Product Details

• Format: Animated, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English, Japanese
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Anime Works
• DVD Release Date: June 24, 2003
• Run Time: 125 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00008V2UL
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #196,597 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

During Tokugawa Ieyasu’s epic battle of Sekigahara, two samurai face off outside of history. In the heart of the duel between Kyoshiro and Demon Eyes Kyo, a shooting star slams into the plains, shattering the ground and engulfing them both. Four years later, the bounty hunter Yura finds the good natured Kyoshiro, now a traveling medicine man. Hidden deep inside Kyoshiro is the soul of his old opponent, the merciless samurai Kyo. When Yura and Kyoshiro are thrown into battle, the medicine man’s friendly personality will recede, and the whole world will learn why Kyo is called a demon!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Slayer of a Thousand, September 22, 2003

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Samurai Deeper Kyo - Demon Awakens (Episodes 1-5) (DVD)

This is a surprising twist on the Samurai legends of arising in the battles that marked the rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate. In the carnage of the critical battle of Sekigahara a feared Samurai - Demon Eyes Kyo - comes face to face with another powerful swordsman - Kyoshiro Mibu. Just as Kyoshiro took the upper hand for the last time, they are struck by a meteor. All that is left is some dust and Kyo's sword - Murimasa.

The scene shifts to years later, and we find Kyoshiro in the part of a feeble minded intinerant apothecary, seeming the innocent victim of his own misadventures. Then the intervention of Yukimora Saneda triggers a terrifying change, and Demon Eyes Kyo's spirit regains consciousness - in the body of Kyoshiro. Suddenly we are catapulted into a drama of clan warfare, demonic ninjas and balletic (and ballistic) swordmanship.

What makes this story even more unusual is that it quickly becomes apparent that appearances and reality shift without warning. At first Kyo seems evil, but then we get glimpses of something deeper. Is this the influence of the unconscious Kyoshiro? Or is the relationship between the two of them something else entirely.

And what exactly are Saneda's motivations? Ostensibly he in the service of Kyoshiro's wife and clan, but why does he insist on waking Kyo. Throw in a beautiful bounty hunter and the heir to the Tokugawa empire and a genuinely complex and interesting story develops.

As is often the case when Japanese anime decides to experiment with a normally predictable genre, music, art, and script are excellent. Acting in the dubbed version is only average, but it stays fairly close to the subtitles and is listenable. I found this first DVD both intriguing and enjoyable with hints of potential greatness. Worth following.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Kenshin But Not Bad, July 21, 2003

By 

"reedekullervo" (Edina, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Samurai Deeper Kyo - Demon Awakens (Episodes 1-5) (DVD)

I've seen Kenshin, loved it, and was eager to see another 'samurai' anime so I checked out Samurai Deeper Kyo (SDK). Despite a somewhat confusing opening - lots of place names and people plus told in flashback then fast forwarded 4 years - once the story got going and I got things sorted out I rather liked it. Initially I had been disappointed because from what I gathered of the story Kyoshiro is supposed to be the hero of our tale who is somehow afflicted with carrying the personality of his rival, an evil samurai (and possible demon) called Demon Eyes Kyo.

Unfortunately Kyoshiro seemed pretty bland and boring, and a lecher to boot. I had my doubts that this guy could be interesting and sympathetic enough to carry a series. But the spunky bounty-hunter Yuya and some intriguing glimpses of Yukimura Sanada helped keep me interested until the third episode, when things really start heating up. For one the milquetoast Kyoshiro's personality is completely subsumed by Kyo - who appears to be one legitmate, bad-a** dude. And not in the way Kenshin becomes the Battosoui when necessary, but reverts to his peace-loving self. If Kyo has any regrets it's likely that hasn't completely wiped out all his enemies yet. So far so good. There are also hints that the current situation has it's roots in a complex web of past alliances, battles and relantionships. Kyo is nasty all right, but there are hints that he might be that way for a reason, which sounds interesting. Also, who the heck is Yukimura and what's his deal? I don't know if he's helping Kyo or what, but I can believe he's got his own interests firmly at the forefront.

Besides meeting the main characters, Kyo, Yuya, Yukimura and Benitora, we also get a sense there are a lot of bad guys, some kenyou (monsters), rogue ninja groups, heirs in disguise, political intrigues, and some interfering women who also appear to be running the show behind the scenes. Oh, and there's some humor as well. Yukimura commands a group of ninjas (?) including a super-serious guy who works what could best be described as magic. Yukimura seems to enjoy yanking his chain once in a while which is rather humerous.

So overall the characters and the story show some definate promise. The animation is pretty decent, although there are a couple of shots of Kyoshiro where his arms have a really weird perspective which looks awful. There also seem to be a few too many stills and the battles themselves aren't too thrilling. No exciting action ala Kenshin since it's more implied than shown. Although who can resist an evil grin and the line: "You heard it too, didn't you? The voice of the wind."

I'm looking forward to the rest of this release, hopefully it will live up to it's promise. There's also an outakes extra (english dub) on this disc. Normally they ..., but this one actually had a couple of funny moments. And if there continue to be 5 episodes per disc that will be great. So if you like swords, Japanese history and demons and magic this might be the next anime for you.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If I could give it 10 starts I would !, July 14, 2004

By 

Bastet "Meow" (Florida, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Samurai Deeper Kyo - Demon Awakens (Episodes 1-5) (DVD)

This anime has moved to the top three in my list of favorite animes. I love Berserk, Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Big O, Armitage (all of them), Escaflowne, Rocord Of Lodoss, & many more. Demon Eyes Kyo is now tied at second place with Cowboy Bebop.
I absolutely loved each of the main characters. They had great humor and complete loyalty to one another.
I purchased the complete collection because of some happy reviews that I read. I had no idea what to expect and I fell in love with the series ten minutes into the first episode. It felt, somewhat, like watching the FOX TV series '24' in the fact that you just couldn't get enough and had to keep watching to see what was going to happen next.
To me, it was completely worth every dollar spent. I wear my new 'Samuri Deeper Kyo' t-shirt with extreme pride!