Vampire Hunter D Volume 21: Record of the Blood Battle

This is one my favourite Vampire Hunter D books so far.Baron Macula is most unusual Noble to date. He comes off as a comic character but he has own brand of brand ruthlessness. He will and does throw other characters under a bus to save himself. D wont be having battles with him , that's not Macula's style instead D fights with those pursuing Macula.In this book we do learn about the other way that humanity views the things left behind by the Nobility. When Macula's capsule is discovered the villagers want to use it as a tourist attraction. When up till now we seen humans go out of their way to destroy the remnants of the Nobility.For me the most fascinating part is the constant presence of the Sacred Ancestor, he may not be there on the page but his presence is constantly felt. He is mentioned throughout the book. The book talks about the experiments that the Sacred Ancestor and Macula carried out. These experiments had one success - D. This novel also for me provides us with the best indication of D's actual age which I would say is around 5000 years old. Macula put a hold on his work 5000 years ago and sealed himself away. And the first book of the prequel series to Vampire Hunter D - Noble V Greylancer is set 3000 years before the first D novel and in the that book they mention the rumour that the sacred ancestor has offspring.I read this in a day and I haven't enjoyed a D so much in a while so I would say this is defiantly one to read. I think in this one we do get under D's skin if only a little, but that for me is what make its so compelling. As well as the idea of thousands of years after his crimes a Noble is being not executed out right but being put on trial for crimes against humanity. I do wonder if this is a sign of humanity evolving and changing somewhat the way they deal with Nobles and the past.

Ventunesimo romanzo della serie. Continua la narrazione delle avventure di D e Kikuchi, senza far minimamente progredire la trama principale (Chi è il padre di D? Perché il protagonista lo cerca? Vuole ucciderlo o solo chiedergli il perché della sua esistenza?) riesce comunque a catturare l’attenzione del lettore (e dopo venti romanzi il risultato è, per me, incredibile).Buone le descrizioni degli ambienti e ottime quelle dei combattimenti (chiari, dinamici e spettacolari).Interessanti i personaggi secondari, in particolare il barone Macula. Quest’Alto Nobile basso grasso e pelato rappresenta una notevole novità rispetto ai vampiri precedentemente incontrati. Questi ultimi nonostante la loro corruzione e crudeltà (spesso indotta dalla noia di un’esistenza senza fine) mantenevano comunque il fascino che l’autore conferisce agli “antagonisti”. Macula, al contrario, oltre all’aspetto “particolare” è debole (per gli standard della sua razza) e, spesso, patetico. In pratica uno “spiacevole” elemento di novità.Splendide, come al solito, le illustrazioni di Amano (anche se in B/N).Insomma Kikuchi riesce a catturare il lettore e a trascinarlo nel suo mondo. Consigliato (a fronte di una conoscenza media della lingua inglese).Piccola nota inutile: in Giappone è da qualche mese uscito il 31° romanzo della serie… Non finirà mai…

I've been a fan of Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D series for a long time now. I have all of the novels that have been translated and prefer them over the anime that have been attempted to be made from his work. Is he completely original. Absolutely not. But his imagination and the way he works things in does a wonderful job creating a story like no other. And he's written a lot of books for this series. There are a few that move a little slower than some of the others, but as you keep reading them, you learn more and more about this world that he's created (a potential post-apocalyptic earth where vampires once controlled but are now falling from power) and you can see how he uses the past, present, and ideas of the future to wind these elaborate tales. Not for the faint of heart, and frankly, he loves his big words and technical jargon, but if you can read past that then your in for one heck of a story. Or is it 21 stories...?

I've read every single volume of D's adventures up too White Devil Mountain part 1 &2, but this novel right before was possibly one of my favorites for its almost goofy humor & interesting philosophical thoughts! Definitely a favorite out of the 20 some novels!

I did not enjoy this volume as much as the other books in the series. I am an avid Vampire D reader and have all the books up to Vol. 21. This volume let me down. Storyline was pitiful.