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US Mall 1 - Vampire Hunter D - Bloodlust
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List Price: $29.95
Our Price: $15.24
Your Save: $ 14.71 ( 49% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Urban Vision
Directed By: Yoshiaki Kawajiri
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9781890603939
Format: Anamorphic
ISBN: 1890603937
Label: Urban Vision
Manufacturer: Urban Vision
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Urban Vision
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2002-02-12
Running Time: 105
Studio: Urban Vision
Theatrical Release Date: 2001-09-28
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: An overrated film
Comment: I'm going to get right to the point. I feel that this film is rated much more highly on amazon than it deserves to be.
For several reasons:
1) The 5.1 surround doesn't sound right. There must've been some fault with the compression, but when it comes out on speakers is actually rather disappointing. Picture quality leaves much to be desired as well. At some points, it comes across as grainy. Although this could just be my copy of the DVD.
2) No japanese language provided. Yup, all you get is the English dubbing. For some, this isn't a problem, but I've found that for most films and TV series, the Japanese dubbing is always superior to the English dubbing. I wouldn't rate the english dubbing for this film as high as those done for Cowboy Bebop or the Miyazaki films, I'd put it below-average. Hence, give us a choice. Seriously, the voice actors versions of European accents is really poor, and their acting is soap-operish.
3) Very few special features and extras on the DVD. A few trailers for some crappy anime series, top 10 Vampire Hunter D scenes, and a very unimpressive 'making of...' and that's about it.
4) Where is the substance in the story? It seems so cliched. To summarize, a human woman is kidnapped by a vampire and taken to a castle. D is competing with a group of vampire hunters to get the bounty award. Along the way, D gets to know one of the vampire hunters particularly well, and she has this hatred against half-blood half-vampires (which she has to overcome). Sounds really cliche huh? D makes it to the castle and the final battle ensues. Anyone who is raving about this story clearly only has been exposed to films for the first time. There is nothing original about this story. The story is merely a vehicle to put D in another film.
5) The battle sequences are kind of disappointing. They are short and melodramatic. I'm not sure, but it seems like they recycled a few frames. And watching the main vampire and D go at it for 1 minute, deadlocked with their swords against one another to see whose sword breaks first is not exciting.
However, the set background animation and character animation is extremely under-par given the 2001 release of this film. Basically, I thought I was watching Vampire Hunter Ninja Scroll (Ninja Scroll was a 1993 release). Given the gorgeous animation of characters and backgrounds in films released at the same time such as Metropolis and Jin-Roh--- this is completely unacceptable, especially for a big animation studio like Madhouse.
All in all, ranked against other feature films, I really only could give this film 2 to 2 1/2 stars.
Customer Rating:
Summary: One of the few new anime films i actually enjoyed
Comment: Theres been a lot of anime films i wanted to watch, and unfortunatly they never seem to keep my interest, even ones that are suppost to be real good, and i watch it, and its just boring.
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, kept me attentive. From the great animation, and decent performances from the voice actors, i was impressed by how it all unfolded. Though i have yet to see the the first film ( the orginal strangly enough bored me and i couldnt watch it for long, but after seeing this i'll watch the first one)
This was made by the man that brought us Ninja Scroll, and i cant think of anyone more appropriate to helm such a story as this. His style and direction suits a vampire tale so well i think. From the gothic atmosphere to the bloody and violent moments, Yoshiaki Kawajiri does a fine job.
The main character, D, isnt annoying, thank God, he has a stoic way about him and some personality. The only thing about him that is at all irritating is probubly the parasitic friend he has on the palm of his hand, who helps him out and situations and cracks cheesy one liners, but thats easily over looked, becouse he isnt all that dumb.
The enemies in the film are interesting, they all have their own special powers ( reminiscent of Ninja Scrolls eight devils) but they are not as impressive or likable ). And the competition D has with finding a kidnapped girl, a band of mercenaries, they are hunters that kill vampires and collect money, being payed to find a girl that Baron Meier Link swept away in the night. Those guys are alright, and the leader of the group, Bargoff, is a pretty decent voice actor.
Out of all the villians though, the Baron is puts on the best performance in voice acting and how his character was done. Though i wish i saw more of the Camilla character, who appears now and then, behind the scenes of things.
This film is kinda straight forward, theres not much intrigue, not much twists, but theres enough adventure and action and fine animation. The animation is some of the best ive seen in modern anime films. I just love the style. Lots of rich elaborate detail and exquisite art, especially when we entering the castle where the girl is held captive. From stairways, to melting candles....and bats lol.
The remember the music was pretty good. Like your in a haunted grave yard, or haunted castle. If your at fimilar with the castelvania games, sometimes it reminds you of that type of music. Its inspired and sets a very urgent and creepy mood to the film.
One little thing to point out here, is that the girl that was kidnapped, Charlotte, is voiced by Wendee Lee, who had also voiced the ninja girl in Ninja Scroll, so it was nice to hear her in this, she has a strong experienced voice and does a good job.
All in all the movie was good, i found little fault in it, and it kept me involved in the story all the way though. It might even end up becoming a regular movie ill watch for the Halloween season, joining Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, Anne Rices Interview With The Vampire , among others, as a halloween tradition.
So ya, i enjoyed this movie, it felt like Castlevania, it was pretty cool. Id like to see more quality work from Yoshiaki Kawajiri.
Definatly worth watching on Halloween!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Spaghetti Western Vampire Anime
Comment: I had never encountered Vampire Hunter D before watching this movie and I found myself enthralled by the sophisticated animation. The plot kept reminding me of the spaghetti westerns that my father used to love.
Somewhere in a future dystrophic world, a rich rancher's daughter was kidnapped by a vampire. An iconic figure in black is summoned to either rescue her, or if she has been turned, kill her. But there is also a second party of people competing for the reward, a group of siblings who are traveling in an armored vehicle.
Between bursts of extreme violence and action shots that remind me of high quality video game moves, the viewer learns a little bit about the stranger D, who either ages very slowly or not at all, and has to struggle against a craving for blood. The chatty parasite attached to his hand actually provides comic relief and some of the back ground information.
This is highly recommended as both animation and plot.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Really got to know D, here...
Comment: Though brilliant and original in it's art, the first Vampire Hunter D was over, and I was still waiting for it to begin, rather. But in this movie there was some character development lacking in the first. It was not bloody at all, to my mind, and I go to exteme lengths to avoid stepping on an ant. The only fault was perhaps that the romantic vampire lover subplot was kind of sappy and over-used, but Vampire D was even more cool and enigmatic than before. The whole vampire thing has been flogged to death by popular culture, but if it's done well it's still good. They obviously spent more time thinking about it this time. I can't wait for VH3! You gotta love the possessed talking hand... Also, the dvd lacked any extras like subtitles, for the hard of hearing, or alternate languages, but now I'm just whining. ;) P.S. The sword-lazer gun mix makes it a good gift for lovers of history or science fiction...
Customer Rating:
Summary: Best anime movie I have seen!
Comment: Way better than the first. The quality of animation is incredible as is the action. The characters are very cool as well. This movie has gotten me and a few of my friends interested in watching anime but none seem to compare with this movie.
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Editorial Reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: An overrated film
Comment: I'm going to get right to the point. I feel that this film is rated much more highly on amazon than it deserves to be.
For several reasons:
1) The 5.1 surround doesn't sound right. There must've been some fault with the compression, but when it comes out on speakers is actually rather disappointing. Picture quality leaves much to be desired as well. At some points, it comes across as grainy. Although this could just be my copy of the DVD.
2) No japanese language provided. Yup, all you get is the English dubbing. For some, this isn't a problem, but I've found that for most films and TV series, the Japanese dubbing is always superior to the English dubbing. I wouldn't rate the english dubbing for this film as high as those done for Cowboy Bebop or the Miyazaki films, I'd put it below-average. Hence, give us a choice. Seriously, the voice actors versions of European accents is really poor, and their acting is soap-operish.
3) Very few special features and extras on the DVD. A few trailers for some crappy anime series, top 10 Vampire Hunter D scenes, and a very unimpressive 'making of...' and that's about it.
4) Where is the substance in the story? It seems so cliched. To summarize, a human woman is kidnapped by a vampire and taken to a castle. D is competing with a group of vampire hunters to get the bounty award. Along the way, D gets to know one of the vampire hunters particularly well, and she has this hatred against half-blood half-vampires (which she has to overcome). Sounds really cliche huh? D makes it to the castle and the final battle ensues. Anyone who is raving about this story clearly only has been exposed to films for the first time. There is nothing original about this story. The story is merely a vehicle to put D in another film.
5) The battle sequences are kind of disappointing. They are short and melodramatic. I'm not sure, but it seems like they recycled a few frames. And watching the main vampire and D go at it for 1 minute, deadlocked with their swords against one another to see whose sword breaks first is not exciting.
However, the set background animation and character animation is extremely under-par given the 2001 release of this film. Basically, I thought I was watching Vampire Hunter Ninja Scroll (Ninja Scroll was a 1993 release). Given the gorgeous animation of characters and backgrounds in films released at the same time such as Metropolis and Jin-Roh--- this is completely unacceptable, especially for a big animation studio like Madhouse.
All in all, ranked against other feature films, I really only could give this film 2 to 2 1/2 stars.
Customer Rating:
Summary: One of the few new anime films i actually enjoyed
Comment: Theres been a lot of anime films i wanted to watch, and unfortunatly they never seem to keep my interest, even ones that are suppost to be real good, and i watch it, and its just boring.
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, kept me attentive. From the great animation, and decent performances from the voice actors, i was impressed by how it all unfolded. Though i have yet to see the the first film ( the orginal strangly enough bored me and i couldnt watch it for long, but after seeing this i'll watch the first one)
This was made by the man that brought us Ninja Scroll, and i cant think of anyone more appropriate to helm such a story as this. His style and direction suits a vampire tale so well i think. From the gothic atmosphere to the bloody and violent moments, Yoshiaki Kawajiri does a fine job.
The main character, D, isnt annoying, thank God, he has a stoic way about him and some personality. The only thing about him that is at all irritating is probubly the parasitic friend he has on the palm of his hand, who helps him out and situations and cracks cheesy one liners, but thats easily over looked, becouse he isnt all that dumb.
The enemies in the film are interesting, they all have their own special powers ( reminiscent of Ninja Scrolls eight devils) but they are not as impressive or likable ). And the competition D has with finding a kidnapped girl, a band of mercenaries, they are hunters that kill vampires and collect money, being payed to find a girl that Baron Meier Link swept away in the night. Those guys are alright, and the leader of the group, Bargoff, is a pretty decent voice actor.
Out of all the villians though, the Baron is puts on the best performance in voice acting and how his character was done. Though i wish i saw more of the Camilla character, who appears now and then, behind the scenes of things.
This film is kinda straight forward, theres not much intrigue, not much twists, but theres enough adventure and action and fine animation. The animation is some of the best ive seen in modern anime films. I just love the style. Lots of rich elaborate detail and exquisite art, especially when we entering the castle where the girl is held captive. From stairways, to melting candles....and bats lol.
The remember the music was pretty good. Like your in a haunted grave yard, or haunted castle. If your at fimilar with the castelvania games, sometimes it reminds you of that type of music. Its inspired and sets a very urgent and creepy mood to the film.
One little thing to point out here, is that the girl that was kidnapped, Charlotte, is voiced by Wendee Lee, who had also voiced the ninja girl in Ninja Scroll, so it was nice to hear her in this, she has a strong experienced voice and does a good job.
All in all the movie was good, i found little fault in it, and it kept me involved in the story all the way though. It might even end up becoming a regular movie ill watch for the Halloween season, joining Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, Anne Rices Interview With The Vampire , among others, as a halloween tradition.
So ya, i enjoyed this movie, it felt like Castlevania, it was pretty cool. Id like to see more quality work from Yoshiaki Kawajiri.
Definatly worth watching on Halloween!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Spaghetti Western Vampire Anime
Comment: I had never encountered Vampire Hunter D before watching this movie and I found myself enthralled by the sophisticated animation. The plot kept reminding me of the spaghetti westerns that my father used to love.
Somewhere in a future dystrophic world, a rich rancher's daughter was kidnapped by a vampire. An iconic figure in black is summoned to either rescue her, or if she has been turned, kill her. But there is also a second party of people competing for the reward, a group of siblings who are traveling in an armored vehicle.
Between bursts of extreme violence and action shots that remind me of high quality video game moves, the viewer learns a little bit about the stranger D, who either ages very slowly or not at all, and has to struggle against a craving for blood. The chatty parasite attached to his hand actually provides comic relief and some of the back ground information.
This is highly recommended as both animation and plot.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Really got to know D, here...
Comment: Though brilliant and original in it's art, the first Vampire Hunter D was over, and I was still waiting for it to begin, rather. But in this movie there was some character development lacking in the first. It was not bloody at all, to my mind, and I go to exteme lengths to avoid stepping on an ant. The only fault was perhaps that the romantic vampire lover subplot was kind of sappy and over-used, but Vampire D was even more cool and enigmatic than before. The whole vampire thing has been flogged to death by popular culture, but if it's done well it's still good. They obviously spent more time thinking about it this time. I can't wait for VH3! You gotta love the possessed talking hand... Also, the dvd lacked any extras like subtitles, for the hard of hearing, or alternate languages, but now I'm just whining. ;) P.S. The sword-lazer gun mix makes it a good gift for lovers of history or science fiction...
Customer Rating:
Summary: Best anime movie I have seen!
Comment: Way better than the first. The quality of animation is incredible as is the action. The characters are very cool as well. This movie has gotten me and a few of my friends interested in watching anime but none seem to compare with this movie.
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