is a series of novels written by Japanese author
Hideyuki Kikuchi
is a Japanese author known for his horror novels. His most famous works include the ''Vampire Hunter D'' series, ''Darkside Blues'' and ''Wicked City (novel), Wicked City''.
Biography
Kikuchi was born in Chōshi, Chiba, Chōshi, Japan on Septe ...
and illustrated by
Yoshitaka Amano
is a Japanese visual artist, character designer, illustrator, a scenic designer for theatre and film, and a costume designer. He first came into prominence in the late 1960s working on the anime adaptation of ''Speed Racer''. Amano later became ...
since 1983.
As of April 2022, 40 novels have been published in the main series, with some novels comprising as many as four volumes. They have sold over 17 million copies worldwide, making ''Vampire Hunter D'' one of the
best-selling book series in history. The series has also spawned
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
,
audio drama
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...
,
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
,
comic
a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...
adaptations, a
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
, as well as a short story collection, art books, and a supplemental guide book.
Premise
Vampire hunter
Vampire hunter or vampire slayer is a fictional occupation in history and fiction which specializes in finding vampires, and sometimes other supernatural creatures. A vampire hunter is usually described as having extensive knowledge of vampires a ...
D wanders through a far-future
post-nuclear war Earth that combines elements of
pulp
Pulp may refer to:
* Pulp (fruit), the inner flesh of fruit
Engineering
* Dissolving pulp, highly purified cellulose used in fibre and film manufacture
* Pulp (paper), the fibrous material used to make paper
* Molded pulp, a packaging material
...
genres: western, science fiction, horror and
Lovecraftian horror
Lovecraftian horror, sometimes used interchangeably with "cosmic horror", is a subgenre of horror fiction and weird fiction that emphasizes the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible more than gore or other elements of shock. It is named a ...
,
dark fantasy
Dark fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy literary, artistic, and cinematic works that incorporate disturbing and frightening themes of fantasy. It often combines fantasy with elements of horror or has a gloomy dark tone or a sense of horror and dr ...
,
folklore
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
and
occult
The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...
science. The planet, once terrified by the elegant but cruel
vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...
s known as , 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
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
threats.
Some time in 1999, a
nuclear war
Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a theoretical military conflict or prepared political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conventional warfare, nuclear w ...
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 on Earth are
genetically engineered
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including t ...
by the Nobility to possess seemingly supernatural abilities,
regeneration
Regeneration may refer to:
Science and technology
* Regeneration (biology), the ability to recreate lost or damaged cells, tissues, organs and limbs
* Regeneration (ecology), the ability of ecosystems to regenerate biomass, using photosynthesis
...
, and
biological immortality
Biological immortality (sometimes referred to as bio-indefinite mortality) is a state in which the rate of mortality from senescence is stable or decreasing, thus decoupling it from chronological age. Various unicellular and multicellular species, ...
, with a very small number being demons, gods, aliens, and extradimensional beings who survived the holocaust. Despite their technology being advanced enough to create a blood substitute as food, they still prefer to feed on humans. As such, they created a civilization where vampires and humans coexisted, 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 their genetics, 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.
Main characters
D
D is a ''
dhampir
In Balkans folklore, dhampirs (sometimes spelled ''dhampyres'', ''dhamphirs'', or ''dhampyrs'') are creatures that are the result of a union between a vampire and a mortal human. This union was usually between male vampires and female mortal huma ...
'', the half-breed child of a vampire father and human mother (actually genetically engineered by the ruler and first of vampires called Sacred Ancestor using his own DNA and that of humans in an experiment to create a vampire without vampires' typical weaknesses like the sun and having to drink blood), the ideal
vampire hunter
Vampire hunter or vampire slayer is a fictional occupation in history and fiction which specializes in finding vampires, and sometimes other supernatural creatures. A vampire hunter is usually described as having extensive knowledge of vampires a ...
. 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 potent 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 dhampirs 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'': "The List Ahri" 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, The Sacred Ancestor, and D's father, proposing that they are one and the same.
D rides a
cybernetic
Cybernetics is a wide-ranging field concerned with circular causality, such as feedback, in regulatory and purposive systems. Cybernetics is named after an example of circular causal feedback, that of steering a ship, where the helmsperson ma ...
horse with mechanical legs and other enhancements, wields a crescent
longsword
A longsword (also spelled as long sword or long-sword) is a type of European sword characterized as having a cruciform hilt with a grip for primarily two-handed use (around ), a straight double-edged blade of around , and weighing approximatel ...
which looks similar to Yoshitaka Amano's
scimitar
A scimitar ( or ) is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures. A European term, ''scimitar'' does not refer to one specific sword type, but an assortment of different ...
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
A pendant is a loose-hanging piece of jewellery, generally attached by a small loop to a necklace, which may be known as a "pendant necklace". A pendant earring is an earring with a piece hanging down. Its name stems from the Latin word ...
; 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. He also uses wooden needles in the novels and game, 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. D is described as appearing as a youth between 17 and 18 years old, though D's age is unknown (although in the novel ''Pale Fallen Angel'' parts I and II, it is made known that he is at least 5,000 years old, and later it is revealed that he is over 10,000 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 rumors about their vampire progenitor, the Sacred Ancestor known as
Count Dracula
Count Dracula () is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel '' Dracula''. He is considered to be both the prototypical and the archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by som ...
, bedding a human woman called "Mina the Fair" (implied to be
Mina Harker
Wilhelmina "Mina" Harker (née Murray) is a fictional character and the main female character in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''.
In the novel
She begins the story as Miss Mina Murray, a young schoolmistress who is engaged t ...
). Dracula conducted bizarre crossbreeding experiments involving himself and countless human women or even other vampires. The only successful product of the experiments was D. D, wanting nothing to do with his father save for killing him, refusing to go by his true name. Instead, he shortens it to the first letter. In ''Twin Shadowed Knight'', D has a twin who goes unnamed. The twin states that he and D were born from the same woman in exactly the same conditions.
Left Hand
D is the host for a sentient
symbiote, Left Hand, a wisecracking
homunculus
A homunculus ( , , ; "little person") is a representation of a small human being, originally depicted as small statues made out of clay. Popularized in sixteenth-century alchemy and nineteenth-century fiction, it has historically referred to the ...
with a 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, hypnotizing others, determining the medical condition of a victim, absorbing matter, energy, and even
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
s and
magic
Magic or Magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
* Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic
* Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
, healing and reviving D and himself, and the ability to size up the supernatural powers or prowess of an enemy, even beyond D's keen senses. After absorbing four elements, Left Hand can use them to generate powerful attacks, regenerate D and himself, and to transform D into full vampire state rivaling Sacred Ancestor. Left Hand can store absorbed objects in a
pocket dimension
A pocket universe or bubble universe, also colloquially called pocket dimension is a concept in inflationary theory, proposed by Alan Guth.
Description
It defines a realm like the one that contains the observable universe as only one of many inf ...
inside his stomach, and later spit them out.
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 for vampires 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 (mutant/demon hybrids) who served in the personal retinue of the
Sacred Ancestor, and was experimented on by him to increase his powers over other Barbarois.
Sacred Ancestor
Sacred Ancestor's role in the novels is very mixed, appearing both as the 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 Sacred Ancestor's precepts ("Transient guests are we"—implied to refer to the Nobility) in the first novel. Sacred Ancestor 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 Sacred Ancestor's power remains, D remembers Sacred Ancestor telling him that "You are my only success." Like D, Sacred Ancestor is portrayed as a mysterious and handsome young wanderer who deals with both life and death. However, in the English dub of the anime, D states that Sacred Ancestor respected humanity and did not feed on innocent people.
Production
In the postscript of the first ''Vampire Hunter D'' novel,
Hideyuki Kikuchi
is a Japanese author known for his horror novels. His most famous works include the ''Vampire Hunter D'' series, ''Darkside Blues'' and ''Wicked City (novel), Wicked City''.
Biography
Kikuchi was born in Chōshi, Chiba, Chōshi, Japan on Septe ...
cited
Hammer Films
A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as wi ...
' ''
Horror of Dracula
''Dracula'' is a 1958 British gothic horror film directed by Terence Fisher and written by Jimmy Sangster based on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel of the same name. The first in the series of Hammer Horror films starring Christopher Lee as Count Dra ...
'' (1958) as his first inspiration in horror. He also praised horror manga artist Osamu Kishimoto for his distinct style, that he described as "a gothic mood in the Western tradition". Kikuchi is famous for writing his manuscripts by hand.
Having written the ''Vampire Hunter D'' series for 40 years, the author has previously admitted that he does not remember all of its mythology, only that of a couple of volumes, and therefore one might find some contradictions in it. Kikuchi explained that the two points he is always careful of are, not to "mix up the characteristics of D", and "not to lose sight of the purpose of the journey". When asked if the Sacred Ancestor will ever be given a larger role, Kikuchi said the character "will come out someday" and "When that happens, please expect that to be your warning that ''Vampire Hunter D'' is speeding toward an ending". The author has previous said that he has "a final conflict for D" in mind, but that final conflict will not be the entire ending of the series.
Publication history
Beginning in January 1983, Kikuchi has written 40 Vampire Hunter D novels spanning 52 volumes as of April 2022. All of the publications in the series were published by
Asahi Sonorama
is the publishing arm of The Asahi Shimbun Company, publishing books, magazines, and manga. It replaced on 1 April 2008 just after it went bankrupt.
History
Asahi Sonorama was created as a division of Asahi Shimbunsha on September 9, 1959 ...
until the 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 Shimbun
is one of the four largest newspapers in Japan. Founded in 1879, it is also one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan. Its circulation, which was 4.57 million for its morning edition and ...
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
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
, translated by Kevin Leahy. As of 2020, 24 novels have been published in English, spanning 29 volumes. In 2021, Dark Horse began releasing the series in an omnibus format. The first volume, featuring the first three novels, was released on October 27, 2021. In December 2021,
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
in partnership with
GraphicAudio began publishing dramatized audiobook adaptations of the ''Vampire Hunter D'' novel series featuring a full English voice cast, soundtrack, and sound effects.
In January 2011, Hideyuki Kikuchi published the first spinoff set in the ''Vampire Hunter'' universe, a series of prequels titled , illustrated by
Ayami Kojima
is a Japanese artist. She has often worked in video games as a character designer and is most known for her work on the ''Castlevania'' series of video games with Konami. She is self-taught and enjoys reading '' shōnen'' manga.
Biography
Ayam ...
, artist and character designer for the ''
Castlevania
''Castlevania'' (), known in Japan as is a gothic horror action-adventure video game series and media franchise about Dracula (Castlevania), Dracula, created and developed by Konami. It has been released on various platforms, from early system ...
'' 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. In 2013,
Viz Media
VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...
's
Haikasoru
VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...
imprint released the first official English translation of the prequel series, retitled ''Noble V: Greylancer'', translated by Takami Nieda with newly commissioned cover artwork by Vincent Chong.
Adaptations
1985 animated film
''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 AD, 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).
1988–1990 audio dramas
Asashi Sonorama created
audio drama
Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...
adaptations of three of the novels, in five parts:
# ''
Raiser of Gales "D"'' (January 1988) (the book it was based on was published May 1984)
# ''D – Demon Deathchase'' (June 1988)
# ''D –
Mysterious Journey to the North Sea
''Vampire Hunter D: Mysterious Journey to the North Sea'' is a Japanese novel by Hideyuki Kikuchi
is a Japanese author known for his horror novels. His most famous works include the '' Vampire Hunter D'' series, ''Darkside Blues'' and '' Wic ...
I: To the North Sea'' (March 1990)
# ''D – Mysterious Journey to the North Sea II: Summer at Last'' (May 1990)
# ''D – Mysterious Journey to the North Sea III: When Winter Comes Again'' (June 1990).
Most of the
voice cast
Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...
for the original OVA reprised their roles. Originally released on cassette tape, in 2005 they were re-released as a special edition, five-disc ''Vampire Hunter D Audio Drama Box'', including a small supplemental booklet with a new short story by Kikuchi and an "art cloth" with an illustration by Amano.
1999 video game
A
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
based on ''Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust'' was also made for the
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
game console, titled ''
Vampire Hunter D
is a series of novels written by Japanese author Hideyuki Kikuchi and illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano since 1983.
As of April 2022, 40 novels have been published in the main series, with some novels comprising as many as four volumes. They ha ...
''. It is a
survival horror
Survival horror is a subgenre of survival of the players as the game tries to frighten them with either horror graphics or scary ambience. Although combat can be part of the gameplay, the player is made to feel less in control than in typical ac ...
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 three endings, one of which is similar to the end of the anime.
2000 animated film
The second film, ''Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust'' garnered respect for its advanced animation techniques, detailed art style and character designs, voice acting originally recorded in English (English voice casting/direction by
Jack Fletcher), and its sophisticated orchestral
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
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
is a Japanese visual artist, character designer, illustrator, a scenic designer for theatre and film, and a costume designer. He first came into prominence in the late 1960s working on the anime adaptation of ''Speed Racer''. Amano later became ...
.
The storyline features a larger cast than the first film. The second Vampire Hunter D movie (known as ''Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust'' outside of Japan) is based on the third of Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D novels (''Demon Deathchase'' in English). Unlike the first film, which was released in 1985, this movie is rated NC-16 in Singapore, M in Australia, 15 in the UK, R13 in New Zealand and R for violence/gore in the USA (except for the Blu-ray release, which is unrated).
2007 manga adaptation
In November 2007, the first volume of Saiko Takaki's manga adaptation of Hideyuki Kikuchi's series was published simultaneously in the U.S., Japan, and Europe. The project, overseen by
Digital Manga Publishing
Digital Manga is a California-based publishing company that licenses and releases Japanese manga, anime, and related merchandise in the English language.
Digital Manga also owns and operates eManga, a digital publishing site for manga and l ...
and
Hideyuki Kikuchi
is a Japanese author known for his horror novels. His most famous works include the ''Vampire Hunter D'' series, ''Darkside Blues'' and ''Wicked City (novel), Wicked City''.
Biography
Kikuchi was born in Chōshi, Chiba, Chōshi, Japan on Septe ...
, aimed to adapt the entire catalogue of ''Vampire Hunter D'' novels into a manga form, however it had concluded after the eighth volume
2022 comic book series
On June 30, 2016, a
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...
crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...
campaign for a five-issue ''Vampire Hunter D'' comic book series titled ''Vampire Hunter D: Message from Mars'' was announced. Published by Stranger Comics with supervision from series creator Hideyuki Kikuchi and support from the creative teams at Unified Pictures and Digital Frontier, ''Message from Mars'' is an adaptation of the 2005 short story ''Message from Cecile'' and acts as a prequel to the then-in-development animated series. The series is written by
Brandon M. Easton and illustrated by Michael Broussard, with visual development by
Christopher Shy
Christopher Shy, who occasionally goes by the pen name "Ronin", is a freelance fantasy and science fiction artist.
Biography
Christopher Shy created Studio Ronin in 1994 to highlight his art. With George Vasilakos, Shy conceived the zombie RPG ' ...
. The campaign's stretch goals also include an official ''Vampire Hunter D
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game
The ''Pathfinder Roleplaying Game'' is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) that was published in 2009 by Paizo Publishing. The first edition extends and modifies the System Reference Document (SRD) based on the revised 3rd edition ''Dungeons & ...
'' supplement written by
F. Wesley Schneider
F. Wesley Schneider is an American game designer and author known for his work on the ''Pathfinder Roleplaying Game'' and for ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). He was the co-lead designer on the ''D&D'' 5th Edition adventure anthology '' Journey ...
.
The campaign reached its $25,000 funding goal on July 1, 2016, and its initial $50,000 stretch goal on July 7, 2016. The campaign concluded on August 9, 2016, with 1,736 backers pledging a total of $107,025, reaching four out of five stretch goals.
Following the first issue the series was placed on temporary hiatus due to a serious medical emergency in Broussard's family, resuming production in early 2018 with new artists Ryan Benjamin and Richard Friend.
As of December 2020 all production work for the five-issue run is complete, but publication plans were placed on an indefinite hiatus due to the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. In December 2021 the completion of the project was announced via Kickstarter update, with limited publication planned to begin in 2022 following a recovery from pandemic conditions, to be followed by a wide retail and digital release in the future. The graphic novel Kickstarter campaign was launched on January 26, 2022, offering a limited hardcover collector's edition, variant cover single issue editions, and a digital edition. The campaign achieved its initial $30,000 funding goal within 90 minutes, and surpassed $100,000 within the first day, concluding on February 19th, 2020, with 4,095 backers pledging a total of $445,205.
Upcoming animated series
In June 2015, a new
CGI animated
Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The images m ...
series tentatively titled ''Vampire Hunter D: Resurrection'' was announced, produced by Unified Pictures and
Digital Frontier
, also called as is a motion picture production company in Japan with a distinguished large scale CG production department. The company is equipped with motion capture studio called "OPAKIS" in Odaiba, Tokyo.
The company started producing CG wo ...
. The series would be produced by Kurt Rauer and Scott McLean, and directed by Yoichi Mori, with ''Bloodlust'' director
Yoshiaki Kawajiri
is a writer and director of Japanese animation. He is the creator of titles such as '' Wicked City'', ''Ninja Scroll'', and '' Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust''.
Biography
Kawajiri was born on November 18, 1950 and grew up in Yokohama, Kanagawa Pr ...
acting as supervising director and series creator
Hideyuki Kikuchi
is a Japanese author known for his horror novels. His most famous works include the ''Vampire Hunter D'' series, ''Darkside Blues'' and ''Wicked City (novel), Wicked City''.
Biography
Kikuchi was born in Chōshi, Chiba, Chōshi, Japan on Septe ...
providing editorial supervision. The series was currently in pre-production, and is developed as an hour-long
serial drama
In television and radio programming, a serial is a show that has a continuing plot that unfolds in a sequential episode-by-episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire television seasons or even the complete run of ...
with the intent of being broadcast on a major American
cable network
Networking cables are networking hardware used to connect one network device to other network devices or to connect two or more computers to share devices such as printers or scanners. Different types of network cables, such as coaxial cable, op ...
or
on-demand provider, with Japanese distribution to follow. As of June 2016 the series is still in pre-production, with plans to begin shipping the project to distributors by the end of the year. Given the abundance of source material, the current plan is to produce as many as seven seasons, without revisiting the source material that was adapted into the first two films. In February 2018 it was announced that the
pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
episode would be written by Brandon M. Easton, writer for the ''Message from Mars'' comic book series.
The first draft of the pilot was completed in October 2018. Pre-production on the series was put on hold in early 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other media
In July 2008,
Devils Due Publishing
Devil's Due Publishing (often abbreviated as DDP) is an independent comic book publisher in the United States. Based in Chicago, Illinois, DDP is best known for its wide selection of genres, including licensed and original creator-owned proper ...
announced that it had acquired the rights to publish an English-language ''Vampire Hunter D''
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
mini-series titled ''
Vampire Hunter D: American Wasteland,'' to be written by
Jimmy Palmiotti
James Palmiotti (born August 14, 1961) is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film.
Early life
Palmiotti attended the High School of Art and Design in New York City.
Career
Palmiotti star ...
and pencilled by
Tim Seeley
Tim Seeley is an American comic book artist and writer known for his work on books such as '' Grayson'', '' Nightwing'', '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'', ''G.I. Joe vs. Transformers'' and ''New Exiles''. He is also the co-creator of the Im ...
, however the project was cancelled in 2009. Intended to infuse the standard ''Vampire Hunter D'' formula and mythos with more Western sensibilities, it would have told an original story about D departing the Frontier to embark on a journey to a new land still ruled by the vampiric Nobility.
In 2010, it was reported in Japanese horror magazine ''Rue Morgue'' that Hideyuki Kikuchi was in talks with one of the producers for
Capcom
is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. It has created a number of List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil' ...
's ''
Resident Evil
''Resident Evil'', known in Japan as is a Japanese horror game series and media franchise created by Capcom. It consists of survival horror, third-person shooter and first-person shooter games, with players typically surviving in environments ...
'' video game series to develop a live-action ''Vampire Hunter D'' adaptation.
Reception
By 2008, the ''Vampire Hunter D'' novels had sold over 17 million copies worldwide, making it one of the
best-selling book series in history. Theron Martin of
Anime News Network
Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...
called the first novel "a competent vampire-hunting story with enough strong points to balance out its weaknesses" and gave it a B rating. He praised the setting as a wholly credible world ruled by vampires and grounded in science fiction, rather than fantasy or the supernatural. However, he called the plotting "fairly rudimentary" and a standard tale of a hero and heroine struggling against colorful opposition coming from different directions, where even the few twists are hardly unique. While Martin praised the characters of Doris and Rei-Ginsei, he criticized D and Count Magnus Lee as having weak characterizations. His colleague Rebecca Silverman also strongly praised the world and setting of the first three ''Vampire Hunter D'' novels, finding it to clearly be a post-apocalyptic "version of our reality" that in many ways is just as much a character as D. She wrote that the books are "practically dripping with atmosphere" as the story's descriptions are florid and detailed. In her four out of five stars review, Silverman did note that the series could sometimes feel melodramatic and criticized most of the heroines as outdated. Reviewing the first three novels for Anime UK News, Ian Wolf gave the series an 8/10 rating and wrote "Vampire Hunter D is an entertaining read, mixing elements of many different genres to create something very different from what is often available." He noted that D's Left Hand adds some comedy to the overall dark tone of the series.
See also
*
Vampire literature
Vampire literature covers the spectrum of literary work concerned principally with the subject of vampires. The literary vampire first appeared in 18th-century poetry, before becoming one of the stock figures of gothic fiction with the publicat ...
*
Vampire film
Vampire films have been a staple in world cinema since the era of silent films, so much so that the depiction of vampires in popular culture is strongly based upon their depiction in films throughout the years. The most popular cinematic adaptat ...
Notes
References
External links
Dark HorseDigital Manga PublishingHaikasoruAsashi Sonorama– Japanese publisher of the ''Vampire Hunter D'' series books and audio dramas.
Hideyuki Kikuichi Official Fan Club (Japanese)The Vampire Hunter D Archives
{{Dracula
Book series introduced in 1983
Japanese serial novels
Biopunk
Transhumanism
Transhumanism in fiction
Vampires in popular culture
Demons in popular culture
Novels about magic
Artificial intelligence in fiction
Artificial wormholes in fiction
Mutants in fiction
Cyborgs in fiction
Fiction about robots
Genetic engineering in fiction
Nanotechnology in fiction
Science fiction
Soft science fiction
Science fiction horror
Science fantasy
Dystopian fiction
Lovecraftian horror
Horror fiction
Dark fantasy
Gothic fiction
Fantasy novel series
Fictional half-vampires
Fictional vampire hunters
Fictional bounty hunters
Fiction about the Solar System
Fiction about immortality
Fiction set in the 7th millennium or beyond
Apocalyptic fiction
Post-apocalyptic fiction
Post-apocalyptic literature
Vampire novels
Novels adapted into comics
Japanese novels adapted into films
Novels adapted into video games
Retrofuturism
Anime productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Comic books suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic