Product Details

• Actors: Akio Ôtsuka, Kotono Mitsuishi, Stacia Crawford, Maki Kachisa, Hideyuki Hori
• Directors: Yoshimichi Furukawa
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Us Manga Corps Video
• DVD Release Date: February 1, 2000
• Run Time: 83 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00001AQZ7
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,982 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Darkside Blues" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Region 1 (USA & Canada) Mint condition cover and disc .

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark stranger helping a small band of rebels, January 4, 2000

By 

W. Bittle "WB" (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Darkside Blues (DVD)

This is a very well done anime. Story pace is just right and keeps you rivited to the screen. The story takes place in, where else, futuristic Tokyo. At this time, most all of the city is controled by a mega-corporation. But, there are a few 'free zones" or pockets of rebellion. This story takes place in one such part of Tokyo called Kabuki Town, or the Darkside of Tokyo. The anime revolves around a small band of rebels and a dark stranger who emerges from within via a cryptic looking horse drawn carraige. It is a nice blend of sci-fi and mystic fantasy. The DVD version allows choice of language and subtitles. This is an excellent anime. Well worth the price of admission.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just Whose Story Is This?, November 18, 2003

By 

Shanshad "shanachie_shadowfax" (Discworld) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Darkside Blues [VHS] (VHS Tape)

In the future, the Persona company owns 90% of the world's surface and rules what they own through a restrictive and violent tyranny. One of the few bastions of freedom not owned by the Persona company is Shinjuku Tokyo, The Darkside of Tokyo, the most dangerous place around, but also the one place with true freedom. Few people stand up to the Persona tyranny, bands of rebel terrorists fight to destroy Persona and their main computer systems located on their space satellite home called Heaven.

Fortunes begin to change when a mysterious figure-a man riding with a coach and four horses-arrives from the fourth dimension. Why is he here? And what is his message of renewal that he brings to the disparate characters of this saga? He calls himself Darkside, and appears to be a strange mystic that somehow unites characters with a deeper part of themselves.

Then there is the single escaped terrorist who seeks haven in Shinjuku and dreams of a world free of control by the Persona corporation, Tatsuya. His life and mission become tangled up with a band of misfit rebels in Shinjuku, lead by Mai-a street-smart blond woman with an inner core of steel she uses to protect herself from her past. And he befriends Selia, a troubled woman who's family was lost to the tyranny of Persona. Other characters abound, almost all of them allowing tantalizing glimpses of their lives, but never quite explaining what it all means. These characters are never cute or whiny, maintaining a sense of gritty reality in a world gone wrong.

I quite enjoyed the story and the ideas presented, but for anyone who is looking to have the questions raised by the anime also answered may be disappointed. By far the strongest element in this is the characters and their transformation through the story. Selia and Mai especially dominate the scenes, unusually strong and self-sufficient women for an anime. There is a bit of frontal nudity (a tortured prisoner) and some rather sadistic violence (of the same prisoner) for the first few minutes of the anime. Beyond this, most of the violence is fairly tame, with some gun battles and several deaths, but not extremely visually graphic. The plot never quite crystallizes the way I hoped. The telling feels more like the opening of a complex story arc that never went any further. The introduction of "Darkside Blues", performed by a street-player was a decidedly disconcerting addition. The tune never quite fit the story for me.

The artistry is excellent. Hedeyuki Kikuchi whose talents are also seen in WICKED CITY, DEMON CITY SHINJUKU, and VAMPIRE HUNTER D lends a dark, detailed and slightly gothic edged style to this futuristic anime. The dub on this particular video is decent, although at times the translation feels a little too obscure, and I'm hopeful to find a subtitled version to compare.

Looking for a clear-cut story? This probably isn't for you. But if you're a viewer who likes the unusual side of anime and enjoys character development and the artistry of anime, I recommend you check out this particular anime.

Happy viewing! Shanshad ^_^

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing anime with a memorable character, February 29, 2000

By 

Peter murphy (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Darkside Blues (DVD)

This anime remains apart from most in so much as it has an adult plot that combines the best elements of storytelling with brutal violence. The story is set in a Bladerunner environment with one Mega-corporation owning most of Japan. There are small areas of rebellion known as the Darkside of Tokyo. Far more interesting than this typical plot is the arrival of a possibly supernatural stranger. To reveal more would spoil a well crafted plot. The animation is exellent, the music suits the pace of the movie. The dubbing is also good, and the overall quality of the anime is very high. A manga recommended for fans of wicked city, vampire hunter 'D' or any horror anime. Thus it makes an exellent purchase.