Vampire Hunter D
Encyclopedia
is a series of Japanese novels written by Hideyuki Kikuchi
and illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano
since 1983.
To date, twenty-two novels have been published in the main series, with some novels comprising as many as four volumes. The series has also spawned anime
, audio drama, and manga
adaptations, as well as a short story collection, art books, and a supplemental guide book.
genres: western, science fiction, horror, high fantasy, H. P. Lovecraft
ian mythos, folklore
and occult
science. The planet, once terrified by the elegant but cruel Nobles (vampire
s), ancient demons, mutants and their technological creations, is now slowly returning to a semblance of order and human control — thanks in part to the decadence that brought about the downfall of the vampire race, to the continued stubbornness of frontier dwellers and, to the rise of a caste of independent hunters-for-hire who eliminate supernatural threats.
The year is approximately 12,090 AD. Some time in 1999, a nuclear war occurred. The Nobility were vampires that planned for a possible nuclear war and sequestered all that was needed to rebuild civilization in their shelters. They use their science combined with magic to restore the world in their image. Nearly all magical creatures are engineered, with a very small number being demons who survived the holocaust. Despite their technology being great enough to create a blood substitute as food, they still prefer to feed on humans. As such, they create a civilization where vampires and humans coexist, eventually developing the planet into parklands and cities. The society eventually stagnates when vampire technology perfects scientific prophecy, which determines they are at their zenith of existence and thus are doomed to fall, overthrown by humans. The human race was also transformed at this time, with fear for the vampires being woven into the genetic level, and the inability to remember vampire weaknesses such as garlic and crucifixes.
Unlike vampires from traditional lore, the Nobility have the ability to reproduce sexually, although their offspring will permanently cease aging after reaching physical maturity, having inherited their vampire parent's immortality.
D is a dhampir
, the half-breed child of a vampire father and human mother, the ideal vampire hunter
. He is renowned for his consummate skill and unearthly grace, but feared and despised for his mixed lineage: born of both races but belonging to neither. Often underestimated by his opponents, D possesses surprising power and resourcefulness, having most of the strengths of the Nobility and only mild levels of their common weaknesses. It has been seen in both movies that his power is not only physical, but extends into the magical realm as well. His supernatural powers make him one of the strongest beings in the world, if not the second strongest second only to his father. However, D prefers his physical abilities, only using his magic in times of great need. Unlike most dhampirs, D is able to live as a "normal" human; however, he is marked by his unearthly beauty and exceptionally powerful aura, and thus rarely accepted by human settlements. In terms of weaknesses, he is randomly susceptible to sun-sickness, a severe type of sunstroke, about once every five years (far less than most dhampirs). D also recovers from it at a rate far greater than other dhampirs. Usually it takes several days to recover from sunlight syndrome, longer if the dhampir is exceedingly powerful, but D recovered in a few hours (around 1-6 hours approximately) despite being one of the strongest if not the strongest dhampir alive. Otherwise, D does not appear to suffer from other vampiric weaknesses usual to dhampirs, being able to physically restrain opponents with his aura and having godlike reflexes surpassing even those of Nobles.
His symbiotic left hand states, in Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, "Dracula became impatient with the Bloody Countess, and your father, The Vampire King, became impatient with her gluttony. And impaled her on 'The Sword'". Speculation on whether 'The Sword' is D's sword or not is debatable. It is important to note here, however, that the movie differs sharply from the book it takes its story from, Vampire Hunter D: Demon Deathchase and future entries in the novel series do not differentiate between Dracula, The Vampire King, and D's father, proposing that they are one and the same.
D is the host for a sentient symbiote, Left Hand, a wise-cracking human face residing in his left palm, who can suck in massive amounts of matter through a wind void or vacuum tunnel. Left Hand enjoys needling the poker-faced D, but only appears as needed, rarely witnessed or heard by anyone other than D, yet aware of many of D's thoughts and actions. At all other times, D's left hand appears normal. Besides providing a contrast to D's reserved demeanor, Left Hand is incredibly useful, possessing many mysterious powers such as psychometry, inducing sleep, determining the medical condition of a victim, and the ability to size up the supernatural powers or prowess of an enemy, even beyond D's keen senses. In the first and second novels, Left Hand can also revive D when his physical condition is suffering, by consuming the four elements and converting the resulting energy into life force. This ability even saved D from the usually fatal stake through the heart he received from Rei-Ginsei in the first novel. Left Hand has its own mind and will, and acts as D's guide and sole permanent companion, providing a reservoir of knowledge pertaining to the lost Noble culture. So far, Left Hand's origins are unknown, and it is unclear how they came to be joined. However, some of its nature is revealed in the third book, which features a similar creature; it is implied he was one of the Barbarois (human/monster hybrids) who served in the personal retinue of Dracula
.
D rides a cybernetic horse with mechanical legs and other enhancements, wields a crescent longsword
which looks similar to Yoshitaka Amano's scimitar
sword design found in many of his works of art, but the sword has a hefty length, similar to that of a Japanese nodachi
. D always wears a mystical blue pendant
; it prevents many of the automatic defenses (such as laser fields and small nuclear blasters) created by the Nobility in past millennia from working properly, and allows him to enter their sealed castles. In the novels and game, he also uses wooden needles which he can throw with super speed. He protects his milk-white face from the noonday sun with long black hair, flowing black clothing and cape, and the shadow of a wide-brimmed hat. Though he appears to be only 17 or 18 in the first novel (slowly aging as the series goes on), D's age is unknown (although in the novel Pale Fallen Angels parts I and II, it is made known that he is at least 5,000 years old). His beauty is mesmerizing, often unintentionally wooing women and sometimes flustering men.
Very little is known of D's past and the identity of his parents is ambiguous, but his innate power suggests that his father is an extraordinarily powerful vampire. Regarding D's birth, some Nobles whisper dark rumours about their vampire progenitor, the Sacred Ancestor known as Count Dracula
, bedding a human woman called "Mina the Fair" (perhaps named after Mina Harker
). Dracula conducted bizarre crossbreeding experiments involving himself and countless human women or even other vampires, with the only successful product of the experiments being D. D, wanting nothing to do with his father save for killing him, refuses to go by his true name. Instead, he shortens it to the first letter. In Twin Shadowed Knight it is revealed that D has a twin who goes unnamed. The twin states that he and D were born from the same woman in the exact same conditions.
Dracula's role in the novels is very mixed, appearing both as bane and savior to isolated towns, and deified as a legendary god-king to the vampires, many of whom have never even met him in person. D quotes Dracula's precepts ("Transient guests are we" — implied to refer to the Nobility) in the first novel. Dracula appears both as a lawgiver honored for his intelligence, who showed some interest in preserving humans, and as a ruthless scientist (in the second novel), conducting hybrid breeding experiments with humans in order to perpetuate his own dwindling species. D appears to have encountered his alleged father on at least one occasion, as when at times D reaches a place where the imprint of Dracula's power remains, D remembers Dracula telling him that "You are my only success." Like D, Dracula is portrayed as a mysterious and handsome young wanderer who deals out both life and death.
Publishing, a division of Asahi Sonorama's parent company. From December 2007 through January 2008, Asahi Shimbun Publishing reprinted the complete Vampire Hunter catalogue under the Sonorama Selection label.
On May 11, 2005, the first official English translation was released under DH Press
, translated by Kevin Leahy. As of August 2010, eleven novels have been translated into and released in English, with volume sixteen, Tyrant's Stars, Parts One and Two, to be released on April 13, 2011.
In January 2011, Hideyuki Kikuchi published the first spinoff set in the Vampire Hunter universe, titled , illustrated by Ayami Kojima
, artist and character designer for the Castlevania
series of video games. It takes place over 5,000 years before Vampire Hunter D and focuses on expanding the history of the Nobility, following the exploits of the vampire warrior Lord Greylancer.
The film features strong classical Western
overtones and memorable voice-acting performances in both English and Japanese, most especially in regards to the title character, D. It was ground-breaking in that it effectively brought together elements of Gothic horror and dystopian post-apocalyptic science fiction in a Western framework that some have argued appears to be largely a homage to the film Shane.
), and its sophisticated orchestral soundtrack
composed, arranged and conducted by Marco D'Ambrosio. Its art style closely mirrored that of the illustrator and original character designer of the first movie, Yoshitaka Amano
.
The storyline features a larger cast than the first film. The second Vampire Hunter D movie (VHD2000; Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust in the USA) is based on the third of Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D novels (Demon Deathchase in English). The movie is rated NC-16 in Singapore, M in Australia, 15 in the UK, R13 in New Zealand and R in the USA.
's Resident Evil video game series. The rights to both Vampire Hunter D and Wicked City
had previously been optioned by Mark Dippe
and Davis Films.
and Hideyuki Kikuchi
, aims to adapt the entire catalogue of Vampire Hunter D novels into manga form.
mini-series titled Vampire Hunter D: American Wasteland
. The project was confirmed to be cancelled at the 2009 Long Beach Comic Con. The story would follow the typical Vampire Hunter D setup and remain true to the mythos, but with a "noticeably North American feel." It was to be written by Jimmy Palmiotti
and pencilled by Tim Seeley
.
game console, titled Vampire Hunter D
. It is a survival horror game, but also similar to a standard adventure title. The player can see D from different pre-rendered angles throughout the game, and allow D to attack enemies with his sword. D can also use magic, Left Hand's abilities, and items. The story of the game is similar to that of Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust, although it takes place entirely within the castle as D fights all the enemies. Only two of the Barbarois mutants appear as enemies. There are 3 endings, 1 of which is similar to the end of the anime.
for the original OVA reprised their roles. Originally released on cassette tape, they were re-released as a Drama CD box set, including a small art book and a new short story by Kikuchi.
Hideyuki Kikuchi
is a Japanese author famous for his horror novels. His most famous works including the Vampire Hunter D series, Darkside Blues and Wicked City. He has been compared to both Stephen King and H. P. Lovecraft.-Biography:...
and illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano
Yoshitaka Amano
is a Japanese artist. He began his career as an animator and has become known for his illustrations for the anime Vampire Hunter D and for his character designs, image illustrations and title logo designs for the Final Fantasy video game series developed by Square Enix . His influences include...
since 1983.
To date, twenty-two novels have been published in the main series, with some novels comprising as many as four volumes. The series has also spawned anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
, audio drama, and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
adaptations, as well as a short story collection, art books, and a supplemental guide book.
Plot introduction
D wanders through a far-future post-nuclear Earth that combines elements of pulpPulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
genres: western, science fiction, horror, high fantasy, H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
ian mythos, folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
science. The planet, once terrified by the elegant but cruel Nobles (vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
s), ancient demons, mutants and their technological creations, is now slowly returning to a semblance of order and human control — thanks in part to the decadence that brought about the downfall of the vampire race, to the continued stubbornness of frontier dwellers and, to the rise of a caste of independent hunters-for-hire who eliminate supernatural threats.
The year is approximately 12,090 AD. Some time in 1999, a nuclear war occurred. The Nobility were vampires that planned for a possible nuclear war and sequestered all that was needed to rebuild civilization in their shelters. They use their science combined with magic to restore the world in their image. Nearly all magical creatures are engineered, with a very small number being demons who survived the holocaust. Despite their technology being great enough to create a blood substitute as food, they still prefer to feed on humans. As such, they create a civilization where vampires and humans coexist, eventually developing the planet into parklands and cities. The society eventually stagnates when vampire technology perfects scientific prophecy, which determines they are at their zenith of existence and thus are doomed to fall, overthrown by humans. The human race was also transformed at this time, with fear for the vampires being woven into the genetic level, and the inability to remember vampire weaknesses such as garlic and crucifixes.
Unlike vampires from traditional lore, the Nobility have the ability to reproduce sexually, although their offspring will permanently cease aging after reaching physical maturity, having inherited their vampire parent's immortality.
D is a dhampir
Dhampir
A Dhampir in Balkan folklore is the child of a vampire father and a human mother. The term is sometimes spelled dhampyre, dhamphir, or dhampyr. Dhampir powers are similar to those of vampires, but without the usual weaknesses...
, the half-breed child of a vampire father and human mother, the ideal vampire hunter
Vampire hunter
A vampire hunter or vampire slayer is a character in folklore and fiction who specializes in finding and destroying vampires, and sometimes other supernatural creatures....
. He is renowned for his consummate skill and unearthly grace, but feared and despised for his mixed lineage: born of both races but belonging to neither. Often underestimated by his opponents, D possesses surprising power and resourcefulness, having most of the strengths of the Nobility and only mild levels of their common weaknesses. It has been seen in both movies that his power is not only physical, but extends into the magical realm as well. His supernatural powers make him one of the strongest beings in the world, if not the second strongest second only to his father. However, D prefers his physical abilities, only using his magic in times of great need. Unlike most dhampirs, D is able to live as a "normal" human; however, he is marked by his unearthly beauty and exceptionally powerful aura, and thus rarely accepted by human settlements. In terms of weaknesses, he is randomly susceptible to sun-sickness, a severe type of sunstroke, about once every five years (far less than most dhampirs). D also recovers from it at a rate far greater than other dhampirs. Usually it takes several days to recover from sunlight syndrome, longer if the dhampir is exceedingly powerful, but D recovered in a few hours (around 1-6 hours approximately) despite being one of the strongest if not the strongest dhampir alive. Otherwise, D does not appear to suffer from other vampiric weaknesses usual to dhampirs, being able to physically restrain opponents with his aura and having godlike reflexes surpassing even those of Nobles.
His symbiotic left hand states, in Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, "Dracula became impatient with the Bloody Countess, and your father, The Vampire King, became impatient with her gluttony. And impaled her on 'The Sword'". Speculation on whether 'The Sword' is D's sword or not is debatable. It is important to note here, however, that the movie differs sharply from the book it takes its story from, Vampire Hunter D: Demon Deathchase and future entries in the novel series do not differentiate between Dracula, The Vampire King, and D's father, proposing that they are one and the same.
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
.
D rides a cybernetic horse with mechanical legs and other enhancements, wields a crescent longsword
Longsword
The longsword is a type of European sword designed for two-handed use, current during the late medieval and Renaissance periods, approximately 1350 to 1550 .Longswords have long cruciform hilts with grips over 10 to 15 cm length The longsword (of which stems the variation called the bastard...
which looks similar to Yoshitaka Amano's scimitar
Scimitar
A scimitar is a backsword or sabre with a curved blade, originating in Southwest Asia .The Arabic term saif translates to "sword" in general, but is normally taken to refer to the scimitar type of curved backsword in particular.The curved sword or "scimitar" was widespread throughout the Muslim...
sword design found in many of his works of art, but the sword has a hefty length, similar to that of a Japanese nodachi
Nodachi
A nodachi is a large two-handed Japanese sword. Some have suggested that the meaning of "nodachi" is roughly the same as ōdachi meaning "large/great sword". A confusion between the terms has nearly synonymized "nodachi" with the very large "ōdachi"...
. D always wears a mystical blue pendant
Pendant
A pendant is a loose-hanging piece of jewellery, generally attached by a small loop to a necklace, when the ensemble may be known as a "pendant necklace". A pendant earring is an earring with a piece hanging down. In modern French "pendant" is the gerund form of “hanging”...
; it prevents many of the automatic defenses (such as laser fields and small nuclear blasters) created by the Nobility in past millennia from working properly, and allows him to enter their sealed castles. In the novels and game, he also uses wooden needles which he can throw with super speed. He protects his milk-white face from the noonday sun with long black hair, flowing black clothing and cape, and the shadow of a wide-brimmed hat. Though he appears to be only 17 or 18 in the first novel (slowly aging as the series goes on), D's age is unknown (although in the novel Pale Fallen Angels parts I and II, it is made known that he is at least 5,000 years old). His beauty is mesmerizing, often unintentionally wooing women and sometimes flustering men.
Very little is known of D's past and the identity of his parents is ambiguous, but his innate power suggests that his father is an extraordinarily powerful vampire. Regarding D's birth, some Nobles whisper dark rumours about their vampire progenitor, the Sacred Ancestor known as Count Dracula
Count Dracula
Count Dracula is a fictional character, the titular antagonist of Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula and archetypal vampire. Some aspects of his character have been inspired by the 15th century Romanian general and Wallachian Prince Vlad III the Impaler...
, bedding a human woman called "Mina the Fair" (perhaps named after Mina Harker
Mina Harker
Wilhelmina "Mina" Harker is a fictional character in Bram Stoker's 1897 horror novel Dracula.- In the novel :She begins the story as Miss Mina Murray, a young school mistress who is engaged to Jonathan Harker, and best friends with Lucy Westenra...
). Dracula conducted bizarre crossbreeding experiments involving himself and countless human women or even other vampires, with the only successful product of the experiments being D. D, wanting nothing to do with his father save for killing him, refuses to go by his true name. Instead, he shortens it to the first letter. In Twin Shadowed Knight it is revealed that D has a twin who goes unnamed. The twin states that he and D were born from the same woman in the exact same conditions.
Dracula's role in the novels is very mixed, appearing both as bane and savior to isolated towns, and deified as a legendary god-king to the vampires, many of whom have never even met him in person. D quotes Dracula's precepts ("Transient guests are we" — implied to refer to the Nobility) in the first novel. Dracula appears both as a lawgiver honored for his intelligence, who showed some interest in preserving humans, and as a ruthless scientist (in the second novel), conducting hybrid breeding experiments with humans in order to perpetuate his own dwindling species. D appears to have encountered his alleged father on at least one occasion, as when at times D reaches a place where the imprint of Dracula's power remains, D remembers Dracula telling him that "You are my only success." Like D, Dracula is portrayed as a mysterious and handsome young wanderer who deals out both life and death.
Publication history
Beginning in 1983, Kikuchi has so far written twenty-two D novels. All of the official publications in the series were originally published by Asahi Sonorama, however the Sonorama branch went out of business in September 2007. The release of D - Throng of Heretics in October 2007 under the Asahi Bunko - Sonorama Selection label marked the transition to the new publisher, Asahi ShimbunAsahi Shimbun
The is the second most circulated out of the five national newspapers in Japan. Its circulation, which was 7.96 million for its morning edition and 3.1 million for its evening edition as of June 2010, was second behind that of Yomiuri Shimbun...
Publishing, a division of Asahi Sonorama's parent company. From December 2007 through January 2008, Asahi Shimbun Publishing reprinted the complete Vampire Hunter catalogue under the Sonorama Selection label.
On May 11, 2005, the first official English translation was released under DH Press
DH Press
-Titles:* Aliens* Dracula: Asylum* Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Volume 1 The Lost Memory* Hipira* Kong: King of Skull Island* Predator* Scarface: The Beginning * Vampire Hunter D series-External links:* *...
, translated by Kevin Leahy. As of August 2010, eleven novels have been translated into and released in English, with volume sixteen, Tyrant's Stars, Parts One and Two, to be released on April 13, 2011.
In January 2011, Hideyuki Kikuchi published the first spinoff set in the Vampire Hunter universe, titled , illustrated by Ayami Kojima
Ayami Kojima
is a Japanese game and concept artist who is best known for her work on the Castlevania series of video games with Konami. She is self-taught and enjoys reading shōnen manga...
, artist and character designer for the Castlevania
Castlevania
Castlevania, known as in Japan, is a video game series created and developed by Konami. The series debuted in Japan on September 26, 1986, with the release of for the Family Computer Disk System , followed by an alternate version for the MSX 2 platform on October 30...
series of video games. It takes place over 5,000 years before Vampire Hunter D and focuses on expanding the history of the Nobility, following the exploits of the vampire warrior Lord Greylancer.
1985 animated film
One of the first anime films released outside of Japan, Vampire Hunter D remains a cult classic among English-speaking audiences. Billed by the Japanese producers as a "dark future science-fiction romance" Vampire Hunter D is set in the year 12,090 A.D., in a post-nuclear holocaust world where vampires, mutants and demons "slither through a world of darkness" (in the words of the film's opening introduction).The film features strong classical Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
overtones and memorable voice-acting performances in both English and Japanese, most especially in regards to the title character, D. It was ground-breaking in that it effectively brought together elements of Gothic horror and dystopian post-apocalyptic science fiction in a Western framework that some have argued appears to be largely a homage to the film Shane.
2000 animated film
The second film, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust garnered respect for its advanced animation techniques, voice-acting originally recorded in English (English voice casting/direction by Jack FletcherJack Fletcher
Jack Fletcher is a voice actor, casting director, and voice director. He has done voice casting and direction for many high-profile anime and video game projects. In addition, he is a well known and respected theatre director and teacher, having spent a number of years teaching and directing at the...
), and its sophisticated orchestral soundtrack
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (soundtrack)
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is the soundtrack for the film of the same name. Marco D'Ambrosio produced all of the songs for the movie except Tooku Made, used as the theme song in the Japanese version of the movie.-Track listing:...
composed, arranged and conducted by Marco D'Ambrosio. Its art style closely mirrored that of the illustrator and original character designer of the first movie, Yoshitaka Amano
Yoshitaka Amano
is a Japanese artist. He began his career as an animator and has become known for his illustrations for the anime Vampire Hunter D and for his character designs, image illustrations and title logo designs for the Final Fantasy video game series developed by Square Enix . His influences include...
.
The storyline features a larger cast than the first film. The second Vampire Hunter D movie (VHD2000; Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust in the USA) is based on the third of Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D novels (Demon Deathchase in English). The movie is rated NC-16 in Singapore, M in Australia, 15 in the UK, R13 in New Zealand and R in the USA.
Animated series
In the January 2010 issue of Rue Morgue, Hideyuki Kikuchi stated that a Vampire Hunter D anime series is currently in the planning stages in Japan.Live-action film
Hideyuki Kikuchi is currently working on a live-action adaptation with one of the producers for CapcomCapcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
's Resident Evil video game series. The rights to both Vampire Hunter D and Wicked City
Wicked City (novel)
Wicked City is a series of novels written by Hideyuki Kikuchi and published by Tor/Seven Seas. The first book served as the basis for an anime film and live-action film of the same name.-External links:*...
had previously been optioned by Mark Dippe
Mark A.Z. Dippé
Mark A.Z. Dippé is an American film director and visual effects supervisor. He has directed numerous films from 1997 to now, starting with Spawn.He is co-founder of The Animation Picture Company.- External links :...
and Davis Films.
Manga adaptations
On November 2007, the first volume of Saiko Takaki comic book adaptation of Hideyuki Kikuchi's series was published simultaneously in the U.S., Japan and Europe. The project, overseen by Digital Manga PublishingDigital Manga Publishing
Digital Manga is a company that licenses and releases, in English, Japanese anime, manga, and related merchandise. The company has several subdivisions: Digital Manga Publishing, which publishes Japanese manga, novels and instructional and illustration books in North America with multiple imprints,...
and Hideyuki Kikuchi
Hideyuki Kikuchi
is a Japanese author famous for his horror novels. His most famous works including the Vampire Hunter D series, Darkside Blues and Wicked City. He has been compared to both Stephen King and H. P. Lovecraft.-Biography:...
, aims to adapt the entire catalogue of Vampire Hunter D novels into manga form.
American comics crossover
In July 2008, Josh Blaylock announced that Devils Due Publishing had acquired rights to publish an English-language Vampire Hunter D comic bookComic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
mini-series titled Vampire Hunter D: American Wasteland
Vampire Hunter D: American Wasteland
Vampire Hunter D: American Wasteland is a comic book mini-series based on the popular Vampire Hunter D franchise, set to be published by Devil's Due Publishing. The series was announced in July 2008, but was confirmed to be cancelled at the 2009 Long Beach Comic Con, as a result of creative...
. The project was confirmed to be cancelled at the 2009 Long Beach Comic Con. The story would follow the typical Vampire Hunter D setup and remain true to the mythos, but with a "noticeably North American feel." It was to be written by Jimmy Palmiotti
Jimmy Palmiotti
James "Jimmy" Palmiotti is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film.-Early life:Palmiotti is a graduate of the High School of Art and Design in New York City.-Career:...
and pencilled by Tim Seeley
Tim Seeley
Tim Seeley is a comic book artist and writer known for his work on books such as G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe vs. Transformers and New Exiles.-Career:Seeley has illustrated a variety of comics, including Kore, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe vs...
.
Video game
A video game based on Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust was also made for the PlayStationPlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
game console, titled Vampire Hunter D
Vampire Hunter D (video game)
Vampire Hunter D is a PlayStation video game based on the series of books and movies of the same name. Along with Countdown Vampires, it is one of the few survival horror games to revolve around vampires. The gameplay is similar to the earlier games in the Resident Evil series; because characters...
. It is a survival horror game, but also similar to a standard adventure title. The player can see D from different pre-rendered angles throughout the game, and allow D to attack enemies with his sword. D can also use magic, Left Hand's abilities, and items. The story of the game is similar to that of Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust, although it takes place entirely within the castle as D fights all the enemies. Only two of the Barbarois mutants appear as enemies. There are 3 endings, 1 of which is similar to the end of the anime.
Audio drama
Over the years, Asashi Sonorama has created audio drama adaptations of the earlier novels, in which the voice castSeiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
for the original OVA reprised their roles. Originally released on cassette tape, they were re-released as a Drama CD box set, including a small art book and a new short story by Kikuchi.
External links
- Vampire Hunter D Official Website
- The Vampire Hunter D Archives
- The Vampire Hunter D Wiki
- DHpress Books
- Digital Manga Publishing
- Asashi Sonorama - Japanese publisher of the Vampire Hunter D series books and audio dramas.
- Hideyuki Kikuichi Official Fan Club (Japanese)