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) • 3+ 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 Matthew S. of Ohio. Congratulations, Matthew!
In other news, I’ve been working on making comics as well as reading ‘em. King of RPGs, my thrill-packed graphic novel collaboration with awesome artist Victor Hao, is coming out from Del Rey Manga on January 19, and in celebration, we’ve started putting an excerpt from the story online on the King of RPGs website. New pages will go up on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for the foreseeable future (at least the next month or so). Please check it out and enjoy our mega-adventure of 20-sided dice, Mountain Dew and savage mayhem…!
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4 Responses to “365 Days of Manga, Day 120: Hideyuki Kikuchi’s Vampire Hunter D”
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I was so disappointed in the VHD manga. I understand the books are nothing amazing but they have such a wonderful setting. I was hoping for new VHD stories so I was very disappointed to find out that the manga was just an adaption. I was also very disappointed in the art also, it’s just such a mess.
I agree! Although the books aren’t high art, I’m a long-time fan who loves them. For better or worse, Amano has created the quintessential D – one who is every bit on paper as the one I see in my head when reading the books – so the best I expected of the manga depiction was “horrible.” After reading them, I’ll concede to them being a little better than that … they’re not the travesty the first movie was, but “not horrible” surely isn’t good enough for me to continue reading them.
FYI, Jason, this review is a repeat. It previously appeared as 365 Days of Manga, Day 43.
I’ve also noticed there have been no reviews of eromanga. Was there a decision that genre wasn’t appropriate for this site? Doesn’t seem quite fair, since explicit yaoi gets reviewed on a regular basis, and eromanga did get its own section in the print guide.
Regardless, thanks for doing this project. It’s awesome to have a continuation of your peerless book.
Dear Chloe — First off, agggh! I’m re-posting a new replacement review for today. Sorry about that. Back for the first month or so of 365 Days of Manga I didn’t have my update schedule planned out as strictly as I do now, and so it looks like I missed the duplication.
Secondly, about the ero-manga… don’t worry, we are still having ero-manga reviews. The first one will appear on the weekend in a few weeks. It took me awhile to decide how to post them, primarily because the covers are usually too explicit to actually show on suvudu. They may have no cover artwork, or I may have to censor the covers with the ol’ black bands or something.
Thanks for catching the mistake!