Vampire Hunter D - Bloodlust
by Yoshiaki Kawajiri
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DVD Cover Information
Director: Yoshiaki KawajiriComposer: Marco D'Ambrosio
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 105 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-02-12
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Urban Vision
Movie Reviews of Vampire Hunter D - Bloodlust
Movie Review: ...the life right out of you...
Summary: 4 Stars
Based on the third novel of Hideyuki Kikuchi's popular series, this film evokes the milieu of its source material with greater accuracy than Toyoo Ashida's 1985 adaptation of the first novel. Herein, the titular character is commissioned by an affluent family to eliminate a powerful vampire, and to return a young woman who he's kidnapped. D's activities are complicated by a society of monsters hired by his prey for protection and a group of bounty hunters with whom he's competing for the same objective.
I never had an opportunity to see this in the theater upon its initial release. I assumed that the result would be an adaptation of Kikuchi's work colored by the rapid, severe action sequences and brisk pace typical of other Kawajiri features like "Wicked City" and "Ninja Scroll." My guess was accurate only in regard to the former element; while the violence of this movie is as stylized and impressive in its execution as that of Kawajiri's other directorial efforts, this is surely as measured as it was in print, a story that develops slowly and for good reason.
The visuals of this film cannot be faulted. CGI is implemented seamlessly with cel animation to great effect. But the finest accomplishments of this movie's production are an array of magnificent backgrounds that depict vivid pastoral settings of numerous environments and extraordinary, sprawling interiors in which Gothic and Victorian design are rendered with impossibly ornate detail. I've seen a lot of animated features, and this is probably the most beautiful among them. Character designer Yutaka Minowa must be credited for his efforts: while his D is quite similar in appearance to the magnificent illustrations by Yoshitaka Amano found in the novels, the other characters are not dissimilar to those seen in other Kawajiri films. In particular, Borgoff Marcus bears more than a passing resemblance to Himuro Gemma of "Ninja Scroll." The elaborateness of the characters almost equals that of their surroundings.
"Bloodlust" is unique among anime in that its original language track was English (the Japanese-language track was actually recorded third, after a Cantonese-language version!). The quality of the vocal performances are very mixed. Andrew Philpot's D is comparable to Kaneto Shiozawa's voicing of the 1985 film: subdued, with an undercurrent of intensity. It's praiseworthy, though it really doesn't compare to the authoritative baritone that Michael McConnohie used to reinforce D's commanding presence in the first movie. Michael McShane provides the sentient parasite of D's left hand with a nervous swagger that compliments the character's comic relief. Most of the other voice actors are certainly competent. In fact, John Rafter Lee voices Meier Link with an imperial menace that's subtly impressive. But much of the dialogue sounds rushed and clumsy, which may have more to do with the difficulties common to English translations than the failings of the performers. It's often difficult to translate, paraphrase and speak an English phrase properly in the same amount of time as a Japanese equivalent, something that longtime viewers of English-dubbed anime or jidaigeki are well aware of. Put simply: for common speech, English is usually the more verbose and Japanese the more efficient of the two languages.
While "Bloodlust" is surely as attractive and exciting as could be expected, it isn't as fun as I expected it to be. The moral ambiguity of the film is refreshing. There is only one protagonist and one antagonist, and the integrity of the other characters is not easily delineated. The film's conclusion is aptly sober, and surely not to all tastes. Technically, this feature is as fine a technical accomplishment as any that Kawajiri's produced and as downcast as many of his other movies. While I came away from this satisfied, it's ultimately one of the more depressing fantasies that I've seen in a while.
As DVDs come, this one is just fine. The picture is rendered with excellent clarity, thankfully presented in 1.85:1. I'm not a videophile, so I can't reliably comment on the peculiar merits of this disc's imaging, but it looks great to me. However, the sound mix is definitely lacking. Dialogue is sometimes almost inaudible in contrast to the louder score and (excellent) sound effects, something that often frustrates me about Dolby 5.1 mixes. The menus and introduction are as attractive as the film requires.
The included featurette is better than most in that it's watchable; its most interesting portions consist of commentary on the film's story and production by Kawajiri and Minowa. Another feature compares rough storyboards to their corresponding finished scenes, which is of mild interest. The least of the extra materials is a "Top Ten" compilation of favorite scenes resulting from an online vote; if you didn't participate in this exercise years ago, I can't imagine that this would interest you.
Several trailers and TV spots for the film are also included. The Korean theatrical trailer is the best edited and most effective of the lot; oddly, it features English-language narration accompanied by Hangul subtitles in lieu of Korean-language narration! Trailers for numerous other Urban Vision releases are included for perusal; those who have seen the trailers for "Golgo 13" and "Wicked City" before on Streamline Pictures VHS releases will note that Urban Vision acquired the rights to both the features and the defunct company's advertisement materials!
Summary of Vampire Hunter D - Bloodlust
Based on a series of fantasy novels by Hideyuki Kikuchi, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is a bloody anime adventure. Set in the distant future, the story focuses on D (voice by Andrew Philpot), the son of a vampire and a mortal who has dedicated his life to exterminating vampires. D is pursuing Charlotte (Wendee Lee), who has been carried off by vampire Meier Link (John Rafter Lee). The bounty-hunting Markus brothers and tough-talking Leila (Pamela Segall) are also on the trail. A long, violent chase brings them to the Castle of Carmila the Bloody Countess (Julia Fletcher), where the narrative founders in a series of confusing illusions that lead to an inconclusive ending. Bloodlust looks better in still images that evoke Yoshitaka Amano's intricate illustrations than it does in motion. The very limited drawn animation clashes visually with the more fluid computer-generated imagery--D's cape billows dramatically, but his expression rarely changes. Fans of such violent anime features as Sword for Truth and Ninja Resurrection will enjoy the no-holds-barred action sequences, but more squeamish viewers will be put off by the beheadings, impalements, disembowelments, etc. Vampire Hunter D, an earlier, more modest feature based on the same material, is a better adaptation. --Charles SolomonHorror DVD Video
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