Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Continuation of a Different Kind of Vampire Anime
Review: The vampire is certainly a popular figure in anime, spawing films from Vampire Hunter D to series like Vampire Princess Miyu. Though the ideas and stories of NightWalker are not exactly original, the anime OAV (direct to video) series is rather cute and entertaining.Eternal Darkness is the second DVD (containing episodes 7-12) of the NightWalker OAV series. For readers unfamiliar with the series itself, here are a few quick details: Private eye Shiro's secret is that he's actually a vampire, but one who has taken on the task of defeating the creatures of darkness in a futile quest to redeem the fall that transformed him to a vampire--viewers may find this similar to television's Forever Knight. Created by a powerful vampire bearing the biblically-suggestive name Kain, Shiro also bears a sprinkling of Anne Rice. Shiro's partner, paranormal cop Yayoi, offers her own blood to sustain him as the two must defeat the "night breeds" in a series of six related yet distinct episodes. His "kawai" schoolgirl secretary Riho--though not immediately in on the secret--also finds herself caught up in the struggles between good and evil. In this second DVD, Shiro's sidekick Riho has herself become a vampire. Though Shiro himself did the deed to save her "life" when vampire progenitor Kain had mortally wounded her, Riho now must learn to deal with eternal darkness. The stories do a rather good job of characterizing the difficulties Riho faces adjusting to her new life while remaining true to the spirit of the first six episodes as Shiro & company must battle the evil night breeds. As before, what really drew me into the series was the characters, as at times the stories themselves are somewhat cliche. When in the final episode Riho apparently has turned to evil and Shiro must confront and likely kill her, you'll sit on the edge of your seat trying to figure out how the characters will possibly recover and return to their (un)lives together. The English voiceovers are passable, but most anime purists will prefer the Japanese with subtitles option. The special features aren't incredibly detailed but do include scripts, an art gallery, character info, and production data. I found that the cliches presented did not detract from the overall stories and came to rather enjoy the series as a whole. There may be grittier or more involved vampire anime available, but if you're looking for something different in vampire anime, give NightWalker a try.
Rating: 
Summary: People Meet and People Part
Review: This DVD contains nights 7 through 12 of the 'Nightwalker' series, tales of a Shido, a Tokyo vampire, committed to fighting creatures of spiritual evil called the nightbreeds. Shido's companions in the quest are Guni, an 'urban fairy,' the newly mad vampire Riho, his assistant, and Yayoi the beautiful agent who provides her blood in return for Shido's help. This second DVD is more introspective than the first (Midnight Detective) and reveals much of the interior motivations of the main characters. Night 7 - 'A Mother and Her Son.' Riho finds a small boy playing with a kitten in the park. His mother, who refuses to let him even touch small animals, becomes the suspect in a series of animal mutilation cases. In a moment of horror, Shido finds himself faced with a horrible choice. Night 8 - 'A Soul Lost in the Darkness.' Broken China draws Shido into the search for a young woman's grandfather only to find he isn't missing but one of the walking dead. Night 9 - 'Someone Else's Face.' In a grim tale of disfigurement and tormented guilt, we are told the story of the first meeting between Shido, Guni, and Yayoi. Night 10 - 'Tears of an Angel.' The unusual luck of a young schoolgirl alerts Shido to the influence of a nightbreed. A quest for happiness leaves everyone with regrets. Night 11 - 'A Witch in the Forest.' Shido relives a contest of wills with Cain. A woman trades her souls to stay young for her absent lover as Shido struggles to find the road to redemption. Night 12 - 'Eternal Darkness.' Cain returns for real as Shido is forced to confront his own feelings for Riho. As you can see, the material in this DVD is darker than the previous series. The stories turn on the more bitter and sorrowful aspects of human love. Shido is more thoughtful than he was in previous episodes, and we are treated to a good deal of insight into the motivations of Riho and Yayoi. This adds surprising depth to what originally appeared to be a fun but lightweight series. One has to admire has to admire 'Nightwalker' for both its stylishness and its efforts to transcend the traditional blood and violence of anime vampire stories (not that that is necessarily bad). Hopefully we will get another change to visit Shido's detective agency.
Rating:
Summary: People Meet and People Part
Review: This DVD contains nights 7 through 12 of the 'Nightwalker' series, tales of a Shido, a Tokyo vampire, committed to fighting creatures of spiritual evil called the nightbreeds. Shido's companions in the quest are Guni, an 'urban fairy,' the newly mad vampire Riho, his assistant, and Yayoi the beautiful agent who provides her blood in return for Shido's help. This second DVD is more introspective than the first (Midnight Detective) and reveals much of the interior motivations of the main characters. Night 7 - 'A Mother and Her Son.' Riho finds a small boy playing with a kitten in the park. His mother, who refuses to let him even touch small animals, becomes the suspect in a series of animal mutilation cases. In a moment of horror, Shido finds himself faced with a horrible choice. Night 8 - 'A Soul Lost in the Darkness.' Broken China draws Shido into the search for a young woman's grandfather only to find he isn't missing but one of the walking dead. Night 9 - 'Someone Else's Face.' In a grim tale of disfigurement and tormented guilt, we are told the story of the first meeting between Shido, Guni, and Yayoi. Night 10 - 'Tears of an Angel.' The unusual luck of a young schoolgirl alerts Shido to the influence of a nightbreed. A quest for happiness leaves everyone with regrets. Night 11 - 'A Witch in the Forest.' Shido relives a contest of wills with Cain. A woman trades her souls to stay young for her absent lover as Shido struggles to find the road to redemption. Night 12 - 'Eternal Darkness.' Cain returns for real as Shido is forced to confront his own feelings for Riho. As you can see, the material in this DVD is darker than the previous series. The stories turn on the more bitter and sorrowful aspects of human love. Shido is more thoughtful than he was in previous episodes, and we are treated to a good deal of insight into the motivations of Riho and Yayoi. This adds surprising depth to what originally appeared to be a fun but lightweight series. One has to admire has to admire 'Nightwalker' for both its stylishness and its efforts to transcend the traditional blood and violence of anime vampire stories (not that that is necessarily bad). Hopefully we will get another change to visit Shido's detective agency.
Rating:
Summary: Eternal Darkness
Review: This is the second (and last) DVD of Nightwalker, containing episodes 7-12. Nightwalker is the animated, Japanese counterpart to US series like Forever Knight and Angel: the main character, Shido, is a vampire who tries to help people endangered by the Nightbreeds, demons capable of possessing bodies and stealing souls. At the core of the series is a pessimism regarding ability of those drawn into evil to repent or be saved. That the show ponders such questions sets it apart, and the difficulty the hero has in saving those around him creates real suspense: the viewer doesn't know who might be saved and who might die. The show is largely episodic--in most episodes, Shiro assists police officer Yayoi in solving a Nightbreed related crime. The relationships between the main characters are constantly evolving, however, and everything is fairly well wrapped up in episode 12, while leaving room for future sequels. Although this isn't really an action series, there is fighting and, occasionally, some really nasty gore--as well as a little nudity. The show was aired late at night in Japan, and the content reflects this; in addition, the quality of the animation suffers some due to the small budgets such shows have. The character designs, by contrast, are very attractive. The English dub is among the best for a CPM/US Manga Corps title; only a few incidental parts are lackluster. So, while this isn't a showcase of high budget animation techniques, it is a well-written show with interesting characters and a thoughtful (even philosophical) side which sets it apart from other vampire stories.
Rating:
Summary: Moody, thoughtful, and entertaining vampire series
Review: This is the second (and last) DVD of Nightwalker, containing episodes 7-12. Nightwalker is the animated, Japanese counterpart to US series like Forever Knight and Angel: the main character, Shido, is a vampire who tries to help people endangered by the Nightbreeds, demons capable of possessing bodies and stealing souls. At the core of the series is a pessimism regarding ability of those drawn into evil to repent or be saved. That the show ponders such questions sets it apart, and the difficulty the hero has in saving those around him creates real suspense: the viewer doesn't know who might be saved and who might die. The show is largely episodic--in most episodes, Shiro assists police officer Yayoi in solving a Nightbreed related crime. The relationships between the main characters are constantly evolving, however, and everything is fairly well wrapped up in episode 12, while leaving room for future sequels. Although this isn't really an action series, there is fighting and, occasionally, some really nasty gore--as well as a little nudity. The show was aired late at night in Japan, and the content reflects this; in addition, the quality of the animation suffers some due to the small budgets such shows have. The character designs, by contrast, are very attractive. The English dub is among the best for a CPM/US Manga Corps title; only a few incidental parts are lackluster. So, while this isn't a showcase of high budget animation techniques, it is a well-written show with interesting characters and a thoughtful (even philosophical) side which sets it apart from other vampire stories.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring and slow
Review: Typical storyline of the beast in disguise, the little girl secretly in love, lurking evil plots... . Reasonable animation and dub but an overall slow and uninteresting storyline. Basically introduces a set of 2D characters and puts them into fight after fight leading toward a predictable climax. See BioHunter for a much better monster story or Buffy the Vampire Slayer for a better twist on the whole vampire genre.
Rating:
Summary: Boring and slow
Review: Typical storyline of the beast in disguise, the little girl secretly in love, lurking evil plots... . Reasonable animation and dub but an overall slow and uninteresting storyline. Basically introduces a set of 2D characters and puts them into fight after fight leading toward a predictable climax. See BioHunter for a much better monster story or Buffy the Vampire Slayer for a better twist on the whole vampire genre.
Rating:
Summary: The Vampire you never seen before.
Review: Without spoiling the show, I just say, this show is dark and very sad at times. However, the all the ends are in a pretty bitter sweet way. You will enjoy the show if like sad or dark stories and provided that if you are not in a bad mood (If you are a Vampire Princess Miyu Fan) this show is more for you. I especially liked the way they descriped each character in the show, no one seems as innocent as you seems.. ^_^ For 2 Disk at 6 ep each, this series can't go wrong.
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