Vampire Hunter D Vol.1 – Hideyuki Kikuchi – Review – Bringing Light To Those Who Fear the Dark

Mankind at last turns upon itself and unleashes weapons of unimaginable horror against themselves, despite knowing what the final outcome will be. The cities fall, towns collapse, and humanity is swept back into a Dark Age amidst ruins of past advanced civilisation. Mutants spawn in the fallout, and THEY appear. Creatures of ancient legend, they roam the darkness. Indescribably beautiful, powerful, ultra intelligent, thirsting for blood, they are vampires. Herding humanity under their care, they husband the last remnants of civilisation and advance the frontiers of science forward once more. For five thousand years they reign over the Earth, until their own base natures seem to envelop them, and their time, too, seems to come to an end. The children of mankind, having lived in the shadow of the Nobility and their own past human civilisation, expand on their own, trying to survive and grow in a world where monsters spew forth in unexpected places, rogue Nobles hunt in the dark, and their own frailties expose them to mortal danger. Amongst the humans though, occasionally one finds a useful mutation. Appearing human, they have an ability that sets them apart and makes them more akin to the demons stalking the world, perfect for becoming hunters. They work for a bounty, stalking the terrors that crawl and creep forth, and Nobles who come to take prey.

Amongst them is one so famed, his exploits precede him even to the furthest corners of the human frontier. His name is D, and his appearance often misleads people when they first lay eyes upon him. He is slender, and exceptionally beautiful in a way that turns the heads of men and women. He is solemn, dressed ready for his work as a  hunter, and riding upon a cyborg horse. He is just, but when people realise just WHAT he also is, they often shun him or try to send him away despite his contract. Vampires and mutants call him traitor. No matter, he is who he is, and he knows a lot more about the Origins than those who despise him can ever lay claim to. His name is D, and he is a dhampir. Half human like his mother, half vampire like his father. His father, an ancient vampire of legend, whose name is revered and worshipped amongst the Nobles: Dracula.

D keeps his lineage under tight wraps, which is just as well, for his enemies often make assumptions about his weaknesses by what they know about dhampirs in general. D however comes from the wellspring of vampire blood, and so possesses the very best of their strengths, and due to his human blood, is not so strongly affected by their weaknesses. With a demon of sorts as a symbiote in his left hand, which he keeps hidden from view, he has unusual tactical advantages. This being has supernatural powers of its own, used to aid D, and indeed is shown to be able to act independently as the need arises. The occasion when this is the case arises all too soon on this occasion. D is out riding along the frontier, currently jobless, when he encounters a woman blocking his path.

She challenges him after asking if he is a hunter, and the two fight. D defeats her and she proclaims herself satisfied, and asks him to come save her town from a Noble, revealing she has been bitten. Once bitten, she knows the Noble will return again and again until she joins the ranks of the undead. Wishing to avoid her fate, and to save all that she holds dear, she offers the only payment she has: a place to stay, food to eat, and if he so wishes, the use of her body. D agrees to the bounty, though shows no interest in the carnal offerings. He soon discovers that the woman Doris has troubles other than just a Noble out to make her his bride, however, as she is trying to run a farm with her brother, Dan, who is still a young boy, and fend off the unwelcome advances of the mayor’s loutish son. The farm is in need of maintenance, and with only Doris and Dan, much needs to be done to keep it going. D takes on the role of handyman, mending fences and whatnot, while keeping watch, observing, defending, and showing an unexpected tenderness towards children. The Noble Count Lee is not alone however; his daughter Larmica is about with her own ideas about what should be, and they have a team of mutant servants at their beck and call. When one of them, Rei Ginsei, manages to cut off D’s left hand and then stake him through the heart, it at first appears everything is over. But D and his hand have a couple of aces up their sleeve, and when they use them, the Nobles realise they have much to fear…

Part science fiction, part fantasy and horror, and part western, Vampire Hunter D is a landmark within the seinen manga genre. Author Hideyuki Kikuchi originally wrote the series as light novels, short prose novels with illustrated pages scattered throughout. The novels number 21 in total and are still ongoing, and two have been adapted into anime feature films. The cult popularity of the books and anime led to Digital Manga Publishing approaching Kikuchi about a collaboration that would turn his prose novels into graphic ones, of which this is the first volume. Kikuchi chose a self published manga artist and Vampire Hunter D fan, Saiko Takaki, to illustrate the manga versions. This works quite well, as Takaki is intimately familiar with the plotlines, characters, settings, the often occult like science, and fairly Lovecraftian mythos interwoven with folklore that make up the backbone of the series. Her illustrations with their dark and occasionally heavy lines married to the delicate sweep of the facial features and the beautifully expressive eyes fits in perfectly with Kikuchi’s prose. It leaves the reader with an experience that tastes the best of both worlds: the enthralling storytelling prowess of Kikuchi and the frame by frame imagery of this world previously only glimpsed at from the anime. This is D as you have you have never seen him before. Bewitching, beguiling, and deadly, a glance at only the very first page being enough to sweep you away.

****I would like to thank Digital Manga Publishing for providing the review copy. This title is available as a paperback from manga retailers, or as digital copies for the I phone and I pad (via the iTunes store), the Kindle book reader (via Amazon.com), or rented online at Emanga.com, as well as a version for the PSP via the Playstation store.****

Kindle edition

prose novel edition