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Vampire Hunter D
 Home/Change Series
When darkness falls, the hunt begins ...
I'm really rather at a loss for words to describe the experience that is Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. Mind-blowing ... Epic ... Stunning ... all come to mind, and all seem to fall too short or be too cliche to do this beautiful anime justice. VHD: Bloodlust is all of those things ... and more. It is life and death ... hatred and love ... joy and sorrow ... hope and despair ... all wrapped around and woven through the life and journey of one of the most enigmatic heroes in anime.
I have to admit I came to Bloodlust with much less than an open mind. I watched the original VHD movie first, and, while I thought it was "OK", I wasn't thrilled with it. And, I couldn't figure out what all the huge fuss was about. Sure, D was a pretty neat hero, but the artwork left me feeling a bit flat. Then, I found Bloodlust. I was floored --- absolutely floored --- by this movie. The artwork is richly detailed and visually stunning. And, if that was all the movie had to offer ... well, I would still love it, but I wouldn't be compelled to add it to my ever-expanding celluloid fix.
Bloodlust has more ... so much more than the beautiful artwork. A story of true love, of the depths to which people will go in order to be with the one they love, even if the entire world is against them, set against the backdrop of loneliness that is life for so many people. In Charlotte and Meier, you find the deepest, most soulful part of humanity ... that part of us that dares to dream of a better world, of a place where we can truly be happy. In contrast, in Leila and D, both loners ... one of whom believes she will never find anyone to care ... the other who knows he is destined to walk his path alone for eternity ... you find a statement of what the world so often is around us. It is hard, cold, lonely ... a place where it is hard to go against the wishes of others and dream your big dreams. But, in the end, there is hope. After meeting D and seeing how hard and lonely the hunter's true path is, Leila chose to follow Meier and Charlotte's example. She chose to reach for the dream, and, in the end, she actually managed to find her own "perfect" place where she could be happy and free. In the end, her life counted for something, and, through her success, it was as if D, Meier, and Charlotte all succeeded, too ... as if they all managed to live and their lives counted for something, too, just because Leila won, in the end. And, for me, Leila's success makes me believe there is hope for all of us. Maybe we can all find that "perfect" place, if we just look deep enough within ourselves.
CAUTION: SPOILERS ABOUND IN SCENE DESCRIPTIONS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!
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