Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
Tags: fantasy, gothic, murder, neo noir, paranormal, cult, violence, flashback, good versus evil, insanity, psychedelic, romantic, melodrama, tragedy, revenge

Plot synopsis:
The story takes place 12000 years in the distant future, a future where nuclear war took place, and from the ashes of the Earths remains vampires emerged as a dominant race. Taking the title of Nobles, they enslaved the remnants of humanity and ruled over them with the aid of special magical technology and a race of inhuman creatures. But over time, they slipped into decadence and decau and humanity won their freedom.The film begins with a young maiden, Charlotte Elbourne, being abducted by the Noble Meier Link. Her family calls upon two famous bounty hunters to get her back (preferably alive, but dead if shes been changed into a vampire). One is the Marcus Brothers, the most brutal family of bounty hunters. The other is D, a dhampir (a half-human half-vampire being) who has taken to hunting vampires, who keeps a magical talking parasite in his left hand and bears a stoic demeanor.D meets the Marcus Brothers: the brutal leader Borgoff, the knife-wielding Kyle, the hulking hammer-swinger Nolt, the psychic Grove (though his abilities have left him mortally weak) and their adopted stepsister Leila. While the Marcuses have a head start, Ds Left Hand is able to magically track down Meier to a resting house (however, Borgoff schemes to let D do all the work and get the girl from him afterwards). Meiers carriage sets off with Charlotte inside; D fights Meier but halts when Charlotte calls out to Meier. Leila appears close behind but is injured in the fight; D tends to her wound, and in disgust she snarls at him.Meiers carriage is tracked to the Barbarois, a community of monstrous beings that have served vampires since time immemorial. D enters, and discovers that three guardians have been paid to guard Meier: a shadow-being called Benge, a werewolf named Mashira and a woman named Charlotte who can use her hair like tentacles and absorb elements. Benge uses his ability to surreptitiously kill Nolt, but he manages to warn his brothers before dying; consequently Grove uses his psyche to enter Barbarois and annihilate as many Barbarois as possible. Meiers carriage leaves Barbarois and a pursuing D strikes down Groves spirit, but Benge uses his power to temporarily trap D inside a shadow.The Marcus brothers take off after the carriage, but soon their tank is incapacitated by Caroline. Benge stays behind to deal with them, but thanks to Nolts final warning they are able to kill him. But they still need to get fuel for their tank, so Kyle and Leila head to a nearby town. They find D is also in town, so Leila turns the townsfolk against him to get him out of their hair. But one of them unexpectedly stands up with a gun to defend D, saying D saved his life as a child and hes returning the favour.At a stop, Charlotte steps out to enjoy the sunlight. D meets her and questions her. He learns that shes in love with Meier, and that shed rather die than return home. This revelation disgusts and enrages Leila, who swiftly captures her; however Mashira and Caroline were keeping watch nearby, and attack. Mashira gets Charlotte away, while Caroline engages D and Leila. D manages to stop Caroline temporarily before he is overcome by heat syndrome (as a half-human half-vampire he can endure the sunlight, but every now and then it gets too strong and he must bury himself for a time). Leila helps him bury himself in return for having assisted her, but has to deal with a regenerated Caroline. Fortunately a storm begins, and a lightning bolt strikes Caroline and electrocutes her, ending her permanently.During the storm, Leila has to seek shelter in the same place as D. Although she is harsh towards him, the rain eventually softens her. She shares a bit of her past: her father was killed trying to rescue her mother from being abducted by a vampire, who was turned (and later stoned to death by members of her own village). Filled with rage towards all vampires, she joined the Marcus Brothers to kill them all; shes resigned to this as the only life she will ever have. D, as a dhampir, is a kindhearted soul who is resigned to never having a normal humans life; but he reminds Leila that his fate is sealed, unlike hers. They both make a pact, that whichever of them dies first will have the other put flowers on their grave. As the rain stops, they go back to business rivalry and take off on their separate ways.Borgoff and Kyle work out that Meier is headed for the Castle of Chaythe, a fearsome place avoided by humans and vampires alike. However, to get there the carriage has to cross a bridge, which is where they set up an ambush: they place bombs under the bridge and with this force the carriage to a stop. Mashira seemingly bails out, leaving Meier and Charlotte unprotected. Kyle forces her out, but Meier steps out into the sunlight to save her, burning himself terribly. Charlotte breaks free and runs to save Meier, to the surprise of Borgoff and Kyle (and Leila, who witnesses the bridge from afar); the two of them decide to just let Charlotte die and then kill Meier, since they get paid for her return either dead or alive. But before they do anything, Mashira kills Kyle and cuts out Borgoffs eye; hed gotten away to remove the bombs from underneath the bridge.The surviving Marcuses and D continue the pursuit of Meier and Charlotte, though now its for personal reasons: Borgoff and Leila want to avenge their fallen brethren, and D wants to prevent the possible conception of another dhampir. Mashira stays behind to stall D, and Meier and Charlotte finally reach the Castle. There they greet Carmilla, and their purpose is revealed: aeons ago vampires used to travel into space in rocket ships, to distant worlds. Meier and Charlotte desire this ship to head to the legendary City of Night and Stars, where they can be together without resistance from anyone.However, Carmilla has her own plans. She creates an illusion of D and Charlotte to slice Meiers head in half, a mirage of Nolt and Kyle to trick Borgoff into becoming her vampire servant, a hallucination of a newly-orphaned Leila to throw her off track, and a vision of Meier to lure Charlotte to her tomb to feast on her blood. Borgoff attacks Leila and D, but Grove uses up his last strength to use his spirit to destroy Borgoff. D, unfazed by whatever apparitions Carmilla shows him, makes his way into her tomb, where she has drank enough blood to take on a corporeal body. She causes Ds vampire instincts to surface and he is almost overcome, but Meier puts himself back together in time for the two to team up, and eventually Carmillas body is destroyed and her spirit swallowed by Left Hand.However, it is too late for Charlotte, who was drained of blood beyond recovery. She and Meier have one last moment of love before she passes away. Meier decides to carry on his journey with Charlotte by his side, but D proposes to take her body back to her family. The two fight, but eventually D settles for taking Charlottes ring as proof of her death. Meier and Charlotte leave in the rocket ship, with D and Leila watching. Leila has been inspired by the dream the two lovers had: having lost her family a second time and seeing that vampires can love just as humans can, she decides to start a new life, a life away from hatred and vengeance.The film ends many decades later, as a family holds a funeral for their beloved matriarch Leila. Her granddaughter sees D watching from a distance, and comes to invite him home (times have changed since, as vampires or at least only D are held in better regard). He declines, saying he only came to keep a pact with an old friend, but says hes glad she was able to make a life and family for herself. He gives the girl a thankful smile, before he rides away...

Review: All the characters are amazing and original, they could all get their own movie and I hope at least some of them do.The style of drawing is rough and dark, yet elequent and beautifully detailed.
I truly enjoyed this movie not only because of the exquisite artwork but Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is a serious, touching, and at times humorous movie that anyone who watches it, with or without a love for animated movies, will be captured by its unique and brilliantly planned plot.
I have seen clips of the first movie and heard the opinions of others on which is better and most of them believe that the first was slightly more gripping, but the animation is a definite improvement in Bloodlust.
In this animated horror / adventure the Vampire Hunter (as Blade) is half human and half vampire, but that's about where the similarities end, for the film plays in the distant future and D is a hunter that prefers a good old fashioned sword to battle the evil of his time.
The things that make this film great were the incredible music and cinematography along with a pretty good story.
In all that one can see a lot of care was invested in the making of Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust and I for one thought that the result was as good as the effort.
The age old theme of romantic love, here between human and vampire, began with an 'outcast' vampire hunter (named 'D', himself half human half vampire - hence seemingly ever young) hired by a human family to rescue/retrieve their kidnapped daughter, who actually has fallen in love with her kidnapper vampire countthe fairytale adventure continues, and to a grand visual showdown of forces in brilliant colorful effects.
The action is nothing short of dynamic and sharp, separated with moments of genuine pathos and depth, this story is well-told with fine voice acting (great English dubbing) and some of the most fluid animation ever seen.
Granted this is in a heavy Fantasy setting, it is so well done that even those who detest such fiction, should be able to appreciate this on at least one level - wonderful animation with an interesting story.If this movie has a failing, it is that it had to end, and that there is no official word of another in the franchise..
Well I must admit, that I may not be fully objective about Vampire hunter D:Bloodlust, because it was one of the three anime movies that git me hooked on anime.
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is a perfect example of anime can and should be.
Although the film does use some of the traditional pure-good characters and pure-evil villains most of them manage to achieve a level of depth that is uncommon among horror or action movies.
best anime vampire movie.
Let's hope and pray that this doesn't happen to Vampire Hunter D.Vampire Hunter D is one of the most remarkable love stories to date, it takes calssic cinema and pushes it, it's funny that this movie was made over 10 years ago but it still holds strong in my memory, especially in the DVD incarnation as well as the new movie coming out.
Vampire Hunter D is an amazing film with beautiful animation, everything is smooth and fluid, the characters are excellent especially the lead "D".
Vampire Hunter D is a must see movie because of the story and the animation that goes into making this movie one of the most spectacular adventures of this time.If you are not a big time movie animation watcher and you do not care for them then I urge you to watch this movie and be captivated by the plot and amazed at the animation!This movie is well done and I have to say has one of the best plots in any movie in general and will become one of the classics along with ninja scroll and others, I guarantee it!.
Unlike many other anime films the translation into english makes perfect sense and you get a better feel of the character's emotions.
This is by far one the greatest anime movies that I have seen in my life.So beautiful,dark and romantic.It is like a gothic dream .Characters are very cool and the animation is superb.Simply splendid.This one will be a classic in a few years, like Akira,Ghost in the shell and Ninja scroll.AWESOME!!!!!!!!!.
The problem with animation these days, especially when it's coming from Asia is that it is extremely likely to receive high praise regardless of how good it actually is, and this makes it very difficult to decide whether or not certain films are worth seeing.
He hires another crew as well, but they soon find out that the girl may have gone with the vampire of her own free will...One of the reasons why anime continually gets high ratings is because, unlike other types of animation, the adult orientation allows for more developed characters; and some of the characters and exchanges in this movie are truly spectacular considering that it's animated.
The animation helps Vampire Hunter D massively in that respect as the filmmaker's only limit is their imagination, which means that the atmosphere is allowed to be laid on more thickly than a lot of horror movies have means to do.
On the whole, this is a very good film, and while I would have preferred live action; Vampire Hunter D shows that animation is an adequate base for a horror movie..
The ending inparticular is notable for an anime since it focuses strongly on the characters rather than on some crazy monster design, which is the usual approach.There are those who would argue that this is among the greatest anime movies of all time, and it's certainly one of the very best that I've seen.
Vampire hunter D is an amazing amazing ass movie best animation I've ever seen.the drawings were amazing.
However, Vampire Hunter D certainly does have much more review value than, for example, Spirited Away.If you expect the Holy Grail of Anime, you'll be slightly disappointed but in my opinion the movie does deserve most of the hype it gets.
The original Vampire Hunter D was one of the first hard-edge animes I ever saw, so I was enthusiastic about the idea of an updated version.
A lot of people really like this film, and, no offense to them, but I can only conclude they haven't seen much in the way of vampire films, or TV shows, or anime, or books .
.  And they probably haven't seen the marginal but better 1985 original "Vampire Hunter D"."Bloodlust" has some very nice art, especially the backgrounds, and a few cute ideas.
I was really impressed with the animation, drawings, color, texture and flavor of Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.
If you enjoy Japanese Animation at its best, I strongly urge you to check out Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust..
I'm not going to give a summary of the story, suffice it to say that if you like/love vampires and feel that maybe sometimes they are misunderstood then you need to see this.
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is a fantastic ride through a Gothic wonderland, with some amazing dialogue, intense sequences and great fighting.
Great anime does not a good movie make.
THe entire movie was arranged so that the producers would hope that the fantastic animation (or lack thereof) would distract from the lame storyline, and overused plot of a vampire falling in love with a human (like Dracula, for instance).
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is so far one of the best animes ever in my opinion!Wicked City was the first in the Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Director) collection that I saw...
Which I have to say isn't bad but we all know of the depth of classical Japanese Audio tracks.Overall, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is a GREAT movie, and a must see for all anime fans, especially if the animation it self is of importance!
The story takes place in the distant future and centers around the tortured soul of a half vampire, half human bounty hunter who is hired to rescue a woman supposedly kidnapped by a powerful vampire named Meier Link.
This movie is superb on so many levels, the characters, script, music score, detail of the animation and the underlying story are top notch even compared to most live action sci-fi, let along others of its genre.
Based upon what is called the first animated horror film for adults the new Hunter D is what it is; scary as hell, with gorgeous backgrounds, romantic yet twisted plotline, and well drawn and colorful characters (not referring to their colors worn on screen).
For those who have seen the original "Vampire Hunter D" anime, "Bloodlust" will be a treat.
Voice acting was above par for most animes but there's still that occasional character that makes you wonder where the hell they get some of these actors from (most were fine though.)  The only really major disappointment I had was the lack of an original Japanese language track on the DVD and the unavailability of a Japanese language\English subtitled VHS.
Although it's rather simple (The search for a kidnapped girl by bounty hunters) it is still well worked in various aspects such as amalgamating the classical vampire story with a post-Apocalyptic future, two plot lines very difficult to combine, yet it has been done in a marvelous way.Then the characters.
As I said, the work done by the crew in everything that involved CHARACTER AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT is the best I've ever seen in any animes, sadly even better than the great Lupin III.
By the end of the film you won't have any doubts on the characters and it will seem to you as if you've known them for your whole life.The animation....by far the best I've experienced.
The idea of inserting Left Hand's character (Although the parasite has been there since the first "Vampire Hunter D") is excellent since it gives "someone" the chance to say certain phrases ("She's out of her mind!", "The spirit of Carmilla!") without which lots of tension and action would be inevitably lost.And finally, the soundtrack.
Bloodlust is one of the best vampire movies around in anime or live action.
American home video audiences made Ninja Scroll and Wicked City two of the most popular cult Anime films here in the states, granted, there ARE alot of American anime freaks that actually like the saucer eyed cutesy poo girly characters of more traditional Anime, but the desire for more of the ultra-super-mega cool Madhouse stuff was a thirst rarely slaked.In steps Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.......This film is EXACTLY what American audiences have been craving for years.
VAMPIRE HUNTER D: BLOODLUST is my favorite movie of all time.
If you aren't a fan of low-cost, low frame rate anime, WATCH THIS BEFORE the original 1985 film..
Well, Vampire Hunter D is not of the same style.The main reason I found the movie so boring is that I found no interest at all in the story itself.
Not What It's Made Out To Be. The reason most people see this movie is because they heard from their anime-loving vampire-obsessed friends that it's a great movie.
Overall compared to the first Vampire Hunter D this one I feel was lacking quite a bit in the story line aka plot.
The first movie had a way stronger plot as I had said before, young girl in need for a Vampire Hunter who can destroy all who gets in his way and it all turns out great in the end.
That movie, the anime "Kyûketsuki hantâ D", to me was a great one to watch due to its great dark atmosphere and intriguing characters.
I am a fan of the first Vampire Hunter D anime, and had to say this was actually better then the first.
Which is apparent with the quality of work that went into creating this masterpiece called bloodlust from the fight scenes to the over all feel of the movie truly astonishing a high grade animation.
The two parties race relentlessly to retrieve the girl in order to receive the huge bounty placed on Meier Link's head.As the story pans out, the hunt becomes more and more dangerous, with deadly obstacles standing in the way of the hunters, the real story behind the abduction and D's personal mission to retrieve the girl.The movie is great for those looking to explore or is new to the Anime genre and is watchable for anyone looking for suspense, violence and a bit of drama in there as well as a great soundtrack backing it..
But what surprised me most was when, for a moment, the characters pushed a bit beyond their typical kung-fu/anime stereotypes.Bloodlust is definitely a superior film, and worth watching..
Vampire Hunter D, definitely has the action and gore to satisfy action fans, but the plot and character development somehow falls flat.
It's definitely a solid movie, and probably a must see, if you're a fan of Vampire films, but for everyone else, it probably does not live up the hype except for the visual galore.
Well Worth watching if you like vampires, but for everyone else, you might want to consider if this is the action anime for you.
This movie had a great story plot and some good action; not as gory as the first, but still decent action.
Personally I didn't see much to gain from this movie, and it proved to me that once more the anime world is crowded by a bunch of fanboys that really don't know good film.
This film is routinely regarded as a superior sequel to the 1985 original, which was an Anime' adaptation of the Japanese sci-fi/horror novel series created by Hideyuki Kikuchi.One of the reasons for the success - even if the film is uneven in some spots - of "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust" is due to its director, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, who also directed the classic Anime' films "Ninja Scroll" (1993) (my favorite film from the man) and "Wicked City" (1987), the latter of which was also an adaptation of a work by Hideyuki Kikuchi (which I've also read).
Humans live in fear of what lurks outside their doors at night, but there's one who fears none of them: D, a half-man, half-vampire hunter known as a "dunpeal" ("dhampir" to the rest of us).In this film, a beautiful young woman named Charlotte Elbourne is kidnapped from her bedroom one night by the extremely powerful nobleman bloodsucker Meier Link.
(And upon my viewing today, I thought I realized a visual reference toward the end of the film to Elizabeth Bathory, the so-called "Blood Queen of Hungary.")Though the film falters in some spots with regard to the action scenes and some of the characters, I still thoroughly enjoyed "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust."8/10.
The original, Vampire Hunter D (1985), was a decent action anime movie.
Simple plot and simple characters to show off a series of amazing anime battles and to show off D as a Gothic superhero.But the sequel, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000), was thoroughly amazing.It kept the amazing anime battles, going even further with unique abilities and effects that only anime could easily show.
Vampire Hunter D is a wild time, that still keeps a good story.
It's a twisty and action-laden plot with bounty hunters and monsters galore; maybe nothing terribly deep, but it is a fun thrill ride, and I think it's really cool stuff.This film uses great-looking animation, with smooth and refined movements, well-detailed backgrounds, and some really neat light and shadow effects.
The music score is okay, but has some strong moments too.Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is still one of the coolest and funnest anime films I've seen, and should be a must-see for fans of the medium.5/5 (Entertainment: Perfect | Story: Very Good | Film: Very Good).
I have read the first book and I can honestly say I am a fan of Vampire Hunter D.Overall please watch this, guaranteed it will introduce everyone to a new type of animation..
But as D learns more about his quarry and his competitors, he starts to see that things might be much more than they seem.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.
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.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.
Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust delivers the goods and would exceed any expectations one would have from a movie of the horror/action genre.
A definite "must have" for the animated movie enthusiast, Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust has all the makings of a true classic..
Whether you like Anime or not, this movie is amazing..
I watched this film because a number of friends told me it was both great anime and a good movie.
In short, take everyone you know to this movie - they won't be disappointed and will discover what anime REALLY is.I have recently seen Vampire Hunter D (2000) in Moscow as part of the International film festival, and the entire cinema had burst into applauds once the credits started.