S:4 E:41 - Old School Anime Deep Dive: Vampire Hunter D, Pt.1

Welcome back all you nerds, geeks, blurbs, and freaks to another episode of the Geeky Sexual and Intellectual Podcast. And today we are deep diving, a real deep dive, into one of my all-time favorite classic anime films. Girl, I'm talking about Vampire Hunter D from 1985. And just to give you all a heads up, I will not be editing this podcast because, like I said, it's a deep dive. And I think it's going to be an hour plus. So here we go. So, um, that's old school. It's the gothic, you know, sci-fi vampire goodness. If you haven't seen it, don't you worry, I got you. We're about to walk through this story from beginning to end, break down all the juicy details, and have ourselves a good old time doing it. Now, fair warning, honey, there will be spoilers ahead. But trust me, the movie came out before I was born, so it's about time we talk about it. Okay, so now picture this. The year is 2020. 12,090 A.D. Yes, you heard right. Uh, 12,090. Uh, way, way out in the future. But, honey, this is, this is, this ain't no Star Trek future with shiny spaceships. Oh, no. This future is like a wild mix of gothic horror and sci-fi weirdness. We've got crumbling castles, werewolves and vampires roaming around at night, and also high-tech gadgets and even cyborg horses trotting across the land. Um, it's like. It's like someone threw Dracula, a western, and a post-apocalyptic into a blender and hit puree. The result is a gothic sci-fi atmosphere that's as eerie as it is cool. Um, our story kicks off on a dark night out on the frontier, basically the countryside where humans try to live simple lives, farming and surviving despite all the monsters out there. We meet a young lady named Dolores Lang. Now, Dolores is that girl. Strong, independent, out here patrolling her farm with a whip and a laser rifle like a boss. You can tell she's the type who grew up quick. Her dad was a werewolf hunter, but he passed on and now Dolores is taking care of the family ranch and her little brother all by herself. Talk about a tough job for a teenager, right? So, Dolores is out riding her horse, scanning for any trouble. And what do you know? She encounters this creepy, dinosaur-looking mutant creature terrorizing her land. Yes, child. In this future, even dinosaurs can show up. Mutants everywhere. Dolores, being the fearless cowgirl she is, goes after it. She thinks she killed it with her rifle, but that thing had one last jump scare in it. It lunges up at her horse. Poor horsey. So, Dolores pulls out that electric whip. Yes, ma'am. She's got a whip that literally crackles with electricity. She snaps it open. And finally puts it down for good. Dolores is like, ha, not on my property. You can practically see her dusting off her hands. But before she can even catch her breath, Doris senses something worse. The sky opens up, thunder rolling, and then she sees him. A tall, pale figure literally floating in midair above her. Ooh, child. This part always gives me the chills. It's Count Mangus Lee, the vampire lord of the universe. I love these parts. And when I say lord, I mean he's been running things for thousands of years. The movie says he's over 5,000 years old. Some sources even say 10,000. Either way, he's ancient and arrogant. Count Lee is basically vampire royalty. Honey, he thinks humans like Dolores are just cattle trespassing on his land. Doris tries to defend herself, but Count Lee is on a whole nother level. She even fires her gun at him. Pew, pew. And he just flicks the bullets away. Like they're nothing. This is where, if you were Dolores, you'd be thinking, oh, I'm in danger. And you'd be right. Because Count Lee swoops down, moves faster than that girl can react, and bites Dolores on the neck. Yep, he sinks those fangs in. It's a quick, cold bite. Because basically, he marks her as his property. See, Count Lee has decided Dolores is going to be his next bride. Excuse me? Bride? The audacity of this. Old vampire, right? Doris is an orphan. Out here minding her business, and now she's basically engaged to a vampire against her will. Not on her to-do list for the week, I bet. In this world, a vampire's bite is called the kiss of nobility. Nobility meaning the vampire erotoc. Girl, I can't talk. Uh, erotocracy. I had it right the first time, and now I can't say it. Um, and it's not a romantic kiss. No, ma'am. It's more like a curse. Once bitten, a victim. The victim is at risk of slowly turning into a vampire, or at least falling under the vampire's thrall. And if the village folk find out you got bit, oh boy, you basically shunned. Folks get scared that you'll, you know, turn feral or start biting others, so they might lock you up, or worse. So poor Doris has got this massive problem now. She's infected with vampirism. She's got Count Creepy claiming her as his future wife. And on top of that. of that she has to protect her kid brother and the farm now y'all know a girl like doris ain't about to just sit and accept their fate she's a fighter so what does she do she sets out to find help a vampire hunter to take out count lee before the count comes back for her enter our hero the one the only the mysterious d let's pause and talk about d for a hot seat d is the titular vampire hunter d and he's just iconic picture of a tall dark handsome stranger with a wide-brimmed black hat and a flowing black cape riding in on a cybernetic horse he carries a giant long sword on his back and has this uh calm stoic vibe like clint eastwood then wandered into a vampire gothic horror he doesn't say much but you just know he's a badass and child let me tell you when i first saw d on screen i was like well hello there vampire hunter i mean animated or not d is fine tall brooding and deadly checks across the board so one day after that nasty bite incident doris was out in the woods trying to find d passing through near her farm he's just minding his business traveling on horseback toward town when doris steps out with her weapon to meet him she's heard there's a hunter in the area and she's determined to test him now doris doesn't know d yet doesn't know if he's strong or even willing to help so she's cautious actually scratch that she's downright aggressive at first she calls out to him ask if he's a hunter d being a hunter and d being strong and willing to help so she's cautious actually scratch that she's downright aggressive at first she calls out to him ask if he's a hunter d being the strong silent type doesn't even answer he just looks at her like our girl doris not one to be ignored she lashes out with her electric whip to see what he's made of can you imagine this tiny human girl trying to take on this tall dark stranger in black d of course just casually dodges and blocks her attack like it's no biggie he's probably more amused than anything after trading a couple of blows and realizing she can't touch this man doris bags off and is like uh my bad she quickly apologizes for coming at him i mean she had guts i give a that doris explains her situation look i need help a vampire bit me i gotta kill him before i turn into something i'm not as proof she shows d the bite mark on her neck now this whole time d has been mr mysterious but we can tell underneath that stoic exterior he has a good heart the moment he sees her bite he softens just a tiny bit he asked her calmly when she was bitten and listens doris can barely contain herself she's like so you'll help me please say yes d agrees to help her thank goodness right doris is relieved and on the spot to be her protector and resident vampire assassin and just like that d becomes the bodyguard at the lane farm he meets dan doris's little brother who is about 10 years old and cute as a button dan immediately looks up to d like eyes sparkling wow you're a real life vampire hunter you can imagine this kid following d around like a puppy it's adorable d might be all tough and distant but you can tell he has a soft spot for kids he doesn't smile much but he's gentle with dan my heart y'all now around this point the film starts showing us more of its world by day things seem almost normal doris takes d into the local town to get to get supplies and also inform the authorities that she's hired a hunter and let me tell you the town scenes really highlight the class tensions in this story most folks in this town are simple villagers living in fear the nobility the vampires and their monsters they keep their heads down and because doris got bit some of them started treating her like she's already an outcast uh we see this when doris tries to buy provision visions. The shopkeeper straight up refuses to sell to her because he's afraid no one will buy from him if he keeps helping this vampire girl. It's sad because Doris has risked her life to protect these people from monsters, and now they turn in their backs on her. But if that wasn't bad enough, enter Greco Roman. Yeah, his name sound like ass. Ugh, this guy. Greco is the mayor's son and the resident sleazeball. You know the type, swagging around like he owns the place with way too much confidence and none of the morals. He's had his eye on Doris for a while because Doris is gorgeous, of course, and Greco feels entitled to her. So, Greco corners Doris and Dee in town, acting all sweet at first. Oh, Doris, why didn't you tell me you had a trouble with vampires? I could have helped, babe. Yeah, sure you would have. Doris, bless her heart, tries to be polite and get rid of him, but Greco insists she step aside with him for a private chat. Dee stands by, letting Doris handle it because he's respectful like that and also probably sizing Greco up in case he tries something. And wouldn't you know it, the second Doris and Greco are alone in the alley, Greco shows his true colors. He basically says, I know you were bitten by Count Lee. You should have told me. I could have helped hire some vampire hunters to take care of him, and you could find some way to pay me back. Yes, he implies exactly what you think he does. Ew. This fool actually tries to bargain protection in exchange for, like, Dolores becoming his woman or something. Real classy, huh? Well, my girl Doris does not play that. Before Greco can even finish his sleazy proposal, Doris gives him a right hook to the face. Boom! And when he lunges at her, because some men just don't learn, she whips out her trusty whip and gives him a proper smackdown. Yes, Doris! She trips him and sends him tumbling, bruised ego and all. Honestly, it's so satisfying seeing her stand up to that jerk. And of course, Greco can't handle being rejected and humiliated like that, especially not in front of the quiet stranger, Dee. So he stomps out into the street, and like the petty snake he is, he loudly shouts for everyone to hear, Hey, everybody! Doris Lane's been bitten by a vampire! Just airing her secret out to the whole town. Instantly, people start murmuring and giving Doris the side-eye. Now the mayor and the sheriff are forced to deal with this revelation publicly. A quick bit of lore here. In this society of this world, when someone is bitten by a noble vampire, the townsfolk often try to lock the victim up in an asylum or jail to quarantine them. They think this might stop the vampire from coming back or preventing the person from turning, but in practice, it usually spells doom for the victim. In fact, they mention another girl in the past who got bitten, and the town folks can find her. Count Lee went on a rampage. Killed 30-plus villagers in retaliation. And the poor girl ended up taking her own life. So yeah, sticking Doris in a cell is not exactly a solution. It's like painting a big target on the town and breaking her spirit. So in this tense town meeting at the local hall, we've got the mayor, his awful son Greco looking smug, the sheriff, the doctor, Dr. Fayrink, plus Dee and Doris. The mayor is like, We must confine Doris. But Dr. Fayrink, surprisingly, speaks up in her defense. He reminds them of that previous incident and basically says, maybe let's not do the same dumb thing again. Dee also pipes up and coolly states he's going to kill Count Lee, which would cure Doris' condition anyway, so they'd have nothing to fear. The mayor's skeptical, like, can you really kill a vampire lord that even our best folks can't touch? And Doris, in a show of resolve, stands tall, says, If Dee fails, I'll leave town to protect y'all. I promise. Her little brother Dan jumps in too. If she goes, I go. Tell him, Dan. And with that, they convince the authorities to hold off on any asylum blocking, at least for a few days. Dee basically gets a grace period to do his job. Now our team, Doris, Dee, and Dan, triple D, triple D threat, heads back to the farm to prepare because you know Count Lee isn't going to just sit and wait. He marked Doris for a reason and he's going to collect his bride sooner rather than later. Sure enough, that very night, trouble comes knocking. Actually, more like snarling and slithering. Dee, being the ever-vigilant guardian, senses something wicked this way comes. The laying farmhouse is on edge. Outside, Doris has all these garlic wreaths and crucifixes. She's going to kill him. The crucifixes set up. Classic vampire repellents. There's even a high-tech force field around the property, sort of an electric fence Doris invested in to ward off monsters. Our girl is nothing if not prepared. But let's be real. When a ancient vampire lord wants in, those defenses only buy you time. The attack starts with one of Count Lee's minions, a werewolf. Yes, old school vampire lord's role with werewolf lackeys, apparently. This beast comes in and destroys some of the crucifixes outside, clearing the way. And then we see the two main baddies of the night approach, La Armica and Ray Gensai. Now, La Armica, sometimes spelled La Mica or Ramica, is Count Lee's daughter, basically vampire princess of the castle. She's got long green hair, a fancy dress, and an attitude sharper than fangs. Miss Fang is highly prejudiced against humans. She is not happy that Daddy wants to marry some random human girl. Vampire elitism is real, y'all. With her is Ray Gensai, a mutant henchman who serves the Count. Ray's human-like, but has some special abilities we'll see in a second. He's basically a mercenary doing the Count's dirty work with a nasty streak to boot. So picture this. Inside the farmhouse, it's dark. D calmly takes off his cloak and removes the gloves from his left hand. Why? Because surprise! D's left hand has a face on it. Yes, indeed. D has a symbiotic creature living in his hand. It's got a grumpy little face in the palm, and it can talk in a sassy tone. More on his left hand in a bit, but trust me, he is a trip. D also has a gently touches Doris with that weird little hand face and puts her into a magical sleep. Like at nighty-night, you're not going to want to be awake for this. What's coming? This shows D cares. He doesn't want Doris in danger or even seeing the carnage that's about to go down. Outside, La Armica and Ray stride onto the ranch, ready to snatch Doris. D steps out into the moonlight, cape blowing, sword in hand. He tells them straight up, I have no quarrel with you two. I want, I just want your boss. Let me handle Count Lee and leave the girl alone. But of course, they're not about to listen. Ray, cocky as ever, attacks first. He's got this wicked curved blade that he can throw like a boomerang and some freaky space warping powers. He lunges, D blocks, and quickly D gains the upper hand. Pun intended. Our vampire hunter moves like lightning and actually manages to stab Ray right through the stomach in the clash. Or it seems. Now here's the wild part. D did run his sword straight through Ray's body. But in a bizarre twist, it's D who suddenly feels the pain. He looks down and realizes his own blade has somehow impaled himself. What kind of freaky voodoo? D grimaces and says, ah, I've heard of mutants that can warp space around him. Yep, that's Ray's gimmick. He can bend space around him, making attacks deflect back onto the attacker. So when D thought he screwed Ray, he actually stabbed his own darn self because of the space warp. Talk about a mind-bending trick. Ray is laughing, thinking he's got D beat as D drops to one knee. But hold on, Mr. Gensai, this fight ain't over. To Ray and Lyarmica's astonishment, D stands back up, and the wound in his stomach starts healing instantly. That's right, D is no ordinary human. Lyarmica's eyes narrow. She recognizes what this means. D is a dampier, a half-vampire, half-human hybrid. In other words, D has some of the vampire immortality juice in him, which is why he can shrug off a gut wound that would kill a normal man. Dampiers in this world most of the vampire strengths, like healing and super strength, without all the fatal weaknesses. Convenient. Mm-hmm. La Armica, being the vampire supremacist she is, is extra offended now. To her, a dampier is an abomination, a mixed-blood mongrel. She actually tries to take matters into her own hands and attacks Dee in a rage. But honey, Dee is done playing. He parries her strikes with style, basically knocks her back, and gives both her and Ray a death glare. Then he delivers a message, something like, tell Count Lee that if he wants Doris, he'll have to deal with me. The implication? Back off or else. La Armica and Ray decide to retreat, since clearly they underestimated this stranger. They're not happy about it, but they slink off into the night after Dee thoroughly handed them their butts. And you know what Dee does. He calls after them with a final warning to carry to their boss. Love it. Classic Western hero moment right there. Now, a cool detail here. Back at Castle Lee, after his minions return licking their wounds, Count Lee actually gets intrigued. This is interesting because it shows Count Lee as more than a one-note monster. He's arrogant, yes, but he's also curious and canny. His henchmen, who should have been plenty strong to kidnap one farm girl, got beat. By a lone hunter. Count Lee strokes his chin, I imagine, and thinks, who is this Dee fellow? The fact that Dee held his own against La Armica and Ray indicates to the Count that Dee might be something more than human. Remember, Count Lee has been around thousands of years. He's likely seen or heard of Dampiers or legendary hunters. We later see that Lee starts to suspect Dee's true nature. Perhaps even his lineage. There's a reason the movie is called Vampire Hunter Dee, after all. Dee's got some secrets. With the first battle over, Doris wakes up safe, thanks to Dee, and dawn comes. Now Dee decides it's time to go on the offense. He's not one to wait for the next nightly ambush. So, the next day, Dee heads out to Castle Lee to confront the Count in his own lair. This is a bold move because vampires are weaker in daytime, but their lairs are full of traps and minions. Dee, of course, is fearless and also probably wants to catch the Count off guard while the sun's out. Let's talk about Castle Lee for a moment. It's the Quinny Central creepy vampire castle, perched up on a craggy mountain overlooking the land. Picture tall spires, gargoyle statues, thunderclouds swirling above, even on a sunny day. The art style makes it imposing and grand, but also decayed. The castle has high-tech labs hidden in its dungeons and ancient cobweb crypts, like the perfect blend of science fiction and gothic horror. The animators did not skimp on the details. The interior halls are long and shadowy, the windows stained glass with demonic designs, the torches flicker with light. You can almost smell the fire in the air. The castle is a little bit of a mess, but it's well-deserved. The castle is a little bit of a mess, but it's a little bit of a mess. The castle is a little bit of a mess, but it's the mildew and blood. It's atmospheric as hell, like something straight out of a nightmare and a dream at the same time. Dee marches right through those gates like he owns the place. And, of course, the Count's castle has a welcoming committee of monsters. We get a series of crazy action sequences as Dee fights his way through. First up, a mutant guard named Gimlet dive bombs him. This thing looks like a freaking monster. And then, of course, the Count's castle has a gargoyle with blades on its arms and legs. It tries to slash Dee from the air, but Dee counters and takes it out. Then, a giant golem-like creature, appropriately named Golem, lumbers into his path, hurling giant exploding boulders. Yes, exploding rocks, because why not? Dee agilely dodges and slices through, showing off some fancy sword work. The fights are drawn with the old school anime flair, lots of speed lines, dramatic poses, and the sounds of Dee's sword swooshing. It's both a little bit cheesy and totally awesome. One of my favorite shots is Dee's silhouette leaping in the air with his sword raised, Cape trailing behind as the monster explodes in the air. The castle itself starts to mess with him. We see ghostly illusions flinting in the corners. At one point, a phantom wolf-like spirit beast lunges out of a wall to attack Dee, nearly clawing him. He slashes at thin air, and this cackling old witch appears, controlling that spirit. This castle is basically a haunted funhouse of horrors. Dee deals with the wolf spirit and busts through all the walls to confront the old witch, and guess who? Ray Gensight again, just waiting to ambush. These two were lying in wait. Ray smirks and springs a trapdoor under Dee's feet. Our poor hero plummets down into an abyss, landing in the castle's dark, dank catacombs far below. And here's where Dee's left hand gets a moment to shine. As Dee picks himself up in the catacombs, his symbiotic hand face literally starts talking smack to him. The left hand has this gruff, sarcastic voice. Kinda sounds like an old dude who's seen it all. He goes, basically, nice job, Dee. Fell right into the trap, huh? Some great vampire hunter you are. Can you imagine your own hand roasting you for messing up? If my left hand started giving me attitude, I'd be like, excuse you? But Dee just kinda rolls his eyes internally, and keeps moving. It's a brief comedic moment that adds charm, showing Dee isn't completely alone. He's got his weird buddy riding shotgun in his palm, for better or worse. The catacombs of the castle are creepy as sin. Dark tunnels, skeletons, water dripping echoes, and Dee finds himself in yet another trap. He encounters the infamous snake women of Midwich. Oh yes, this movie gives you everything. Ghosts. And now snake women. These three mysterious sisters who appear as eerie, beautiful women with almost hypnotic presence. Their hair is long and black, flowing like ink in the water, and their lower halves slither like snakes. They have a sort of siren song vibe going on, attempting to mesmerize Dee. The animation here gets all psychedelic and dreamlike. The screen glows in a strange color, as Dee starts to succumb to their trance. It's near-hypnotic, like you're in a weird gothic music video. This is where the cinematography shines. The way the snake women's hair flares out, the camera angles swirl as if Dee is dizzy. The extreme close-ups on their pale faces as they whisper promises of eternal sleep. The atmosphere is thick with danger and dark seduction. The snake women manage to see Dee. They coil around him, their voices echoing as they start draining his life force. It's looking bad. Our mighty hero is caught up, off guard, and weakening fast. But don't count Dee out yet. In a sudden burst of will, Dee's eyes snap open, and then we see something primal. Dee has fangs too. He usually keeps his vampire side on lock, but desperate times, y'all. Dee bites one of those snake back. Talking about biting the hands that bite you. He literally sinks his fangs into them to reabsorb his energy. They shriek, totally not expecting the tables to turn like that. With renewed strength, Dee breaks free and cuts the snake women down. Bye-bye, snake ladies. So much for your trap. Meanwhile, while Dee is having his subterranean adventure, things are heating up back at Doris's farm. See, after Dee left for the castle, he's back at Doris's farm. He's back at Doris's farm. Count Lee's cronies were like, aight, plan B, grab the girl in broad daylight. Race against I and some of those mutants, the giant golem, the flying gimlet, and even a creepy little hunchback named Chula, with the spiders living in his back, yeah, gross, all attack the ranch in daytime. They catch Doris, her brother Dan, and Dr. Faring by surprise. The doc had come by the farm, presumably to check on Doris. This is a tense standoff. Ray and his goons corner Doris and the others. Dan, the little brother, tries to protect his sister, but he's just a kid with a pop gun. Dr. Faring, well, something's off about him, which we soon find out. Ray is ruthless. He considers killing Dan and the doctor right then to tie up loose ends. Doris, in a truly badass move, grabs a knife and threatens to bite off her tongue. If they hurt Dan or the doctor. Why? Because if she does that, she'll bleed to death. and deprive the Count of his prize, her as his bride. The girl was ready to die to protect her brother and denied Lee's satisfaction. That's some courage and a bit of craziness, but hey, Ray actually bags down from that. He needs her alive for the Count, so he orders his minions to let Dan and Dr. Farron be for now. Now, here's where Dr. Farron shows his true colors. As soon as Doris thinks the danger has passed, the doctor grabs Doris to restrain her. Turns out, this sneaky man has been in league with the vampires all along. Cue the gasp! He was actually turned into a vampire at some point, working as an inside agent for Count Lee. So, Dr. Farron's like, all right, I'm going to take you to the Count now. He tries to drag Doris away, but guess who steps out of the shadows? La Armica. Yep, the vampire daughter shows up at the ranch and she is not here to be playing nice. All right, y'all. Well, that was part one of the deep dive of Vampire Hunter D. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you leave some comments on what your favorite parts were if you had ever seen it. If this opened up your interest to watch it and then come back and let me know what you think. I will see you in the next video. Bye! We'll be recording part two of this episode soon to drop. So again, I want to thank you all for spending time with me and indulge me while I ramble and yap about one of my favorite gateway animes that I watched when I was in high school back in the 90s. All right, if anything, stay geeky, stay sexual, and stay intellectual, and I will see y'all next time.