Vampire Hunter D Volume 3 coincides with the film, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.  Vishnu Village has been completely devoured, except for one maiden.  The girl (whose name is never said) has fallen in love with a well behaved Noble, Mayerling.  The couple races to get to the safety of a hideout for vampires in outer space.  D has been hired to take  the girl to safety and so has another group of hunters, the Marcus Clan.  On top of that, Mayerling has hired some bodyguards to keep the hunters away.  Will D be able to separate the girl and Mayerling, honoring her fathers last wishes? Or will D finally meet his match with the Marcus Clan?

The Marcus Clan

Highlights

This is my favorite volume, so far.  There were twists and turns, and more than one developed character.  This time, D isn't the only one who plays a major part, and for once, the endangered female isn't the focal point!  The plot this time is about true devotion, and how the Nobles are not all evil.  The deep emotions that all the main characters express are moving and make the reader want the best for them.  This overall depths added a new aspect to the series as a whole.  I was worried that D would ALWAYS be the Prince Charming, and in volume 3, D is only charming to a secondary character.  I have to admit, super-perfect D was getting annoying, but in this volume he was just D, and Noble Mayerling took on the perfect persona.

Extras

There are the first couple pages of Hideyuki Kikuchi's newest novel, Yashakiden: The Demon Princess.  From those couple pages, you learn that sometime after an elaborate store was made, one of the walls develops a rather vulgar appearance, plaguing the male shoppers/workers with immediate arousal.  Now, detective work is being done on this mysterious wall.  It sounds like it will be rather humorous and sarcastic.  It caught my attention.

Overall

This volume was pleasantly different from the others.  I appreciated the lighthearted romance of Mayerling and his love.  The end of the volume was bit of a low-blow, because I got so involved with the characters.  For once, I was hoping for the cheesy, "Happily ever after" ending, but what actually happened, brought me gently back to reality, which was amazing in itself.  

Overall, there wasn't anything too wrong.  The art was well done, the plot was great, and the setting was perfect.  Still, there was some adult content, thus my, 16+ age limit is staying strong. I'm still, however, happy with the series.

ComicsOnline gives Vampire Hunter D: Volume 3, 4.5 out of 5 Proposals of Marriage.