transcript
show notes
A dhampir bounty hunter, a rival crew of hunters, and a vampire who may not be the villain. Vampire Week continues with one of the best-looking anime films of its era.
Today on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000), directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, who also directed Ninja Scroll. It’s a standalone sequel to the 1985 film, adapted from the third novel in Hideyuki Kikuchi’s series (though with numerous changes and a whole new character).
In the year 12,090 AD, a young woman named Charlotte Elbourne is taken from her home by the vampire noble Baron Meier Link. Her family hires D, the half-human, half-vampire “dhampir” bounty hunter, to bring her back. Her brother hires the Marcus Brothers, a rival family of hunters, for the same job.
Both crews chase Meier’s carriage across a desert, fighting through the mutant mercenaries he’s hired as bodyguards. As they go, D begins to suspect that Charlotte may have gone willingly. The chase ends at the Castle of Chaythe, where the vampire countess Carmilla has her own plans for the couple.
We discuss the gothic sci-fi western design, how this film compares to the book, how Carmilla changes the story, and which vampire is the cutest.
🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing watch-through of Toonami’s anime film catalogue.
📌 Topics covered this episode:
– Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000) recap & review
– Part of Toonami Absolution’s Vampire Week
****
Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you.
From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball.
****
See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.