(1980)
Dir - Akinori Nagaoka/Minoru Okazaki
Overall: GOOD
On paper, the concept of a condensed, ninety-minute film based off of the superb Marvel title of The Tomb of Dracula seems fool proof. Animated by the Toei studio in Japan and eventually released in America under the title of Dracula: Sovereign of the Damned, (the original title being Yami no Teiō: Kyūketsuki Dorakyura, a.k.a. Emperor of Darkness: Vampire Dracula), the movie works for both fans of the comic and horror aficionados due to its technically impressive animation and a good amount of macabre set pieces. This would include Lucifer-summoning black masses, a showdown in a remote Transylvanian graveyard against a horde of undead, and on the funny side, Dracula sitting in a diner in New York eating a hamburger. As far as having a lasting legacy though, it becomes a bit unintentionally goofy in a lot of respects. Cramming such a large amount of comic book issues into a single story, it seems hugely rushed and plot holes are inevitable. The American dubbing is typically atrocious and worse yet, the dialog is as awful as some of the voice casting. It is quite a problem when your title villain comes off more laughable than intimidating and the inclusion of hammy narration at various points ups the schlock value even further. Oh and there is really dated disco music throughout. In spite of all of its flaws though, it is undeniably a unique entry into the Dracula film cannon.
VAMPIRE HUNTER D(1985)
Dir - Toyoo Ashida
Overall: GOOD
The first adaptation of Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D series was the one in OVA form from anime designer/filmmaker Toyoo Ashida. It is one of the works that helped shift anime further from its more family-oriented properties and instead exclusively targeted an adult or young adult audience while shamelessly channeling Gothic, European horror films from the 50s-70s. Vampire Hunter D has become rather renowned and naturally spawned a sequel as well as a video game, magna, and comic book line in addition to the number of Kikuchi's pre-existing light novels. It works in the anime framework where some of the dialog and situations become inadvertently comical due to the cultural interpretation by American voice actors for an American audience and the animation itself seems primitive in parts while being wholly stylized with anatomically incorrect body types and unrealistic gore. These are hardly a hindrance though and the mythology and lore that heavily drenches the plot seems both familiar and exciting in equal measures. It still plays out as a mostly sincere merging of tropes and does a well enough job of setting itself apart from hoards of similar vampire vehicles in other mediums.
(1987)
Dir - Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Overall: GOOD
This full-length sophomore effort from animator Yoshiaki Kawajiri was made after an initial short was produced which impressed the Japan Home Video corporation enough that they then greenlit the full adaptation of Hideyuki Kikuchi's novel of the same name. Full of misogyny, boobs, and plot holes, (as well as demon-woman-spider-monsters who shoot webs out of their vaginas), Wicked City manages to be a pretty enjoyably inventive, erotic neo-noir despite some of its silliness. Presenting mostly blue, co-existing realms where demons and humans go to great lengths in remaining at peace when they are not boning each other, the script may not be the most intellectually gripping, but it gets by on its imaginative visuals and moody tone. The comic relief found in the adorably horny and seemingly irresponsible Giuseppe Mayar character notwithstanding, Kawajiri maintains a serious feel that makes the simple story a forgivable one, even when characters routinely stand still while their enemies very slowly unveil some kind of battle maneuver that will surely doom them. In this case, making a striking and exciting world is the chief objective though and in that capacity, it is a solid success.
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