Search - Ayakashi - Samurai Horror -Goddess of Dark Tower (Vol. 1) on DVD

Good...but only good

Dane G. Mcloughlin | Australia | 06/23/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"After coming back from a recent trip to Japan, one of the anime DVD's that really stood out on the shelf for me was 'Ayakashi'. I'm a fan of old skool Japanese ghost tales and was pleased to find out this was coming out on DVD with English subtitles (as most are aware, it's near impossible to find a DVD with subtitles in Japan). I dont know if it was just the great packaging of the Japanese version which caught my eye, but all I knew was that I wanted it in my collection. Whilst I did enjoy the story line I was sorely dissapointed with the quality of the animation itself. The only word to descripe it is cheap. I could imagine that if this had higher production values it would have the potential to be one of my favourite animes...but I guess that could be said about a lot of series. I do like the idea of having just a short story line per disc. This whole tale is told in 4 episodes, which is what I'm led to believe is the format for this series, each disc is a different story. I would recomend this to someone who is more of a fan of samurai ghost stories than of anime itself. I for one will still be purchasing the rest of this collection but at least my expectations wont be so high so chances are I will enjoy the next one more."

It could have been so much better

The Delite Rancher | Phoenix, Arizona | 12/31/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"After reading Lafcadio Hearn, I developed an interest in Kwaidan. For the uninitiated, Kwaidan refers to old Japanese horror stories, often associated with ghosts and the occult. Also having a love of anime, the Samurai Horror series peaked my interest as a joining of these two elements of Japanese culture. While "Goddess of Dark Tower" falls short, it had so much going for it. The overall plot line is good and the Edo period always makes for great storytelling. Echoing "Samurai Champloo," even the initial theme song is fantastic. So what went wrong? First, the dialogue is flat. Second, the animation is mediocre. There are moments when the artistic quality can be compared to what Hanna-Barbera was doing in the 1970s. As a whole, this series lacks the poetry and illustrated beauty that is found in better anime productions. Given these two elements, the Samurai Horror series may best be appreciated by younger viewers. After watching this initial volume, I don't intend on watching the other two DVDs. Samurai Horror has its moments but is ultimately uncompelling."