[Anime Classics]

Release Info

Released in 2000. Produced by Animate, Filmlink International, and MOVIC. Animation by Madhouse.

Plot Summary

The Vampire Hunter D, a dhampir (half-human, half-vampire), continues his quest to rid the world of the Nobility. He is summoned by the Elbourne family to rescue their daughter Charlotte from the captivity of Meier Link. The race against time not only involves saving the girl, but also the additional hiring of the Markus Brothers. They are a volatile and infamous group of Hunters known for their tendency to rid themselves of the competition by any means necessary. To make matters more complicated, when Charlotte is found she is more than reluctant to leave the side of her new love.

My Thoughts

To be blunt, this is my most favorite anime movie ever made. Seriously. I've re-watched it well over 50 times. There is not one dull moment in this movie. If you watched the original Vampire Hunter D, you'd know this takes place in a bizarre post-apocalyptic future-past full of every kind of monster. Bloodlust takes this world to the next level in stunning detail. Every character in this movie is awesome and quite unique.

The action begins with the introduction of the Markus Brothers. They're all highly skilled weapon users. My most favorite character is the Marcus Brother, Grove. When you first meet him you see he's bedridden and fragile. I don't want to spoil anything, but I'll tell you he has an awesome, ultra-powerful special ability that makes him invincible.

Just when you think the Marcus Brothers are awesome enough, Bloodlust introduces the villains! The vampire, Meier Link, is, of course, awesome. It's so cool how he uses his cape like a sword! Working with him is a bunch of strange monsters. One can travel in the shadows as if swimming through water; he can also trap you in shadow. There's a werewolf that turns his chest into a gigantic wolf mouth. There's a beautiful, deadly shape-shifter that can turn her body into any substance she touches, as well as morph into said substance to turn into deadly spikes. Towards the end of the movie, a powerful vampire queen is introduced.

The story is excellent. At first, it seems as simple as Vampire Hunter D going off to save the girl from Meier Link. Later we learn she's in love with him! That makes things complicated for our hero. Another important character thrown into the mix is a woman who travels with the Markus Brothers. Her and Vampire Hunter D keep crossing paths. They have a rather complicated relationship, which evolves into something quite different as the movie progresses.

So, my final thoughts to you are: I'm not recommending this movie to you. I am requiring you to watch this movie. It's a staple in the anime world. Just like how you can't consider yourself an anime fan until you've seen the core Studio Ghibli movies, Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust is part of that “must watch” list!

Making Of

Buy From Amazon

You can buy this movie from Amazon. It goes for around $30-50 (US).

Official Streaming

In the United States, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is available for digital purchase on Prime Video. You need to rent it or buy it to watch.

Watch on Prime Video

The Prime Video app is available on every set-top box (Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, etc.).

Download

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust can be watched or downloaded from Archive.org (Internet Archive), or downloaded via torrents from Nyaa. These sites are the best, safest, and most dependable resources to get anime for free.

Watch on Archive.org

Download from Nyaa

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