Search DVJ 2.0

Pull Quote:

While not original, it is fun to watch. However the finial battle is rather anticlimactic.

DVJ Photo

Adverts

TWILIGHT OF THE DARK MASTER

Review by Matthew Anderson

1 Shot OVA

Company: Urban Vision

Running Time: 60 Minutes

Region: 1

Rating:NC-17 (Graphic violence, Sexual contents)

This DVD is preset at Parental Control Level NC-17

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW IS ONE OF AN ADULT NATURE. PARENTAL DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

EXTERNAL EXAM

When the great mother Earth created man, she also created Demons to teach man how to fight their fear. She also created the Guardians. Their mission was to protect mankind from the Demons.

In the distant future, a woman named Shizuka is looking for the Demon that raped and mutilated her. Her investigation leads her to Tsunami, a mysterious man who seems to know everything about Demons. Despite his assurances that he will kill the demon, she continues to look for the monster.

Their separate investigations lead them to Mr. Takamiya, a rich industrialist who seems to be involved with the creation of demons. Now, Tsunami must fight against his minions and save the girl before he enacts his fiendish plan.

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: The while the quality of the source is good, there is some noticeable edge enhancement. You really can see the little flickering lines during scenes with a lot of light. On our Pioneer DV 525, it's all over the place. On our APEX 2001 with our image enhance, no sight of it. So, the quality will depend on your player.

AUDIO: Great sound on the 5.1 English Dub track. The sound, is very rich and full. The dialogue comes from the center, with music and SFX from the sides and the back.

The Japanese track is decent. For the purists, it is the original audio track. The sound is lower in volume than the 5.0, which means you have to turn it up to hear it. A remaster on that soundtrack would have been nice.

EDITS: The only edit that we could find is replacing the Japanese closing credits with a freeze frame of the finial scene with English credits scrolling down the page.

EXTRAS: Some pictures and a time-elapse segment of Director Hisashi Abe drawing the cover.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: Based off of the manga by Saki Okuse, Twilight of the Dark Master comes off as a cross between Guyver and Urotsukidoji, minus the constant rape. Duane Dell'amico and Tatsukhiko Urahata is nothing new or original. Mind you, this does not mean it is horrible, just not one of the most creative.

ACTING: Quite good, on both ends. I have always loved the voice of Denise Poirier from Aeon Flux, and I was glad to hear her in another UV release. Andy Philpot must make a living playing beautiful men like Tsunami and D from Vampire Hunter D.The Japanese language version is just as good, better than most of the newer anime voice work. Despite it's great acting, no one really stands out.

FAN SERVICE: Plenty, but usually not in a good way. Basic rule of thumb is this, if she is naked, she is gonna get eaten.

FINAL EXAM

Twilight of the Dark Master is yet another great looking anime from Madhouse Studio. The character designs are awesome, the animation looks good, and true to form, graphic as all get out. Unfortunately, it comes off as a rather truncated follow up to Demon City Shinjuku.

As far as the actual movie goes, it is visually stunning. The reds and blacks help set the ominous tone. Unlike Wicked City, which uses blues to give the impression of perpetual twilight, this movie is too dark for it's title. It should be "Night of the Dark Master". The character designs are impressive, for the humans at least. The monsters are pretty typical, except for two of them. I swear, they look like the Incredible Hulk.

While there is a not a lot of sex in this film, what there is does nothing but add some titillation and shock. Fortunately, compared to anime like "Wandering Kid", with the non stop rape and murder, it is quite tame. Still, this is not one for children under 17, so we urge parents to exercise control an not allow young children to watch the film.

The writing on this okay. The plot is pretty standard for this kind of anime, and the characters are nothing we have not seen before. I am surprised at the amount of back story there is. We at least understand the motivations of the characters. While not original, it is fun to watch. However the finial battle is rather anticlimactic.

Despite its impressive style, it is a shame that the DVD is not as impressive. The obvious edge enhancement, and the rather poor amount of extras really undercut the "Collector's Edition" title. Urban Vision should really stop calling most of their releases "Collectors" or "Special Editions". Majority of their titles fall short of those lofty names.

Twilight of the Dark Master is not one for everyone. It will mostly appeal to fans of "monster" anime or Madhouse studios. To see better examples of these kinds of anime, check out Urban Vision's releases of "Wicked City" or "Vampire Hunter D". Overall, they are better products.

Return to Top

Back to the DVD Review Page