Rating: 
Summary: Vampire Hunter D is a solid A!
Review: I remember the time I came upon this movie when Cartoon Network was showing an anime festival every midnight on Saturday for 3 weeks and I saw the amazing first 5 minutes and I sought it out, bought it, years later I bought the DVD again and the transfer is ok but now to the film. The film was one of the first true horror animated films for adults (mind you this came out before AKIRA so AKIRA was not the only great one to come out in the 80s) and it's as good as if it had been made into live action movie. The animation is amazing considering the time period and the screenplay is very layered. It makes a fairly subtle social commentery about social positions in terms of the "common" mixing with pure bloods which gives it an added depth which makes it even more compelling and makes it rise above the average anime film. The characters are all extremely well drawn. You can't help but feel empathy for Lamika, the Count's daughter. It has some great visuals in terms of the design of the demons and mosters and the design of landscapes and castles. The music is also great, very ominous, classical and heartfelt at times. This movie also creates a great anime superhero in D who deservedly had another movie created around him called VAMPIRE HUNTER D: BLOODLUST. Do not miss this movie. It is a milestone in anime.
Rating:
Summary: The centerpiece of my anime collection!
Review: Vampire Hunter D is great. Although the animation looks a little dated nowadays, you can't really fault the skill that went into the drawings and it's never looked better than on this DVD release. I won't go into detail about the story, save to say it's relativley straight forward hero stuff, but is nicely handled, with some cool, original ideas. There's plenty of action to keep you interested and the music is also excellent. The voice acting is, as always, great on the original japanese track and lousy if you choose to watch in english. If you've already seen the dub and thought it was okay, you might like the original version a lot better - I did. Infact, I like it more each time I watch it. The extra features barely justify the 'special edition' tag, but even so, the 'making of' documentary was highly interesting and the modesty of the director was really amazing.
Rating: 
Summary: Could have been better...
Review: ...now, before you people jump me with random weapons, listen to what I have to say. This movie has several good things about it and an equal number of bad, so three is a fair rating. I'll start with what is good about it.
Pros: A unique storyline. (This was one of the first really well known and liked vampire animes. Many series evolved from this father of them all) Interesting characters. (D was my favorite, by far, but the others had a truly human nature, which made them appealing) Vicious vampires. (Well, yeah.) Lotsa blood. (For those who like it)
Cons: Lotsa blood. (For those who don't like it) Gritty color quality. (Maybe it was intentional) Gritty sound quality. (Maybe it was intentional) Ridiculous costumes. (Doris seriously needed more clothes!) Pathetically bad dubbing and voice actors. (Really, it's kinda sad...) An ending that makes you sigh, and not in a good way. (Very cliched...)
Well, overall, this movie is worth seeing and maybe worth buying. It just had (in my opinion) poor color and animation, but a storyline that somewhat redeemed it. See it SUBTITLED, not dubbed.
Analysis: Worth buying, but see it before you waste your money.
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie, bad DVD.
Review: This is a truly classic Japanese anime film, deserving of the royal DVD treatment. Unfortunately this DVD is NOT it.
The movie's plot is well documented here so I will not re-hash it. And I agree with what is said in the reviews here. The film is dark and moody, and filled with fantastic animation. While it might be "crude" by the standards of today, one must remember that it is an old film and created on a limited budget. The fight scenes are amazing, with the action being drawn out to create that illusion of slowing down time. The movie is provocative, ominous and is just a lot of fun to watch.
This DVD however is not a lot fun to watch. The transfer was lifted straight from the VHS. It is neither wide-screen nor is it even a clear picture. Blurry and dark, many scenes look like a black screen leaving you guessing as to what's happening. You might think that finally getting to see the movie in its original Japanese language with English subtitles would be cool. Until you find out the subtitles are written in blurry little white letters that give you a headache trying to read. (Actually, it is cool seeing it in Japanese and it is pretty interesting the differences in the subtitles and the English Dialog, but the subtitles are VERY annoying.)
The extras are a cheap, short documentary about the "making of" Vampire Hunter D, some promotional materials and some stills.
If you MUST have this movie in your collection like I did then buy it. Had it been re-mastered in wide-screen format it would have been a real treasure but the over-all bad quality of the DVD makes me wish I waited for a better edition, which I'm sure will be released shortly.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic Anime now available on DVD
Review: Set in the distant future vampires and monsters have overrun the earth and no hope is in sight till one day a lone hunter by the name of D arives, riding a cyborg horse, carrying a powerful sword, and also carrying a deep dark secret. He must save Dorris from the clutches of Count Magnus Lee and rid the world of the monsters reign of terror with the help of his left hand which has a mind and voice of its own. Vampire Hunter D is a legend in anime and should be enjoyed by all.
Rating:
Summary: Among my favorites
Review: This is a classic. Unique storyline (unlike bloodlust), basic animation, good characters, superb violence. Worth owning? Definitely.
Rating: 
Summary: This is the review of the dubbed version
Review: First off, if you have allready seen the original movie produced by Streamline back in the early 90s, there is no reason to buy this. However, if you haven't seen it yet, then this is your last chance to get it on tape. The dub version kind of chops up some of the many elements of Vampire Hunter D. For instance, the music prolonged in the dubbed version which ruins the mood of several seens. The dubbed voices of the monsters are horribly done and can't match up to the creepiness of the Japanese version. So if you intend on seeing the movie, spend the extra cash and get the subtitled version. Now lets talk about the film:The movie takes place in 12090 AD. Werewolfs, mutants and vampire roam the world. Doris, is a farmer, is a victim of the vampire Count Magnis Lee. She asks for thr help of a vampire hunter named D. D prooves to be quite a love for Doris and a mentor to her brother, Dan. Magnis Lee wants to have Doris as his wife to plessure himself, but wants D out of the way. So he sends out Ray (a muntant/vampire hunter who wants to be accepted into the Lee family), Ramica (Magnis' daughter) and a bunch of other creppy villains. D reveals later on that he is a dampiel (half vampire, half human) and that his father is none other than Count Dracula (hence the name D). What unfolds is a story of love, violents, betrayal and history of vampires. A good old fasion movie about horror filled creatures. A great film.
Rating:
Summary: It's a classic
Review: Let me preface this by saying that this is a review srictly for the subtitled version. Although Vampire Hunter D was made in the early 80's, it never gets old. The animation is smooth and fluid. It is truly some of the best artwork in anime history. The original Japanese voice acting is exellent, and the muscial score meshes perfectly with the story to draw you into the movie's futuristic world of medievel horror. Now on to the most important thing, the story. In the future, mankind is under the feudal rule of arisocrates A.K.A. vampires. When a young girl, named Doris, is bitten by the vampire Count Magnus Lee, she hires a Vampire hunter called "D" to destroy the Lee aristocracy and prevent her marrage to the Count. There are several other really great characters, as well as a few twists in the story's wonderfully dark plot. However, I don't want to give anything away, so I'll let you discover them for yourself. As I noted in the beggining of this review, this is for the subtitled version only. As an otoku(i.e. a die hard anime buff), I would recomend the subtitled version over english dubbing. It really is worth the extra money! In conclusion Vampire Hunter D is one of the greatest classic anime films of all time. It's a must own for any true fan of anime.
Rating:
Summary: Anime Classic finally on DVD. What a great transfer!
Review: Vampire Hunter D. . . this is a film in which I tend to judge other anime films against. Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll, and Vampire Hunter D are the Fab Four of the Anime Universe. You simply cannot go wrong by buying this film. Lots of futuristic action with a major Goth theme to it. You would swear that this was taking place in the dark ages during some parts of this film, but then you see the technology that they have in the future. . . WOW. That's all I can say. WOW. Do yourself a huge favor: See this movie! And with it coming out on DVD, how could it possibly get any better? By the way, even if you don't fully apreciate Japanese animation, this is still one of the greatest vampire action movies of all time. If you want to see an example of what great japanese anime is all about, then there are just a few films that you truly must see: AKIRA, Princess Mononoke, Ghost in the Shell, and Vampire Hunter D. This is truly a classic film. Enjoy. fin
Rating:
Summary: Not bad
Review: I watched Bloodlust before this and I must admit that one of the only reasons I didn't turn this anime off after the first five minutes was because of that. I'm glad I didn't though. Vampire Hunter D does start of pretty slow but once the action starts the film is hard to turn off. The story is an interesting one and I can't help wonder if Blade wasn't influenced somewhat by this anime. I suggest that if you're not sure whether to buy this or not to first purchase Bloodlust-the "sequel" and if you enjoy that then to buy this.
|
