Book Review: "Vampire Hunter D" - Less Sparkles Guaranteed!

     This is a review that I have been wanting to do for a long time now. Comic books have been a big part of where my passion to write comes from, but at times its good to get away from all of the imagery and let the words do the painting. There are very few books out there that I will actually sit down and read; and in those rare instances that I am being forced to read a book I have no interest in for college, wikipedia is the first place I go for the cliff notes. Maybe it's because I am stubborn about what I choose to object myself to, or perhaps it's because I realize how important my time is, and I am very selective of what worlds of imagination I want to dive into.

     In 2000 there was an animated movie released called, "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust." Sometime between its debut and 2005, a friend of mine rented the movie and we watched it together. He explained to me there was an older movie made in 80s called, "Vampire Hunter D," which served as a prequel to this film. Now, keep in mind, this was pre-Twilight craze. My appreciation for vampires was limited to the works of Ann Rice, and especially Gary Oldman's portrayal in "Dracula," in the live action movie. I fell in love with the Vampire Hunter D character very quickly and upon its release in 2005, the first novel "Vampire Hunter D," written by Hideyuki Kikuchi and illustrations by Yoshitaka Amano, was translated and released by Dark Horse. That Christmas my friend got me the first novel and I have been collecting them ever since.

     "Vampire Hunter D" centers around its title character, D, who is a dhampir, or a half man half vampire. The time frame for which most of the stories are set is 12,090 A.D. The world has been ravaged by all sorts of global chaos and whats left of the world is ridden by the remnants of ancient battles of humans and vampires. The books are very vague on how they approach the past. A big part of the mystery is what makes the world so compelling, and I believe it allows the author to continually invent new things that would make for an appealing story. All we know as readers, is that at some point, vampires ruled the world, and in some ways they still do. The higher up vampires were known as Nobles, who were highly advanced, eternal creatures, who created many of the monstrosities and technologies that are forbidden and in ill need of repair, but still manage to curse the human population. The few human colonies that still exist are left in the dark about the Noble technology and continue to try and live peacefully in a dystopian, almost steam-punk like world, but still manage stumble upon ancient artifacts, and even, what remains of the living Nobles themselves.

     Some of the great qualities about the protagonist, D, is that he is always described as a very handsome boy who cause women to fall head over heals for him, and make men very jealous. He is very quiet, and is always alert of his surroundings. It is never really mentioned of who his parents were, but some hints lead us to believe D's father was the vampire king, and could quite possibly be Dracula. In D's left hand is a symbiote that's name is never mentioned. This hand usually is the comic relief in many scenes and is very powerful, and capable of sustaining himself while D is incapacitated. D relies on his companion to dispel powerful magic, and to aid him in locating various Nobles that he is hired to slay.

     One of the things I enjoy about the novels is that they have such a wonderful cast of characters that are well developed, and D is the only constant in an ever evolving story -- instead, D is used as a vehicle to introduce the other characters that make each story stand on its own. I would say that at times, each story doesn't feel completely unique from the others, but the formula that each book uses, makes such a fantastic adventure that you don't care. In most cases you will end up wanting to get to the next story, just to see what happens next to D.

     As of right now there are about 20+ full novels that have been written, and most of them have been translated for American audiences. 2 animated films have been made, and in 2007, Dark Horse began publishing manga adaptations for each of the novels. There have been many speculations as to there being a continuing anime series or a live action adaptation, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet. So, no matter what your preference is, you too can enjoy Vampire Hunter D in some form or another. I would recommend watching the 2000 animated film as I did, and if it doesn't peak your interest, don't force yourself to read the books. Most of the novels and manga can be picked up at any comic book shop that has a nice variety of reading material. It seems to be occurring theme where I live, that comic shop owners don't actually realize they are carrying the novels, and they are usually shocked when I tell them what it is. My hope is that soon this wonderful story will be presented in a way to unknowing audiences, and that it will encourage them to, once again, believe that vampires don't sparkle in sunlight.

One of the best cosplays I have seen.