Ian’s review published on Letterboxd:
70/100
”When I’m through with you, you will beg me to allow you to die.”
It’s simply just shocking at how good this film looks still to this day. There’s not a single moment in this where I thought I was watching a dated anime and I kid you not this looks better than most of the animated films I’ve seen in the past few years. Then, on top of that when you realize how much of this is just rock solid storytelling you really are in for a show. Vampire Hunter D is another film that’s been on my slight radar when it comes to 80s anime and I have to admit that even though I found myself liking this only slight above average, it was really close to being something spectacular.
I think when it comes down to it, the film really just lags in a few spots for me. Granted the final product is only a solid 80 minutes, but certain spots in the buildup to the final moments I felt a bit of a flow misstep and it really derailed my overall feelings for it all. But still despite this I really recommended anyone checking this out. The animation is gorgeous and the designs really come together perfectly to create such a great experience for the audience. Although the action sequences were quite good, I kind of wish there was maybe a bit more horror elements to it all - given it is a vampire story. Anyways, Vampire Hunter D is a solid anime and has one of the coolest swords I’ve seen in a film to date.
