Scott McLean was just a kid when he first encountered the series for which he would end up producing both a much-buzzed-about TV anime show and American-style comic books.
Enraptured by the late-night anime films aired by one local channel, the young McLean would sneak out of his room in the dark, undetected by his sleeping parents, to watch tales of heroes and of monsters – and one a story of both, about a half-human, half-vampire out to save the world: “Vampire Hunter D.”
The half-Japanese, half-Caucasian McLean, whose exposure to anime began at a young age thanks to family on his Japanese mother’s side, has loved the character since. “D is a character who truly is someone who as a child inherited the sins of his father, and through him you see that nobody is completely awful, and nobody is completely good,” McLean told Kore. “D epitomizes that. He lives life in an effort to protect humanity, but he faces hatred from vampires and from humans because of who he is. Yet he chooses to do what he thinks is the right thing.”
The series, which began in the 1980s as a collection of novels by Hideyuki Kikuchi, commands an avid fan base in both Japan and overseas. Set in a far-off, post-nuclear war future in which science and black magic have created supernatural beings, a macabre, high-fantasy adventure unfolds around the graceful and powerful – but lonely – D as he prevails, time and time again, against evil.
The story has been adapted into two feature-length films, manga, audio dramas and video games – last year, with Kikuchi on board the project, the California-based Unified Pictures announced it would create a CGI anime series for the franchise, and put McLean in charge of production.
(Stranger Comics, Unified Pictures, Digital Frontier)
While putting together material in preparation for the show, McLean found himself poking around fan-created Wiki pages online – before long, he’d stumbled upon an unpublished, not-yet translated story titled “Message From Cecile,” set in Mars and only given out to fans as a special gift years ago. With no easy way to integrate the story into the TV series, which is set on Earth like the rest of the books, McLean looked toward putting together a comic book retitled “Message From Mars” instead, with the help of Stranger Comics and Japanese studio Digital Frontier (responsible for the live-action film “Death Note”), as well as Marvel’s “Agent Carter” writer Brandon Easton, Christopher Shy and Michael Broussard.
“Before we could move forward, we needed approval from Japan. Kikuchi-san liked the art [for the comic book],” McLean said. “We got his blessing.”
What has unfolded over the past two months is a testament to the enduring popularity of a 30-year-old story of good vs. evil: A Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a multi-part comic has raised more than $79,000 from more than 1,100 backers, nearly $55,000 above its goal.
“The fan base spans the demographic,” McLean said. “All races, genders, orientations. I love that about this story, that it resonates with so many people, that it tells a story through themes of ethics, life, choosing well.”
The anime series, on which Unified Pictures and Digital Frontier are working together, also has input from “Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust” film director Yoshiaki Kawajiri.
“What we’re focusing on is adding to the ‘Vampire Hunter D’ universe, and bringing it to life in a new way, not trying to twist anything that’s been done,” McLean said. He is wary of alienating existing fans, those who, like him, have grown up with a deep-set appreciation for the series. “We understand people are anxious,” he said. “I’m really nervous about screwing up, too. Going forward, we want to create a fun, engaging, meaningful TV show as we bring ‘Vampire Hunter D’ from novel to screen.”
And he’s optimistic – McLean has run into comic book store owners and fans both, who have expressed the “near and dear” place the series hold in their hearts. “This is a new opportunity to do just that, and to introduce D to a whole new set of fans,” he said. “I’m thrilled to be able to do this, to have found people who love it as much as I do.”
