Vampire Hunter D - Bloodlust

In the distant future, vampires rule the night-time world; preying on hapless humans who cower in their villages after dark. But their rule is slowly coming to an end; their race dwindling into the dust from whence they sprang thanks to the hunters; assassins who, for the right price, utilise a combination of high-tech and conventional weapons to empty the lands of these foul leeches. The most feared of these hunters are the dunpeal; half-human, half-vampire killers born of a human mother and vampire father. And amongst them, one is revered above all others - D. For centuries, D has fought the good fight, resisting the constant thirst he shares with his vampire prey to protect the largely ungrateful human population. For humans, suspicious and fearful of the dunpeal, despise their protectors almost as much as their voracious predators.

When Charlotte, the daughter of a rich and powerful family, is kidnapped by the local vampire overlord Meier Link, D is hired to destroy the fiend and bring her back into the family fold. But the job is not quite as easy as it might sound, for not only is Link one of the most fearsome vampires ever spawned, but another posse of vampire hunters, known collectively as the Markus Brothers, have also picked up his trail. Bristling with heavy munitions and with a view to acquiring the hefty bounty, the Brothers view D as unwanted and unwelcome competition. Furthermore, Link’s intentions towards Charlotte are less than clear. Could it be that, as captor and captive hasten towards an unknown destination, some kind of relationship has developed between them..?

Based on the original novels by Hideyuki Kikuchi, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is a sequel of sorts to the 1985 anime cult favourite Vampire Hunter D. Unconnected save for their common titular character, Bloodlust stands alone and, as such, knowledge of the original isn’t needed to fully appreciate this infinitely more satisfying instalment. And appreciate it you will, for Bloodlust deserves to be ranked amongst the best anime feature films to have appeared outside Japan. With high production values, stunning visuals (more about that later) and a well-constructed screenplay, Bloodlust displays a thematic depth, quality of dialogue, and level of character development that is too often missing from anime productions. Of the three central characters, both protagonists and antagonists chart satisfying character arcs, back-stories are slowly revealed over the course of the film, and all characters are infused with an intriguing moral ambiguity. More than adding depth to the characterisations, this blurring of the lines between good and evil provides a fertile bed in which concurrent themes of inter-racial love, the wholesale slaughter of one’s own kin, and self-loathing (an integral part of the slayer myth) can be explored.

Well-written it may be, but that’s not to say that the hyper-realistic action to be found in Bloodlust is in any way hampered by all this cinematic goodness. On the contrary, the action displayed in Bloodlust is the equal of the most action-packed anime titles currently taking pride of place on your DVD shelves; including the likes of Ninja Scroll, Ghost in the Shell or even Spriggan. With a balanced mixture of hand-to-hand combat and heavy munitions, there’s never a dull moment as D and the Markus Brothers cut, shoot and pulverise a swathe through hordes of bloodthirsty vamps, tricksy shape changers, and leaping zombies. Filled with elaborate action set-pieces, there’s literally never a dull moment; with even those moments of quiet introspection often punctuated with a bit of the old ultraviolent.

Put this all together, and what you’ve got is one hell of an enjoyable feature-length anime. With frenetic action to raise the adrenalin levels and well drawn characterisations to draw you into the plot, Bloodlust is a film that will satisfy hardened anime fans and newcomers alike; a film to bring those reticent friends of yours well and truly into the anime fold.

A creation of Madhouse Studios, the acclaimed animators behind technically-superb and genre-defining titles such as Ninja Scroll, Blood – the Last Vampire and Metropolis, Bloodlust is another of those handful of titles that reminds you just what it is you love about this genre so much. In fact, with celebrated anime director Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll, Cyber City Oedo 808) combining his distinctive visual style with some exquisite techno-gothic production design, Bloodlust is both a visually impressive piece of animation, and a vampire film the likes of which you’ve never seen before.

While the character designs retain the heavily stylised, angular features of Yoshitaka Amano’s original artwork, the animation is distinctly Madhouse and very reminiscent of action slash-fest Ninja Scroll. Like its predecessor, Bloodlust displays beautifully fluid animation with a high level of detail; every rustle of cloak, thrust and parry is beautifully rendered. Frenetically-paced, the action set-pieces, be they the slaughter of hundred-fold leaping vampire-zombies or the one-on-one dueling of man and monster, are beautifully choreographed. Complimenting the animation, the background artwork is also superb, with beautifully painted vistas adding greatly to film’s the lush, richly detailed netherworld.

But where Bloodlust surpasses Ninja Scroll is in its subtle use of CG effects to add fluidity and realism to its dark, gothic world. In the same way that Ghost in the Shell used CG to breathe life into its future vision of Hong Kong, Bloodlust uses a number of CG models to great effect in generating and traversing the film’s richly detailed, medieval European villages. And with no fancy flyovers or other poor directional choices to give the game away, the integration of these effects is absolutely seamless.

So how about the transfer, does it stand up? Well, the short answer is yes - Madman have delivering yet another wonderful anamorphic (1.85:1) image that is very near to perfect. With its dark visuals and layer upon layer of simulated shadows, Bloodlust’s gothic visuals utilise a quite muted, at times almost monochromatic palette. That is, of course, until the blood starts to flow. Thankfully, black level is perfect and when the vivid colour does come, it too is well balanced and free of bleeding or chroma-noise. Beautiful and sharp without introducing aliasing of any kind, every one of the minutest details that Madhouse have poured into their production is here for all to see.

There really is little that I can say in terms of negatives. Early on, the darker scenes display a small amount of grain, as well as some slight macro-blocking, but either these artefacts disappear as the film progresses or I became so engrossed that I stopped noticing them. There are also a tiny number of specks here and there, but you’ll have to be looking hard to spot them.

Disappointingly placed mid-scene, the layer change was quite noticeable on my player. But this is a small glitch in what is a beautifully animated, factastic looking DVD release. With a near-perfect digital reproduction, Madman should be congratulated on yet another job well done.

The wonderful video presentation is supported by a truly stunning English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Nope - there’s no Japanese dialogue track here, but that’s the way it was always intended. For Bloodlust, under Kawajiri’s direction, is an English film first and foremost; the director involved at all stages of development and recording of the English dialogue, and a subtitled version of same appearing in theatres around Japan. Thankfully, whilst the broad American accents still feel a little out of place (not least because of the old European production design) the English voice actors that the US-based sound team have put together give reasonable performances all round.

Mixed at none other than Skywalker ranch, the fruits of their efforts is a full and dynamic Dolby Digital 5.1 track that makes full and judicious use of all six channels. While dialogue remains clear and distinct from the centre channel, the surround channels are literally never silent, with a wealth of ambient sound including birds, running water, heavy rain and deep, wonderfully layered echoes, continually surrounding the viewer. Composed of dark, moody orchestral and choral pieces, and balanced beautifully between the front and rear channels, the score too provides a perfect compliment to the dark visuals.

Channel separation is also impressive, with directional effects such as circling swarms of bats, the clatter of cybernetic horses as Meir Link’s carriage careens from the back channels through to the front, and directional dialoque, maniacal laughter and numerous foley effects directed to all corners of the soundstage. The subwoofer too also plays a large part in proceedings, with many a crash and explosion enhanced by its distinctive voice.

The results are a totally immersive viewing experience; a fantastic compliment to this compelling and rewarding animated film, and more than the match of the genre’s best.

Madman’s high production values are again evident on their release of Bloodlust; and the disc sports some beautifully animated, anamorphic menus. Typically anime titles are very light-on when it comes to extras, but here we have been granted access to some reasonably interesting stuff.

First and foremost there’s the behind the scenes featurette (22:49) which, through interviews with director Yoshiaki Kawajiri, key animators and the English sound engineers, tells a little about the genesis of the project. Interspersed with footage from the animators' sketch tables, the sound booth and the finished production, we get a great feel for the collaborative process between the Japanese production team responsible for the visuals, and the English sound engineers, musicians and voice talent who helped complete the project.

Next we have the option to view storyboard to feature comparisons for three of the film’s key scenes. Multi-angle enabled, each scene can be viewed either as storyboard, as it appeared in the final cut, or with one overlaid over the other. Although interesting, it’s the kind of extra that rates only a one-time viewing. This is followed up by a group of five trailers and TV spots that confirm that the English version was the one and only version distributed worldwide. Lastly we have some obligatory Madman propaganda, with trailers for Excel Saga, Noir, Berserk, Hellsing, Vampire Princess Miyu, the Samurai X OAVs, Evangelion – the End of Evangelion, Burn-Up Excess, and the Robotech Macross Saga.

If you’re anything like me, then chances are you’re pretty much over-saturated with interpretations of the whole slayer thing. However, somewhat freed from genre-constraints by the animated medium, Bloodlust provides a fresh perspective on the vampire action film. With a slick plot, engaging characterisations and visually stunning animation, Bloodlust is one of those anime titles that does everything right. A definite must-see for anime fans, and a title that might just win a few converts. Highly recommended.