Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
Japanese 吸血鬼(バンパイア)ハンターD ブラッドラスト
Hepburn Banpaia Hantā Dī: Buraddorasuto
Directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Produced by Taka Nagasawa
Masao Maruyama
Mataichiro Yamamoto
Written by Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Brian Irving (Uncredited)[1]
English Version:
Ellen Moore
Jack Fletcher
Based on Vampire Hunter D Volume 3: Demon Deathchase 
by Hideyuki Kikuchi
Starring Pamela Adlon
John DiMaggio
Dwight Schultz
Andy Philpot
Music by Marco D'Ambrosio
Cinematography Hitoshi Yamaguchi
Edited by Harutoshi Ogata
Satoshi Terauchi
Kashiko Kimura
Yukiki Ito
Production
company
Distributed by Urban Vision (United States)
Nippon Herald Films (Japan)[2]
Release dates
  • 2000 (2000) (United States)
  • April 21, 2001 (2001-04-21) (Japan)[2]
Running time
 105 minutes[1]
Country Japan
United States[1]
Language English
Box office $151,086

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (吸血鬼(バンパイア)ハンターD ブラッドラスト Banpaia Hantā Dī: Buraddorasuto) is a 2000 anime film written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri. The film is based on the third novel of Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D series, Demon Deathchase.

The film began production in 1997 and was completed with the intention of being shown in American theaters. It was shown in twelve theaters across the United States and received generally positive reception from American critics.

Plot

Charlotte, a young woman, is abducted by Baron Meier Link, a vampire nobleman who is known not to harm humans needlessly. Charlotte's father hires D, a dhampir, to find her and kill her humanely if she turns into a vampire. At the same time, her older brother also hires the notorious Marcus brothers for backup. Among them is a woman named Leila, who hunts vampires because of a personal grudge rather than for monetary gain. The two parties (D and the Marcus brothers) race inexorably after Meier Link. However, Meier Link hires the mutant Barbarois; a group of lethal mercenary body guards. They consist of Caroline, a shape shifter; Benge, a shadow manipulator; and Machira, a werewolf.

As the story progresses, Meier Link's abduction turns out to be an escape by him and Charlotte, as they are lovers. Through the journey, D talks to Leila and tells her that she can have a life that someone like him could never have, the life of a normal human. They make a pact, if either one of them survives, the survivor can bring flowers to the other's grave. Near the end of the movie, Meier Link goes with Charlotte to the Castle of Chaythe, where Countess Carmilla, Meier Link's matron, waits for them. Carmilla, a ghost of a vampire who died long ago, reigned supreme within the Castle of Chaythe when vampires were all-powerful and unchallenged. However, her bloodlust was so strong that Count Dracula, D's father, killed her in disgust. After going to the Castle of Chaythe, D fights Carmilla's ghost, who plotted to kill Charlotte and return to life. D, along with Leila, let Meier Link leave for the City of the Night with Charlotte's body.

In the final scene of the movie, D arrives at Leila's funeral, watching from a distance. Leila's granddaughter greets him and invites him to stay with them for a while. D declines, saying that he simply came to "repay a favor to an old friend, who feared no one would mourn her death." He admitted he was glad she was wrong. The girl thanks him, and D replies by smiling gently at her, and leaves.

Cast

Character English Voice Actor Japanese Voice Actor
D Andy Philpot Hideyuki Tanaka
D's Left Hand Mike McShane Ichirō Nagai
Meier Link John Rafter Lee Kōichi Yamadera
Charlotte Elbourne Wendee Lee Emi Shinohara
Leila Pamela Adlon Megumi Hayashibara
Borgoff Matt McKenzie Yūsaku Yara
Kyle Alex Fernandez Houchu Ohtsuka
Grove Jack Fletcher Seki Toshihiko
Nolt John DiMaggio Ryūzaburō Ōtomo
Old Man of Barbarois Dwight Schultz Chikao Ōtsuka
Polk John Hostetter Takeshi Aono
John Elbourne John DiMaggio Motomu Kiyokawa
Alan Elbourne John DeMita Koji Tsujitani
Machira John DiMaggio Rintarou Nishi
Caroline Mary Elizabeth McGlynn Yoko Somi
Benge Dwight Schultz Keiji Fujiwara
Sheriff John DiMaggio Rikiya Koyama
Leila's Granddaughter Debi Derryberry Mika Kanai
Priest John DiMaggio Unshō Ishizuka
Carmilla Julia Fletcher Beverly Maeda

Production

Yoshitaka Amano created the design for the main character in Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.

The idea for a new Vampire Hunter D film came after there was a fan demand to make a follow-up to Vampire Hunter D (1985).[3] Hideyuki Kikuchi was also in favor of this as he had often complained about the "cheapness" in the look of the original film.[3] Plans for a new film started in 1997 by director Yoshiaki Kawajiri and production company Madhouse.[3] Producer Mataichiro Yamamoto wanted to pick up the rights to Madhouse's Wicked City.[4] During the discussion about Wicked City, Yamamoto heard about the new Vampire Hunter D film and wanted to not only get involved with video distribution, but in production and possible theatrical release in America.[4]

The story of Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is based on the third novel in Kikuchi's series D - Demon Deathchase.[4] The main character's design is by artist Yoshitaka Amano.[5] Amano's art style was matched for the rest of the characters in the film by animation director Yutaka Minowa.[5] The animation for the film was created in the Madhouse Studios in Tokyo while the post-production work was done in California. The English soundtrack for the film was recorded in 1999 before the Japanese dialogue was finished.[5] The film's title of Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust was a last minute decision to distinguish it from the first film.[6]

Release

Theatrical

To promote the film, a two-and-a-half-minute-long trailer was finished in 1998 and was shown at American anime fan conventions.[5] A work-in-progress print was shown in 2000 at the Fantasia Film Festival in July in Montreal and at the New York Anime Film Festival in October 2000.[5]

The completed version of the film was only released theatrically in an English-language version. On its Japanese theatrical release, it was subtitled in Japanese.[6] It premiered in on September 23, 2001, in America where it played in six theaters. It grossed $25,521 in this run and $151,086 in total.[6]

Home video

Urban Vision released the movie on DVD and VHS on February 12, 2002, with only the English audio.[7] On February 3, 2015, Discotek Media announced their license to release the movie on DVD and Blu-ray.[8]

In Japan, the film was released on DVD on December 19, 2001, by Avex Entertainment with both English and Japanese audio.[9]

Reception

The film received generally favorable reviews from American critics, it received a rating of 62 on the website Metacritic.[10] The Chicago Reader gave a favorable review of the film, referring to it as a "gorgeously animated surrealist adventure".[11] The New York Daily News referred to the film as "Beautiful, witty and provocative" and that it should "appeal to fans and non-fans alike".[10] The San Francisco Chronicle praised the director Yoshiaki Kawajiri stating that he "has a gift for striking visuals" but also noted that "his story manages to be simultaneously thin and chaotic."[12]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Browning, 2010. p.26
  2. 1 2 バンパイアハンターＤ (in Japanese). Japanese Cinema Database. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 Patten, 2004. p.342
  4. 1 2 3 Patten, 2004. p.343
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Patten, 2004. p.344
  6. 1 2 3 Patten, 2004. p.341
  7. ↑ "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust - Amazon.com". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2015-02-03.
  8. ↑ "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust". Facebook. 2015-02-03.
  9. ↑ "バンパイアハンターD(劇場公開バージョン) [DVD]". Amazon (in Japanese). ASIN B00005R6AB. Retrieved 2015-02-03.
  10. 1 2 "Critic Reviews for Vampire Hunter D at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
  11. ↑ Alspector, Lisa. "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust". Chicago Reader. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
  12. ↑ Guthmann, Edward (October 5, 2001). "FILM CLIPS". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 5, 2011.

See also

References

External links

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