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▪ | RELEASED BY: | BANDAI VISUAL USA | ||
| ▪ | ASPECT RATIO: | 16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN | |||
| ▪ | AUDIO: | JAPANESE DD 5.1 & 2.0 W/ ENGLISH SUBTITLES |
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| ▪ | RUNNING TIME: | 100 MIN | |||
| ▪ | RATING: | 16UP | |||
| ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | 06/26/2007 | |||
| ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | 06/25/2007 | |||
| ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
Demon Prince Enma is the latest anime from Go Nagai, well known for such previous masterpieces as Mazinger Z and Cutey Honey. Now he’s trying his hand at a bit of horror. Demon Prince Enma is an entertaining mix of suspense thriller and demon related horror that is sure to raise the hairs on many a viewer’s neck. In the second volume of the series, Go Nagai’s popular character, Enma, tries to get to the bottom of a series of mysterious incidents caused by demons entering the hearts of humans and controlling their actions. With the continuing use of fantastic 5.1ch sound, and under the assured direction of Elfen Lied’s Mamoru Kanbe, the fiercely beautiful images of this anime make it a chilling sensation for anime horror fans.
In volume two, demons are still lurking in the darkness (which is always in creepy abundance throughout each episode). But humans have lit up the darkness of the night with neon lights and turned their world into one that never sleeps, so demons now lurk in the darkness of the human heart. Born of fire, Demon Prince Enma of the Underworld has come to the human world and destroyed lots of demons, but there seems to be no end to them. Now the stench of demons seems to be closing in on Enma and his group of demon detectives – it seems as though they are becoming the targets, rather then the hunters. One after another, victims are swallowed up by the darkness of their hearts. Whose darkness has this enemy demon concealed itself in? Having submerged in the darkness of the heart, the demon has grown and is finally prepared to show its true self – a special person has been consumed by the darkness, and it will only be repelled by Enma’s knowledge and power.
The animation continues to be top notch in this series. It’s very reminiscent of Blood: The Last Vampire, but much more on the horror/mystery side of things – its way more frightening! Demon Prince Enma has such a professional look to it that you really feel like you’re watching a collection of short films, rather than episodes of an anime series. With each episode the plot gets thicker, and the danger heightens. All this turmoil is so well portrayed with the animation style, the camera angles, etc. The visuals mean a lot in a horror piece, and this anime knows exactly what to show, and what to keep hidden from the viewer. It’s movie quality animation in an anime series – that can only mean good things!
As for the story – it’s getting more interesting. There are some really terrible secrets that are starting to surface, but not enough to give us the full picture. New characters are thrown into the mix – quite a few of them all meeting each other for the first time. We don’t know why they all get lured into the same predicament, but they all seem to have something in common – that thing being some dark experience that they have tried to seal away in their hearts. The demons seem to feed off this concealed negative energy, possessing the unfortunate victims and usually bringing them to an untimely end. You’ll be begging to know more – it’s very involving, and especially with the lights turned off!
EXTRAS:
Interviews with the Japanese vocal cast.
IN SUMMARY:
Demon Prince Enma is not only flashy on the animation side, but it pulls you in with an arresting story about the darkness hidden inside many a human heart. Demon Prince Enma is about everything that we can only hope we never have to meet in a dark alley.