Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
Some reviewers dubbed this anime as the ultimate vampire movie; I couldn’t agree more. A dark engaging plot, unique characters, slick action scenes, and apparently high-quality animation will definitely appeal to any anime fan. A few years back my friend and I were browsing though some anime titles in a downtown store and chanced upon this anime and bought it out of curiosity. It turned out to be the best deal. At first I didn’t expect too much from it after watching Blood the Last Vampire which was really disappointing. But my jaw just dropped in amazement after watching for about 20 minutes. Let me emphasized that I’m referring to the Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (the 2nd movie) and not the 1st movie which I think is a total waste of time.
The setting is in the distant future where humans, vampires and other creatures live together and of course the relationship is hostile. Humans hired hunters to protect them and to hunt down vampires. D, a dunpeal (half-human, half-vampire) was hired to retrieve Charlotte, a daughter of a rich family who was kidnapped by a vampire named Meier Link. But D has competition; the Marcus Brothers who already had a head start.
All I can say is that the whole film is just stunning. The dark western-gothic scenery set up a perfect atmosphere for the storyline. Fight scenes are violent and graphic. While action sequences were quick in execution, it was done smoothly and artistically. Characters were distinctly drawn with interesting traits and skills. Among the characters, D and Meier exhibited the deepest emotions. D doesn’t talk much but much of his thoughts and feelings were revealed through his interaction with Leila. The Marcus brothers were an interesting bunch, who also added some twist in the story. I found the guy who separates from his body and shoots out some kind of plasma blast the most interesting. English dubbing is of Ninja Scroll quality, that is to say superb.
A story of resentment, love and tragedy; Bloodlust is a must see and definitely a great collection. I’ll now leave you with an emo monologue from Meier Link:
When the last vampire is extinct,
Who will mourn our past?
Will she?
Will anyone?
Can anyone understand this pain… this loneliness?
