Hey folks, Harry here with our first look at VAMPIRE HUNTER D 2000 from Ansylum... and ya know, this is really really quite awesome as many love the original VAMPIRE HUNTER D... and actually, it's an anime that I liked as well... and I'm not the biggest anime fan around... though I am learning... thanks to the influence of many anime geeks in the local area. Well... onto the look... here ya go...
Hey Harry
My name is Ansylum. I often Read AICN, and I was happy to see other fans went to the NY anime film fest. But. To my surprise no one has reviewed the incredibly anticipated Vampire Hunter D 2000.
Well with hopes that I scoop a few people here is my take. This piece of anime grabs you by the neck and doesn’t let go. It is a true benchmark for what anime in general can be.
The Story.
The story again centers around D the vampire hunter who himself is a Dampeal (half human half vampire). This is about were the similarities to the original end. It takes place years after the incident with Magnace Lee (villain from last one). Vampires are now a dying race and are rapidly becoming extinct due to the surge in vampire hunters. It opens with a young women being kidnapped by something we can’t see. It’s a very eerie moment when we see a mirror and the girl hovering but no one holding her up. We soon meet her Family who hires D (our hero) to either rescue her or kill her. D is also informed that there are other Hired Hunters, which have a few days, lead on him. D now running against time as well as another team sets off on his quest. As not to get overly detailed this is were the meat and potatoes begins.
The characters are extremely well put together and D’s Hand adds Comic relief with comedic timing that must have been taught to him by Abbot and Costello. The other Vampire Hunters should have been Fluff, but were fleshed out with the more care than could have been hoped for. If the Filmmakers Ever read this, you can and should make a film based on those characters as well. They hold the screen as intensely as D does. As for the Villain, We feel so sympathetic for him that when our surprise ending comes we are happy it is what it is. The surprise is more of a story twist. Which makes the film even better. Its not just a rehash of lets kill Vampires movies. It really makes you walk out knowing you saw something good.
Animation
Seeing as I was at an Animation Festival I had expected to see some top notch Cell and CG work, although I did sneak away for 2 hr to see Akira, which was playing a few blocks down at the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art). Normally this would be a bad idea. To see one of the Genre’s master pieces and then go see something with elevated expectations. WOW! Within the first 5 min I knew I was not going to be disappointed, if anything I was blown away. Vampire Hunter D excels as 2d Cell animation. It could easily become the benchmark of hand drawn animation (Disney take notes). I am a true fan of anime. But this just spoils you. Dark gothic colors and textures never overlap, they only compliment each other. Red color tones that look like a well aged Red wine. And a level of detail that is not often achieved in anime let alone animation as a whole. This was a true spectacle.
Sound
I must say this. It was told to us that the print we were about to watch was damaged as well. Which meant it was only in 2 ch. Stereo not in the 5.1 DD that it was before it was damaged. With that quirk in mind we were treated to the English Dub of the film. Now as some Die-hard anime fans will tell you this is like Sacrilege. Dubbing is often miss, miss, hit. Well with the English dub of this film not only did it hit, it went through the target. Again. All productions should be done with this care. Even Mononoke stumbled a few times when it came to this area. The voice actors turned in proud performances especially the hand. (Standing ovation)
Final thoughts
As I walked out of the theatre I honestly wanted to tackle the projectionist and take the print for myself. But I was soon reminded that this was a work in progress. Which begs the question. What will the release version be like? I don’t know if I could handle much more of a great thing. It was mentioned that it might be released theatrically spring of 2001. I'm crossing my fingers.
Ansylum OUT
