Hideyuki Kikuchi

Hideyuki Kikuchi (菊地 秀行 "Kikuchi Hideyuki") (born on September 25, 1949) is a Japanese author famous for his horror novels, specifically Vampire Hunter D, and has been compared to both Stephen King and H. P. Lovecraft.

Hideyuki Kikuchi was born in Chiba, Japan on September 25, 1949. He attended Aoyama Gakuin University. He was trained as a writer by famed author Kazuo Koike. Kikuchi wrote his first novel, "Demon City Shinjuku", in 1982 and has written numerous horror novels in the past 20 years, including 17 novels about Vampire Hunter D. He also wrote "Darkside Blues" and "Wicked City". His novel "Demon City Shinjuku" was also adapted into several short Manga series and released by ADV films during 2003 and 2004. These are known as "Demon City Hunter", "Demon City Shinjuku", and "Demon Palace Babylon", all adaptations of the popular tale, and currently standing at two volumes each.

While his first novels are typical novel prose, as he gained fame he adapted a terse writing style. This suggests that he hoped to see his later work adapted into movies, like many of his works.

Hideyuki Kikuchi and Yoshiaki Kawajiri have become close friends since the movie adaptation of "Wicked City", and because of this Kawajiri was able to secure the rights to make a movie based on Vampire Hunter D. It is based on the third book, "Demon Deathchase", and the film was called "".

Besides "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust" and "Wicked City", Kawajiri also directed Hideyuki Kikuchi's first novel, "Demon City Shinjuku".

Vampire Hunter D novels

Hideyuki Kikuchi is well known for his Vampire Hunter D novels. Here are the following novels:(Titles in parenthesis after -Released in English represent a different English title)
*Vampire Hunter "D" -Released in English
*Raiser of Gales "D" -Released in English
*Demon Deathchase -Released in English
*Tale of the Dead Town -Released in English
*The Stuff of Dreams "D" -Released in English
*Pilgrimage of the Sacred Demon -Released in English ("Pilgrimage of the sacred and the profane")
*Demon Journey to the North Sea (2 Novels) -Both 1 and 2 Released in English ("Mysterious Journey to the North Sea -Part 1-, and -Part 2-")
*Rose Princess -Released in English
*Pale Fallen Angels (4 Novels)
*Twin-Shadowed Knight (2 Novels)
*Dark Road (3 Novels)
*Star Squad of the Evil Overlord (4 Novels)
*Fortress of the Elder God
*Highway of the Enchanted Troops
*Account of the Demon Battle
*Duel Notes
*White Devil Mountain (2 Novels)
*Iriya the Berserker
*Throng of Heretics
*Dark Nocturne (3 Short Stories) -Released in English as Volume 10

Treasure Hunter series novels

This juvenile novel was written by Hideyuki Kikuchi with humor in activity of a certain young treasure hunter.Dai Yagashira of the chief character is an ordinary high school student going to school usually, but, in fact, he is a super high school student born to a family of a treasure hunter of ancestors charges.Kikuchi introduced the element of horror and occult into the adventure novel and had a great influence on Japanese game, comics and anime after 1990s （for example, Spriggan）. By this series and Vampire Hunter D series, both published in 1983, he distinguished himself in Japan. Treasure Hunter Series is often called Alien Series because "alien" is in each title.

The hero belongs to ITHA (International Treasure Hunters Association), moves the important person in the world by the bribe well.He fights against national armies, private military forces of the oppose tomb raiders or guardians at treasure beyond common sense of the human by wearing the mechanical suit, and using the power of a treasure succeeding from ancestors and the hi-tech weapon which he scraped up or had it develop taking advantage of money. The treasure which he doesn't worry whether the means is lawful or illegal to obtain is "Noah's ark" and "Remains of the monster of Cthulhu" and "Relic of the alien".

It is unusual for a work of Hideyuki Kikuchi, the chief character is just "a human being".He does not revive, after being killed. Even if he is shot by a gun or is cut with an edged tool, he is not necessarily unhurt.He is at a loss what to do if caught off guard.And, he became a popular character in vulgarity and a sharp tongue.

#Alien‐Treasure Street エイリアン秘宝街
#* Mystery of crystal piece of two dimensions and strange tentacle that old treasure hunter who had died of the presence of Dai left.
#Alien‐Buff Beast Boundary 1 エイリアン魔獣境1
#* In response to a strange request from an obstinate pianist to "want you to get back a stolen wrist", Dai leaves for the kingdom of the illusion that doesn't come out in the surveillance satellite in the Amazon interior.
#Alien‐Buff Beast Boundary 2 エイリアン魔獣境2
#* Dai finally reaches the kingdom of the phantom while unfolding the fight of the U.S.Army special force and a Brazilian army.
#Alien‐Apocalypse エイリアン黙示録
#* What was recorded in "the Apocalypse of Judah" discovered in the secondhand bookstore in New York? In circumstances, betting the future of the human, Dai is made to fight against Four Knights of the Apocalypse.
#Alien‐Monstrous Cat Tradition エイリアン怪猫伝
#* Dai approaches the truth of "Benifne（red ship）" 300 years ago solving the mystery of the revengeful ghost of the old woman and the taking the shape cat that in the residence of a local old family.
#Alien‐Voyage of World of Satan エイリアン魔界航路
#* The enormously huge ship which appeared in the rampaging vast expanse of ocean was the Noah's ark which had taken residents of world of Satan.
#Alien‐Mysterious Mountain Notes エイリアン妖山記
#* The mountain that had looked very commonly was The Magic Mountain where things in legend attacked to the person who set foot in there.
#Alien‐Wicked Sea Tradition エイリアン邪海伝
#* Monstrous fish of a human face, Cyborg for guards of the bottom of the earth, Mysterious creature in a river which makes momentarily, kills three men, and, Treasure. The hot spring street there is anything.
#Alien‐Volume of a Weird Occurrence in Kyoto エイリアン京洛異妖編
#* Work as the treasure hunter was held concurrently, and Dai participated in the school excursion to Kyoto.
#Alien‐Malevolent Deity Country（The first book）エイリアン魔神国 上巻
#Alien‐Malevolent Deity Country（The second volume） エイリアン魔神国 中巻
#Alien‐Malevolent Deity Country（The third volume） エイリアン魔神国 下巻
#Alien‐Malevolent Deity Country（Conclusion 1） エイリアン魔神国 完結編1
#Alien‐Malevolent Deity Country（Conclusion 2） エイリアン魔神国 完結編2
#Alien‐Malevolent Deity Country（Conclusion 3） エイリアン魔神国 完結編3
#* Dai was rolled in a fight for succession to the throne of Lorrain republic that is island nation on the Atlantic Ocean.
#Alien‐Evil Castle of Blue Blood エイリアン蒼血魔城
#* Dai boarded the village Aoki in the ravine where "Spirited away" event happened frequently for treasure hunt.
#Alien‐Black Death Empire（The first book） エイリアン黒死帝国 上巻
#Alien‐Black Death Empire（The second volume） エイリアン黒死帝国 下巻
#* To escape from the curse of the head of the mummy, Dai should join it to the body that exists in the Belzebo republic as soon as possible.

The artist of the cut-in illustration and the cover illustration is Yoshitaka Amano / 天野喜孝 (only “Black Death Empire” is Masahiro Shibata / 柴田昌弘).The illustrator of bound volumes is changed to Koichiro Yonemura / 米村孝一郎.

Other novels

*"Demon City Shinjuku" 魔界都市＜新宿＞ (issue on September 30, 1982)
*"Invader Summer" インベーダー・サマー (issue on August 30, 1983)
*"A Wind Named Amnesia" 風の名はアムネジア (issue on October 31, 1983)
*"Evil Deity Gourmet" 妖神グルメ (issue on June 30, 1984/ Cthulhu Mythos, comedy and horror)
*"Wicked City" 妖獣都市 (issue on July 31, 1985)

"Evil Deity Gourmet" was republished in February 2000, and the illustrator was changed from Yoshitaka Amano / 天野喜孝."Invader Summer" and "A Wind Named Amnesia" were republished as copies bound together in one volume in August 2005. The illustrator was changed from Yoshitaka Amano / 天野喜孝 to Eiji Kaneda / 金田榮路.

In 2004, he wrote "Meiji Dorakyuu Den", which was published by Kodansha Ltd. and which in early to mid spring 2008 was released in the United States under the title "Dark Wars: The Tale of Meiji Dracula" (ISBN 978-0-345-49881-6 (pbk.)

Other short stories

*D - Armageddon
*Portrait of Ixobel
*D - Village in the Fog
*D - Castle Dweller
*D - Night on the Highway
*A Message from Cecil
*D - Throng of Heretics

Novels to movies

* Vampire Hunter D
*
* A Wind Named Amnesia
* Demon City Shinjuku
* Wicked City

Novelization of movies / anime

* Leda - The Fantastic Adventure Of Yohko (幻夢戦記レダ)

Original of comics

*Darkside Blues

External links

* [http://www.dhpressbooks.com/ DHpress Books]
* [http://www.dmpbooks.com/ Digital Manga Publishing]
* [http://www.asahisonorama.co.jp/ Asahi Sonorama] - Japanese publisher of the Vampire Hunter D series and the Treasure Hunter Series books and audio dramas.
* [http://homepage2.nifty.com/kikuchi-fanclub/ Hideyuki Kikuichi Official Fan Club (Japanese)]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0452837/ Hideyuki Kikuchi at the Internet Movie Database]

ee also

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