Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (Banpaia Hanta D) (2000)

Runtime: 102 minutes

Directed by: Yoshiaki Kawajiri

Starring: This is a famed anime

From: Madhouse

More bittersweet than expected… and also better than expected.

Nevermind how I found a copy of this more than a year ago, but I did; last fall I viewed 1985’s Vampire Hunter D-it was a pretty good time. Even then there was the understanding that Bloodlust was seen as an improvement by most people—it was. The first D was a cool 80’s anime with a chilling story. This movie from Yoshiaki Kawajiri gave me even more spooky vibes.

D is still half-vampire, half-man, and for some reason still has a talking sentient hand w/ a face on the palm—“Japan” is my explanation for that bizarre plot point, although a brief explanation of sort was offered here. He’s hired by a rich family to find a dame named Charlotte, kidnapped by vampire Meier Link. Different is that D is forced to compete w/ badass bounty hunters. To borrow a phrase from a mutual, the film is a Gothic sci-fi horror western noir and is as much a delight as you’d hope for. There’s also a dark romantic element that played a key role.

The intoxicating story, the bounty hunters, the stoic antihero lead, the supernatural creatures that aid Link, the complex plot, the stunning animation that brought a variety of settings to life, the musical score… and that leads to a final act in a striking setting where everything is amped up even higher than what preceded it. Of course, I don’t want to spoil the journey for everyone; a great evening would be to view the two Vampire Hunter D films back-to-back. If only Bloodlust was easier to track down, at least for the purposes of streaming.

As someone who still hasn’t watched as much anime as many in the Western film community have, Bloodlust genuinely impressed me. This motion picture was more mature than expected and thankfully wasn’t as creepy sexually as Wicked City was and apparently other films from Yoshiaki Kawajiri… this doesn’t mean readers shouldn’t expect reviews of other flicks from him in the future.