Customer Reviews

Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D Manga, Vol. 3 (Vampire Hunter D Graphic Novel) (v. 3)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hideyuki Kikuchi's third book takes manga form through the skilled hands of artist Saiko Takaki. She takes the reader to the thirteenth millenia, where every human lives in fear of vampires. It is a land of sorcery, science and universal use of black eyeliner.

Not to give too much away to those new to VHD, this manga's story is about a human girl that falls in love with a Noble (a.k.a. vampire) anyway, D gets hired to kill Mr. Pointy Teeth and the story goes from there. Throw is some rival hunters... including someone to fill the 'hot-yet-troubled-chick' archetype that is present in all of Kikuchi's work. Be sure to see a number of mutant villains to spice everything up.

The borderline porno sexuality is greatly reduced in this volume. Also the stern character of D is accuratley portrayed. However, as is to be expected from the medium used to portray the story, no inner conflict is perceptable behind the icy exterior of D.

All in all i give it five stars because amazon will not allow 4.5. it misses a perfect 5 because all of the faces look very similar, including in relation to the past two volumes, to each other.

This manga adaptation is based off of the third book of the novels. There is also a movie adaptation called Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. The movie is a much looser adaptation of this manga. There are numerous plot changes and character personality shifts.

D has been hired by a wealthy ailing man to find his daughter whose been kidnapped by vampire, MeierLink. We soon learn that the two are actually in love and want to escape together to a planet leaving the planet.

D isn't the only one on their tail. The father's also hired the mercenary Marcus brothers (with 3 brothers and a sister) for the same mission. It's a race to the finish for who will rescue her first.

Normally, I prefer the books or manga to a movie or anime, but for this series it was the opposite. The movie was visually stunning a the time with great action. I also much preferred the family dynamic of the Marcus brothers compared to the book as well. In the movie, they at least come off as somewhat likable. However, unlike the book, I felt MeierLink and Charlotte's relationship got much more attention and was able to shine through in the illustrations a bit more. There is one color still of them on the front of the manga that's completely gorgeous. The color is amazing. Leila's character comes off better in the manga than in the book as well, though she is still a bit softer than in the movie. Like the book, her feelings for D are a bit more pronounced. Even still, Leila from the movie is still my preference. Seeing the horror she lives through with her brothers illustrated is somewhat more disturbing than reading about it, so she does come off as more sympathetic.

If you've seen Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, I would recommend reading the manga. It's very interesting to see what the movie changed. I think I prefer the mangas over the books; however, the books are being produced at a much faster rate, so if you can't wait to see what next adventure of D's journey, get the books and then get the manga later. It is interesting to see how close your imagination is to the artist.

Its a great book for people who've read the novels. It follows quite well though some seens might be missing it still sticks nicely with it predisesor. The art work is wonderfully drawn and enchanting. I'm absolutly proud for this purchus and can not wait for the next volumes to come out.

Or you may not. This third tale, based on the third book of the novel series, is also the one the second movie was based on. And frankly the material is a tad better I think than the first two books. So the manga is a tad better. Of course, when you adapt something from something else it isn't going to be 100% the same, but the feel of the novel is still here in the manga. In this tale D is hired to return a girl, or kill her if she is a vampire, a girl who has been kidnapped. Or has she? Dum-dum-dum!

Anyway, other Vampire Hunters are on the case and don't want him to get in the way. Also, the Vampire hires some mutants, with special powers, to protect him. If you are new to D or have just been reading the manga I would suggest also the novels and at least the second movie. One person said there was not as much porn as in the other manga, but I have to point out that the novels are very mature in their nature and also this story has incest in it. Kind of hard NOT to show nudity and sex when you have adult themes and incest!

For 16 and up, of course. Enjoy!