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claudiap's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
2.0
ekimrey's review against another edition
3.0
Not the most elegant translating I've encountered. When it was good it was really good but when it was bad it was horrid. Dialog was clunky and laughable. Would have benefited from a more talented translator.
mishasbooknook's review against another edition
4.0
Vampire Hunter D is the very first light novel I ever picked up. I was unfamiliar with the genre before that day. As a work of translation, I think it's largely fine, though it probably could do with a little bit of polish. The story is still understandable and the characterizations are present. D as a character is deeply interesting and I was very invested in him. The setting is imaginative: thousands of years in the future where humans are almost wiped out, with artificial - and real - vampires and monsters plaguing humanity. D acts as a hunter of these creatures, though there is clearly more to his tale than he wants anyone to know. As a work of science fiction, I think this is right at my "sweet spot" of enjoyment. It's not too jargon-heavy but has clear elements of the genre that can be followed. I love how it intersects with fantasy creatures such as vampires. That works for me very well.
Slightly related, but not - I think my very favorite thing about every Vampire Hunter D book that I have read is the obligatory passage describing D as the most beautiful creature to walk the planet, with everyone regardless of gender or age desiring him carnally upon sight. There's something deeply funny about that, but also it really is an iconic way of describing a character's physical appearance.
Slightly related, but not - I think my very favorite thing about every Vampire Hunter D book that I have read is the obligatory passage describing D as the most beautiful creature to walk the planet, with everyone regardless of gender or age desiring him carnally upon sight. There's something deeply funny about that, but also it really is an iconic way of describing a character's physical appearance.
breakery's review against another edition
3.25
pleasantly mediocre even the second time around <3 the dystopian setting and vampiric lore is always very cool, even if it reads like the pulpiest of scifis.
hurricaneeris's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Cool dystopia, painfully mediocre writing.
iam_griff's review against another edition
4.0
I remember watching this anime back in the early '90s. It was one of the first I'd ever seen & I was captivated at the animation, nudity & adult content as I'd only seen Saturday morning cartoons LOL!! The story here is pretty straight forward. D is a standard vampire hunter that speaks seldom & only when he has something to say plus a strict code of honor. His skills are unapparelled with his sword. This story brought back a lot of memories. Its a little cliché, but still enjoyable.
As usual Graphic Audio does a superb job bring this novel to life.
As usual Graphic Audio does a superb job bring this novel to life.
jbaustian1987's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ithilienlady's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
bogdanbalostin's review against another edition
3.0
This is read like a bad anime. Do you remember the unspoken rules of writing? This book manages to break every single one of them... which is refreshing in itself, but understandable for western audiences is jarring. How many exclamation marks do you want on one page? the correct answer is all of them!
Do you need to explain plot twists instead of setting them up? Of course! It turns out he was not dead, because he had a secret weapon. What was this secret weapon? Why, yes, of course, the device he somehow stole from the other character when we were busy narrating this scene!
If you enjoy this kind of writing with zero character development and plot points coming out from nowhere, then this book will bring you great joy!
And thus, it read like a bad anime. Because anything can happen when you least expect it. But don't ask for any reasonable explanations.
As I said, breaking rules is refreshing because while the quality seems very low, guess what? It can be enjoyable, and it is a fast read when things happen one after another at breakneck speed.
Unfortunately for me, in the end, it was quite shallow. It was a medium-length story that seems to only deserve a maximum of 1 hour of my time. And yet it took me more to finish it all.
Lore and immersion
I'm not ashamed to admit I read pulp fiction. And game and move tie-in books. Even though the quality of writing can be low, the immersion and lore keep me wanting to discover more. While this Vampire Hunter D has potential in the lore, it fails to bring immersion because of the technobabble and magic and science and vampire and mechanical werewolves and vampires who are extremely high tech but still sleep in coffins and somehow are afraid of ancient symbols. At first, it's exciting. It's a world so big that mixes everything you like together. But not in a consistent way. There is no love for world-building here. Almost everyone is indestructible when they need to be and then dead in a second when the plot demands it. Many tech and discoveries seem to be written without consideration to the larger world and how they can affect the whole ecosystem.
I'm conflicted. On the one hand, I'm curious about this world, but on the other hand, I feel cheated when most things only make sense with a huge stretch of imagination.
Do you need to explain plot twists instead of setting them up? Of course! It turns out he was not dead, because he had a secret weapon. What was this secret weapon? Why, yes, of course, the device he somehow stole from the other character when we were busy narrating this scene!
If you enjoy this kind of writing with zero character development and plot points coming out from nowhere, then this book will bring you great joy!
And thus, it read like a bad anime. Because anything can happen when you least expect it. But don't ask for any reasonable explanations.
As I said, breaking rules is refreshing because while the quality seems very low, guess what? It can be enjoyable, and it is a fast read when things happen one after another at breakneck speed.
Unfortunately for me, in the end, it was quite shallow. It was a medium-length story that seems to only deserve a maximum of 1 hour of my time. And yet it took me more to finish it all.
Lore and immersion
I'm not ashamed to admit I read pulp fiction. And game and move tie-in books. Even though the quality of writing can be low, the immersion and lore keep me wanting to discover more. While this Vampire Hunter D has potential in the lore, it fails to bring immersion because of the technobabble and magic and science and vampire and mechanical werewolves and vampires who are extremely high tech but still sleep in coffins and somehow are afraid of ancient symbols. At first, it's exciting. It's a world so big that mixes everything you like together. But not in a consistent way. There is no love for world-building here. Almost everyone is indestructible when they need to be and then dead in a second when the plot demands it. Many tech and discoveries seem to be written without consideration to the larger world and how they can affect the whole ecosystem.
I'm conflicted. On the one hand, I'm curious about this world, but on the other hand, I feel cheated when most things only make sense with a huge stretch of imagination.
acarbonbasedlifeform's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0