Vermillion
03-01-02, 06:38 PM
If you haven't seen the original Vampire Hunter D from the 80's that was recently re-liscenced and re-released by Urban Vision, let me refresh your memory.
D is a Dampeal, half-human, half-vampire. He has astounding sword skills and is very alone because of who he is. He is a Vampire Hunter (Hence Vampire Hunter D, DUH!) who takes jobs for money.
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After waiting a year or so for this one to come out, I'm quite pleased w/ the end result. I must say that the animation on this one is absolutely amazing. It is so eye-catching to see such fluid visuals.
The story on the other hand was quite bleak. Very simple in concept. A Vampire loves a human girl and kidnaps her away. D and some other Vampire Hunters are sent after her to bring her back to her family.
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Animation: 5
Here's what counts for alot of these things nowadays and this film certainly has animation that rivals any of the other class animes like Ghost in the Shell, Wings of Honneamise, or Princess Mononoke. It easily earns a 5.
Story: 3
The story was quite bland. No good plot twists, very simple and direct. I won't spoil it for you, but the story is VERY straightforward from the beginning. You can easily guess what happens next. A 3 in my book.
Audio & Sound: 4
The nice orchestrated background music and battle music help make this anime a masterpiece. It has some of the best orchestrated music I've heard in a long time. It ranks up there w/ Akira's pieces (Though not as weird). A well deserved 4.
Extras: 3
Can I rant now? One of the most disappointing things about this DVD is that there is NO JAPANESE DIALOGUE track. That about pissed me off to no end. The dubbed voices aren't bad though, but D's hand (If you don't know, then see the damned thing) can get REALLY annoying. Some of the other extras are nice, like a Storyboard comparison, Trailers, and Behind the scenes features. You can also use the DVD in your CD-ROM to access official Vampire Hunter D links. I give it a 3.
Overall: 4
Overall I give this DVD a 4 out of 5. It was well worth my investment and it seems like it's gonna be one of those classic animes you have to have, just like the original. It comes in a nice Red keep case w/ a painted sleeve case to store it in. The only really bad things I didn't like were the plain storyline and no subbed tracks, since I watch alot of subbed anime over dubbed and nowadays anime contains both tracks. If you're hardcore and don't know if it's worth the investment, or love subbed and hate dubbed, you should definitely rent before you buy. If you're like me and loved the original, you might as well go pick the thing up now.
http://www.vampirehunterdbloodlust.com/images/gallery/d/d03.jpg
http://www.vampirehunterdbloodlust.com/images/gallery/markusbros/mark04.jpg
http://www.vampirehunterdbloodlust.com/images/gallery/d/d08.jpg
All images taken from the official Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust website (http://www.vampirehunterdbloodlust.com/).
D is a Dampeal, half-human, half-vampire. He has astounding sword skills and is very alone because of who he is. He is a Vampire Hunter (Hence Vampire Hunter D, DUH!) who takes jobs for money.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
After waiting a year or so for this one to come out, I'm quite pleased w/ the end result. I must say that the animation on this one is absolutely amazing. It is so eye-catching to see such fluid visuals.
The story on the other hand was quite bleak. Very simple in concept. A Vampire loves a human girl and kidnaps her away. D and some other Vampire Hunters are sent after her to bring her back to her family.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Animation: 5
Here's what counts for alot of these things nowadays and this film certainly has animation that rivals any of the other class animes like Ghost in the Shell, Wings of Honneamise, or Princess Mononoke. It easily earns a 5.
Story: 3
The story was quite bland. No good plot twists, very simple and direct. I won't spoil it for you, but the story is VERY straightforward from the beginning. You can easily guess what happens next. A 3 in my book.
Audio & Sound: 4
The nice orchestrated background music and battle music help make this anime a masterpiece. It has some of the best orchestrated music I've heard in a long time. It ranks up there w/ Akira's pieces (Though not as weird). A well deserved 4.
Extras: 3
Can I rant now? One of the most disappointing things about this DVD is that there is NO JAPANESE DIALOGUE track. That about pissed me off to no end. The dubbed voices aren't bad though, but D's hand (If you don't know, then see the damned thing) can get REALLY annoying. Some of the other extras are nice, like a Storyboard comparison, Trailers, and Behind the scenes features. You can also use the DVD in your CD-ROM to access official Vampire Hunter D links. I give it a 3.
Overall: 4
Overall I give this DVD a 4 out of 5. It was well worth my investment and it seems like it's gonna be one of those classic animes you have to have, just like the original. It comes in a nice Red keep case w/ a painted sleeve case to store it in. The only really bad things I didn't like were the plain storyline and no subbed tracks, since I watch alot of subbed anime over dubbed and nowadays anime contains both tracks. If you're hardcore and don't know if it's worth the investment, or love subbed and hate dubbed, you should definitely rent before you buy. If you're like me and loved the original, you might as well go pick the thing up now.
http://www.vampirehunterdbloodlust.com/images/gallery/d/d03.jpg
http://www.vampirehunterdbloodlust.com/images/gallery/markusbros/mark04.jpg
http://www.vampirehunterdbloodlust.com/images/gallery/d/d08.jpg
All images taken from the official Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust website (http://www.vampirehunterdbloodlust.com/).