a5c7b9f00b When a girl is abducted by a vampire, a legendary bounty hunter is hired to bring her back. In the far distant future, vampires rule the night. But because of the fearless bounty hunters, their numbers dwindle. One such is D, a half-breed born of a human mother and a vampire father. He is hired by a father-son team to retrieve Charlotte, a lovely young lady, who was abducted by the vampire Meier Link. However, they also hired the Marcus Brothers for competition. In a race against time and across the lands, D and the Brothers fight their way through demons and monsters to save the woman, and slowly begin to suspect that she wasn't taken against her will...and that another threat looms in the distance... This anime got based on a novel by Hideyuki Kikuchi and got made into a movie for the first time in 1985. That movie, the anime "Kyûketsuki hantâ D", to me was a great one to watch due to its great dark atmosphere and intriguing characters. This longer and also more expensive movie however could never grab me with its story or even characters.<br/><br/>The story felt like a mess at times and was the foremost reason why the movie just couldn't always hold my intension. It also was the reason why the movie really felt like it was dragging at times and was definitely being overlong. With a different and more dark style I'm sure that the movie would had come out as a better one still though.<br/><br/>I just wasn't too impressed with the animation style this time, though I can certainly dig a good anime movie from time to time, so I'm familiar with its animation style and are often also quite fond of it. Its action but also its concept and character seemed far from original, which makes this a bit of a redundant movie, especially after the much better 1985 production.<br/><br/>Because the movie just never grabbed me, everything else in the movie just basically also fails to fully work out. It wasn't a movie that entertained me or was one that I enjoyed watching, though it's also far from the worst thing that you'll ever see.<br/><br/>5/10<br/><br/>http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/ In the distant future, vampires that once ruled over mankind are slowly dying out, killed by Vampire Hunters for money. One hunter is especially feared, a dunpeal half breed both Vampire and Human yet something much more. His name is "D". As our story opens, a powerful vampire lord named Meier Link kidnaps Charlotte, the daughter of a wealthy family and Vampire Hunter D is hired to get her back. This time however, he's got some serious competition in the form of The Marcus Brothers, a team of cybernetic enhanced vampire hunters who are determined to get the bounty even if it means taking out the competition. But as D learns more about his quarry and his competitors, he starts to see that things might be much more than they seem.<br/><br/>Based on the 3rd book of in the Vampire Hunter D novel series "Demon Deathchase", Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust(which is the 2nd Vampire Hunter D anime film following the 1985 "Vampire Hunter D" movie), is a beautifully piece of work. Through the magic of animation, the world as envisioned by novelist Hideyuki Kikuchi, with its foreboding castle spires, post-apocalyptic deserts, hauntingly dark jungles and rundown villages, is given form. <br/><br/>With Yoshiaki Kawajiri, the master Director behind Ninja Scroll and Highlander: The Search for Vengeance, at the helm, this anime film establishes a new benchmark of excellence in terms of both animation and art. From the opening scene all the way to the end credits, this movie captivates with its stunning visuals. Everything from the realistic looking backgrounds to the attractive character designs is vividly and painstakingly detailed with heavy blacks and rich shadows lending to a dark Gothic feel for the whole movie. Madhouse has pulled out all the stops with the animation, giving a fluidity the likes of which is rare among Japanese anime and a high frame-rate movements to the characters on screen despite the great amount of detail per frame. At no point in the entire movie are there any visible money-saving short cuts so common in most anime.<br/><br/>The story presented in Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust is straight forward and easy to understand, more an action thriller chase movie with romance than a horror movie, going from intense fight sequences to the more subdued character centered moments seamlessly and without losing its sense of pace.<br/><br/>It is weird however that in a movie titled "Vampire Hunter D", its eponymous character, D, is easily the most uninteresting of the main cast. We do get some insights into his inner struggle with regard to killing his own vampiric kin and the forsaking of his own happiness to lead the lonely life of an immortal Hunter, but that is about it. Meier Link and Charlotte's character arc comes across as a little cliché (see Romeo and Juliet/ forbidden love) but I do appreciate the twist which lent a whole new emotional level to the "powerful vampire prince" stereotype. Even the Marcus Brothers (who are actually 4 brothers and 1 sister) are not your typical Kawajiri "wise-cracking band of freaks to fight the main character"(see Ninja scroll for an example of what I mean). They are portrayed as very human with a strong sense of loyalty and care toward each other, a stark contrast to the distant and stoic D, despite their numerous cybernetic enhancements. This is actually a big change from how they were portrayed in the original novel (in the novel, the Marcus brothers were cold blooded sadistic degenerates who had an incestuous relationship with their sister), and in my opinion, it is a change for the better.<br/><br/>Add in some great acting (I applaud the decision to have this movie's primary language in English as the setting and the characters have western names and appearances.), on par with even live action movies, and a script that even manages to throw in some well placed witty humor(usually in the form of D's talking left hand) without affecting the grim atmosphere of the show, and you have one of the most enjoyable animated movies of its genre. <br/><br/>Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust delivers the goods and would exceed any expectations one would have from a movie of the horror/action genre. An excellent blend of action, violence and science fiction with well developed characters, awesome animation and a strong plot. A definite "must have" for the animated movie enthusiast, Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust has all the makings of a true classic. As usual with anime features, just because it's animated doesn't mean it's for kids; heads roll and blood spurts, so know that going in, mom and dad. For the older crowd, though, it's gory and gorgeous bliss. Yes, there is. It also has the ending theme song "Tooku Made" (Far Away) performed by the Japanese pop band 'Do as Infinity'. According to Discotek Media's Facebook page, this audio track is exclusive to Japan as the Japanese license will not allow the Japanese language to be released anywhere outside of Japan. The original language of this film is English.