Vampire hunter D Archives | 100 Word Anime

Yay, for an anime focused question that I can sink my teeth into. That said, I’m happy for you to throw any question my way. As always if you have a question feel free to fill in the survey below and I’ll add it to the list.

I’d like your thoughts on Vampire Hunter D and its sequel.
Fred

To be honest, I’ve only seen the original Vampire Hunter D once, a fair while ago, and my memory of it is pretty hazy. I do remember it being interesting but fairly dated looking and I really didn’t like the sound design. Also, I saw Vampire Hunter D after I’d already seen Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust and I really loved that movie.

That said, a lot of what I liked about Bloodlust was actually present in the original so it is kind of weird that I loved Bloodlust and have watched it quite a number of times but never gone back for a rewatch of the original. On that note at some point I should actually write a proper review of it.

One thing I found interesting about the franchise is that it is technically set in a post apocalyptic future rather than in the past, which allows for artistic licence when it comes to the weapons, vehicles and all manner of items because they aren’t having to stay true to a particular period. A movie like Van Helsing with Hugh Jackman tried to push things with a Q like developer who came up with various weapons but they still had to operate within a known time period. Vampire Hunter D is not so encumbered by reality and allowed to really spread its wings.

D is an interesting enough protagonist though his stoic nature makes it a bit hard to get to know him. Speaking most about Bloodlust, I loved Left Hand, the parasite that just babbles more or less incessantly, until D clutches the reign of his mechanical horse more or less gagging him. That this character plays a fairly vital role detecting and eating magic at various points and offering, mostly unsolicited, advice, he helps to humanise D and more importantly keeps things flowing along.

There’s no denying though that even Bloodlust has not aged well looking like something from the 90’s despite its 2000 release date. That doesn’t take away from some great atmosphere, some cool action sequences, and a fairly sweeping narrative that is well worth the ride, but it does make it difficult to justify over more recent films given as cool as Vampire Hunter D is, there’s nothing that makes this a must watch, unless like me you will watch pretty much anything with vampires in it, in which case, definitely check it out.

The other issue I have, as I have with so many anime films, is it all just feels rushed. There are a lot of characters who get practically no development because they show up to serve their plot point and then we are swept on to the next set-piece. When we get to the tragic finale and characters are dropping like flies it is very difficult to care about the fates of so many of them because they just never got enough screen time to make you care. Also, a story this epic really did deserve a significantly longer run time to flesh it out but instead just kept packing things in to its less than two hours and hoped the audience would just go along for the ride despite all of the glorious sequences being built on a very fragile foundation with a lot of gaps.

So, that’s my thoughts on Vampire Hunter D and its sequel but I’d love to know what my readers think of these films so leave a comment, and remember if you have a question be sure to fill in the survey below.

Help Support 100 Word Anime This Spring Season 2000 × — _{Donate to the blog.}

Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James

Maybe it is because I’ve recently watched Tsurune but I wanted to come back to this list. There’s been a minor change to the order and the addition of Masaki to the list. Why not Minato? Because he isn’t quite ripe just yet. Give him a few more seasons (assuming the anime gets any more) and he’ll definitely find his place.

Please note: there may be some spoilers below.

Honourable mentions this week go to Sailor Mars and Madoka. Also adding in Borgoff Marcus from Vampire Hunter D who dropped out from 5th place.

Number 5: Miyuki from Red Data Girl

We see Miyuki training at archery regularly and we know he was trained as a mountain monk. Throughout the series we see him use both the bow and a staff to try to defend Izumiko (though his spiritual power is a little low when not being given a boost by Wamiya). Still, he looks pretty good when drawing his bow.

Number 4: Yona from Akatsuki no Yona

It would be almost criminal to make this list and not include Yona. She starts out having never been allowed to touch weapons and she spends a lot of time training. Yet all that hard work pays off because she becomes very competent with that bow by the end of the series. This one I particularly like because she didn’t start off an amazing archer but we saw her develop this skill over the course of the series.

Number 3: Masaki from Tsurune

No matter how you look at it, Masaki is gorgeous to look at when he is shooting. So calm and stable. Unlike so many other characters on this list he isn’t shooting to harm or to defend himself. He’s simply embracing the art itself and it is beautiful to watch. As someone who had to recover from target panic, he’s come along way and while he might make some missteps, he is really the coach the boys needed and has done a great job at helping them along. Really hope this gets another season and really hope to see more of Masaki shooting.

Number 2: Tigre from Lord Marksman and Vanadis

The show is called Lord Marksman so of course there was an archer involved and Tigrevurmud Vorn (no wonder he gets called Tigre) is the main character. In fact, bows are looked down upon as a coward’s weapon and one of not much use early in this series and Tigre faces all kinds of discrimination from the other Lord’s. However, that doesn’t last as Tigre shows time and again what a bow can do in the hand of a competent user. He wins the trust of Eleonora who ends up backing him as he fights to first defend his lands and then his kingdom from invasion.

Number 1: Ishida from Bleach

It was always going to take something a little bit special to beat Tigre on this list, but Ishida is always going to hold a special place in my heart. My favourite character from Bleach and proving just how cool a bow can be, Ishida well and truly deserves the number one spot on my list. I also love the variations of ‘bow’ Ishida uses throughout the series and it was always interesting seeing how Ishida adapted to different enemies. A far more refined fighting style than Ichigo’s swing the sword and see if it connects approach.

And that’s my list this week but I’ll hand it over to you and ask who your favourite anime archers are.

Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James