8.8 /10 1 Votes
Written by Tatsuhiko Urahata Initial release 21 March 1997 | 88% Rotten Tomatoes Studio MadhouseDR Movie Director Masashi Ikeda | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Directed by Masashi IkedaAnimation directors:Hideki TakayamaHiroyuki TanakaSatoshi TasakiTakafumi Hoshikawa Produced by Masayuki MiyashitaKenichiro ZaizenMasao MaruyamaToshiki Oonishi Music by Kow OtaniEikichi Yazawa (end theme) Licensed by Madman EntertainmentDiscotek Media Screenplay Tatsuhiko Urahata, Trish Ledoux Cast Similar Adieu Galaxy Express 9, Galaxy Express 999, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, Wicked City, Street Fighter Alpha: Th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge (originally titled Vampire Hunter: The Animated Series (ヴァンパイアハンター THE ANIMATED SERIES) in Japan) is a four-episode OVA anime series by Madhouse Studios in association with DR Movie under license from Capcom, directed by Masashi Ikeda and originally released in 1997-1998. It is an adaptation of Capcom's Darkstalkers series of video games.
Contents
Plot
In the midst of a war between the families of Demitri Maximoff and Morrigan Aensland for control of the Demon World, alien invader Pyron arrives on Earth and plans to take it over by taking out those who stand a chance of stopping him, namely the Darkstalkers. Meanwhile, dhampir Donovan Baine seeks to rid himself of the cursed blood which runs through his veins.
Four of the original Darkstalkers, Anakaris, Rikuo, Sasquatch and Victor are not featured in the OVA's main storyline, apparently having been killed by Pyron in a flashback sequence shown in the beginning of the fourth episode.
Episodes
- "Return of the Darkstalkers"
- "Blood of the Darkstalkers, Power of the Darkstalkers"
- "Pyron Descending"
- "For Whom They Fight"
Production
Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge is based on the Darkstalkers series of gothic-themed fighting games by Capcom. Characters were designed by Shukō Murase and the animation was done by Asami Endo and Yoshinori Kanada. The ending theme for the series, "Trouble Man" by Eikichi Yazawa, was also used as the opening theme in the Japanese home port of the video game Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors.
Release
Toshifumi Yoshida and Trish Ledoux produced an English-dubbed version for Viz Media in 1999. The series was released on VHS, DVD and UMD in 2000. The North American anime company Media Blasters distributed it via rental kiosks in 2010. The series was re-released on DVD in 2012 by Madman Entertainment. Discotek Media will release a remastered version on DVD in both language versions in the fall of 2015.
The original soundtrack CD for Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge: The Animated Series (B00004SPLQ) was released in the United States by Viz Music in 1998. The anime series' manga and drama CD adaptations of were published only in Japan.
Reception
The anime version of Darkstalkers was well received, including being featured in the 2009 book 500 Essential Anime Movies by Helen McCarthy. Bryn Williams of Gamers' Republic gave it a score of B+ and praised its "superb" animation "with vivid colors and smooth motion." In 2011, Richard Coombs of Blistered Thumbs ranked it as the seventh best video game cartoon.