Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust - Reviews

Story

The same people who brought you brought us Ninja ScrollVampire Hunter D: Bloodlust a few years later - and it's obvious. On the plus side, this means visual delights abound; on the minus side, the movie is in essence a recycled idea. You'll get the same sort of pacing, same sort of structure to Ninja Scroll, just a darker tone and upgraded graphics. However, this doesn't destroy the overall entertainment value of the movie, because what it does, just like its predecessor, is to keep things simple and clean. It doesn't delve too deep - after all, the point is to rack up that death toll like nobody's business - but it provides just enough genuine surprises in the plot and a non-cliché ending to keep our brains as well as our adrenaline glands working.

This is the show Devil May Cry so desperately tried and failed to be, with impossible stunts like bikes riding up the side of a wall, a vampire's cape deflecting massive shells, and kick-arse females in tight outfits. The movie packs enough into a short space of time so that, despite the very average movement of the plot, it never gets mind-numbing. Fast paced and with glorious set pieces, there really isn't much not to like - just not much to positively admire either

Animation

You can't tell this was made in 2000, because, almost a decade on, it still rivals most of the anime being churned out now. The colours are clear and crisp with plenty of detail to be found in shading and tones and, er, the gore - yes, definitely watch out for the gore. Movements outside of fights were as best as Bloodlust's era could allow, which meant it looked great even by today's standards. Whilst the action sequences were highly inventive, the primary use of cuts to give an impression of speed meant you didn't actually get to see characters move as such during fights. Instead, I would say the main visual treats were the stylish imagery and clever camera angles dotted throughout. For example, D silhouetted against the moon atop a hill is a gorgeous image; I wouldn't mind that as a wall scroll in the least. In terms of animation, Bloodlust is simply bold and beautiful.

Sound

I have only watched the English dub, and so far haven't felt need to switch to the Japanese (which is rare on my part). The American voice acting suffered from pacing issues here and there as per usual, and D sounded like Keanu Reeves on sleeping pills. Other than that, the voice actors did a decent job. Leila intrigued me the most with her husky tone and she probably had the best lines in the entire show; Meier Link - surprise, surprise! - had a seductive British voice. The soundtrack, with its high strings and low bass line and was always appropriately creepy, especially in the opening sequence where it helped set an excellent tone.

Characters

None of the characters, not even D are actually interesting or memorable. Leila Marcus has the skin-tight outfit and a very distinctive American voice going for her, Borgoff Marcus is just big and butch, Meier Link is a vampire with a cape and a posh accent, and, when it comes to blandness, D gives Neo from The Matrix a run for his money. Bloodlust's central character is a walking cape whose sole purpose in life is to do the ‘lone wolf' routine.

So why did the characters still work? Because they suited the story to a tee. Just as with the plot, they were a means to an end, a way of giving the audience a slick show that entertained without shaking up our ideas of the world in any way. I presume the creators figured that too much character development would cost them the excellent pace they had established, and I am bound to agree. Characterisation was limited to making the cast feel sufficiently real, but it was easy to assume what drove most of them just by looking at them.

Overall

Everything in this movie is as good as it needs to be to make this film decent. Bloodlust is a must for action junkies and highly unlikely to disappoint those looking for a break from the usual brain food. Think of it as a short version of Claymore, only with a minimally-characterised cast and better looking fights. Not to mention that, with animation like that, Bloodlust is not going to age anytime soon.

The starting has a strong feeling of a Van Hellsing universe. As the story goes, it is clear that this is a very classical themed vampire universe that incorporates some of the oldest lore. Going forward, keep in mind that this was made in the year 2000. That being said, do expect the animation to be very old. Some might see this as the reason not to watch, but it actually has a very nostalgic feel and really fits with the classical theme. Those who remember growing up during the 90's and 00's can really appreciate the good old days a bit here.

The story itself has a nice amount of depth and entertainment for what is possible within a 100 minute time frame. The description tells the general outline which involves a mercenary group and a half vampire competing to bring back a lady and secure the contract earnings. However, this only really touches the very surface of the story flow. As the movie progresses, there is a tiny bit of zombies, bit of werewolf, decent amount of action and combat with some rather creepy appearances and neat but lethal skills. One of the greater touches that really brings out the classical element occurs further in regarding the whole vampire and his bride theme, it was like it had been read out of an ancient vampire lore book. To add to this, Carmilla is also included for a while so this really adds even more to that classical touch. If you have never heard about her in vampire lore, this movie may be too much before your time to really appreciate in the same manner. Oh, and the vampires aren't the wild bloodsucking monsters you typically see, these have elegance and nobility.

One interesting little addition to D is his talking left hand that has unique abilities. It provides a few lines of humor throughout and also a brief and humorous sentence as the last line of the movie.

I would very much recommend this to anyone who has an eye and appreciation for the classics, especially a classical vampire environment, story, and lore. I always enjoy the work done by Madhouse.

This review is part of the Secret Santa 2016 Event

Story

Pretty boring story, but you won’t notice. If you actually sit down to think about what goes on it isn't that good. You will not be paying attention to the story line though. It looks very good. 

 

Animation

Excellent, a visual feast. By far the best thing about this film. It feels very crisp and there are some really nice character designs. The action sequences are also handled very well. 

 

Sound

The music is very appropriate to the tone of the film, and adds to the atmosphere that the rest of the production is working towards. The dub is ok, its is not a translation so you do not get phrases which make no sense or there isn't too much lost in the way of cultural exchange either

 

Characters

Full of stereotypes. The characters are all very thin and there is not much by the way of a surprise. Once the characters are introduced you immediately get a grasp of who they are what they are going to do or even say. The rest of the film is let down by its performance here. 

 

Overall

A decent watch. I would recommend this to any fan of the vampire/mild-horror genre. It is very good to look at and there is enough storyline to keeep you awake. Entertaining. 

Leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor, 1985's Vampire Hunter D!  This sequel sees a bigger budget, better production, cleaner character designs, a grander musical score and superb animation and visual effects.  The plot is very action packed and keeps the viewer more than entertained, engrossed and attentive right through the entirety of its 1 hour 41 minute run.  One plot pitfall, however, is that of the attraction of Meier to Charlotte... or is it Charlotte who is attracted to Meier?  This matter is never resolved throughout the entirety of the film and we never learn exactly why or how this attraction exists in the first place.  A few other minor shortcomings of this film are its sound quality and character design.  While the movie's sound effects can be deafening, its spoken dialogue is undeniably muted in comparison.  Viewers watching this movie on a home system will most likely find themselves adjusting the volume many times throughout the movie's run.  And, while this rendition's characters are much more clean, polished and proportionate than the 1985 version, some of the characters, chiefly Meier and Charlotte, also suffer from the same flaws (disproportion and unattractiveness) as the previous incarnation.  All in all, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is a must see for any Anime/Manga, vampire fans and comes highly recommended by this viewer.

p.s. I LOVE the red and black color scheme of Carmilla's castle!

Now I'm not exactly the biggest fan of this type of movie, but it was overall decent. The animation was probably the best thing about it with a decent soundtrack. The story was somewhat cliché and the most interesting about it were the villains they killed off early. Decent but nothing to brag about. Would make an okay movie to watch with friends.