Vampire Hunter: The Animated Series (1997) (V)

Directors:

Masashi Ikeda
Satoshi Ikeda

Writers:

Trish Ledoux (English screenplay)
Tatsuhiko Urahata (writer)

Genre:

Action | Animation | Fantasy

Plot:

In another world, another time, all the old legends of vampires...of ghosts...of werewolves...and all manner of things that go bump in the night...

Plot Keywords:

Fight | Zombie | Magical Girl | Vampirism | Artificial Intelligence

Cast

Paul Dobson	...	Demitri Maximov the Vampire / Other Voices (voice)
Unshô Ishizuka	...	Donovan (voice)
Kathleen Barr	...	Morrigan Aensland the Succubus (voice)
Akiko Yajima	...	Anita (voice)
Ari Solomon	...	Donovan Baine the Vampire Hunter (voice)
Andrea Libman	...	Anita (voice)
Scott McNeil	...	Lord Raptor the Zombie / Other Voices (voice)
Janyse Jaud	...	Felicia the Catwoman (voice)
Nicole Oliver	...	Hsien-Ko (Lei-lei) (voice)
Jane Perry	...	Mei-Ling (Lin-lin) (voice)
Don Brown	...	Bishamon the Accursed Samurai (voice)
Michael Dobson	...	Hannya (voice)
David Kaye	...	Pyron the Flaming Alien (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Masashi Ebara	...	Bishamon (voice)
Andrew Francis	...	Kid 1 (voice: English version)
Shôzô Îzuka	...	Hannya (voice)
Yûko Miyamura	...	Lei-Lei (voice)
Richard Newman	...	The High Priest / Other Voices (voice)
Yukana Nogami	...	Felicia (voice)
Shinji Ogawa	...	Pyron (voice)
Maya Okamoto	...	Lin-Lin (voice)
Akio Ôtsuka	...	Demitri Maximoff (voice)
Ward Perry	...	Huitzil / Other Voices (voice)
Rei Sakuma	...	Morrigan Aensland (voice)
Alvin Sanders	...	Johnathan Talbian / Gallon (voice) (as Alvin Saunder)
Fumihiko Tachiki	...	Gallon (voice)
Kumiko Takizawa	...	(voice)
French Tickner	...	Other voices (voice)
Cathy Weseluck	...	Other voices (voice)
Alec Willows	...	Other voices (voice)
Kôichi Yamadera	...	Lord Zabel (voice)

Also Known As:

Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge (USA)

Country:

Canada | Japan

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Company:

Viz Video

Quotes:

[Getting orders from Mei-Ling as she is about to attack a bunch of rowdy thugs]
Hsien-Ko: Yeah yeah, don't kill them just hurt them a bit, yeah I got it.

Movie Connections:

References Ranma ½ (1993) (V)

A good series based on a great video game.

As a huge fan of the video games, I was ecstatic when I heard there would be an anime based on them. Finally, something to erase the memory of the beyond horrible American cartoon (Darkstalkers). The story, which centers around a vampire hunter named Donovan, very loosely follows the game's plots. The main characters are Demitri the vampire, Morrigan the succubus, the little girl Anita, Felicia the cat woman, Lei Lei the Chinese ghost, and Gallon the werewolf. The primary antagonist is the alien being Pyron, who has come to earth to destroy all Darkstalkers and rule Earth himself. The thing that separates this series from others like it is the fact that, except for Felicia, Donovan, and Lei Lei, none of the other characters are particularly good. Demitri is as evil as any on-screen vampire, Morrigan cares only for herself, Anita hates everyone, and Gallon is a kind of anti-hero. And yet, Pyron is more dangerous than any of these creatures, planning global conquest and destruction. Normal humans in this series have a bleak outlook, since Pyron will destroy them, and Demitri subjigates them to his will (he's hidden the sun away with thick clouds for over a century). The music is decent, with lots of variety. Where this series really shines is the visuals. The animation of the first two episodes is spectacular, rivaling most theatrical anime. The second two episodes don't look quite as good, but they still look nice. The way that all of the character's moves from the games is nice, too. The fight scene with Morrigan and Demitri has a very Masami Obari (director of Fatal Fury)feel to it, and they do just about all of their trademark moves. The voice acting is excellent, as well. Rei Sakuma gives Morrigan a very lustful, throaty voice, while Yukana Nogami's Felicia is stunningly cute sounding. And Akio Otsuka's deep, powerful voice commands respect, and is perfect for Demitri, and Akiko Yajima delivers her lines with vacant perfection, capturing the emotionless girl Anita flawlessly.

Overall, the first two episodes are better than the last two, but the series as a whole is great, and definitely a step above the typical game-based anime, ranking up there with the Fatal Fury anime and the Street Fighter II movie (Japanese version only). If you like the Darkstalkers games, buy this anime. The DVD has loads of cool extras, so buy that version if you can.