365 Days of Manga, Day 43: Hideyuki Kikuchi’s Vampire Hunter D

HIDEYUKI KIKUCHI’S VAMPIRE HUNTER D (Vampire Hunter D) （バンパイアハンターD) • Saiko Takaki (art), Hideyuki Kikuchi (original story) • DMP (2007-ongoing) • 4+ volumes (ongoing) • 18+ (language, graphic violence, nudity, sexual situations)
Commissioned by DMP from Japanese artist Takaki long after Kikuchi’s original Vampire Hunter D novels were released in Japan, Vampire Hunter D is an awkward, sometimes stylish mess. In the far future, after a nuclear apocalypse, vampires and werewolves are the nobility who lord it over hapless humans in a kind of pseudo-Western sci-fi setting (complete with robot horses). “D,” a tall, dark stranger with deep-set, heavy-lashed eyes, wanders the land using his vampire powers to fight on the side of good. Each volume follows the plot of one of Kikuchi’s books, more or less successfully condensing it into a single graphic novel. However, Takaki’s art is crowded and chaotic. Each page is full of clashing black and white values, excess lines, confusing camera transitions, and overapplied computer effects; the panels are too dense taken one at a time, and added together as a comic/manga, it’s barely readable. Given Takaki’s non-manga background (she worked in graphic design) it’s an unintentional argument for the often generic styles of mainstream manga. The best thing that can be said about it is that, at times, it conveys the equally histrionic nature of Kikuchi’s writing. (Also, the art improves slightly in later volumes, as Takaki’s drawings get simpler.)

Today’s winner is Anthony B. of Minnesota! Congratulations, Anthony!
In other news, I was recently interviewed by Gia and John at the Anime Vice Squadcast. I talk about 365 Days of Manga, my upcoming series King of RPGs, what manga I’m reading now, censorship, and about my recent foray into a second career. Please check it out if you’re interested in manga or anything involving Hit Points!