Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust DVD

Thousands of years in the future, vampires once ruled the night as an aristocracy of immense power and refinement. Their numbers have dwindled, hunted to near extinction, their great castles crumbling. D is a Dunpeal — a dhampir, born of a human mother and a vampire father of incomprehensible power — who hires himself out as a vampire hunter with no equal. When Charlotte Elbourne, daughter of a wealthy family, is abducted by the vampire nobleman Meier Link, her father contracts D to retrieve her: dead or alive. Competing for the bounty is the Markus Brothers — a team of professional monster hunters led by the formidable Leila Marcus, whose hatred of vampires is deeply personal. As D and the Markus Brothers race through haunted landscapes toward Meier Link's destination, the situation begins to complicate. Charlotte may not have been taken against her will. Meier Link, ruthless as any vampire, appears to genuinely love her. And Castle Chaythe — the destination — is guarded by the resurrected spirit of the Bloody Countess Carmilla, whose trap for D may be the most dangerous thing in a journey full of them.

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is a 2000 theatrical film directed and written by Yoshiaki Kawajiri — the director of Wicked City, Ninja Scroll, and A Wind Named Amnesia — produced jointly by Urban Vision and Madhouse, and based on the third Vampire Hunter D novel Demon Deathchase by Hideyuki Kikuchi with character design based on Yoshitaka Amano's original novel illustrations. The film is unique in anime history: it was produced specifically for American theatrical release, and the English voice track was recorded first — making it the primary audio track, with the Japanese dub recorded afterward as a secondary version. It ran in over fifty American theaters from September 2001 before its DVD release on February 12, 2002.

The DVD includes a documentary on the making of the film, production storyboards, and theatrical trailers. A Blu-ray reissue was released in 2015. 

Notable Staff

Director / Screenplay: Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Wicked City, Ninja Scroll, A Wind Named Amnesia, Kite)
Original Novels: Hideyuki Kikuchi (Vampire Hunter D series)
Original Character Designs: Yoshitaka Amano (Final Fantasy concept art, Sandman covers)
Studio: Madhouse / Urban Vision Entertainment
Music: Marco D'Ambrosio

English Cast (primary audio track — recorded before Japanese dub):
- Andrew Philpot as D
- John Rafter Lee as Meier Link
- Pamela Adlon as Leila Marcus (King of the Hill, Better Things)
- Wendee Lee as Charlotte Elbourne (El-Hazard, Tenchi Universe, Gestalt, Kurogane Communication)
- Mike McShane as Left Hand
- Julia Fletcher as Countess Carmilla
- John DiMaggio as Borgoff Marcus (Futurama — voice of Bender)

Japanese Cast (secondary dub — recorded after English):
- Hideyuki Tanaka as D
- Koichi Yamadera as Left Hand (Cowboy Bebop, Evangelion, Elf Princess Rane, Shinesman, Moldiver)

DVD Features

- "Making of Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust" Documentary
- Production Storyboards
- Theatrical Trailers
- Urban Vision Previews

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: バンパイアハンターD ブラッドラスト (Banpaia Hantā Dī: Buraddorasuto)
Runtime: ~103 Minutes
Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri
DVD Release Year: 2002 (U.S. Release, February 12 — Urban Vision Entertainment)
Original Release Date (Japan): 2000 (theatrical); produced for U.S. theatrical release first
Publisher: Urban Vision Entertainment
Rating: 17+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Note: Unique in anime history — English was the primary recorded audio track, with Japanese dubbed afterward. Produced specifically for North American theatrical release. Based on the 3rd Vampire Hunter D novel.
Genre: Horror, Action, Dark Fantasy
Themes: Dhampir Hunter, Vampire Aristocracy, Forbidden Love, Gothic Castle, English-First Production

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.