Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust

An Anime Review - Bonus Content

Studio: Madhouse | Released: 2000 | Duration: 1h 43min

Hi Everyone!

It’s a little late, but we have another Anime Review for you all! Weirdly it was about this time last year when we came out with another anime review about vampires… Must be something about spring that just makes us long for a good monster horror story. This time, we’ll be talking about the visually stunning animated film Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust by Studio Madhouse. Bloodlust was directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll) and is based on the third book, “Demon Deathchase,” from author Hideyuki Kikuchi’s Vampire Hunter D series.

Some of you might remember it from our Top 10 Horror Anime List post from a few years back. Bloodlust was one of the first anime films we saw growing up and one we like to refer to as an anime classic. Even rewatching it now, we still get blown away by how beautiful and smooth the animation is. It’s rare to see anime nowadays with the same amount of detail. The backgrounds alone are spectacular. Of course, the visuals aren’t the only thing Bloodlust has going for it; not only are the characters intriguing, but the worldbuilding is both inventive and captivating. Easily, making this a Must-See in our books.

We’d recommend checking out our anime review video below on Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust first to find out more about the story and characters and even the creative process. If you’re already familiar with the film, then as always feel free to continue reading on as we’ll be covering some bonus points that we couldn’t fit in our video.

The Loophole that is the Horror Genre

When it comes to taboo subject matter, the horror genre may just be the loophole creators turn to. This is especially true for stories involving race & sexuality.

Now, we briefly mentioned the novel Carmilla by the Irish author Sheridan Le Fanu in our video. What we didn’t discuss further though, is the fact that despite the book coming out in the year 1871, it was still very much ahead of its time. Not only is Carmilla rife with feminism, but it also portrays a lesbian antagonist in a strong, and empowering way. Whose sexuality isn’t demonized, even though it would have been easy to do so considering that she’s an actual demon vampire.

In 1819, years before Carmilla was published there another story called The Black Vampyre: A Legend of St.Domingo by the American author Uriah Derick D’Arcy, which features not only the first black vampire but is also widely regarded as being one of the first anti-slavery short stories.

Both of these stories would have scandalized polite society had the stories not been Gothic Horror. The reason for this is because Vampires and other gothic horror creatures are just quite simply not human. This allows the audience to detach itself from the characters and situation without feeling too personally involved, which in turn allows creators (authors/artists/directors/etc.) to showcase very human and sometimes taboo issues in an indirect way.

We must mention that the fantasy and sci-fi genres also work similarly to the horror genre. Though the horror genre tends to allow creators to tackle issues that are a result of people's fear of the unknown. Most of the first vampire films actually dealt largely with people's mistrust of immigrants and foreigners. Fearing those who looked different to them, and who brought along strange customs and culture. Even Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula is very anti-semitic in nature and is about an Eastern European foreigner (Dracula) who travels to England and starts buying up properties and lands, and all the while attempting to woo the local women. Monster.

So really, there are only two ways these stories tend to go. Either people will try to capitalize on these fears and use film or literature to spread xenophobic messages, or people will use the horror genre as a loophole to discuss and challenge societal norms. Either way, one thing is for sure, every new generation will embrace whatever their elders tell them to fear.

D May Not Have Had A Choice in His Profession

Did you know that from the Middle Ages all the way to the 19th century, if you were thought to have been born of a human-vampire union and therefore you were considered a dhampir, you may not have had any choice in your profession?

There’s a scene in the film where D tells Leila that she doesn’t have to continue living her life as a Vampire Hunter and that she can choose a simple life and be happy. This prompts her to return the question and ask him why he’s a Vampire Hunter. He replies that being born a Dhampir means he has no choice in the matter. In the film, it’s implied that even if he’d wanted to live a peaceful life as a human, people would never have accepted it on account of him being a dhampir. Something they viewed just as negatively as a vampire. But we don’t think that’s all there is to it.

Historically, many people suspected of being dhampirs were employed as vampire hunters mainly because they were believed to be the ones best suited to take them on since they shared many of the same traits. According to folklore, Dhampirs or Daywalkers were said to possess regenerative abilities, superhuman strength, a keen sense of sight and hearing, and were able to detect supernatural creatures even while they were invisible. Dhampirs were also said to be able to control animals and practice sorcery. All these abilities enabled them to be on equal footing when dealing with supernatural creatures such as vampires. Therefore many dhampirs were “hired” as Vampire Hunters in order to protect their villages. Some continued the practice for generations, passing on the profession from father to son.

Bloodlust’s Character Aesthetics Explored

As we mentioned earlier, one of the best things about Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is, hands down, the worldbuilding. The main thing to know is that the story takes place around 10,000 years after humanity has unleashed some sort of nuclear holocaust upon Earth, bringing about a new darkness. In the aftermath of this event, the world is broken up into four main groups of inhabitants. We have the Nobles, the Humans, the Barbarois, and the Dhampirs.

With all these different groups, it’s interesting to see how the author Hideyuki Kikuchi and then studio Madhouse decided to present each of them, especially aesthetically.

After the nuclear event, much of the old world was either destroyed or lost, as was most of the knowledge about it. Which probably made the New World appear quite similar to the American Frontier when European settlers first arrived in North America. A fresh beginning, practically untouched. Because of this, it’s not surprising to see that the Humans in Bloodlust seem to embody the Old Western aesthetic the most. Many even residing in these sorts of outpost towns in the middle of nowhere, with sheriffs, yes sheriffs, to uphold the law. To continue with the Wild West impression, they even have some humans who work as Bounty Hunters - though in this future world the term Monster Hunters would probably be more apt. Pursuing such a dangerous and almost suicidal profession, their wardrobe tends to look more Rockstar than Cowboy. With many of them wearing more expressively colourful and fitted clothing, along with some white face paint. And instead of drum kits or electric guitars, they have crossbows, war hammers, throwing knives, and even futuristic-looking silver pistols. Life is a struggle in this New World and every day is a constant reminder that humans are no longer the ones in charge.

But then again, neither are the Barbarois. The name Barbarois interestingly can be traced back to the Bronze Age and comes from the Greek word Barbaros. In Ancient Greece, Barbaros simply meant someone who spoke a language other than Greek. Which they referred to as Babbling. This meant that anyone who was non-Greek or foreign was considered Barbaros, which originally had no negative connotation. It wasn’t until after the Greek and Persian Wars that the meaning shifted to mean someone wild, savage, and crude (ie. Barbarians). A term that seems to suit the Barbarois quite well.

You see, the nuclear fallout ended up having another significant effect, radiation. This led to many people and creatures mutating into these monstrous beasts and demons, such as shape-shifters, werewolves, shadow-manipulators, among other things. Due to this, they were ostracized from many of the other groups and were forced to create a haven for themselves where they would be accepted and could live in relative peace. It’s interesting to see that the Barbarois were designed in a way that made them look as if they were members of a traveling circus. As if to highlight their misfit status even further. The circus, of course, being a place where historically, people who didn’t let us say fit into the “normal” mold of society were able to escape to and perhaps make a living. The Barbarois ringleader, known as the Barbarois Elder, expands on this point by being attired in jester-like clothing while also comically choosing a unicycle as his main mode of transportation. It is to be noted that even though the Barbarois are ostracized and have their own struggles, they do have a reputation of being both strong and skilled, which helps keep their haven protected.

Now, unlike the Humans and the Barbarois, there’s one group that has actually been able to prosper in the New World, and that group is the Nobles. The Nobles are a group made up of Vampires, who previous to the Nuclear Event, were living in hiding and suffered dwindling numbers. When the catastrophic event took place, they saw it as a chance for their kind to have a fresh beginning, and subsequently took advantage of the ensuing chaos to establish themselves as the new rulers. The Nobles had the advantage of being immortal, and therefore almost became like living archives of the past. This helped them advance their technology, and as a result, their status in the New World. Which was leagues ahead of any of the others. While the others were building rudimentary settlements, the Nobles were building space rockets and exploring the cosmos. Which brings us to the big question. Why is it then that after 10,000 years, the Nobles look as if they’ve walked right out of a Gothic horror novel, with their starched cravats, bellowing cloaks, and fancy horse-drawn carriages? We think the answer has to do with the most famous vampire of all, Dracula. That’s right Dracula. In Bloodlust, Carmilla vaguely alludes to a Vampire King who has been around since the beginning of the New World, and who stands high above the rest of them. We also see in the 1985 Vampire Hunter D film by Ashi Productions, that the Nobles greatly revere Dracula. Practically worshipping his portraits, and to whom they refer to as the Sacred Ancestor. It’s thought that he helped establish the Nobles into their newfound power. In his portraits, he’s always shown wearing Gothic clothing. This we feel is the main reason why the Nobles continue to don their Victorian Gothic style aesthetic. Almost as a sort of tribute to Dracula. In addition, there’s a sort of class appeal to it all as well. They call themselves the Nobles and dress as the aristocracy of the Victorian Era. Probably all in a way to remind everyone of their standing in the New World and that they’re at the top of the social ladder or food chain, if you will.

Finally, there’s one last group we need to talk about and that’s the Dhampirs. Unlike the other groups, the Dhampirs have only one representative, D, in the Bloodlust film for us to study. Now D is a difficult character to categorize because even though he’s a Dhampir he has many shared traits with the other groups. Even pulling in stylized influences from each group into his wardrobe. From his human side, he pulls off that whole lone rider vibe with his large-brimmed hat. While also taking some cues from the Rockstar Bounty Hunters’ penchant for skin-tight leather outfits, and even rocks some long wavy hair and a skull-shaped belt buckle. From his Vampire side, he sticks to the ultra Gothic colour palette of pretty much only Black and even sports a dramatic opera cape. Then, you have the Barbarois, and even though it’s less of a wardrobe choice and more of a permanent accessory, you have his parasitic companion in his left hand, which could be seen as a kind of mutation. He has all these qualities from each group and yet he belongs to none. Conveniently, placing him right in the center of all these groups and ultimately making him the perfect protagonist to guide us through this new post-apocalyptic sci-fi world.

So that’s all we have for you guys now. If you have any other theories or points you want to discuss, feel free to leave us a comment, we’d love to hear from you.

Now as always, stay safe out there, and

~ Stay Obsessed

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