Darkstalkers: The Complete OVA Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Darkstalkers: The Complete OVA Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Darkstalkers: OVA is an entertaining and dark anime series in the realm of the otherworldly. Based on the original video-game by CAPCOM, the series features animation production by Madhouse (Trigun, Cardcaptor Sakura). Produced by Kenichiro Zaizen (Giant Robo, Ninja Scroll) and Toshiki Oonishi (Those Who Hunt Elves, Ninja Resurrection), Darkstalkers: OVA is the right type of anime OVA for fans of gritty fare with vampires and mystical creatures.

Donovan Baine (Unshō Ishizuka) is no ordinary human being. The world of the Darkstalkers is one that is uncommon. The Darkstalkers are unlike anything else that came before: these darkstalkers are vampire creatures, mythical creatures and not at all as common as mere mortals.

The Darkstalkers have been a part of the planet for a long time. Earth is now becoming one with the whole underworld. The land of the demon world is aligning with the land above. Danger looms as vampires are not the only creatures stirring: an alien menace hopes to control the world.

The animation is stunning. Darkstalkers: OVA features an incredible art style. The animators delivered fantastic work on the production and there is a lot to behold here. The series features art direction by Hidetoshi Kaneko (Record of Lodoss War, Terror in Resonance) and chief animation direction by Shukō Murase (Mobile Suit Gundam F91, Mobile Suit Victory Gundam).

The animation is an important part of the production and there is a lot to appreciate about the aesthetic of the series. The animation also brings to life the excellent character designs by Shukō Murase (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Gasaraki). The design work provides something unique to the production – the designs are better than one might expect. The animators certainly pushed themselves – the art is incredible.

The cinematography by Hitoshi Yamaguchi (Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie, Record of Lodoss War) adds to the visual wonderment of the production, too. Yamaguchi is a talented cinematographer and this is certainly an OVA production with a decidedly dark aesthetic that is more provocative than some OVA series. The visual language of the cinematography adds a lot to Darkstalkers.

The score composed by Kou Otani (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Tenchi The Movie 2 - The Daughter of Darkness) is a highlight of the OVA. Otani is a brilliant composer and the music is one of the central components of the series. The score is elegant and captures the essence of the underworld. The supernatural element inherit in the score provides great depth to the production.

Directed by Masashi Ikeda (Inuyasha, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing), Darkstalkers carries fantastic style and storytelling. Ikeda also wrote the scripts for the first two episodes. Ikeda does a great job exploring the gothic style and providing a good balance of action and drama. Darkstalkers is well worthwhile for horror anime fans.

Darkstalkers: The Complete OVA Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, Darkstalkers is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The video quality on the release is generally impressive looking and there are a lot of elements to the presentation that add to the experience. A good encode helps to showcase the animation at its best. Despite being an upscale presentation, a wonderful sense of clarity and detail is provided on the release. Color reproduction is excellent. An impressive encode by Discotek.

Darkstalkers: The Complete OVA Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a plethora of lossless audio options: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. A music-only DTS-HD Master Audio option is also provided on the disc. English subtitles are provided as well. The series sound direction by Yota Tsuruoka (Blue Submarine No. 6, Violet Evergarden) is well reproduced on the release. The lossless presentation handles the sound effects and soundtrack with ease. The score sounds great on the release. A solid encode by Discotek.

Darkstalkers: The Complete OVA Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes with a nice-looking o-card slipcover.

Trailers:

Japanese Trailers & TV Spots (SD, 9:36)

English Promotional Trailers (SD, 4:34)

French Promotional Trailer (SD, 2:03)

Italian Promotional Trailer (SD, 2:54)

Remastered Edition Trailers (HD, 6:52)

Game Promotional Videos:

Darkstalkers Promotional Video (PS) (SD, 1:01)

Night Warriors Promotional Video (SS) (SD, 3:44)

Vampire Savior Promotional Video 1 (SD, 2:33)

Vampire Savior Promotional Video 2 (SD, 1:25)

Openings & Endings:

Titleless Epilogue (HD, 00:35)

Titleless Ending (HD, 2:37)

Alternate Japanese Ending Credits (HD, 2:36)

Vintage English Opening & Ending (SD, 3:27)

Original 30fps Sequences (HD, 1:16)

"The Trouble Man" Music Video (HD, 3:04)

Art Galleries:

Key Art includes 38 click-through art slides.

Model Sheets includes 122 click-through art slides.

Animation Layouts includes 40 click-through art slides.

Packaging includes 9 click-through slides.

Darkstalkers: The Complete OVA Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Darkstalkers: OVA is an impressively dark and compelling horror anime with some compelling ideas. The series features fantastic animation as well. The darker style of the production stands out as something great for horror fans. The Blu-ray release provides a solid video and audio encode alongside some nice extras. Highly recommended.