It’s like if the garbage disposal miraculously produced a delicious smoothie
YES
Release date: April 21, 2001
Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Language: Japanese
Who should watch this movie: Folks who want to like Akira but don’t. Closet weebs.
When should you watch this movie: When it’s your turn to pick a movie for movie-night and you know your most pretentious film friends are going to be there.
The sell: In the same way that, according to the laws of aerodynamics, bees shouldn’t be able to fly, given everything about this movie, it shouldn’t be so goddamn good. The premise alone is a trip: Half-vampire half-human vampire hunter, Vampire Hunter D, races another team of hunters to retrieve a kidnapped princess, before her vampire kidnapper whisks her off….to space. Jumping between, across, around, and over genres, from western romance to gothic sci-fi, this movie requires a well exercised muscle to suspend disbelief. But that suspension is worth the effort because in addition to being an absolute chaos train, this movie is a gorgeous work of animation. The story is compelling despite itself and, amidst the kitsch and the crazy, it manages to reach a beautiful catharsis.
Should You Watch This Movie? 