Vampire Hunter D (バンパイアハンターD) – Toyoo Ashida (芦田 豊雄) (Director), Yasushi Hirano (平野 靖士) (Screenwriter), Hideyuki Kikuchi (菊地 秀行) (Original Author), Yoshitaka Amano (天野 喜孝) (Original character design)

An adaptation that pleased me more or less

Since the release of the Vampire Hunter D novels, Hideyuki Kikuchi and Yoshitaka Amano became important figures in the modern Japanese landscape. And with the success of Square Soft‘s Final Fantasy series, where Amano did character designs and illustrations, and Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s Vampire Hunter D adaptation, that literature success has reached a worldwide grasp. Especially for the appealing artwork, character designs, and rich universe everything happens. A post-apocalyptic Earth where Vampires and monsters of the past co-exist with human. Within a steampunk culture of technology and medieval attire/behaviours.

So with all these elements, it makes you impatient to see the first adaptation of Vampire Hunter D. Retelling of the debut novel where the Vampire Noble Brandon Lee bit Doris Lang, a farm girl who purchases D’s services to slay that Count who has terrified the region for too long. Still, I had heard of other people’s reception to that film directed by Toyoo Ashida, important director who showrunned the successful series Hokuto No Ken. Another post-apocalyptic success from Japan. And many deplored the disappointing artwork in that movie. Finding it outdated and not as appealing as what Yoshiaki Kawajiri displayed.

So with a certain cautiousness I visited this movie. And after seeing it, I can attest negative points, alongside other criticisms, and also good qualities. A melting pot flowing in all the artwork, storytelling, and direction that film displayed. Making this production a mixture of happiness and disappointment.

Artistically, we have character design contributions of Yoshitaka Amano. Which makes sense as he’s a core pillar to Vampire Hunter D‘s success. But when you look at the rendition of his art into the animation, I find it poor and hokey. Sometimes inconsistent in certain scenes as in some moments, the characters looks stunning, but in others, the art is bland and rushed. Unappealing. And learning that Noriyasu Yamauchi was employed as “animation character designer“, which means as character designer set exclusively for the animation work in this film, maybe that explains why the designs animated here were not as faithful as what Amano does with his watercolour and ink masterpieces.

Of course, the backgrounds render greatly the apocalyptic/surreal landscape, and the castle does look impressive, but there are times I wish that we had received, instead of traditional cell animation, a much more experimental adaptation of Vampire Hunter D. With gorgeous watercolours and ink art as beautiful as in the novel. Using different art styles according to certain moments or locations of the film. Indeed, although Toyoo Ashida is a great director in Hokuto No Ken, here his rendition of the novel’s artistic aspects looks bland. Even neglected since, at a specific scene, the multi-plane camera got distorted during the final showdown and moved sideways, ruining the scene’s impact. Furthermore, some character designs, like for the Doctor, Greco, and Rei-Ginsei, were unimpressive. Different to how they looked in the original novel.

Speaking of Rei-Ginsei and Greco, their movie versions disappointed me. Both in their character designs and personalities/storylines. For Rei-Ginsei, he’s just a henchmen working for Count Lee; and if he does have a desire to become immortal, he doesn’t have his original charm and ambiguity. Nor do we see him with acolytes nor any rich back story. Instead, he comes out as Manichean and his final death at the hands of Count Lee is no more different than what you’d see in Hokuto No Ken. Same thing for Greco. In the film, his presence is much reduced. Manichean and unappealing, he only shines when he exposes Doris’s curse to the public and uses the Night-Day Encense Rei-Ginsei was supposed to use. As for his death, it is completely different from the novel. We see him trampling around the wasteland with the Incense and then Rei confronts him, telling him he will kill him.

And then nothing.

We do not see what happens next. Of course, Greco dies, but the way he has been tossed out of the script is disappointing for in the novel, his final scene with Larmica, Doris, and Dan was more interesting. So for these two characters, I felt their presence greatly disappointing; especially with the villagers’ who were more hostile toward Doris in the novel than here.

Of course D, Doris, Dan, the Count, and Larmica are well written. But even their presence doesn’t spare the disappointing feeling the script left. Rushing through so many points and neglecting others that could have enriched the film. Which might have worked better as a two-part OVA mini-series rather than a single film.

If there are good points to the film, it would be its excellent soundtrack composed by Tetsuya Komuro. Fitting with the 1980s culture, it captures the apocalyptic atmosphere of the time period; under the Cold War and its fears of Atomic assaults which movies like When the Wind Blows, Hokuto no Ken, and Mad Max displayed also.

Kudos of course to the voice actors as they give very good vocal performances for their roles. For instance, Kaneto Shiozawa who is known for doing Rei in Hokuto No Ken. And for that I thank Toyo Ashida for giving that role to him. Indeed, it would have been fun to see him do that role for Kawajiri’s film again.

In conclusion, watch this adaptation of Vampire Hunter D as a mash-up of good ideas and disappointing final results. As a good film to see once in a while and if you’re a fan of 1980s, but not the masterpiece that is Kawajiri’s film.

Film whose upcoming review will be for another time. Which I cannot wait to share to you all.