SYNOPSIS:
In
the far distant future, vampires rule the night. But because of the fearless
bounty hunters, their numbers dwindle. One such is D, a half-breed born
of a human mother and a vampire father. He is hired by a father-son team
to retrieve Charlotte, a lovely young lady, who was abducted by the vampire
Meier Link. However, they also hired the Marcus Brothers for competition.
In a race against time and across the lands, D and the Brothers fight their
way through demons and monsters to save the woman, and slowly begin to suspect
that she wasn't taken against her will...and that another threat looms in
the distance...
MOVIE
REVIEW :
Set in a distant future where the age of Vampires ruling the nights is on
the decline, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust starts off with the mysterious
kidnap of a woman Charlotte, by an aristocratic vampire known as Meier Link.
Her family puts out a bounty, and the call is answered by both Vampire Hunter
D, and bounty hunter team The Markus Brothers. It becomes a race against
time, and turns into a competition between the two groups as they try to
save Charlotte from her captor.
However, the
hunt becomes tougher when a clan of monsters known as the Barbarois gets
into the fray to protect Meier Link, and it's not before long that D and
the Markus Brothers find themselves pulled into a sinister plot that may
be beyond their initial
comprehension, involving an aged old spirit and an unlikely romantic union.
At first glance,
Vampire Hunter D resembles his US comic counterpart Blade, who's also part
vampire, part human. D, as one of the breed known as the Dunpeal, owes his
prowess of successfully hunting down vampires to his mixed bloodline. His
weapon of choice is an extremely long, curved blade, and has a magical parasitic
creature fused into his left hand, which provides for comic relief. But
there's a weakness to his character. While he can walk and function in the
daylight, he has to be wary of heat and dehydration.
In comparison,
the Markus Brothers - Borgoff, Nolt, Kyle, Grove, and a non family member
Leila, are human. They rely on modern day gadgets and weapons, like an
armoured truck, rapid firing crossbows and guns, to take down the enemies.
Amongst the five, perhaps the most intriguing powers belong to Grove, with
his out-of-body ability to combat enemy ghouls in a spirit form.
Probably the
highlight is the Barbarois villains. We have Benge, a killer who dwells
in the shadows for stealth, Mashira, a wolfman with a new twist, and Caroline,
with powers that seem like a cross between Medusa and Batman's Poison Ivy.
There's an interesting set action piece between them, D and the Markus Brothers
which will keep you glued to the screen.
It's an amalgam
of the Victorian era, with Western and Asian influences, coupled with the
theme of Love, Sacrifice and Alienation in a character driven narrative.
There are gory scenes, but it's the adult themes that the story deals with
which makes this
anime appealing.
SPECIAL
FEATURES :
There is a behind-the-scenes documentary which runs about 25 minutes, with
interviews with the director and producer, and shows clips of the animation
and voice actors bringing their characters to life. Also included is the
theatrical trailer and a TV spot. Lastly, there are 3 scenes from the movie
in which the storyboards are shown, allowing the viewer to compare how raw
art is transformed into moving images.
AUDIO:
Surprisingly,
despite being a Japanese anime, English is the original language for this
film. This DVD only consisted of the original English track, though there
are Japanese and Cantonese versions out there. Viewers can still choose
from English or Chinese subtitles.
VISUAL:
Extremely
crisp, which brings out and do justice to the sweat and blood (pardon the
pun) that the animation team put in to develop this anime.
MOVIE
RATING:
DVD RATING:
Review by Stefan Shih
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