In desperation, Doris is ready to give her life to the enigmatic hunter whom may prove to be her only salvation. Branded by the marks on her neck, her village shuns her, and more than a few people would like to see her dead and gone. In a world of darkness and death, only one hunter dares to take on the stranglehold the vampires have on humans.Ī beautiful young villager, Doris, has been chosen by the archaic Count Magnus Lee to be temporary entertainment for his endless boredom. The darkly fantastic imagery and exotic characters help to fully realize the potency of the film, confirming its status as an exceptional accomplishment in animation. Only one being has dared to challenge the cruel authority of these arrogant immortals - the mysterious Vampire Hunter Called " D".Ĭult classic by any standard, the sophisticated blend of horror and futuristic science fiction distinguishes Vampire Hunter D as a strikingly original gothic thriller. Humans are enslaved by a corrupted feudal system, prey to the whims of Vampiric aristocrats. But the character survives in the cultural memory, casting a long shadow from beyond the grave.In the year 12,090 AD, the Earth has fallen into the clutches of ruthless Vampires. "Vampire Hunter D" may be an indulgent relic of the old world. Kikuchi understood that any kind of pulp contrivance was acceptable with a strong enough character leading the way. A tall man with long hair, a hat and a cloak, and a weird little parasite living in his hand. Put aside the threadbare animation and story of the first "Vampire Hunter D" film, and the hero remains. But while I would put many of those works ahead of 1985's "Vampire Hunter D," there's something to be said for the scrappy confidence of the 1985 original.
Successive anime would borrow, directly or indirectly, from D's "anything goes" school of world-building. The vampire castle, whose collapse purges the sky of storm clouds. Doris's farm, riddled with tech and surrounded by crosses to ward off evil. A wasteland of crumbling cities stalked by lizards. The film is packed with cool environments, rendered skillfully by the background artists. Just as D is the gunslinger who must live and die alone, he is also the masterless ronin whose successes heighten his own loneliness.įor me, the world of "Vampire Hunter D" remains its strongest trait. It's a potent device that further connects the story with Westerns and even samurai dramas. By hunting vampires across the planet, D is hastening his own obsolescence. As powerful as they might be, they are relics of an old world that is halfway in the grave already. As we learn at the end of the film, vampires are on the verge of extinction. Even more than the vampires, the combination of gothic architecture, sprawling technology, and freakish monsters is likely the single most influential aspect of "Vampire Hunter D."ĭespite its indulgences, "Vampire Hunter D" takes care to preserve the thematic heft of the vampire archetype. Kikuchi simply takes for granted that since D is the coolest person alive, he must live in a world that lives up to his billing. No explanation is ever given as to what made the world this way.
The characters ride on cyborg horses, vampires exhibit psychic powers, and the landscape overflows with crumbling buildings and rusted metal. It's a post-apocalyptic Western, set in the year 12,090 AD. But "Vampire Hunter D" isn't just a Western.
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