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vampire hunter d bloodlust | Year: 2001 Directed: - Tai Kit Mak - Yoshiaki Kawajiri An outsider perspective I'm only a casual fan of anime. Almost every anime movie I've seen shares the same annoying cliches: minimal character development, long sequences of self-righteous expository dialogue, the old freeze-frame-over-a-moving-background image during the fight scenes, etcetera. This movie has those same flaws, but it also has a great deal to recommend it. The story itself involves D, a stoic half-vampire who hunts other vampires (stop me if you've heard this before) in a post-apocalypse future. Except that this guy has a talking parasite in his hand that acts as his partner/foil, and in the future depicted here, vampires are a dying breed. During the opening scene, a human woman is abducted by the great vampire Meier, and her family hires D to find her. This is where the movie gets unique. D's pretty much a cold fish, but the supposed bad-guy Meier is actually in love with the human woman, and his love is reciprocated. The only villanous quality I can see in the guy is that he's a vampire. He leads D and a group of rival hunters on a long and picaresque chase through a bleak future, which is half gothic ruin and half dead urban sprawl. D's travels are just as often depicted around decaying radio telescopes and highway overpasses as they are in cathedrals and forests. More of D's past (which isn't a whole lot) is revealed along the way, and his interactions with Leila, one of the rival hunters, help flesh out her character well. Leila may be the closest thing this movie has to a moral center. After all, Meier's love for his human consort is believable, and it's hard to peg him as a villian, while D comes across as blindly obsessive. This really isn't a good-and-evil thing, and the moral ambiguity adds a great deal to the story. Leila has the usual reasons for being a vampire hunter, but it's her moral struggle toward the end that gives her character real depth. Luckily, she and D don't fall into a romance (which would have been predictable but all wrong), but they do develop a sort of friendship, which makes the ending sequence more poignant. Yes, this is an anime movie with a coherent ending. There are fight scenes-lots of 'em, and they're pretty bloody, but they're well-choreographed, and the animation is great. The backgrounds are unique, and for the most part, the character drawings are masterfully done. The DVD does a great job of keeping everything clear and well-contrasted-not an easy thing in a movie with this much brown in its pallette. All in all, it's not the most original movie I've seen, nor is it the most original anime, but this is a good, solid film that rewards repeated viewings. Bloodlusting for More Following in the footsteps of such invincible characters as Vash The Stampede (Trigun) and Alucard (Hellsing), comes D, a dunpeal (half vampire) bounty hunter. This is the second installment chronicling the adventures of D (the first being the original Vampire Hunter D). D is a killer of few words and even fewer friends, though he is not without a sense of honor and goodness. Initially, the plot is relatively mundane; Charlotte, your typical damsel in distress, is abducted by a powerful aristocratic vampire named Meyer. D is commissioned by Charlotte's family to bring back Charlotte, either dead or alive. At this point, this anime distinguishes itself from the pack when this seemingly predictable plot churns out a few signficant surprises that keeps the story running at a smooth, enthralling clip. As to what makes the movie so smooth and engrossing can be directly attributed to Vampire hunter D: Bloodlust's superb animation. I cannot reiterate enough how beautifully Bloodlust plays out on DVD. Bloodlust's rich deep colors and sharp angles are reminiscient of Batman: The Animated Series. This being a full-feature movie, each cell of animation is meticulously drawn out. Such attention to detail brings to life the story's dark, supernatural setting in addition to highlighting the "realistically" drawn style of the characters (no cartoony, big heads here). Overall, the story won't lull you into a preliminary coma, while the great action and animation are sure to impress. Be sure to watch the ending, as it is my favorite part in the entire movie. It serves to reinforce the existence of D as something timeless and more than merely mortal. People come and go, kingdoms rise and fall, but D will always be there, brooding and silent as usual. The Original Classic's Sequel Bloodlust is a great combination of action and beautiful animation. Those of you who have seen the first film and were not impressed should look no other place than Bloodlust. Unlike the first film this is much more of an action packed violent movie. The voice acting of D is again done very well. Unlike in the first film all of the side characters are done just perfect. The animation in this film is the best you will ever see. The sound and picture quality is also very good. But no anime can be perfect as shown in this film. The D's hand which was awsome in the first film comes of as annoying in this one. The Scene in which the shuttle lifts of may make you gag put it isn't too horrible. Even with these flaws it is still a far superior film than the original. Those of you who have not seen the original should probably see it after you see Bloodlust. So this is my review of Bloodlust Story 7/10- The story thats there is good there just isn't that much of it. Sound 8/10- The voice acting is done well and the quality is good. Visuals 10/10- Great. Extras 7/10- Nothing special. Rating 15 and Up- Its not as violent as people say it is. Movie 10/10- With a great lead character, tons of acton, decent story, and great animation Bloodlust is a must see. The End Buy Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust Search with the Priority Search Engine on Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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