Vampire Hunter D Omnibus: Book One

As someone who's interaction with the Vampire Hunter D series is solely based on the movies his dad let him watch at an age when he probably shouldn't have, it's very nice to read the stories and get more backstory into D, the world, and the characters therein. I've only finished the first of 3 stories the book has, but the pacing is very nice. There's always just enough action, just enough evil mologueing, and just enough references and hints to the identity of D to satisfy casual readers such as myself. There is occassional artwork by the absolute LEGEND Yoshitaka Amano, and each piece, though spaced out considerably, add to the intrigue of the story. 10/10 would recomend to everyone you know, including your grandma.

Some people seem to be confused about what this product is, but the product, a novel, is perfectly fine. It is a quality printed illustrated novel. This is not a manga. This is the actual source material for the manga and other adaptations. This series of novels is written by the prolific author Hideyuki Kikuchi. It was first published in 1983, then adapted into an anime film shortly after, then later a video game and much later the manga series, as well as other works.This is the first release of an omnibus collection, Book 1, and contains the first 3 novels collected in a thick single volume, with a few very nice and iconic illustrations by Yoshitaka Amano in each novel. It was translated by Kevin Leahy to English in 2005. It is the first in a epic series of novels, and is a welcomed release as the old novels are hard to come by at this point, and there are a lot of them (currently "31 Vampire Hunter D novels spanning 44 volumes" according to Wikipedia). I think some people felt like they were tricked into buying some random fan fiction being familiar with the later adaptations, but I wanted to point out that this deserves a little respect for what it actually is, and it is a perfectly great printing. I felt the product listing was clear but I'm familiar with the novels already and recognized the cover also which is the same artwork as the original publishing.

Before we get started I want you to look at the art work for all the novels that are out. Then look at the manga covers. A little different right?Whether you picked this up by accident or purpose you will not be disappointed. This omnibus contains the first 3 volumes of the Vampire Hunter D novels.It follows the whole hero arrives at town, figures out problem, fights goons, then beats the boss scenario. Yet every story is unique and captures your attention to the current problem in that volume. Along with showing the effects of the nobility had on the world.I look forward to buying future omnibuses.

Book came in good condition, I read through the first volume and thought it was a super smooth read. One thing to note, I'm going to lie but Doris or whatever her name was, is pretty annoying at times and I found that the way she was written towards the end was unbearable during certain scenes. But anyways, the mysterious of the vampire hunter D is all the most intriguing and I wish to read the remaining volumes. Definitely suggest giving the book(s) a chance.

I find the world building in this series to be very well done, and has some ideas that I think are very unique among the vampire, post-apocalypse genres. First and foremost, this series is based not after the first (nuclear) apocalyptical war, but in the aftermath of a second war against vampires in which humans came out on top. Both the humans and vampires incorporate traditional, and futuristic arsenals into their fighting which makes for interesting action. The main character himself, D, the half human, half vampire hybrid is an interesting figure himself, displaying limited, yet clear emotions throughout the three stories in this volume and is overall a really cool guy. However, I will admit, I went into this series unaware that each story in this massively long series is episodic, with only D and a very few other characters ever appearing in more than one story, which isn't something I like honestly. However, I did find myself captivated by the characters and plot of the first and third stories in this volume, which were both made into anime films as well. I found the second story to be quite inferior to the other two, however the overall quality of the whole omnibus volume is strong in my opinion and worth the buy. However, I will remind you once more, if you find yourself invested in the characters for each of the three stories, don't expect to see them again in the series afterwards, with the exception of the protagonist D.

TL;DR: A MUST HAVE for any Vampire Hunter D fan! Worth every penny!Usually, I don't write reviews but this is just getting ridiculous and annoying. I can understand being disappointed about not understanding what you're ordering or being misled into buying the wrong thing BUT giving a GOOD book collection a 1-star review for something that the author has no control over and is Amazon's fault is a jerk move. This is still a good book collection and fans who are skipping out on this solely because it's not "tHe maGNA" are really doing a disservice to themselves.As a long-time VHD fan, I (and many others), preordered and got what we were expecting... a collection of the first three WRITTEN NOVELS in one book and it is worth every penny. The cover is beautiful and so are the stories. Hopefully, there will be more volumes in the future, and these negative reviews that ONLY complain about how it's not "tHe maGNA" don't ruin any future plans to come out with more.If you're new and want to get into the series, this is the perfect collection to start with. Especially, if you're looking for physical copies of these written novels separately and are unable to get them, this is the next best thing.Also, VHD ORIGINALLY STARTED as a novel series--"as it was intended" (whatever that means)--, NOT A MANGA, BTW!