From the young adult section of your local bookstore to every other show on The CW and the recent release of the latest movie installment of Clarissa’s favorite live-action film franchise the Twilight “Saga” (based on her time spent talking about it), vampires are once again in the public spotlight in a huge way. Sure, geeks and nerds may currently be obsessed with zombies--the Max Brooks variety more than the Dungeons & Dragons style ones—but fiction’s longest enduring anthropomorphized rape metaphors are the current “hot topic” across all media. But for every memorable vampire anime like Hellsing Ultimate or the third volume of Cyber City Oedo 808 (three words: vampires in SPACE), you’ve got tons of forgettable stuff like Trinity Blood, Blood+, Black Blood Brothers…dare I say Ultraviolet: Code 044? To say nothing of truly “amazing” fare like Vampire Wars. What gives, Japan? Is this really so hard for you to get right?
Actually, it might be. Japan is certainly aware of the idea of vampires and Dracula, and has been for several decades. But they don’t really have a tradition for them compared to the West, and that may be why when vampires are utilized in anime or manga, they are generally handled on a largely superficial basis: as monsters with superpowers such that despite the name “vampire” they can be practically ANY kind of monster and have ANY kind of superpower. Even “God of Manga” Osamu Tezuka, best known for creating Astro Boy, created a title called VAMPIRE in the late 1960s. But the creatures in this story were not undying nocturnal ones who drank human blood: they were people who turned into animals when they felt a certain way! In the decades that followed, the Japanese more or less picked up on the notion that a vampire isn’t a vampire unless they drink the blood of people, which is more than can be said for that OTHER “vampire” thing! Still, if you see anime with vampires in it, you’d probably do well to steer clear. A pity Cartoon Network didn’t follow that advice.
The closest Japan has come to the “traditional” depiction of the vampire as we know it in America still had cyborg horses, laser guns, and talking parasitic hands with human faces. I speak of course of Vampire Hunter D from 25 years ago and its now nearly decade-old sequel, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. In the first movie, the primary vampire antagonist Count Magnus Lee looks and behaves somewhat like a cross between Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee… only he’s also telekinetic and can fire beams from his eyes which may or may not blow up your head. I guess the regular vampire powers just weren’t enough. Bloodlust’s Meier Link is a handsome blue-skinned vampire (so THAT’s where Gankutsuou got the idea!) that can turn his cape into a razor sharp weapon or shield.
I don’t think that one was in Papa Smurf’s spell book. Despite the additional abilities, both Magnus and Meier are quite hard to kill, employ a variety of other beasts as underlings, are susceptible to light, feed on human blood, and can turn others into vampires just as you’d expect a “vampire” to do. Perhaps this is why I still think these two are among the few vampire anime that aren’t either dreadful or painfully average. But despite being mostly “standard” vampires, the associated thematic issues that are standard issue with the vampire concept in the West are still generally glossed over or ignored entirely.
That’s A-OK in my book, because, personally speaking, I never much cared for the “vampirism as escapism and empowerment” themes that run so prevalent in all those “frilly shirt” vampire tales. I want vampires to exist as scary monsters deserving of being perforated by sharp objects. Come to think of it, rare is the vampire anime in which you will see a vampire killed via a wooden stake through the heart. Even in the Castlevania games, you almost never stake Dracula to kill him. And he almost always turns into a giant freaky abomination as his REAL form, because plain ol’ vampires just aren’t enough I guess.
Still, the “frilly shirt” version of the rape metaphor is the one most preferred by the ladies. Vampire fiction for girls has always tended to have the least threatening vampires around, and shojo anime is no exception. The Vampire Princess Miyu OAVs features a vampire unaffected by sunlight, crosses, or any of the traditional vampire weaknesses. There’s basically no downside whatsoever to being a vampire or being bitten by one, as the REAL bad guys are the evil demons that Miyu must hunt down and banish. The TV series turns this formula into a monster-of-the-week magical girl show; “Sailor Moon, except people die” as I call it.
A more current shojo vampire story, Vampire Knight (the manga for which has been outselling Naruto since the last erm, new moon), also suggests a more symbiotic and understanding relationship between vampires and people. In these titles, vampires aren’t inherently evil: there are good vampires and bad ones. You know what that suggests? That’s right ladies; it suggests the door is wide open for torrid HUMAN / VAMPIRE LOVE. Which inevitably becomes vampire / vampire love, and if you’re a goth girl then that’s the best kind of love there is. I am neither a goth nor a girl, so perhaps that’s why I just can’t get into these types of vampire tales. To go back to Miyu, sure she drinks blood, but everyone whose blood she drinks ends up in a perpetual state of bliss, false though it may be. Hmm, maybe vampires are more of a moé metaphor!
Indeed, there is perhaps one monster far more deadly than that of the vampire in anime: the Dread Spectre of Moé. Japan’s long-standing obsession with girls that have really screwed up teeth gave rise to depicting some “cute” characters in anime as having fangs, so making them vampires was the next logical step. And since vampires retain eternal youth, that enables moé fans to state “but she only LOOKS like she’s in elementary/middle school; in fact, she’s thousands of years old!” to their arresting officer. Rosario+Vampire, Moon Phase, and Karin aka Chibi Vampire are but a few such titles like this, whereby the vampire exists mostly as a quirky relationship gimmick a la the shojo stories. Of course, THESE are never “typical” vampires either. Not only is Karin unaffected by sunlight and unable to turn into a bat or anything, she doesn’t even need to drink blood for crying out loud!
It’s not like I don’t support the idea of having fresh takes on classic monsters. It’s not as though vampires are real (sorry, LARPers) and there’s a rulebook that states “THIS is how vampires MUST be, so it is declared!” But when virtually every single take on the vampire in Japan is so different from each other as well as what Westerners generally think a vampire is, I get to thinking that maybe part of why so much vampire entertainment—not just anime—is the pits is because of this perceived need to make “new and unique” versions of them every single time, often by throwing out nearly every defining vampire characteristic while still claiming they’re vampires. Interestingly, the character archetype that’s most consistently portrayed across most of these anime titles is that of the ones who hunt the vampires. These characters may themselves be vampires or partially vampires, but for almost every vampire anime title there is, the “hunter” archetype is where the interest and focus lies more than the “vampire” itself.
What we need now is for Yoshiaki Kawajiri and Madhouse Studios to make a Vampire Hunter D Part Three movie and remind everyone of what vampires are REALLY about: dudes on robot horses with talking left hands catching arrows fired by a Rob Liefeld 5-man team on their quest to stop the shuttle launch and cleave some werewolf with an extra mouth growing out of its stomach. Until that day comes, if you see vampires as part of the premise of a new anime series, you may want to hit the [Abel Night]road, Jack, and don’t come back.
Black Blood Brothers is © 2006 Kouhei Azano • Yuuya Kusaka / Fujimishobo / BBB Partners
Vampire Hunter D is © 1985 EPIC/SONY, Inc. / MOVIC, Inc. / CBS/SONY Group, Inc.
Trinity Blood is © 2005 Trinity Blood Partners
>> Hyenahh (Wednesday, July 14, 2010)
it's sad that twilight series did came out. twilight is just boring way to dislike vampires. Yes since i was little girl, i've always wanted to be a vampire.
but then twilight come out and i started to see nightmares about sparkling vampires. damn you cullens.
but then my friend came to me and said that i should watch Hellsing. And now i have found my true love again. Vampires <3 Vampire anime <3
>> BLANK (Monday, April 12, 2010)
I don't agree with the author on their view of Trinity Blood but, vampires should not turn into any animal and be labeled vampire. Trinity blood mixes the immortality and flight of angels and vampires and succeeds. Dance in the Vampire Bund comes pretty close to being bogus on their inner-being being animals but the symbolism throughout the manga is what makes it bearable. Half of the rest I don't know and half I have seen a couple episodes to agree. Wish the article had more depth and research put into it on the cultural history of Japan and vampires.
>> Maipaigurl77 (Sunday, March 28, 2010)
Wow i guess i am weird because i love all the different styles and Vampire Knight was cool. Vampire hunter D and Galaxy express 999 was the tops for me in my youth. I could never admire the same story over the same way. And the talking hand that is just so over the top for its time and it taunted him too very entertaining to me. I must mention Hellsing~ Alucard~ some thought went into that~ and yes twillight is ok. But i like movies like Interview With A Vampire and Queen of the dammed/ When she killed her King Sic storyline. and For Anime Dance in the Vampire Bund anxiously awaiting new episodes. It's good to love what u love and have the class to let others like it too. Interview with the Vampire (1976)
The Vampire Lestat (1985)
The Queen of the Damned (1988)
The Tale of the Body Thief (1992)
Memnoch the Devil (1995)
The Vampire Armand (1998)
Merrick (2000)
Blood and Gold (2001)
Blackwood Farm (2002)
Blood Canticle (2003)
and Pandora so many choices enjoy the night People.
>> Tiesha (Tuesday, March 09, 2010)
I like the different takes on vampires. Its all about what you are looking for at the time. Karin is funny. Vamp D is serious. I don't expect them to stick to what western vampires do. And why d vamps have to have any weaknesses? To make humans feel better and give to hope thats why. I would be more afraid of something that you can't be killed at all than someone who can't touch me at 8:30 in the morning. As long as they don't sparkle....................
>> jagen heie (Friday, March 05, 2010)
dude i have to say you forgot hellsing. i have admittedly hot seen vampire hunter d but i know hellsing is good enough that a frined who completely hates anime and nearly anythign from japan loved it and had to get copies of the entire series
>> Alexander (Wednesday, March 03, 2010)
Maybe it's like Batman. Though Batman has been around for several decades, most of the truly interesting action occurs, not because of him, but because of his enemies. Maybe vampires are simple TOO notorious, and need some new defining factor - a hunter, a face in the hand, the urge to transfuse rather than suck - in order for any interesting new stories to be written about them.
>> Maur (Friday, February 19, 2010)
I think the key difference between those other Vampire shows and the Kawajiri ones is the quality of the content and not even the fidelity to Vampire lore. Hard to say, but maybe it's because Vampire Hunter D doesn't completely suck or bore you with the terribly average or mundane that one can overlook talking hands.
>> Merrill (Friday, February 19, 2010)
Hey Sakura i have to disaggree.
I have been into vampire long before Twilight. Thought yes i like a good vampire book and Twilight is among them, i do not believe Twilight is the best one out there.
If you ever want to read an old vampire book try vampire diaries. Which if you read it, it makes twilight seam like a well written fan-fiction.
Another good book seires is the Thrist. One of the best.
But as for mainstream this fad will fade away in about a year or two, i mean look at the harry potter faze or the POTC. they lasted a while but they faded out as soon as twilight came out. Soon there is going to be a whole Werewolf or Pagan nock-off faze with in the next few months starting and then over taking twilight.
>> Sakura (Friday, January 29, 2010)
Unfortunately I don't see what the fascination with vampires are these days. I mean ever since the (God forsaken) Twilight series came out, vampire has became it's one genre for EVERYTHING.
Though I know giving things a try before judging them by their covers are important so...as long as it's in the world of anime then it possibly still has some hope. :P
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