I have to admit, I couldn't care less about vampires. These days they have been shamelessly overexposed, their legends rehashed over and over again in different settings, different time periods and in all different manners of storytelling. People never seem to tire of vampires for some reason; to write a popular movie or book these days all you have to do is add them into the mix.
The only thing that Vampire Hunter D. did for me, essentially, was strengthen my hatred of vampires. It's animation is unspectacular, pretty standard for its time. It's story is bearable at best, incredibly confusing at times and in many instances pointless. Don't even get me started on the awful, dated English dub(though I doubt watching the film with subs would have made it any better). However, I digress. I want to talk about Vampire Hunter D. by comparing it to better anime films.
To me Vampire Hunter D., seems somewhat like a failed mixture of Ninja Scroll and the early- and super classy, if I do say so myself- Hayao Miazaki film Lupin the Third: Castle of Cagliostro... but with vampires being the driving point of the plot. As I watched, I couldn't help noticing the similarities between these movies, even though those similarities may seem superficial.
In comparing the film with Ninja Scroll, the presence of supernatural powers and mutants are mutual in both movies. It is a favorite element of anime to have the hero fight a lineup of monsters or deformed bad guys. In Ninja Scroll, however, there was method to the madness- each of the "mutants" serves a certain purpose for testing the main character and he actually learned some from fighting them(when he battles the blind ninja, for example). The villains in the vampire movie were simply there to be one dimensional monsters for the hero to slice through. Vampire Hunter D. boasted one strong-ish female supporting character, the count's daughter- while the main girl fulfilled the need for the whiny damsel in distress; Ninja Scroll had several powerful women characters and even made one a very important element of the film.
Between Vampire Hunter D. and Castle of Cagliostro, it is obvious to see the tried and true plot formula of "evil count captures an innocent girl and the outlaw-type hero figure must save her" in both. The difference is that in Castle of Cagliostro, we see that trite plotline done in a unique and entertaining way, mostly using a loveable cast of well fleshed-out characters, gorgeous animation and great moments of unexpected twists, suspense and action.
Lupin is not the same kind of "silent outcast" character that D. is, but is in fact a mistrusted, often misunderstood character who falls in love with a damsel in distress who he must save from a powerful count as well. D. is very withdrawn and brooding, while Lupin, on the other hand, is spirited, flirtatious and something of a trickster(well, he has to be. He's a thief). Still, they both set out to accomplish their goals with great bravery and skill, and without selfish gain in the end. D. is in a constant struggle with what he is and those around him, making him that iconic misunderstood anti-hero that we're supposed to root for. I found him unlikable, even for all of his heroics, and feel like I've seen a million anime characters just like him, but maybe they actually had a personality somewhere along the line. It must be said that Lupin truly is the more complex character; he changes immensely throughout the film from selfish thief to knight in shining armor. If D. changes any throughout his film he certainly doesn't show it outwardly; he is hardly relateable and just plain uninteresting to watch, even if he is half vampire.
The love interests in both films are borderline bland and needy, but at least Clarisse from Cagliostro tries to save herself on occasion and has an interesting back story, something the lead girl from Vampire Hunter D. genuinely lacks, along with subtlety. I can't even remember the girl from Vampire Hunter D.'s name, whether it was just because she was an unmemorable character or because I honestly wanted to forget who she even was. The way she kept throwing herself at D. was completely tasteless; Clarisse, on the other hand, always acted like a lady and acted to save Lupin when he was vulnerable. Cagliostro also has one strong supporting female character, just as Vampire Hunter D. does, but at least Fujiko both likable and kickass, in contrast to the the vampire count's useless daughter.And what of the villains? The counts in both movies are powerful and conniving, yet, while the one in Vampire Hunter D. only kidnaps the girl out of boredom(because being a vampire should be boring. Will someone explain to me what's interesting about them again?); the count from Cagliostro does so in order to unite their families' houses and unlock a secret treasure to appease his own greed- it is easy to see that he is by far the better written villain.
It may be unfair to judge these two movies side by side, given that they were about very different thing, but the similarities in plot simply would not stop scratching at my mind; during Vampire Hunter D. I think I was just wishing that I could be watching Castle of Cagliostro instead.
Overall, I assume that the Vampire Hunter D. manga is of better quality based on its stunning art alone. I've flipped through a few of them on the shelves of the Books-a-Million back home and always thought the illustrations were incredible by manga standards. This movie simply fails to impress, at least in my opinion. There may be vampire lovers out there who think otherwise.
Watch this movie instead; it's a classic and angsty vampire-free.
I agree with what you said about how vampires are completely overexposed today. I feel like it's almost starting to take over with the amount of movies/tv shows/books that are being made all centered around vampires and anything similar to it. You literally cannot go down a bookstore isle anymore without seeing a book about the romance between a vampire and a teenage girl, and how they cant be together. Yes, the first few times it is interesting, but you can only take so much of it for a while. Vampire Hunter D, to me, was just another example of that stereotype. It followed basically the same plot that most of these other Vampire Movies and such made today do, and I think the only reason it is lacking is because it is using this "overused" idea, and that is probably the one reason I did not like it very much. I still, and seem to never will understand why movies and books like this are continuing being made. Before the vampire craze that has recently become huge in the last few years or so, I used to love Vampires, but now..not so much. I say, we protest. =]
ReplyDeleteI felt the need to post a comment of some sort since you compared Vampire Hunter D to Castle of Cagliostro. You see, I am a huge fan of Lupin the Third and found Castle of Cagliostro to be a pretty good movie, unlike Vampire Hunter D. It is very interesting that you drew so many comparisons, none of which ever crossed my mind. The stories, at least their base, are remarkably similar. Doris, the female from Vampire Hunter D, was way too bland so of course she was forgettable. It seems like a couple people forgot her name. I have to disagree about D though. He may not have had much of a personality, but his silence and fighting prowess made him kind of cool in my opinion.
ReplyDelete