Yami no teiô kyuketsuki dorakyura

Count Dracula, fed up with being constantly pursued by European vampire hunters, moves to USA. But when he finds a Satan-worshipping cult, he loses his power he finds himself against past undead acquaintances, also vampire hunters Hans Harker and Rachel Van Helsing along with Satan himself.

Tomb of Dracula, aka Dracula and Dracula: Sovereign Of The Damned might be better than anything Marvel has to offer these days. Produced by Toei Animation, the film was part of a deal between Marvel and Toei in the 1970s. Dracula: Sovereign of The Damned, adapted The Tomb of Dracula comic series published from 1972 to 1979, and attempts to cram the plot elements of the comic series into 94 minutes. First broadcast on TV Asahi in 1980, it appeared on cable networks, VHS and Betamax in the early 80s.

A few lapses in logic aside, the plot has plenty to offer, with lots vampire lore, action and abilities on display throughout. It's a little hammy at times, mainly due to the voice dubbing and some narration. Nevertheless, the traditional art & animation and Hammer Horror-like score delivers nostalgic joy, there's classic horror themes, sound stings, also disco music in the night club scenes. Directors Akinori Nagaoka and Minoru Okazaki offer great visuals, violence, ample blood, sexually charged scenes and even some nudity. There's many story elements, sacrifices to Satan, love, fatherhood, even being devampirised and reduced to eating hamburgers. The character design is holds up. Memorably there's a creepy graveyard scene where the dead come to life and a fang-full of notable vampire attacks that capture the feel of the comics.

Overall, great horror fun, especially for an over 40 years old made-for-television release. Highly recommended.

Anime made-for-television movie based on the Marvel comic book series from the '70s, Tomb of Dracula. It wasn't released in America until 1983, under the name Dracula: Sovereign of the Damned. This dubbed version is the one that I saw. The movie begins with some unintentionally funny scenes with a Satanic cult offering up a woman named Delores as the bride to (they believe) Satan. But it's not Satan, it's our old friend Dracula. When he sees Delores, he has to have her so he swoops her up and flies away. Meanwhile, a descendant of Dracula's named Frank Drake is recruited by vampire hunters Hans Harker and Rachel Van Helsing (yes, both are related to the characters with the same surnames from Bram Stoker's novel). The trio sets out to kill Dracula, but Satan might actually beat them to it as he's pretty PO'ed that Dracula stole his sacrifice. So he sends his worshippers after the vampire, who has now had a child with Delores and is living the good life.

A sympathetic depiction of Dracula is a large part of what makes this story interesting. But it's also melodramatic and corny with an overstuffed plot and a very talky script. There is a dog named Elijah who can track Dracula by scent, so points for that. The action sequences and sci-fi sound effects are really out of place for a horror story but I expect no less from anime. There's some blood and violence in this, as well as some other things that might not be suitable for all ages. I doubt most little kids would be able to sit through it, anyway. They'd probably be bored by it. The animation is nice, particularly for the period in which this was made. The point where a dead character is resurrected as a superhero, complete with costume and powers, is a bit too much. It's not a bad movie but it won't appeal to everyone. It's weird, for sure. Sometimes a fun kind of weird but sometimes not.

Such a great classic Dracula animation! Loved the plot!

Before Marvel studios took on Frankenstein we got this Dracula piece that left me pining for Dr Strange (2016) which I thought was the absolute pits.

Alike The Monster Of Frankenstein (1981) this was made by Marvels Japanese animation studio however strangely looks very western.

It tells the story of Dracula, the woman he loves, their children, Satan (Yes Satan) and the group determined to see him dead.

I'm struggling to find the words to explain just how bad this is. It's tacky, full of laughable dialogue, pitiful characters and an awful storyline.

Unlike Frankenstein this is a very PG affair. Sadly it's not exactly family friendly, won't appeal to the kids and I'd imagine most adults will find it juvenile.

The movie was so bad it made my nuts rattle, both of them!

The Good:

Animation is decent enough

The Bad:

Dracula looks ridiculous

A lot of cheese

No idea who the demographic is

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Marvels cinematic road to where they are now was one fraught with embarrassment

A new adaptation of Dracula, you say? And it's Japanese animation?! I'm fricking there!

Dracula: Sovereign of the Damned follows Drac as he falls in love with a woman who is meant to be a new bride for Satan (!) but is stolen by our favourite winged vampire. He even becomes a dad!

As you'll probably have surmised, this takes characters from the original book by Bram Stoker and utilises them in a whole new adventure in the present day. This is actually an animated adaptation of the Marvel Tomb of Dracula comic book series.

Wanna see Dracula courting his new beau by taking her to a restaurant and then window shopping with her afterwards? Of course you do! You even get to see him go to a hamburger joint at one point in the narrative.

There was a point in the proceedings where I thought to myself, 'Anything could happen in this film' as the action goes from one incredible event to another. But one thing I knew was that I loved it from start to finish.

The animation is amazing and perfect for comic book fans and horror aficionados alike.

Look for the subtitled version on YouTube rather than the dubbed. It feels even more dramatic in its native tongue.

A delight.