It is with some trepidation that I write this review. Vampire Hunter D is the first example of anime that I have watched from beginning to end. Not being completely familiar with the art form that is Japanese animation, I’m sure I’ll miss the finer points that fans of this type of movie are bound to effortlessly notice. I, on the other hand, simply look at it as a pretty decent, if not thoroughly entertaining, movie.
The plot goes something like this: In a not-too-distant future inhabited by demons and mutants, a rather pretty girl named Doris wanders into the property of Count Magnus Lee, a vampire, while she chases a werewolf. Magnus Lee bites her and therefore dooms her to become a vampire herself. To prevent this, Doris hires D, a vampire hunter. If D can kill Magnus Lee, his spell over her will be broken and Doris will not become a vampire.
This plot, while far from original, does have some neat twists and turns. The artwork and animation are adequate and tell the story well enough to keep things interesting. The usual melodramatic touches that I’ve seen in every example of anime so far are present and accounted for and there’s nothing wrong with that.
The main problem with Vampire Hunter D, for me anyway, is the voice casting for the English dubbed version I viewed. While the voices of most of the characters are suitable enough, the voice selected for D sounds like a public service announcer rather than an intimidating vampire hunter. As D consoles Doris’ younger brother, Dan, over the treatment his sister receives in town, he sounds like someone you’d hear on a bad personal motivation tape. However, this is not a fault of the original makers of the film, so I can’t count that too heavily against the movie. It does, however, limit the enjoyment of the main character of the film to a significant extent.
While animated, Vampire Hunter D is certainly not for children. It’s very bloody and violent and contains a fair amount of nudity. And there’s nothing wrong with that, as no one is trying to pass this off as kiddie fare. Its intelligence is its biggest asset and would be wasted on a younger audience.
Vampire Hunter D is a good introduction to anime as I see it. The characters are strong and the action plentiful. It’s sparked my interest in seeing more movies of this type and that is as strong a compliment I can give to any film. While not for everyone, Vampire Hunter D does deliver a good time and a laugh or two.
3.0 out of 5.0 stars
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