home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
The Unsorted BBS Collection
/
thegreatunsorted.tar
/
thegreatunsorted
/
texts
/
txtfiles_misc
/
vamp21.faq
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1995-03-26
|
10KB
|
264 lines
Vampire Hunter D - Frequently Asked Questions
Version 3
January 1995
This FAQ is neither comprehensive nor complete. It is an
ongoing project by Michael Evans (cajun@imap1.asu.edu) to provide
information about the film 'Vampire Hunter D' to anime fans in
general and anime horror fans in particular. All suggestions and
contributions will be welcomed, except for those concerning where
I can shove this FAQ. Periodic updates (with improvements,
hopefully) will be released every month, and will either be
posted to rec.arts.anime or sent directly to those who request
it.
Additions and corrections can be sent to me at: <address>cajun@imap1.asu.edu</address>
CHANGES AND CLARIFICATIONS
Addition of 'Is dhampire a real word or something made up for this movie?'
Table of Contents
---------------
What is "Vampire Hunter D?"
Is there a "Vampire Hunter D" manga?
Can you give me a quick character summary?
Is D a vampire?
Is dhampire a real word or something made up for this movie?
Is D really the son of Count Dracula?
Why did the symbiot eat dirt before trying to revive D?
Wait a minute! Was that Kei?
What is the difference between the Streamline dub and the TBS version?
Is there a soundtrack?
What FTP sites carry Vampire Hunter D material?
* WHAT IS "VAMPIRE HUNTER D?"
Vampire Hunter D is an anime horror film based on the novels
of Hideuki Kikuchi. It is the story of how a very old, very
strong vampire attempts to take a village girl for himself. She
hires a wandering vampire hunter to battle the vampire, who
battles with the minions of the count while seeking out the
implications of his own identity. At the same time, the count's
daughter plots to keep her father from forming a liaison with the
common village girl, and a determined suitor schemes to get the
village girl for himself.
* IS THERE A "VAMPIRE HUNTER D" MANGA?
No. Unlike most anime, Vampire Hunter D is not based on a
manga. The Vampire Hunter D character comes from a series of
novels written by Hideuki Kikuchi. The character designs were
done by Yoshitaka Amano, and were approved by Hideuki Kikuchi.
* CAN YOU GIVE ME A QUICK CHARACTER SUMMARY?
Certainly. Because they were based upon imagination rather
than illustration, the characters are the driving force of
"Vampire Hunter D," and must be understood to "get a feel" for
the movie as a whole.
-D-
D is a wandering vampire hunter who seeks to atone for his
own ancestry by fighting evil wherever he finds it. He seeks no
payment for his actions. He dresses in a long cloak, a hat with
a sweeping brim, and carries an extremely large sword. It is
clear that he possesses the power of telekinesis, as well as a
limited form of prescience. He is the hero of the tale.
-Doris Rumm-
Doris Rumm (Doris Lang in the Streamline dub) is the village
girl of unsurpassed beauty whom the count chooses to take to
himself. She bears the responsibility of taking care of her
property as well as bringing up her brother, Dan, while fending
of Greg's unwanted advances. She quickly falls in love with D.
-Count Magnus Lee-
Count Lee is a very, very old vampire. According to the
village legend (as related by Doris to D), he is at least 5000
years old, nearer to 10,000, but certainly ancient. Later, the
count casually mentions that he has lived for one million years.
In any event, he is extremely powerful. To pass the boredom of
the years, he takes human females as company, much to the chagrin
of his daughter, Ramika. He is the villain of the story.
-Ramika-
Ramika is the daughter of the count and a member of the
House of Lee. She is extremely proud of her nobility, and will
go to any lengths to maintain the status of her noble house. She
is at odds with her father over his relationships with common
women, not knowing that her own mother was, in point of fact, of
common birth.
-Reiginsei-
Reiginsei is a minion of the count who dreams of one day
becoming a member of the noble house of Lee. He excels in
personal combat, and has the mutant ability to warp space around
him. While he is in fact a minor nemesis of D throughout the
film, certain scenes clearly show that he has a more sensitive
side.
-Dan Rumm-
Dan is the younger brother of Doris. He worships D and is
eager to be just like him, even to the point of copying his
mannerisms. Unfortunately, his enthusiasm often leads to
dangerous situations.
-The Symbiot-
The symbiot is the Anti-Jiminy Cricket. It is the symbiotic
organism that resides in D's hand and continually chides and
baits him about his heritage. The symbiot has a voracious
appetite. It provides comic relief in an otherwise serious film.
-Greg-
Greg (Greco in the Streamline dub) is the son of the mayor
and the most prominent (and he believes, most eligible) bachelor
in the village. He wants Doris for himself, and is willing to
commit any treachery to win her favors.
-Dr. Peringo-
Dr. Peringo (Dr. Fering in the Streamline dub) is the
village doctor and friend of Doris who helps to persuade the
mayor to give D a chance to kill the count rather than simply
lock up Doris. Despite his later unfortunate fate, Dr. Peringo
is a good guy. Really.
-The Lamia-
The Lamia are also known as the Three Sisters, or the Snake
Women of Midwich. They reside in the depths of the count's
castle and feed on the life force of their captives. They are
delighted to have D in their clutches until he shows his true
strength.
* IS D A VAMPIRE?
No. D is a dhampire, which is the offspring of a vampire
and a human, or as Ramika put it, "offspring of a human slut and
a vampire's joke!" Thus D is truly neither vampire nor human,
but a creature unto himself. That is, until another character is
discovered to be a dhampire.
* IS DHAMPIRE A REAL WORD OR SOMETHING MADE UP FOR THIS MOVIE?</b>
It is a real word (sometimes spelled dhampir) with roots in
beliefs held by gypsies of the Balkans. A dhampire is the
offspring of a vampire and a human; the mother may even be the
vampire's widow. In some regions it is believed that only a
dhampire can see or destroy a vampire. Descendants of a dhampire
may also have special vampire-hunting and vampire-destroying
abilities.
A good source of information on beliefs about dhampires is
the article "The Vampire" by T. P. Vukanovic in _Vampires of
the Slavs_, ed. Jan Perkowski (Cambridge, Mass.: Slavica, 1976).
This article is based on research done in the 1930s and 1940s
in various Balkan regions.
In the Streamline dub, the word is pronounced "dampeel,"
probably because the person who wrote the English-language
script was not acquainted with the word "dhampire."
* IS D REALLY THE SON OF COUNT DRACULA?
It certainly seems so, especially in the Streamline dub.
When Ramika makes an offhand comment about the strong subduing
the weak, D admonishes her by saying that her noble ancestor
never believed that. The symbiot goads D by beginning to refer
to his ancestry before D shuts him up. Finally, Count Lee
notices the resemblance of D to the portrait of Count Dracula on
the wall, and makes a direct reference to him as the son of the
count. All these items lead to one conclusion: Vampire Hunter
D's daddy was Count Dracula, the noblest of vampires.
* WHY DID THE SYMBIOT EAT DIRT BEFORE TRYING TO REVIVE D?
The symbiot draws energy from the host. In this case, the
host, D, was incapable of providing the energy to the symbiot, so
the symbiot had to consume the earth to create energy so that he
could revive his host.
* WAIT A MINUTE! WAS THAT KEI?
Good eyes! Kei, from the Dirty Pair, and Kenshiro, from
Hokuto no Ken, both make cameo appearances in the scene where
Greg sees the carriage of the count's messenger arrive at the
hotel.
* WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE STREAMLINE DUB
AND THE TBS BROADCAST VERSION?
To make Vampire Hunter D more appealing to the American
audience, Turner Broadcasting System edited certain parts of the
film that they, in their infinite wisdom, believed would be
offensive. This included all forms of nudity, so the three
sisters' hair strategically covered their breasts, the shower
scene never appeared, and Doris' breast stayed where it was when
Dr. Peringo grabbed the cross from her neck. Also removed were
scenes of graphic violence, from the battle with the beast at the
beginning to the death of Reiginsei at the end. The TBS version
is extremely toned down, and is very nearly an insult to the
spirit of horror which the film was meant to convey.<P>
For a more humorous treatment of the differences between the
Streamline release and the version shown on TBS, please refer to
Cathy Krusberg's excellent fanfic, "Who Censored Vampire Hunter
D?"
* IS THERE A SOUNDTRACK?
Indeed there is. The CD is available through many mail-
order distributors. Nikaku Animart (nikaku@netcom.com) and Books
Nippan (nippan@netcom.com) both have it listed in their catalogs,
which are available by email request.
* WHAT FTP SITES CARRY VAMPIRE HUNTER D MATERIAL?
ftp.tcp.com (venice archive)
/pub/anime-manga/sorted/VampireHunterD
GIFs, JPGs, script
ftp.sunet.se (mirror of venice)
/pub/pictures/anime-manga/VampireHunterD
GIFs, JPGs, script
ftp.std.com
/archives/anime-fan-works/Miscellaneous
fan fiction by Cathy Krusberg
vhd.censored.gz
vhd.verse.gz
Reference Material:
Vampire Hunter D dub (Streamline Pictures) based on the novels by Hideuki Kikuchi
original script by Yasushi Hirano character design by Yoshitaka Amano
directed by Toyoo Ashida
Vampire Hunter D English script (located at venice archive) translated by
Marianne Symanowicz edited by Richard Martin
"Who Censored Vampire Hunter D?" fan fiction written by Cathy Krusberg
CAJUN@IMAP1.ASU.EDU