My fascination for Darkstalkers comes from a very strange direction where I first learned about the characters cosplayed before I knew they were based off an anime based off a video game. I wanted to know more about the personalities that made up the Darkstalkers, and that was nowhere to be found in this series except for a handful of choice characters. Only four or five receive any decent amount of screen time and, and many of the threads never converge. As for the character of Felicia (whom I was most interested to know more about), she received about 10 minutes of focus if that. She was introduced in the first episode and acknowledged again in the third to then never again be seen. Most of the story hinged around Donovan the vampire hunter. The animation style was good, and the English dub was decent. I just wasn't happy about the focus.
7 Reviews
They who stalk in the dark!!!!!
godblessit200111 June 2005
Demitri the vampire has fought against the great ruler BELIAL who crushed him in a deadly fight in which he lost! A few hundred years later he would arise before all humans could prevent his coming in which he seeks to reign upon the Aensland clan who is now ruled by Belial's daughter Morrigan. Meanwhile a Damphiro half demon half human seeks to find the trail that will lead him to the murderer of humans! And later is joined by the bewitched child Anita, who seeks a reason why a demon would meddle with human affairs. And the all mighty Pyron who seeks someone to fight with that is capable of giving him the greatest rush of his life!
Join the stalkers as they try to crush and murder each other for their survival in an epic battle of the titans.
Join the stalkers as they try to crush and murder each other for their survival in an epic battle of the titans.
Not a masterpiece, but certainly enjoyable.
harnos-3391428 March 2024
This was quite 90s and metal.😎 I didn't like how the story developed, still, they managed to make characters likeable with only 4 episodes. I don't know the backstory of the production but it seems like it could be better with more episodes. It gave me the sense that it didn't reach it's full potential.
Visual designs of characters were really cool. I have seen "impressive" Morrigan cosplays long before I watched it.😁Even Deep One-like dude (fish man) who appeared for only a scene looked good. Voice actors were quite successful as well. I liked the soundtrack too. Action was so so for me but they combined classic monsters with video game moves nicely.
It is not a masterpiece but I pretty much liked it.
Visual designs of characters were really cool. I have seen "impressive" Morrigan cosplays long before I watched it.😁Even Deep One-like dude (fish man) who appeared for only a scene looked good. Voice actors were quite successful as well. I liked the soundtrack too. Action was so so for me but they combined classic monsters with video game moves nicely.
It is not a masterpiece but I pretty much liked it.
Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge
phubbs14 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
So back in the mid 90's I was a teenager and only three things mattered in my life, football, movies, and videogames. Twas back in 1996 that I was in the ownership of the much-touted Playstation games console and as it happened I was obsessed with 2D fighters (you see where I'm going with this). Yes anything Capcom was considered an absolute must have if possible. After years of being teased with Street Fighter II in the arcades and only eventually getting to taste the real deal at home via the SNES, I was a Capcomoholic.
So along comes this wacky looking new fighter Darkstalkers. It has all the hallmarks of something I should love, a 2D fighter with the same game mechanics as Street Fighter II but with classic Universal monsters (albeit knock-offs). I gave it a try and predictably loved it. Yeah sure it was essentially just a Street Fighter II clone with different characters but I didn't care. Capcom were (and still are) the masters of 2D fighters and this was no exception.
Moving on a few years and this anime was released in four parts or episodes. Once again at the time I vaguely remember seeing this around in the shops but never seeing it. As I have explained before in previous anime reviews, whilst growing up anime wasn't really my thing. It's only now I have come to appreciate this genre (this review is my first viewing of this particular anime). Once again top anime studios Madhouse Inc ('Wicked City', 'Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust') were in charge so I knew I was in for a solid looking adventure.
The Plot: When it comes to videogame adaptations this is always a sticky issue. Obviously the plot behind most of these fighting games is ridiculous as they have to include all the fighters. But for a videogame no one really cares because no one buys the game for the plot. When it comes to an animated movie things start to get tricky. In this world humans coexist alongside various monsters and ghouls known as Darkstalkers (cos it sounds cool).
These Darkstalkers (or at least some of them) are in a constant war with each other to see who is the most powerful. Humans are generally terrified of them and tend to hunt them or try to ignore them. Some of the Darkstalkers claim not to be monsters but are misunderstood and simply want to blend in and live their lives. Naturally some humans are OK with this, some are not. Other Darkstalkers are bad and merely use humans for food or slavery or whatever.
The main basis is the Earth hasn't seen sunlight for hundreds of years and has returned back to the days of the horse and cart (for some reason). This is because Dimitri the Vampire was exiled from the dimension where demons/Darkstalkers live and he has basically ruled the Earth with an iron fist. There are some Darkstalkers who are willing to fight back against Dimitri such as Felicia a catwoman hybrid and Donovan, a dhampir (half human half vampire). But wouldn't you know it, a powerful alien arrives on Earth to wipe everyone out who stands against his power, so the Darkstalkers find themselves working together, kinda.
So let's just get right into it. If you're a fan of this franchise then you might like this for the fighting and that's it, maybe, anyone else I'm not so sure. Unfortunately whilst the fighting sequences are pretty good (in places) that's all that's on offer. The rest of the movie is padded out with lots of aimless dialog and timewasting. The animation is, for the most part, top-notch and moves smoothly across the screen. All the characters look fantastic and are very faithful to the original source material including their individual moves. Watching characters face-off against each other is very satisfying to see and it's not disappointing. What was disappointing was the lack of the full roster of characters and how other characters seem to come and go.
The whole story only revolves around a few of the main characters, kinda. Felicia, Morrigan, Demitri, Donovan, Pyron, Phobos (Huitzil), Hsien-Ko (Lei-Lei), Anita, and Bishamon. Out of these characters only Morrigan, Felicia, Demitri, Pyron, and Donovan are actually around for the bulk of the plot. Others merely appear for a scene and then disappear altogether (Gallon/John Talbain and Zabel/Lord Raptor being typical examples). Unfortunately Sasquatch, Viktor, Anakaris, and Rikuo are killed off in quickfire sequences at the start of episode four.
But yeah the plot is nonsense because you simply cannot make a decent plot out of a videogame fighter (unless you maybe focus on one character and even then...). And alas that's where this anime falls down because it's just a load of boring guff until the next fight. I mean there is never any explanation as to how these characters have come to be. I mean vampires, werewolves, and zombies are easily explained, but catwomen? Also, Morrigan's and Ksien-Ko's outfits have always looked ridiculous. Some characters you can work with because they look good (Bishamon), others look stupid. But where did they all come from? Why have humans gone back to the dark ages just because of a lack of sunlight? etc...
I also found Pyron to be outrageously over powerful and the fact he was beaten in the end seemed inconceivable frankly. He is able to defeat almost all the Darkstalkers quite easily, often with the same powerful move. Yet then at the end he is beaten with one supernatural move from Donovan (which I didn't quite follow). I still don't really understand why Pyron needs the Huitzil robot drones either. He built them and in the end destroys them all, why not just switch them off?
Don't get me wrong this isn't an outright fail of an anime, not by a long shot. It's definitely not a masterpiece for sure but its certainly a solid effort and adapting this videogame. Overall the visuals are great and really atmospheric. Like I said all the characters are beautifully recreated and some of them do get some great sequences. Donovan vs Bishamon is probably the best fight both visually and from a story point of view (Bishamon is probably my fave character after Gallon). If you like the videogame then you might like this, its leagues better than the US cartoon series that's for sure.
6/10
So along comes this wacky looking new fighter Darkstalkers. It has all the hallmarks of something I should love, a 2D fighter with the same game mechanics as Street Fighter II but with classic Universal monsters (albeit knock-offs). I gave it a try and predictably loved it. Yeah sure it was essentially just a Street Fighter II clone with different characters but I didn't care. Capcom were (and still are) the masters of 2D fighters and this was no exception.
Moving on a few years and this anime was released in four parts or episodes. Once again at the time I vaguely remember seeing this around in the shops but never seeing it. As I have explained before in previous anime reviews, whilst growing up anime wasn't really my thing. It's only now I have come to appreciate this genre (this review is my first viewing of this particular anime). Once again top anime studios Madhouse Inc ('Wicked City', 'Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust') were in charge so I knew I was in for a solid looking adventure.
The Plot: When it comes to videogame adaptations this is always a sticky issue. Obviously the plot behind most of these fighting games is ridiculous as they have to include all the fighters. But for a videogame no one really cares because no one buys the game for the plot. When it comes to an animated movie things start to get tricky. In this world humans coexist alongside various monsters and ghouls known as Darkstalkers (cos it sounds cool).
These Darkstalkers (or at least some of them) are in a constant war with each other to see who is the most powerful. Humans are generally terrified of them and tend to hunt them or try to ignore them. Some of the Darkstalkers claim not to be monsters but are misunderstood and simply want to blend in and live their lives. Naturally some humans are OK with this, some are not. Other Darkstalkers are bad and merely use humans for food or slavery or whatever.
The main basis is the Earth hasn't seen sunlight for hundreds of years and has returned back to the days of the horse and cart (for some reason). This is because Dimitri the Vampire was exiled from the dimension where demons/Darkstalkers live and he has basically ruled the Earth with an iron fist. There are some Darkstalkers who are willing to fight back against Dimitri such as Felicia a catwoman hybrid and Donovan, a dhampir (half human half vampire). But wouldn't you know it, a powerful alien arrives on Earth to wipe everyone out who stands against his power, so the Darkstalkers find themselves working together, kinda.
So let's just get right into it. If you're a fan of this franchise then you might like this for the fighting and that's it, maybe, anyone else I'm not so sure. Unfortunately whilst the fighting sequences are pretty good (in places) that's all that's on offer. The rest of the movie is padded out with lots of aimless dialog and timewasting. The animation is, for the most part, top-notch and moves smoothly across the screen. All the characters look fantastic and are very faithful to the original source material including their individual moves. Watching characters face-off against each other is very satisfying to see and it's not disappointing. What was disappointing was the lack of the full roster of characters and how other characters seem to come and go.
The whole story only revolves around a few of the main characters, kinda. Felicia, Morrigan, Demitri, Donovan, Pyron, Phobos (Huitzil), Hsien-Ko (Lei-Lei), Anita, and Bishamon. Out of these characters only Morrigan, Felicia, Demitri, Pyron, and Donovan are actually around for the bulk of the plot. Others merely appear for a scene and then disappear altogether (Gallon/John Talbain and Zabel/Lord Raptor being typical examples). Unfortunately Sasquatch, Viktor, Anakaris, and Rikuo are killed off in quickfire sequences at the start of episode four.
But yeah the plot is nonsense because you simply cannot make a decent plot out of a videogame fighter (unless you maybe focus on one character and even then...). And alas that's where this anime falls down because it's just a load of boring guff until the next fight. I mean there is never any explanation as to how these characters have come to be. I mean vampires, werewolves, and zombies are easily explained, but catwomen? Also, Morrigan's and Ksien-Ko's outfits have always looked ridiculous. Some characters you can work with because they look good (Bishamon), others look stupid. But where did they all come from? Why have humans gone back to the dark ages just because of a lack of sunlight? etc...
I also found Pyron to be outrageously over powerful and the fact he was beaten in the end seemed inconceivable frankly. He is able to defeat almost all the Darkstalkers quite easily, often with the same powerful move. Yet then at the end he is beaten with one supernatural move from Donovan (which I didn't quite follow). I still don't really understand why Pyron needs the Huitzil robot drones either. He built them and in the end destroys them all, why not just switch them off?
Don't get me wrong this isn't an outright fail of an anime, not by a long shot. It's definitely not a masterpiece for sure but its certainly a solid effort and adapting this videogame. Overall the visuals are great and really atmospheric. Like I said all the characters are beautifully recreated and some of them do get some great sequences. Donovan vs Bishamon is probably the best fight both visually and from a story point of view (Bishamon is probably my fave character after Gallon). If you like the videogame then you might like this, its leagues better than the US cartoon series that's for sure.
6/10
A good series based on a great video game.
Vegeta-217 May 1999
As a huge fan of the video games, I was ecstatic when I heard there would be an anime based on them. Finally, something to erase the memory of the beyond horrible American cartoon (Darkstalkers). The story, which centers around a vampire hunter named Donovan, very loosely follows the game's plots. The main characters are Demitri the vampire, Morrigan the succubus, the little girl Anita, Felicia the cat woman, Lei Lei the Chinese ghost, and Gallon the werewolf. The primary antagonist is the alien being Pyron, who has come to earth to destroy all Darkstalkers and rule Earth himself. The thing that separates this series from others like it is the fact that, except for Felicia, Donovan, and Lei Lei, none of the other characters are particularly good. Demitri is as evil as any on-screen vampire, Morrigan cares only for herself, Anita hates everyone, and Gallon is a kind of anti-hero. And yet, Pyron is more dangerous than any of these creatures, planning global conquest and destruction. Normal humans in this series have a bleak outlook, since Pyron will destroy them, and Demitri subjigates them to his will (he's hidden the sun away with thick clouds for over a century). The music is decent, with lots of variety. Where this series really shines is the visuals. The animation of the first two episodes is spectacular, rivaling most theatrical anime. The second two episodes don't look quite as good, but they still look nice. The way that all of the character's moves from the games is nice, too. The fight scene with Morrigan and Demitri has a very Masami Obari (director of Fatal Fury)feel to it, and they do just about all of their trademark moves. The voice acting is excellent, as well. Rei Sakuma gives Morrigan a very lustful, throaty voice, while Yukana Nogami's Felicia is stunningly cute sounding. And Akio Otsuka's deep, powerful voice commands respect, and is perfect for Demitri, and Akiko Yajima delivers her lines with vacant perfection, capturing the emotionless girl Anita flawlessly.
Overall, the first two episodes are better than the last two, but the series as a whole is great, and definitely a step above the typical game-based anime, ranking up there with the Fatal Fury anime and the Street Fighter II movie (Japanese version only). If you like the Darkstalkers games, buy this anime. The DVD has loads of cool extras, so buy that version if you can.
Overall, the first two episodes are better than the last two, but the series as a whole is great, and definitely a step above the typical game-based anime, ranking up there with the Fatal Fury anime and the Street Fighter II movie (Japanese version only). If you like the Darkstalkers games, buy this anime. The DVD has loads of cool extras, so buy that version if you can.
Awesome animated series!
Movie Nuttball2 March 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I am a big fan of the Darkstalkers. If anyone wanted an alternate source for the title other than the video game then the animated series is your great alternative! Most of the classic characters are in it! Demitri Maximov, Morrigan Aensland, Lord Raptor, Donovan, Bishamon, Pyron, Hsien-Ho, Lei-Lei, and Felicia. I have only seen Anakaris, Jon Talbain, Sasquatch, Victor Von Gerdenheim, and Aulbath in the credits so far. In My opinion all of the characters look exactly like they do in the video game. The male characters look super and the female fighters look absolutely gorgeous! The animation is so crisp and clean! This film may not be suitable for youngsters because of the minor language such as "hell" and "damn" and blood coming from the characters' wounds. There is much violence in this animated series and I'm quite surprised by it. Another thing was the music. Really awesome music through out the entire thing! The characters are really great. The voices were chosen wisely and fit the characters well. Demitri is an awesome character. His voice is just excellent. He reminded Me of Dwight Renfield in Stephen King's Night Flier. Moorigan is just cool. She has got a great personality. Lord Raptor is just totally rad man! Pyron also has great voice and he is also awesome! It was like this was a real movie. The fighting in the animated series is simply amazing and I really liked how realistic everything was like the sky and the moon! If you like Darkstalkers and the Darkstalkers games, and the Street Fighter II video games and animated films then go to Amazon.com and purchase this today! Strongly recommended!
See also
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