part to the up most, and give
plenty of emotion, and background from each character.
FAN SERVICE: Nothing really to get excited about. Since
the designs are beautiful, there is no need to add panty shots and shower
scenes to keep you interested.
CONCLUSION
This is a classic, no matter how you slice it. With its
moody setting, cool characters and a new take on the Vampire Hunter D
lexicon, this will have a spot on any vampire or anime fan's shelf.
Again, like Vampire Hunter D, it is the settings and the
characters that make this an interesting movie, not the story. The story
feels a lot like a "horror western" only with Neo-Gothic
trappings.
This is an elegant, refined film. Full of fluid animation, beautiful
character designs, and the latest in CG elements, this film should have
won an Oscar. There is a level of detail that few anime have reached.
There is no difference between key cell and in-between animation.
Overpowering any recent US animation, this shows why anime is still number
one. I guess it's limited theatrical run didn't impress the judges.
The absence of the Japanese dialogue does not detract too much from
enjoying this film. The hard-core otaku may pass this one up because of
that. That would be a mistake. The acting is not horrible, and it is
better than most dubs out there. Of course, you can buy the Japanese Dub
VHS version.
So far,
everything I have seen of Yoshiaki Kawajiri and his Studio Madhouse group
I have loved. From Wicked City to Ninja Scroll, and now Bloodlust, all of
their films have the right amount of action, violence, and titillation to
keep you on the edge of your seat. If you have not had a chance to see any
of Kawajiri's films, you are missing out on something fantastic.
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is the true definition of a
modern classic. This DVD is a well thought up, and great looking video
with a kicking sound. Make sure this is a support beam of your anime collection.
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