Animating Dracula (Part Three) - Dracula in Japan

It seems hard to recall a world where Marvel was not absolutely ubiquitous – be it film, TV or even comics (the thing that started it all, let’s not forget). The success of its varied platforms is to be lauded, despite somewhat diminishing returns in 2024 – it was a bold media experiment on a grand scale that paid rich rewards.

But Marvel was not always vastly successful in its efforts – cue the mandatory mention of the much-lamented 1986 Howard the Duck, the first cinematic offering from the company for 40+ years. There is also a lesser-known 1980s curio, the Japanese TV movie Dracula: Sovereign of the Damned.

Of course, Dracula is not a Marvel creation, but the iconic vampire has been adapted in this world as he has in so many other places. Dracula: Sovereign of the Damned was produced by Toei Animation, the team behind numerous popular and acclaimed series such as Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball and One Piece. The company has been prolific since the early 1960s, and is still very active today.

Dracula: Sovereign of the Damned was an adaptation of the Marvel series The Tomb of Dracula, which ran throughout the 70s and (coincidentally enough) lasted 70 issues before coming to a close in 1979. Despite some rocky beginnings – with the early issues being plotted, sometimes at cross purposes, by different writers – the series was a hit with horror audiences.

The anime itself runs at a mere 94 minutes, so as you can imagine certain liberties had to be taken with the plotline of the extensive comics run. It does keep some of its key elements – Dracula’s love story, the birth of a son in Janus, his being hunted by one of his human ancestors, Drake, and an appearance from no less than Satan himself. It’s quite the cast of characters, and as you can imagine the whole thing feels a bit busy. In hindsight, I think that a series might have been the better option here…

Dracula: Sovereign of the Damned was not often seen in the US, and enjoyed only a limited run in its dubbed form in 1983. However, as a unique take on Dracula, the TV movie has gained something of a cult following over the years, and enjoyed a remastered release as recently as 2022 – so this old Dracula still has some life in it yet. It seems something of a shame that Marvel has not really had much to do with this one, but I would guess in the current climate they have plenty to be getting on with.

Though some of the animation perhaps looks a bit dated by modern standards, to my mind it looks decent for its era, and if you want to see a Japanese take on a distinctly American version of a Transylvanian character as written by an Irish author, then this one should just about be international enough for you.

Our series looking at animated versions of Dracula will be coming to a close next week, so watch this space…