Devil's Eyes

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Wait, hold on, what happened to Jaewan’s promise to Catastrophe on “taking him to the center of the depths”? I mean he just took his sword and dipped. Fought the final boss and everything with it. Got stuck in a 10 billion year time warp   other world with it. Didn’t even bother giving it back or anything after, lmao. The leftover ancient gods were definitely forgotten at the end of the story. No idea if they died of old age too but there was definitely no mention of them ever since the final battle with Myad.

eagerly waiting for next update

Love this series and the beginning of this book hasn’t disappointed!

There is a term for works that inexplicably draw us in despite their glaring flaws: "so bad it's good."  

The writing here is downright comical. This author writes like Dan Brown with a third-grade vocabulary, overusing words like "vermilion" and "phosphorescent" at every turn.  

As for the story itself, it's not entirely atrocious. While incredibly clichéd, that's part of its charm. With its richly built world, nods to classic vampire mythology, and an unwaveringly stoic protagonist, it exudes a cult-like appeal despite its lack of polish. The premise is solid—fantastic even—but what they do with it leaves much to be desired.  

Would I suggest reading these books? Maybe. The prose is agonizing. It's not the simple kind of bad that somehow flows; instead, it's bogged down by excruciating details (vehicles, weapons, machinery described with unnecessary precision), purple prose, tangents galore, and awkward translation issues. For this reason alone, waiting for an adaptation might be wiser (there are two movies so far, and the manga is ongoing). However, if you're curious about the intricacies of D's universe, these books are indispensable.

I imagine most of you are here after watching the movie(s) — which you enjoyed, so now you're checking if the source material is just as entertaining. Vampire Hunter D absolutely thrives in a visual medium. The novels would make for an excellent script for another screen adaptation. However, as standalone literature, the experience leaves much to be desired.

First, let me say that I genuinely appreciate the setting of this franchise. A dystopian post-apocalyptic gothic cyberpunk world that blends classic fantasy elements with sci-fi explanations is fascinating. The overall aesthetic is quite unique, but it's in the visual medium where its strengths truly shine.

The issue with the writing is that most of the content reads like a side story of a side story, and much of the rest feels like a side story of a side story’s side story. While episodic formats aren't inherently bad, the stories here lack both an overarching goal and any sense of consequence. The plot can essentially be summarized as "Protagonist finds and defeats the foe of the weak, either thanks to his previously mentioned overpowered abilities or due to a new overpowered ability conveniently introduced just in time for use." It doesn’t help that the protagonist is a textbook Gary Stu. There are no stakes, as I never once felt during the volumes that the protagonist might not emerge victorious.

It took eleven volumes for me to come across a story concept that actually intrigued me. And I’m not counting the two volumes already adapted into movies that I enjoyed. Even though I liked the movies, the original novel format falls flat. Even the one volume that caught my interest quickly veered off on tangents, with what seemed to be the primary goal moving further and further away.

Too often, my attention drifted because the text was overly long for saying so little. "Purple prose" perfectly describes the writing style of Vampire Hunter D. In a way, it was more interesting reading about the story of Vampire Hunter D than actually reading Vampire Hunter D. Nonetheless, the writing style reminds me more of Western novels than Eastern works, so if you dislike the usual style of light novels, you might still enjoy Vampire Hunter D since it doesn’t feel like a typical light novel series. Without the Japanese name of the author and prior knowledge of the franchise, I doubt I would have guessed this was a light novel series.

That said, there is one strong point of the novels: the illustrations. They are stunning, atmospheric, and unique. They really define the identity of the franchise, perhaps more so than the story itself. I’d love to see a full manga by the illustrator, not just scattered illustrations here and there.

I tried to like this series; I really did. But if I set aside the lenience I had due to enjoying the movies, I can't fairly give it a higher score. I do hope for more adaptations, though. As mentioned, Vampire Hunter D excels in different mediums.

(This review covers up to volume 17, as it seems unlikely the writing will improve much, so I'm not motivated to continue with further volumes at this point.)

Footnote: Regarding the English release, I find it odd that all the volumes include previews for the following ones—not just short teasers, but 10-15 pages. It's practically selling extra duplicate pages that I can't imagine anyone needing. Of course, this didn't affect my rating of the series itself, but I found it somewhat bizarre.

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Before anything else, this is a review of the first novel only, not the entire series. So I can't judge the rest.  
If there was ever a novel that should have been a graphic novel, it's this one. It so desperately wants to be a graphic novel that it seems to abandon its identity as a novel entirely, lingering somewhere in between the two forms. The narrator is overly eager to convince us how extraordinary D is. Instead of allowing D's perfection to unfold naturally, it is shoved down our throats. This is done by describing every action with excessive emphasis on speed, leaving the reader frustrated. Because D moves so quickly, the writer feels compelled to backtrack constantly, replaying events in slow motion to explain what just happened—something too fast for the reader to grasp initially. At the very least, it's incredibly aggravating.  

The story itself has never appealed to me, even in its film adaptations. I find it uninteresting to read about a character who appears willing to trade sex for practically anything. From the start, she comes across as weak, and her character only deteriorates further. Perhaps the third novel might be worth exploring since, as the basis for *Bloodlust*, it sounds more engaging.  

If you're a fan of Yoshitaka Amano, like I am, consider checking out *Coffin: The Art of Vampire Hunter D*. This way, you can enjoy the stunning illustrations without having to endure the books themselves.

I began exploring the Vampire Hunter D novel series after becoming captivated by its world and characters through the movies. If you appreciate either of the film adaptations, chances are you'll also enjoy the novels—unless reading isn't your thing, or you prefer manga or graphic novels over traditional chapter books.

Hideyuki's writing in these novels is truly stunning; he paints each setting with such vividness and elegance that you can effortlessly picture the world he's crafting. Yet, it never becomes overly descriptive to the point of being overwhelming or dull. The world's lore unfolds at a steady pace, offering glimpses of history, politics, and technology as they align with the unfolding events. This approach provides information seamlessly, avoiding the trap of an excessive info dump. Characters are introduced gradually but develop richly as the story progresses. You feel as though you're growing alongside them as they navigate challenges throughout the narrative. Their portrayal makes them feel authentic—human, or decidedly inhuman in the case of the malevolent vampires and other terrifying creatures. Even the villains resonate as genuine, their motives well-reasoned and their behaviors explained through the lore of the creatures.

If you have a passion for vampires, dystopian fantasy, or gothic fiction, this series is sure to captivate you. I highly recommend giving it a read—you won't be let down.  

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