Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D
Encyclopedia
Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D, known simply as in Japan, is a manga
adaptation of the Vampire Hunter D
novel series
by acclaimed horror writer, Hideyuki Kikuchi
.
Announced at Anime Expo
2006, the Vampire Hunter D manga project is currently underway in collaboration between Hideyuki Kikuchi and Digital Manga Publishing
. Kikuchi, who has always had a close relationship with his fans, has personally selected doujinshi artist Saiko Takaki as illustrator for the project.
The first volume was published in 14 November 2007, and was subsequently nominated as the third best new seinen
manga of 2007 in an About.com
reader's poll, and placed fifth in the SPJA
Industry Awards in the "best action manga" category.
The plan is to adapt the entire catalogue of Vampire Hunter D novels into manga form.
The year is 12,090 A.D., and what little is left of humanity has finally crawled out from the ashes of war and destruction. From the darkness of the fallout, mutants and a race of vampires known as the Nobility have spawned. They rule the weak with no remorse. Once bitten by a Nobility, one is cursed to become a member of the undead. Villagers cower in fear, hoping and praying for a savior to rid them of their undying nightmare. All they have to battle this danger is a different kind of danger – a Vampire Hunter.
Enter D – a lone, mysterious Vampire Hunter sought out by the desperate Doris Lang. Bitten by the vampire lord Count Lee, Doris is destined to her eternal fate… Can D deliver her from her curse and bring her to salvation, or will she forever be part of the unholy dead?
Differences from the Novel and film
While the story remains intact, the manga takes some liberties with the narrative and character designs. Larmica returns to being blonde, but Doris is depicted with Red hair in the colored splash page after the cover. Certain events are shuffled around while others are slightly changed to take place at the same time as another. In the original Novel, Greco is killed by Larmica, but in the manga he is fatally wounded by Rei Ginsei (much like in the film). D's fight against Golem, Gimlet and Chullah remains the same as the novel (though Chullah may have survived this time around) while his triumph over Rei is slightly different (in the novel, D exploited Rei Ginsei's powers to finish the mutant, while in the manga he severs Rei's other hand, causing him to be decapitated by his own shrike blade).
The ending appears to take elements from both the novel and film, in which D is seen safe and sound, leaving on horse back (in the novel, he doesn't appear after his conversation with Larmica-the film has Dorris and Dan bidding their bodyguard farewell). It is interesting to note that D left his pendent in the care of Dan, not even returning to retrieve it after he vanquishes Count Lee.
When vampires begin hunting in daylight, the villagers of a small town must rely on D to solve the mystery – but will his efforts uncover an even more terrifying secret from the past?
This all-new manga adapts Raiser of Gales
– the second Vampire Hunter D adventure!
The vampire hunter known only as D has been hired by a wealthy, dying man to find his daughter, who was kidnapped by the powerful vampire Lord Meier Link. Though humans speak well of Meier Link, the price on his head is too high for D to ignore and he sets out to save her before she can be turned into an undead creature of the night. In the nightmare world of 12090 A.D., finding Meier Link before he reaches the spaceport in the Clayborn States and gets off the planet will be hard enough, but D has more than just Meier Link to worry about. The dying man is taking no chances, and has also enlisted the Marcus family, a renegade clan of ruthless mercenaries who don't care who they kill as long as they get paid!
Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D Volume 3 adapts Demon Deathchase, the third Vampire Hunter D light novel.
Differences between the original light novel and film, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
Much like the first manga, volume 3 remains faithful to the novel with little changes within in the story.
The City, a tiny metropolis of a few hundred sheltered citizens floating serenely on a seemingly random course a few feet above the ground, has long been thought safe from the predation of marauding monsters. It seems like a paradise - a paradise shattered when an invasion of an apparent vampire threatens the small haven! While the Vampire Hunter known only as "D" struggles to exterminate the scourge, a former denizen of the city, the attractive Lori Knight, and the brash John M. Brasselli Pluto VIII seize control of the city, lurching it onto a new and deadly course. D's travails are just the beginning...
Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D Volume 4 adapts Tale of the Dead Town, the fourth Vampire Hunter D light novel.
In a world where even the smallest and most remote village is being terrorized by the monsters that stalk the night, there is a hamlet, prosperous and peaceful, where mortals and vampires have lived in peace for years. It is there that sleeping beauty, Sheavil Schmidt, has slept, neither waking nor aging, for thirty years since first receiving the vampire's immortal kiss. The mysterious Vampire Hunter D is lured to the tranquil oasis by recurrent dreams of the beautiful, undying girl bathed in an eerie blue light and dancing in a ghostly chateau.
Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D Volume 5 adapts The Stuff of Dreams, the fifth Vampire Hunter D light novel.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
adaptation of the Vampire Hunter D
Vampire Hunter D
is a series of Japanese novels written by Hideyuki Kikuchi and illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano since 1983.To date, twenty-two novels have been published in the main series, with some novels comprising as many as four volumes...
novel series
Vampire Hunter D (Novels)
This is a listing of all light novels in the Vampire Hunter D series, written by Hideyuki Kikuchi, illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano, and translated by Kevin Leahy.-Japanese editions:...
by acclaimed horror writer, Hideyuki Kikuchi
Hideyuki Kikuchi
is a Japanese author famous for his horror novels. His most famous works including the Vampire Hunter D series, Darkside Blues and Wicked City. He has been compared to both Stephen King and H. P. Lovecraft.-Biography:...
.
Announced at Anime Expo
Anime Expo
Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation . With rare exceptions, the convention is traditionally held on the July 4th weekend and lasts for four days...
2006, the Vampire Hunter D manga project is currently underway in collaboration between Hideyuki Kikuchi and Digital Manga Publishing
Digital Manga Publishing
Digital Manga is a company that licenses and releases, in English, Japanese anime, manga, and related merchandise. The company has several subdivisions: Digital Manga Publishing, which publishes Japanese manga, novels and instructional and illustration books in North America with multiple imprints,...
. Kikuchi, who has always had a close relationship with his fans, has personally selected doujinshi artist Saiko Takaki as illustrator for the project.
The first volume was published in 14 November 2007, and was subsequently nominated as the third best new seinen
Seinen
is a subset of manga that is generally targeted at a 20–30 year old male audience, but the audience can be older with some manga aimed at businessmen well into their 40s. In Japanese, the word Seinen means "young man" or "young men" and is not suggestive of sexual matters...
manga of 2007 in an About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
reader's poll, and placed fifth in the SPJA
Anime Expo
Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation . With rare exceptions, the convention is traditionally held on the July 4th weekend and lasts for four days...
Industry Awards in the "best action manga" category.
The plan is to adapt the entire catalogue of Vampire Hunter D novels into manga form.
Volume 1
- Title: Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D Volume 1
- Original Story: Hideyuki Kikuchi
- Adaptation: Saiko Takaki
- Artist: Saiko Takaki
- Translator: Earl Gertwagen
- Release Date: November 14, 2007
- ISBN 1569708274
- ISBN 9781569708279
The year is 12,090 A.D., and what little is left of humanity has finally crawled out from the ashes of war and destruction. From the darkness of the fallout, mutants and a race of vampires known as the Nobility have spawned. They rule the weak with no remorse. Once bitten by a Nobility, one is cursed to become a member of the undead. Villagers cower in fear, hoping and praying for a savior to rid them of their undying nightmare. All they have to battle this danger is a different kind of danger – a Vampire Hunter.
Enter D – a lone, mysterious Vampire Hunter sought out by the desperate Doris Lang. Bitten by the vampire lord Count Lee, Doris is destined to her eternal fate… Can D deliver her from her curse and bring her to salvation, or will she forever be part of the unholy dead?
Differences from the Novel and film
While the story remains intact, the manga takes some liberties with the narrative and character designs. Larmica returns to being blonde, but Doris is depicted with Red hair in the colored splash page after the cover. Certain events are shuffled around while others are slightly changed to take place at the same time as another. In the original Novel, Greco is killed by Larmica, but in the manga he is fatally wounded by Rei Ginsei (much like in the film). D's fight against Golem, Gimlet and Chullah remains the same as the novel (though Chullah may have survived this time around) while his triumph over Rei is slightly different (in the novel, D exploited Rei Ginsei's powers to finish the mutant, while in the manga he severs Rei's other hand, causing him to be decapitated by his own shrike blade).
The ending appears to take elements from both the novel and film, in which D is seen safe and sound, leaving on horse back (in the novel, he doesn't appear after his conversation with Larmica-the film has Dorris and Dan bidding their bodyguard farewell). It is interesting to note that D left his pendent in the care of Dan, not even returning to retrieve it after he vanquishes Count Lee.
Volume 2
- Title: Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D Volume 2
- Original Story: Hideyuki Kikuchi
- Adaptation: Saiko Takaki
- Artist: Saiko Takaki
- Translator: Duane Johnson
- Release Date: June 25, 2008 (Tentative)
- ISBN 1569707871
- ISBN 9781569707876
When vampires begin hunting in daylight, the villagers of a small town must rely on D to solve the mystery – but will his efforts uncover an even more terrifying secret from the past?
This all-new manga adapts Raiser of Gales
Vampire Hunter D: Raiser of Gales
Vampire Hunter D: Raiser of Gales is a Japanese novel by Hideyuki Kikuchi. It was first published in Japan in 1984, was published in English in 2005.- Book Description :...
– the second Vampire Hunter D adventure!
Volume 3
- Title: Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D Volume 3
- Original Story: Hideyuki Kikuchi
- Adaptation: Saiko Takaki
- Artist: Saiko Takaki
- Translator: Duane Johnson
- Release Date: May 28, 2009
- ISBN 156970788X
- ISBN 9781569707883
The vampire hunter known only as D has been hired by a wealthy, dying man to find his daughter, who was kidnapped by the powerful vampire Lord Meier Link. Though humans speak well of Meier Link, the price on his head is too high for D to ignore and he sets out to save her before she can be turned into an undead creature of the night. In the nightmare world of 12090 A.D., finding Meier Link before he reaches the spaceport in the Clayborn States and gets off the planet will be hard enough, but D has more than just Meier Link to worry about. The dying man is taking no chances, and has also enlisted the Marcus family, a renegade clan of ruthless mercenaries who don't care who they kill as long as they get paid!
Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D Volume 3 adapts Demon Deathchase, the third Vampire Hunter D light novel.
Differences between the original light novel and film, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
Much like the first manga, volume 3 remains faithful to the novel with little changes within in the story.
Volume 4
- Title: Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D Volume 4
- Original story: Hideyuki Kikuchi
- Adaption: Saiko Takaki
- Artist: Saiko Takaki
- Translator: Duane Johnson
- ISBN 1569707898
- ISBN 9781569707890
- Release Date: December 16, 2009
The City, a tiny metropolis of a few hundred sheltered citizens floating serenely on a seemingly random course a few feet above the ground, has long been thought safe from the predation of marauding monsters. It seems like a paradise - a paradise shattered when an invasion of an apparent vampire threatens the small haven! While the Vampire Hunter known only as "D" struggles to exterminate the scourge, a former denizen of the city, the attractive Lori Knight, and the brash John M. Brasselli Pluto VIII seize control of the city, lurching it onto a new and deadly course. D's travails are just the beginning...
Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D Volume 4 adapts Tale of the Dead Town, the fourth Vampire Hunter D light novel.
Volume 5
- Title: Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D Volume 5
- Original story: Hideyuki Kikuchi
- Adaption: Saiko Takaki
- Artist: Saiko Takaki
- Translator: N/A
- ISBN 1569707901
- ISBN 9781569707906
- Release Date: December 28, 2010
In a world where even the smallest and most remote village is being terrorized by the monsters that stalk the night, there is a hamlet, prosperous and peaceful, where mortals and vampires have lived in peace for years. It is there that sleeping beauty, Sheavil Schmidt, has slept, neither waking nor aging, for thirty years since first receiving the vampire's immortal kiss. The mysterious Vampire Hunter D is lured to the tranquil oasis by recurrent dreams of the beautiful, undying girl bathed in an eerie blue light and dancing in a ghostly chateau.
Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D Volume 5 adapts The Stuff of Dreams, the fifth Vampire Hunter D light novel.