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Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D #7
Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D Vol. 7
In a fleeting last breath, a beautiful woman on her deathbed hands a strange gemstone to D and asks that he deliver it to her sister in a remote North Sea fishing village. As D cuts across never-ending expanses of Frontier in search of his seaside destination, he is relentlessly attacked by wave after wave of mercenary and monster...all employed by the man who murdered the young girl. In order to grant a dying wish, D must find a way to keep this priceless jewel out of everyone's covetous reach, and all without sacrificing his own life!
235 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 11, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 15, 2020
It is one of the few times you may see D crossing a body of water. It is rumor in vampire lore that vampires, or dhampirs (half vampire/human), cannot cross running water or it weakens them tremendously. The urgency? To locate a powerful noble that is said to reside within a vampire-sort of resort. With guidance given to him by his contractor, they set out to understand the mystery behind the sacred “bead”. That’s right. In this volume, many individuals seeking out the “bead” will succumb death trying to get it. It’s beyond me. There is a growing fondness in this particular selection, a development we haven’t seen in the acclaimed emotionless vampire hunter. There are occasions where he shows concern for certain ally’s (a smile here, a smirk there) and at one point throughout, he carves a whistle for a little boy. He becomes a whale hunter master, and is even asked if he wants to be the mayor of the town. These slight adjustments to the manga series were a refreshing take on the typical hack and slash, gore fest that is this series staple.
Has D met his match finally? One of my favorite characters, a man who reveres himself almost as beautiful as D, challenges the vampire hunter in one on one combat, using a special whistling skill that slows the enemy. The duel ends in a draw, and the D could careless. Now what the hell is he going to with the bead? The story ends with only a hint of what it means, and there is a part two. I will have to read the novel to find out what happens since the manga version volume 8 hasn’t come out in English. Is it the end of the road for the vampire hunter d manga in English? I certainly hope not. Here’s to wishful thinking...
4 out of 5 stars
F. D. Gross
Has D met his match finally? One of my favorite characters, a man who reveres himself almost as beautiful as D, challenges the vampire hunter in one on one combat, using a special whistling skill that slows the enemy. The duel ends in a draw, and the D could careless. Now what the hell is he going to with the bead? The story ends with only a hint of what it means, and there is a part two. I will have to read the novel to find out what happens since the manga version volume 8 hasn’t come out in English. Is it the end of the road for the vampire hunter d manga in English? I certainly hope not. Here’s to wishful thinking...
4 out of 5 stars
F. D. Gross
February 8, 2021
Vampire Hunter D takes place in an alternate version of Earth where Dr. Van Helsing failed to kill Dracula and save Mina Harker; which resulted in Dracula killing the cast of Bram Stoker’s original novel, enslaving humanity and ruling the world with an army of scientifically manufactured demons at his disposal for thousands of years.
The year is now 12,090 A.D. The world has ended, ravaged in a firestorm of man’s wars and madness. But from the wreckage a few humans manage to survive, and a race of forgotten creatures rose up from the ashes. The vampires and their legions of bloodthirsty demons.
Over-the-top violence and flashy action scenes, a blend of every monster in the history of fiction and folklore pulled from every culture imaginable, an insane mashup of dark fantasy, science fiction, dystopian horror, sword & sorcery, spaghetti western, detective mystery and gothic drama. Vampire Hunter D is pulp fiction in its purest form, an orgy of every hammer film production and cheesy 70’s fantasy and horror novel you can think of.
Each book chronicles D traveling to a new location to solve a mystery and take down a tyrant vampire lord terrorizing the locals. It’s very formulaic and that’s not such a bad thing. If you’ve read anything by Robert E. Howard, Michael Moorcock or Arthur Conan Doyle, you’ll have some idea of what to expect. Travel to a new place, hunt some monsters, uncover long forgotten lore, solve mysteries, save pretty girls, big climactic battles between powerful warriors and bloodthirsty beasts. Rinse and repeat. Each monster vanquished brings D closer to facing his arch nemesis, the sacred ancestor who created him and everyone of his kind: Dracula.
Fun fact: Vampire Hunter D inspired the Castlevania series of video games in the same way the manga Berserk inspired the Dark Souls franchise.
***
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The year is now 12,090 A.D. The world has ended, ravaged in a firestorm of man’s wars and madness. But from the wreckage a few humans manage to survive, and a race of forgotten creatures rose up from the ashes. The vampires and their legions of bloodthirsty demons.
Over-the-top violence and flashy action scenes, a blend of every monster in the history of fiction and folklore pulled from every culture imaginable, an insane mashup of dark fantasy, science fiction, dystopian horror, sword & sorcery, spaghetti western, detective mystery and gothic drama. Vampire Hunter D is pulp fiction in its purest form, an orgy of every hammer film production and cheesy 70’s fantasy and horror novel you can think of.
Each book chronicles D traveling to a new location to solve a mystery and take down a tyrant vampire lord terrorizing the locals. It’s very formulaic and that’s not such a bad thing. If you’ve read anything by Robert E. Howard, Michael Moorcock or Arthur Conan Doyle, you’ll have some idea of what to expect. Travel to a new place, hunt some monsters, uncover long forgotten lore, solve mysteries, save pretty girls, big climactic battles between powerful warriors and bloodthirsty beasts. Rinse and repeat. Each monster vanquished brings D closer to facing his arch nemesis, the sacred ancestor who created him and everyone of his kind: Dracula.
Fun fact: Vampire Hunter D inspired the Castlevania series of video games in the same way the manga Berserk inspired the Dark Souls franchise.
***
My Social Media
My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...
My Instagram Account: https://www.instagram.com/michael_sor...
My Wattpad Account: https://www.wattpad.com/user/Michael-...
November 18, 2016
I read volumes 5, 6 and 7 of the manga, and I think this was my favourite despite it being incomplete.
This is the last novel of the manga, and it was never completely finalised, so chapters are stuck together awkwardly and the story is never finished, but somehow that didn't leave me feeling unsatisfied.
There are a variety of strange characters with even stranger powers who would have made good stories all on their own, and an enigmatic and beautifully drawn antagonist. The enormous monoliths left behind by the nobility are like something out of a science fiction story, and this is the first thing I had read that explained more about the former world of the nobility and the world as it is today.
I enjoyed the story, but if one more person said "Oh what a beautiful man" I would have rolled my eyes. I understand that D has an aura of exquisite grace and handsome features, but it would be nice if they found some other ways to communicate that the reader, instead of making the characters sound like robots. There is a tiny amount of character progression for D, at least, in this story - I am hoping I find out a little more when I read the novels.
This is the last novel of the manga, and it was never completely finalised, so chapters are stuck together awkwardly and the story is never finished, but somehow that didn't leave me feeling unsatisfied.
There are a variety of strange characters with even stranger powers who would have made good stories all on their own, and an enigmatic and beautifully drawn antagonist. The enormous monoliths left behind by the nobility are like something out of a science fiction story, and this is the first thing I had read that explained more about the former world of the nobility and the world as it is today.
I enjoyed the story, but if one more person said "Oh what a beautiful man" I would have rolled my eyes. I understand that D has an aura of exquisite grace and handsome features, but it would be nice if they found some other ways to communicate that the reader, instead of making the characters sound like robots. There is a tiny amount of character progression for D, at least, in this story - I am hoping I find out a little more when I read the novels.
November 12, 2025
The Short Version
A fantastic premise ruined by stiff, awkward writing, one dimensional characters, and an almost complete lack of suspense.
The Long Version
I really enjoyed both of the Vampire Hunter D anime movies, but I only recently realized that it was originally a series of novels. I eagerly tracked down the first book and gave it a read, eager to spend more time in the universe. I'm sorry I did.
The first issue is admittedly not the book's fault. I recently watched the first anime Vampire Hunter D which is a very direct adaptation of this book. Because of that, I knew exactly how everything was going to turn out. This was especially noticeable during sections where the author is clearly teasing a mystery, but it's one I already know the answer to.
But it also helped highlight areas where the book faltered. Both movies are overflowing with amazing imagery, and they take the time to let that imagery breathe and build the world and atmosphere. This book gives only the barest descriptions of the world, and instead details the action in a way that reads like a production script for an anime, but is very stilted to read.
I still enjoyed the world the author built, and I will try to read one of the later books to see if things improve at all, but I can't recommend this book to anyone.
A fantastic premise ruined by stiff, awkward writing, one dimensional characters, and an almost complete lack of suspense.
The Long Version
I really enjoyed both of the Vampire Hunter D anime movies, but I only recently realized that it was originally a series of novels. I eagerly tracked down the first book and gave it a read, eager to spend more time in the universe. I'm sorry I did.
The first issue is admittedly not the book's fault. I recently watched the first anime Vampire Hunter D which is a very direct adaptation of this book. Because of that, I knew exactly how everything was going to turn out. This was especially noticeable during sections where the author is clearly teasing a mystery, but it's one I already know the answer to.
But it also helped highlight areas where the book faltered. Both movies are overflowing with amazing imagery, and they take the time to let that imagery breathe and build the world and atmosphere. This book gives only the barest descriptions of the world, and instead details the action in a way that reads like a production script for an anime, but is very stilted to read.
I still enjoyed the world the author built, and I will try to read one of the later books to see if things improve at all, but I can't recommend this book to anyone.
April 19, 2016
Beautifully drawn art with lovely characters who are, surprisingly, quite well characterized despite their limited screen time – given that each book is pretty self-contained with the series having only a few connecting plot threads, the only recurring characters are D and Left Hand. I like how the series fleshes out Noble-human-dhampir relations and how dhampirs have nowhere to belong, really. This one is part of the first two-parter of the series, so it ends on a cliff-hanger and I anxiously await the next volume! The art is stunning, as always, and it flows nicely, even though this one feels more like "set up" for the inevitable climax that will take place in the second part.
September 28, 2013
I can't get over how beautiful Takaki-sensei's linework is in this series. I love the stylization. This particular volume really helped me remember the novel it's based on, even though it's been years since I read it. I enjoyed the story thoroughly (what perfect autumn reading, so close to October and Halloween!) and it's going to be tough to wait for the concluding volume to come out next year!
October 5, 2013
Another great volume in the Vampire Hunter D manga series. The art is consistently amazing and the story is really engaging, though the fact that there's a part 2 and we'll have to wait until 2014 to read it drives me nuts. There were some moments when I wasn't sure what happened, but these were very few and, generally, the volume had excellent pace. Can't wait for vol. 8!
August 10, 2016
The manga version of Hideyuki Kikuchi's famous character by illustrator Saiko Takaki. Very cool!
November 15, 2013
Can't wait for vampire hunter d 8....
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews