" The plot seems to basically be an excuse to get to the next battle sequence (did I mention they kick ass?) "

   Title: Night Warriors: Darkstalkers Revenge by Viz Video

   Format: Anime series on DVD (and VHS)

   Reviewing Monkey: Chimpan-A

   The Hype: Touted as "The Ultimate Vampire Animation" and "The finest video game Anime..." It's a video game, but everything's done in anime! What's not to like?

      What This Monkey Thought...

   Animation: The animation in this series is very clean, very nice to watch. The animators stayed very true to the game animation. Characters look like you expect them to for the most part (they managed to make Demitri /not/ look like superman though). The backgrounds are all nicely drawn, and the characters hold up during the many combat and action sequences. 4 out of 5

   Action: The action in this series is a blast! Since about 80% of the sequences in the game are based on moves or combat from the game, fans of the Darkstalkers games will find themselves recognizing moves. Fans and non-fans alike will be impressed with the combat sequences; they are all quite well done. The rest of the movie is basically a movement from combat to combat, and yet somehow it doesn't really lag. The action scenes really do rule though. 5 out of 5

   Story: For a series based on a fighting game, these shows have a great story. By any other standard though... The plot seems to basically be an excuse to get to the next battle sequence (did I mention they kick ass?). A few of the plot elements never develop, or are just plain dropped. Some elements contradict themselves in the story, and very few are actually developed far. Despite any of that though, the middle sequences don't seem to lag too much, with some of them being cool. Darkstalker fans will get some nice backgrounds on a couple of the main characters and a few looks into the life of everybody's favorite succubus. 3 out of 5

   Music: The music for these series is great! Subtle enough that it doesn't interfere with the characters, it still adds a great tone to the action. All the music is nicely fitting with the proper upbeat fight music playing when necessary. The end theme song is one of my favorites (albeit maybe not for everybody). The opening theme song provides a really nice backdrop for the voice over done by one of the characters, setting up the mood quite nicely. 4 out of 5

   Translation: Well, what they say makes sense, the grammar works just fine. My main problem is that whoever was doing the translation for the voice actors obviously didn't tell the guy doing the subtitles. The two almost never match. Of course one might wonder why, since it was in English, would you bother watching the subtitles. Well, there are a few characters (Like Bishamon's armor), which are a little hard to understand. The subtitles would help... if they actually said what the voice actors say. This is a minor annoyance at best though. Otherwise, everything is fine. Very few stilted conversations, or bad grammar choices. 4 out of 5

   Rewatchability: There are some fight scenes in this four episode series (four VHS, two DVD) that are worth watching again. Add to that a whole bunch of other awesome fight scenes, and anime that might just might make you a Darkstalker fan if you weren't before and this series definitely becomes worthy of watching again. 4 out of 5.

   The Verdict:

       Even if it weren't based on a video game, this would be an awesome anime series. The connection just brings in that much more excitement for fans of the games (like me). Great animation and music, coupled with remarkable action sequences make this a good buy.

   The Good: Very well done anime based on the Darkstalkers games

   The Bad: Poor plot, and some subtitle snafus.

   The Overall Ugly: If you're a fan of the games, get this series. If you're not a fan, it's still some damn fine anime.

   What it's Worth: Market