Vampire Hunter D (The Novel)

I think this should be in Animespot....

But to the topic, I've been dutifully buying every volume as it comes out. I devoured the first one, really enjoyed the second, and couldn't really stand the third; somehow, the anime movie was better. I haven't read the fourth that just came out, but I'll get around to it eventually. After all, I was waiting for 4 years for these novels to be released in English. It's about time!

The translator is actually the guy who did the novel summaries on the net I read years ago, after I saw the first VHD movie. The translation is kind of funny in places, but it might be due to the way that Japanese novels are written; the odd 'talking to the audience' perspective throws me off, when it suddenly pops up during the narrative. I've noticed this in some other Japanese novels, so I guess it's just a writing style that isn't employed in English as often (like 2nd person perspective, also rarely used in English). And constantly saying "Countenanced Carbuncle" is so...annoying. In a way.

But D is infinitely sexier in the novels than the series. He talks a lot more, for one thing .

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Well, yes. I know they came after the books -- they have been published since 1983 into the present-day. Still, I think that the fact that they are more well-known and popularized by the anime movies, and more than likely the people reading VHD novels are manga/anime fans merits that it be in Animespot (after all, the novels are always stocked in the manga section of every bookstore I go in, and published under Dark Horse's manga imprint).

But that's for the mods to decide, so I'll shut up about it :shh:.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I really think it's the translation that makes it seem akward, aside from the obvious differences in Japanese and English writing styles. Since both things persist through the other books, I can't say that it really improves. You really just have to change the way you read, and visualize it more as a movie script or something; Kikuchi said himself that his writing is influenced most by old horror films and such.

I think they're better than the movies, since the books give more dimension and backstory to D. I can't wait until later in the series, when

Spoiler:

D has some sort of quasi-shounen-ai encounter with one of his vampire quarry. XD :fangirlism:

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.