Vampire Hunter D is a 1985 anime film directed by Toyoo Ashida. The film takes place in a post-apocalyptic future were a young woman hires a mysterious half-vampire half-human vampire hunter to project her from a powerful vampire lord. Vampire Hunter D is a good entraining anime film that old school anime fans should watch.
The direction in the film is good. The film has a good otherworldly surreal sci-fi fantasy setting as this fantasy landscape is offset with modern times with modern guns. The film has a great fantasy setting and style with monsters and horses as the film very much has a classic 80s bloody gory anime style. The anime is very much a classic horror monster movie with werewolves and vampires as the vampires in the fil mare show no be big, mysterious, and imposing. The film is also littered with religious symbolism with the main girl Doris having a cross on her, as this film takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in which humanity has reverted to the Middle Ages. The film is. very much like a medieval fantasy with knights battling monsters and D being like supernatural figure. The film has a weird otherworldly surreal sci-fi fantasy feel with great horror imagery. The film has elements of body horror to it classic horror imagery harking back to Dracula. The film is also very much a sci-fi film with classic imagery such as cyborgs as this setting links to the films old fashioned character designs. The film is very much a classic 80s anime full of great grit, grime, and sleaze but also the film ultimately has a great sense of melancholy to it.
The film is ultimately a gothic harrowing nightmare with weird surreal imagery. Vampire Hunter D is a film steeped in classic vampire literature and morphology as vampire is a key part of the film’s lore. Film has great horror monsters, but beyond that the film is weirdly calm and serine with great weird surreal imagery such as a three headed naked woman. The film is ultimately a tragic love story and a family drama as the film has an added layer of depth to it. As this is a Japanese film the vampires are like Yoki combined with classic vampire lore with them being of nobility and pure blood as the film is stepped in a sort of gothic futurism. The film has classic horror movie troupes such as golems as the film is both sleazy and classy at the same time. The film has brutal idea that there is no love hinting to the idea of survival of the fittest as D’s ancestors were like that, the film is very much an 80s anime full of sleaze and nudity. The film has a theme of people living cursed lives as the film very much has an arthouse style. The film analysis the thematic idea of the boredom of immortality as the film uses occultism and futurism in a unique and interesting way. The film showcases the idea of unlikely alliances as well as the nature of love and lust. At the end of the film Lee dies as the castle crumbles and D encourages L’Armica to start anew as a human but she refuses wanting her father’s legacy to end as the castle collapses killing her in a melancholic death. D then sets off again under a clear blue sky a new person as Doris has now recovered from her bite as her and Dan bid him goodbye as he looks back at them and smiles before carrying on alone in an ending that is happy but also steeped in melancholia.
The voice acting in the film is good. Kaneto Shiozawa does a god job as D a mysterious vampire hunter. Ichirō Nagai does a good job as D’s Left Hand a parasite that helps him. Michie Tomizawa does a god job as Doris Lang a young woman that is bitten by a vampire. Seizō Katō does a good job as Count Magus Lee the main villain of the film. Keiko Toda does a good job as Dan Lang Doris’s younger brother. Yūsaku Yara does a good job as Greco Rohman the mayor’s son who wants Doris. Satoko Kitou does a good job as Countess L’armica Lee who doesn’t like humans but grows as a character. Kazuyuki Sogabe does a good job as Rei Ginsei count Lee’s servant. Motomu Kiyokawa does a good job as Dr. Sam Ferringo. Kazuko Yanaga and Yoshiko Sakakibara do a good job as the three sisters’ villains that D must defeat. Yasuo Muramatsu does a good job as Mayor Rohman who controls the town. Kan Tokumaru does a god job as Sheriff Luke Dalton who also controls the town. Shinya Otaki does a good job as Gimlet.
The writing in the film is good. The film beginning with Doris’s walking through the grass with a gun shooting at a monster as her horse becomes a monster, she then comes across count lee attacking him which does noting as she’s bitten. The main character in the film D comes across as a mystic character, as him and Doris meet as she tries to get his sword but then realises, he is a vampire hunter and tires to hire him. Dan, Doris’s younger brother is then shown shooting and exploding sheep as the horse is shown to be a cyborg in this weird unique sci-fi fantasy setting. The character of d is shown to have gone through traumatic experiences with the quote “Quite men think about bad thins or have been tough a lot and don’t talk more than they must”. Doris is confronted by Greco the mayor’s son who offers Doris to help in exchange for herself, but she refuses as Greco exposes her to everyone in that she was attacked by a vampire and hired D as the film shows a harsh and brutal world. Doris is about to be incarcerated to the local asylum were the last inmate this happened to be killed before D manages to convince them to kill the count and if he can’t she will be incrassated. D is talking to his soul in the reflection of the sword as heh as fallen in love with Doris however there is tragedy in the story in that his fate is seemingly death, there is also an old and powerful vampire called count Lee who lives in the castle who is after Doris. The vampires and the werewolves attack D they use classic anime weapons to try and kill the girl for turning away from the count. D defeats them revealing himself to be half human half vampire and beats them up sending them away with a warning. The classic Dracula tale is a kay part of the film’s mythology, as D then confronts the counts henchman and gets caught in as trap. From this D is then confronted by a three headed naked woman that turns into a snake and entraps him as the film uses interesting and unique anime characters as again vampire hunter D is at its heart and tragic love story.
Demons then attack Doris and the others and kidnaps her as the count wants her to continue the family blood line a D gets imprisoned by the snake creature. D bites the yoki monster to death feeding off its blood as the female vampire attempts to kill Doris as she is half-blood as D rushes in and defeats her fighting and killing along the way. Doris then wakes up, as the massager of the count contacts the other vampires and gives them stuff to kill D. Dan then gets kidnaps as D goes to rescue him as D fights the guy defeating him and rescuing Dan. The Doris and the doctor go to the barrier to repel the vampires as the female noble vampire appears as the doctor reveals he is a vampire stealing her neckless and weapon as the countess then kills the doctor. Greco then appears with the light device and uses it to weaken Larmica, he then uses Doris as bait to lure them out and kill him and he wants her as a reward. Greco is then shot by D and falls off a cliff, as Doris’s apologies to D and has fallen in love with him as she tries to convince him to live with her and embraces him as D struggles against his vampire urges and forces her away to make sure she is safe. D’s blood is cursed, as Rei kills Greco and uses the real candle to weaken D. Rei seemingly mortally wounds D with a wooden stake and cuts his hand off which becomes its own independent entity sprouting a face, as the daughter and father then argue over him wedding Doris with the idea of mixing vampire blood and human blood. Rei mortally wounds D with a wooden stake and cuts his hand off which becomes its own independent entity sprouting a face, as the daughter and father ague over him wedding Doris mixing the vampire blood with human. It is revealed Latricia’s mother was human as the film exams the boredom of humanity. D then reattaches his hand and kills the demon.
As the count forces Doris to marry her Dan tries to attack him but fails and falls into a chasm before being saved by Rei. Rei then attempts to weaken the count with the candle however Lee is to powerful destroying it with telekinesis before killing Rei. At the wedding ceremony, before Doris can be bitten D comes in and attacks him, as they fight, and D is beaten as they engage in a physic mind battle as D stabs Lee in the heart. Lee then controls Doris to try and get her to stab D, but Dan intervenes as their love snaps her out of it as vampire hunter d is ultimately a love story. Larmica then confronts Lee but she reus to help him saying he has forgotten his nobility in the pursuit of lust as is then revelled that D is a sacred ancestor. At the climax of the film Lee dies as the castle crumbles. D tries to encourage L’Armica to start anew as a human, but she refuses wanting her father legacy to end as the castle Debris kills her. The film ends with D setting off again under a clear blue sky as Dorias as now revived from her bite and Dan bids him goodbye he looks back at hem and smiles before carrying on as Vampire Hunter D is ultimately a tragic love story.
The cinematography in the film is good. The cinematography in the film is good throughout with a good use of colours being reds, blues, and greens. The film also has a good use of POV shots as well as shadows. The film has good lighting and an interesting colour palate on the film’s landscapes. There is a great shot of D against the moon as well as a good use of bright white lights and dark shadows. A lot of the visuals in the film are surreal with a good use of flashing lights as well as this the film has a god use of anime camera movements.
The animation in the film is good. The film has great classic 80s animation, as well as this the film has great fantasy animation imagery with the monsters. The film has great bloody violent animation and well as great use of lights and colours within the film adding to the style. The film has interesting use of flashes of light in the film as well as this there is just great charter design with the vampires being shown as big, mysterious, and imposing as well as this the film has good animation showing the post-apocalyptic wasteland. The film has great weird looking creature design as well as great gory imagery of energy beams disintegrating flesh. The film has great fantasy looking setting as well great old fashioned 80s anime character deigns. The film has a good use for colours as well as a great Sci-fi fantasy imagery. The film has cool weird surreal imagery to it has well as this the castle shows that the film has classic ghost horror imagery. There is cool imagery in the film such as a hand with a face on it and great horror monsters. The film has great weird surreal imagery throughout the film such as a two headed naked woman. There is great imagery in the film as the demon gets cut in half as well as cool designs of spirit ghosts.
The film has weird imagery of demons inside of other demons as the film has a great design to it being gothic futurism. The film has great shadow animation of bright lightning flashes of light as the film has that classic 80s anime style of sleaze and nudity. The film has good imagery of blue flashing eyes as well as great animated body horror imagery. The film has great dark horror imagery and good red glowing light electricity attacks. The film also has good animation at the end when the castle is destroyed and goes underground with the storm as the film flashes past different weather pattens in rapid succession like a reset which is unique animation.
Vampire Hunter D is good anime film that fans of classic anime should watch.