Vampire Hunter D

Vampire Hunter D (吸血鬼ハンターD) is a character developed in 1983 by Japanese author Hideyuki Kikuchi (菊地 秀行), who eventually wrote 17 novels based on him, illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano. Two have been turned into anime movies. The first two novels has been translated into English just recently. Both films are licensed by Urban Vision.

Notes

Reprinted from the notes included in the Vampire Hunter D laser disk.

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Translated by Marianne Symanowicz

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Edited by Richard Martin

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Presented by the Dayton Animation Club

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Note: The Japanese names are given last name first.

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A Message From Hideuki Kikuchi, The Author Of Vampire Hunter D.

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``D originated from the fact that I wanted to write a horror story.

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I based my story on ancient traveler folk tales and on Western horror

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movies.

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``D is also a product of my eccentricity. It started as a idea

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about letting a vampire be a hero instead of a villain. My first

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image of ``D was the gunfighter video of Phil Collins. In this

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video, Phil was wearing American Western gunfighter clothing with

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Japanese Samurai gear; the background had a red sun burning in the sky.

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For some reason, my image shifted to a character like that wearing a

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half-moon sword and a cloak. Also, his face is changed from my image

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of a handsome man to a rough, gunfighter look. When I saw Amano's

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paintings of the character, it was beyond my expectations. (Yoshitaka

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Amano worked on the character and production design for this movie as

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well as for ``Ninja Team Gatchaman and many other animations.)

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D's personality is shifting between two different modes. He is not

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a man or a vampire, yet his personality constantly shifts between man

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and vampire.

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I hope that everyone enjoys this movie.

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