The Screening Room: Vampire Hunter D (1985)

The topic of discussion in The Screening Room this week is another older anime movie, the 1985 film Vampire Hunter D.  The film was directed by Toyoo Ashida, animated by Ashi Productions, and produced and distributed by CBS Sony Group, Inc.  The anime was based on the series of illustrated novels created by Hideyuki Kikuchi.  The series of novels also inspired manga adaptations, American comics, an audio drama, and a survival-horror video game of the same name released on the Sony PlayStation.  A second anime film, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, was released in 2000.

The plot of the film differs from the original novels, mostly in regards to the behavior of specific characters and their interactions with each other.  The story takes place in the year 12,090 AD in a post-apocalyptic world in which vampires and their mutant slaves terrorize and manipulate ordinary humans by means of both special powers and advanced technologies.  Doris Lang, the daughter of a deceased werewolf hunter, is attacked by Count Magnus Lee, a member of the vampire nobility.  She survives the attack although she has been bitten by the count, and later hires a mysterious caped hunter named D to protect her from further attacks.  Doris is attacked by Count Magnus Lee again, and is kidnapped and brought to the Count’s castle.  D must attempt to rescue her from Count Lee, the Count’s daughter Lamica, the Count’s mutant servant Rei Ginsei, and various other minions. 

Various battles with different kinds of monsters and mutants take place during this rescue attempt, and both clues to the back story of the mysterious D as well as his special powers are revealed.  The powers of specific beings, the technologies used by both protagonist and antagonist, the dress of certain characters, and even the final battle scene itself have been changed from the novel to the film adaptation.  However, the story’s conclusion does remain similar to the canon story.  The runtime of the film is 80 minutes, which is similar in length to Ghost in the Shell but shorter than Akira, Venus Wars, or Lensman: Secret of the Lens.

In North America, a dubbed version of Vampire Hunter D was published by CBS Theatrical Films, with dubbing work done by Streamline Pictures.  Streamline Pictures released the dubbed version of the film on VHS in 1992.  Urban Vision Entertainment acquired the rights to the film in 2000, and released a Special Edition DVD which included the original dub as well as subtitles done by New Generation Pictures.  In addition to the Japanese and North American markets, the film has also been released in multiple European markets in a variety of languages.

Vampire Hunter D (1985)

The Screening Room: Lensman - Secret of the Lens (1984)

In the second installment of The Screening Room, we’ll travel a bit further back in time and look at an anime movie from 1984, SF Shinseiki Lensman, also known in other parts of the world as Lensman: Secret of the Lens.  The film was directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri & Kazuyuki Hirokawa, animated by Madhouse Inc., produced by MK Productions, Ltd., and distributed by Toei Co., Ltd. in Japan.  Both the movie and an anime television series, Galactic Patrol Lensman, were based on the Lensman novels written by E. E. Smith.  Four original Lensman novels were written between 1937 and 1948, and then in 1948 an earlier novel from 1934, Triplanetary, was re-worked to fit with the Lensman series.  In 1950, a sixth novel, First Lensman, was written to bridge the gap between Triplanetary and the four original novels.  Finally, in 1954, the original novels were re-written to remove remaining inconsistencies, and the full Lensman canon was established. 

SF Shinseiki Lensman (1984)

The plot of the movie differs greatly from that of the original novels, although the TV series was closer to the original source material.  In the film, a young human named Kimball Kinnison is living on an agricultural world with his father.  He is preparing to leave the planet to apply to the Galactic Patrol when he encounters a dying Lensman, and the Lensman’s Lens is transferred to Kimball.  This Lens holds special powers, and it contains information that is vital to the Galactic Patrol in its struggles against the Boskone Empire.  Kimball’s father, Ken Kinnison, who had helped form the Galactic Patrol and had himself aspired to becoming a Lensman before losing his arm in an accident during his younger years, understands the importance of the situation and sacrifices himself so that Kimball can bring the Lens to the Galactic Patrol.

The Screening Room: The Venus Wars (1989)

In this installment of The Screening Room, we’ll take a look at an anime movie from 1989, The Venus Wars.  The anime was adapted from a manga series of the same name that was created by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko – more known for his work with titles Combattler and Mobile Suit Gundam – and published by Gakken Co., Ltd. in Nora Comics in serial form.  The manga ran from 1987 to 1990, and was adapted to film in 1989.  The film was directed by Yasuhiko, produced by Bandai Visual and distributed by Shochiku Co., Ltd. in Japan.

The story goes that an ice comet struck Venus in 2003, stripping the atmosphere from the planet and forming acidic oceans.  Humans then begin terraforming the planet in 2007 and colonizing in 2012.  By 2089, the planet has two rival nations, Ishtar and Aphrodia, and war is looming.  A reporter from Earth for the Independent Press, Susan Sommers, travels to Venus to cover the story of the impending conflict.  She arrives in the capital city of Aphrodia, Io, and while she is meeting with her contact and informant an invasion force from Ishtar pushes into Io and rolls over the resistance.

At the same time, a roller-biking match between the Killer Commandos and the Venus Barbarians is interrupted by the invasion.  The members of the Killer Commandos, including the hotshot mono-biker Hiro Sano, evacuate the stadium and head to their garage to wait out the invasion.  Susan Sommers is picked up by one of Hiro’s teammates, Will, and brought to the garage as well.  The rest of the story revolves around Hiro and the members of the Killer Commandos, Susan Sommers attempt to cover the war, and the efforts of the Aphrodian Freedom Force to repel the Ishtar invasion force.

In North America, the film was released on VHS and LaserDisc in 1993 by Central Park Media and their publishing arm U.S. Manga Corps.  It was released on DVD in 1998 and again in 2003 by U.S. Manga Corps.  The rights were purchased by Discotek, and the film was re-released on DVD in 2012 with improved video from an improved source.  

The Venus Wars (1989)