Count D, a quite interesting pet shop owner from an area called Chinatown, sells rare and hard to come by pets to people longing for something special, but with each sale comes a contract. If the rules of the contract are followed, everything goes fine, but if someone should break the rules of the contract, the pet shop cannot be held responsible for anything unfortunate that might happen. Leon Orcot, a homicide detective, has linked many odd and unexplainable deaths together; they all were customers of Count D's pet shop, and he intends to find out why.
(Source: ANN)
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Comentários
FreyrXtreme
This anime should be watched expecting nothing at all, it may not be developed as other series and it seems like if the budget was really limited but keeping all those issues aside, it’s a really interesting anime to watch. It doesn’t compare to the actual manga, but the chapters selected for the anime are the more interesting. Though there are two main characters, count D (do not mistake him for Dracula) and detective Leon Orcot (those two have a really funny love/hate relationship), the real characters are those involved with the story of each episode. Each episode has a different story line, they may be shortbut are profound and always giving a message at the end. It’s a dark and full of mystery anime, but the stories provide a positive impact.
The technical features may no be great (animation, sound) but are well done and I think it should be continued.
011253
When compared side-by-side with the manga of the same name, the Pet Shop of Horrors anime suddenly looks shoddy and duct-taped together. However, as a stand-alone anime it is very unique. Each episode can be watched without having any background knowledge of the series, as they are all their own story, similar to anime such as pokemon were it is easy to jump in at any point in the series. However, this is also a drawback, as were there should be a pause to explain something further or in more detail, the show chugs along over it, crossing its fingers and hoping that the audience willunderstand.
As dark anime go, Pet Shop of Horror doesn't necessarily have a unique concept, but the overall story is unique. It's easy to become lost in the episodes, which provide a unique "this-could-really-happen" sense that few others manage to achieve.
The animation leaves something to be desired, however, with even the Japanese, English-subbed version looking like a terrible American dub. The background music is interesting, but the anime also keeps things quiet were there should be ambient noise such as birds, cars, even the wind.
Character development is limited, but as the series is so short it's not so much that they didn't bother, its that there simply isn't enough time to get to know the characters and watch them grow.
Overall, if you watch anime for the music or animation then this isn't for you. Fans of the manga, be prepared as these episodes are based almost word-for-word on stories from the first three volumes.
NeverKnowsBest26
Ever since The Twilight Zone, there have been countless anthology shows consisting of supernatural parables made to be lessons and food-for-thought for the viewer. This trend is even present in anime. Case in point Petshop of Horrors, a 4 episode OVA produced by Madhouse in 1999. This collection of horror stories is quite Twilight Zone-esque in nature, with each episode being a stand alone parable. While the shows does have some things working against it, it is still a treat for fans of this type of show. The 4 stories are connected are by a petshop that secretly deals in strange creatures that come with aset of rules that the owner must follow... or the shop will not be held accountable for what happens to them. Yeah, this sounds a lot like Gremlins now (the shop is even in Chinatown), but it works well as a set up for the stories. The costumers of the shop include A mother and Father who have recently lost their daughter; a man whose wife had died on their wedding day; an actor down on his luck; and the campaign manager of an aspiring politician. All of them have issues that come to light when they bring their new pets home. There is also a little extra continuity tossed in with a detective who is suspicious of the petshop and is constantly at odds with its owner, Count D.
The first two stories unfold like like a mystery. In both cases the shop's costumer has suffered a loss of a loved one, but there is more to it than just that. There are circumstances behind the loved ones' deaths that are revealed as the story unfolds, which lead up to the parables' morals and, in both cases, grisly conclusions. The third plays out more like an inevitable tragedy with a cynical bit of irony at the end. The forth tale is by far the strangest, as we watch one of the character's desires being played out in a somewhat perverse way at the end. The show takes from both eastern and western mythologies for its supernatural elements, involving creatures such as mermaids, medusa, and kirin; which of course act as the catalyst of the story. Each story has interesting themes and is well paced, making the best of the time it has.
This is not to say everything about this show is good, it certainly has some big shortcomings. The first of which is rather obvious, its length. With the show being only four episodes long it does not have the luxury to cover the wide array of topics a longer anthology could, and is consequently less impacting. There is also the issue with the stories themselves. It is true that they do work well as parables, but they have little to no subtly. The characters are fairly one dimensional (though not necessarily uncompelling) mostly there just to make a point. The delivery of the messages is pretty heavy handed, cut and dry with little left to think on. Finally, there is that little bit of continuity with detective Leon Orcot (I did not name him earlier) and Count D, which unfortunately goes nowhere. Neither character has any meaningful development, and only serve the role of someone for the viewer to follow from episode to episode, and say the moral of the parable out loud.
On the techinical side of things, Petshop of Horror is heavy with creepy atmosphere. The color pallet aims for both ominous and mystifying, and fulfills its role quite well. Character designs are fairly typical of 90's anime, though Count D and the 'pets' he sells look quite striking. Backgrounds aren't anything special, but get the job done. Honestly, the show looks best when it is being mystical and creepy; the opening scene with the tiger painting or the climax of any of the stories will attest to that. The music also goes for the spooky vibe, and while not anything special on its own, works well with the visuals and story to create an ominous atmosphere. One example of this is the insert song in the second episode, which is not particularly good, but is memorable because it was used to great effect.
While not amongst the elite of its kind, Petshop of Horrors is certainly worth the small amount of time it takes up. Its stories are uniformly good, and have some interesting ideas which at the very least might make for good conversation material. If you are in the mood for something short, spooky, and just a tad thoughtful, then I recommend picking up this OVA.
ThatCrazyElitist
A short anime about a creepy pet shop in Chinatown. You can certainly say that I was quite interested when I heard about Pershop of Horrors. And it was just 4 episodes so I decided to give it a try. It was indeed quite interesting, but very inconsistent. The 4 episodes were 4 different story's and they are very different both in themes and quality. So let's look at this promising mess. ~story~ 5/10 Count D (yes, that's really our main characters name) owns a pet shop in China Town, and as if that isn't weird enough he also looks like a gothic emo with… interesting eyes(if you have already watched this anime, you know what I mean). Oh and he sells mythical creatures and the customers have to sign a creepy contract to buy these creatures. And if they break the contract, disaster and even death follow. Intriguing to say at least, our other main character, a police man named Leon, seems to think the same thing and is quite suspicious of this "pet shop". When clients of the pet shop die one after another, he tries his best to figure out what's going on and he kind of fails.
There are 4 different stories about people who buy "pets" in the pet shop and then break the contract. Every story was very different, because of this the viewers have no time to learn more about the characters and by the end of the story you still don't know what was really going on. Why did Count D sell these mythical creatures? Where did he find them? There are so many unanswered questions and the anime was just way too short. Another problem was that the 4 story's all have a different atmosphere, the first two were darker than the last two. Because of this, it felt like the creators just picked 4 random stories added a creepy pet shop and then put them together in one anime.
[CONCLUSION]
The story had a lot of potential and it was very interesting. But it was way too short and it turned into a mess, an intriguing mess. A lot of questions remain unanswered and the story was very inconsistent, even though the themes were really interesting. It just could have been some much more if there were more episodes.
~art~ 5/10
The art just screams 90's, especially the character designs. But only Count D and some of his pets looked interesting, most of the other characters looked bland. The makers tried to create a dark, creepy and spooky atmosphere. Because of this a lot of dark colors were used, the animation itself was not that bad for an anime made in 1999, but it's certainly not good. Some of the character designs and the backgrounds were just lazy. Come on Madhouse, we all know you can do better than this.
[CONCLUSION]
The animation is mediocre and the character designs could have been better. It isn't extremely bad for a 90's anime but people who watch anime for the art and the pretty colors (I really hope that these kind of anime fans are a small minority) will be disappointed.
~music~ 3/10
To say the music was not the best part of this anime is an understatement. The opening and ending song were both extremely forgettable. For the background music and sounds, the sounds sometimes just disappeared and the background music was weak, though the music managed to create a spooky atmosphere now and then. And the English dub is officially one of the worst dubs ever made, just don't watch this anime with the dub when you care about your ears. The Japanese voice acting was better but still pretty weak.
[CONCLUSION]
The music and the sounds were by far the weakest part of this anime, the opening, ending and background music were forgettable and the dub is horrible.
~characters~ 4/10
There is literally no character development, normally this would have been enough to give the characters a 2/10. But the anime is just 4 episodes so I can't really blame the creators for having no time to properly develop the characters. Most characters only appear in one episode, these characters aren't particularly interesting but they serve their purpose and are more or less plot devices. Count D is quite charming and Leon is bland. There isn't much to say about the characters because there are only 4 episodes. But it's not a very strong aspect of this show.
[CONCLUSION]
The characters aren't well-developed, but this anime is only 4 episodes so that's logical. Count D is an decent character and everyone else is just very bland, but the characters aren't really bad, just boring.
~enjoyment~ 7/10
It was so promising and so intriguing, if there were more episodes and a better theme exploration this anime could have been great. Now, it's an interesting anime with a lot of flaws, bland characters and questions. But it's very enjoyable to watch and especially the third episode made me feel genuinely sad. I believe that this anime could be really good if it had more episodes, sadly enough it only has 4 episodes and it's just an advertisement for the manga.
[CONCLUSION]
It could have been so much more, damn you Madhouse. The music was a serious problem and the animation was weak. Also it was way too short, why was it only 4 episodes long?! But this anime is still pretty interesting and because of the fact that it only has 4 episodes, I still advice everyone to watch it, but only if you're really bored or when you have nothing better to do.
ktulu007
Welcome, my friends, to the end of horror anime month. Petshop of Horrors is a four episode horror anthology OVA from Madhouse entertainment based on a ten volume Manga by Akino Matsuri. The manga has recently continued with a second series that's currently eight volumes in and still going, but that came after the OVA so I doubt very much that any of the elements or plot lines introduced within it are going to come up. Let's take a look at the OVA and see what mysteries this little shop contains. Since the series is an anthology without an underlying narrative, lets look at thesetup. There's a pet shop in a Chintown within the United States run by a man known as Count D. He sells regular pets as well as exotic ones to certain, deserving, customers. All of these pets come with a three condition contract. If any of these conditions are broken, then the shop assumes no responsibility for the consequences. In the meantime, a homicide detective named Leon is looking into Count D since so many unsolved deaths seem to involve customers of his shop. The stories in this are interesting. They have really good atmosphere, build up and legitimately creepy moments as well. They aren't scary, but they're the closest to horror I've come across all month.
The characters are very important in this series and not just the reoccurring characters like Count D and Leon, but also the characters who are the focuses of individual episodes. Count D's special customers are always there for karmic reasons and his rules offer them a last chance at redemption. Figuring out why they merit karmic retribution is one of the interesting facets and it's never something overly simplistic. Which results in having to spend some time getting to know that character. Some of the episodes do it better than others, but all of them do it fairly well. The characters of Count D and Leon are well developed as well. My one issue in this area is that Leon's co-workers, who show up occasionally in his scenes, come off as bland and under-developed. But each one probably only gets five minutes of screen time cumulative. So that's really a very minor issue.
The art in this is quite superb. The expressions are very well drawn. The animals are really cool looking. Count D's wardrobe is magnificent. That's probably a strange thing to say, but his attire is very well drawn and just well designed. The character designs in general are just really good. The art is excellent and really well detailed.
The voice acting is excellent particularly Seki Toshihiko as Count D. The music and sounds in general are also excellent. Which helps contribute to the atmosphere.
The ho-yay factor is a 4/10. Things between Count D and Leon get pretty homo-erotic. To the point where there are moments where you wonder if Leon is actually investigating him or trying to work up the courage to ask him on a date.
So, that's Petshop of Horrors. It has great atmosphere, compelling characters and interesting story lines. The art and voice acting are both excellent and it has a bit of ho-yay. It may not be frightening, but it does manage some creepy moments. My final rating on this one is a 9/10. I do recommend checking it out.
That does it for the last review of October. Going into November I have requests to review: Honey and Clover, Robotics;Notes, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Psycho Pass, Dennou Coil, Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro Chan and Watashi ga Motenai no wa dō Kangaetemo Omaera ga Waru. Next week, Honey and Clover.
Aishiteruze
Pet shop of horrors. Really didn\'t know what to expect from this anime. I knew it would be creepy because it\'s about Count D.. obviously a sort of dracula type person who keeps pets in a pet shop. Obviously.. there\'s something dodgy about this shop because these "pets" have these rules that the owners that buy them have to abide by, or they suffer the consequences. Which to Count D\'s knowledge, is why he gets them to sign a contract, so if they don\'t follow the rules, it wouldn\'t trace back to Count D, because he informed them of what they should or shouldn\'t do. Onepolice officer, who is keen to figure out why all of these strange things are happening in chinatown when people come out of the pet shop with all of these "pets".
Not one of my best animes, not because it was 4 episodes.. just because.. it just didn\'t interest me. It was a little gory, but it was just pretty much a random peek at strange activities happening in chinatown. Count D was funny.. he really had an obsession with sweet confectionary, only thing that I found funny to watch. I can\'t really say if you should or shouldn\'t like it, it\'s what you make of it. I didn\'t like it.
Prede
Today I'll be reviewing Pet Shop of Horrors . I've wanted to see this 4 episode series, animated by Madhouse, for a long time now. But I only recently got to watch it, once the DVD was re-released (and you can bet I watched it as soon as I got the DVD home from the store). I heard a lot of good things about it, and luckily it lived up to them all. Pet Shop of Horrors is an OVA that was originally released in Japan in 1999, and first released in the US by Urban Vision in 2000. It is based on a mangaby Matsuri Akino, and the OVA was directed by Toshio Hirata.
Pet Shop of Horrors is largley an episodic horror series, although there is one little overarching story. Each episode involves someone or a group of people aproaching Count D, the owner of a creepy petshop in China town, for a pet. But these people have heard stories that the Count's pet's are not normal, and this is anything but an average petshop in L.A. (yeh this takes place in California) . The people going to see the count seek more then just a regular pet, and they useally get what they want. But not without a warning from the mysterious and quirky Count . "Do this, and that" he says "Follow the rules...don't breach the contract" he states. And as long as the people follow his rules, they will be ok, better then ok because they get the strange wonder that they wished for. For example two greiving parents enter the petshop in search of something , and what does the Count present them with? Their dead daughter of course, only she's not dead, she there, alive and well. Only the Count keeps insisting that it's not really their daughter, but its actually a rabbit. Just a regular rabbit. Rabbit or no rabbit the parents want their daughter back. So they buy their child, and take her home. But they also sign the Count's contract, which says no one else should see the "rabbit", and they should only feed it vegetables and water no matter what, because after all rabbits don't eat people food. But when their child begs for real food, for cookies, what do you think the parents will do? It's all very reminiscent of the time when their child was in the hospital, dealing with withdrawls from some illegal drug. And just like when she was in the hospital they cave in and give her what she wants, even though they know it's not in her best interest. Just because they can't stand to watch her suffer. I won't ruin what happens, but let's just say you don't breach the Count's contract and live a happy life afterwards. Braking the contract can destroy you, and everyone around you as well. Many of the episodes play out this way, they are mostly a set of morality tales (think Tales from the Crypt or the 1989 Live Action movie Creepshow). And they are all incredbly frightening at times. There are some very creepy scenes in this anime. Some of the themes this anime deals with are very interesting. And some of the characters will really stand out. Also this series will impact you emotionally a little, which is always a plus in my book.
(***Slight Spoiler***)
The only real problem with this series is that none of the characters listen to the count, and follow his directions, even when they are quite easy. This is a little hard to believe. Every single character brakes the contract with the count in one way or another. This of course leads to a rather tragic conclusion to each episode, and makes me think these people are all very stupid. Ok so I can believe a few of them won't listen to him, but all of them? Someone out there has to have a brain, shame none of them get a pet from the Count, I'd like to see how that would play out.
(***End Spoiler***)
Of course this brings me to my next small problem with the show, it's two damn short! Perhaps if they had made more episodes, this would have fixed the first problem of the show, because they could have taken the show in many different directions, but lack of episodes made them want to focus on what they did. Anyway this is a show that could have gone on for 12 or even 24 episodes and still stayed fresh, and it's truly a shame that it didn't. That's my only other real beaf with it. Oh and while you watch this, keep an eye out for the Star Wars and Mark Hamill refferences. Not sure why, but I found them quite amusing.
And it's also worth noting that they overarching story involves Detective Leon Orcot trying to prove Count D is up to no good, and that his petshop is directly responsible for all the unexplainable deaths and missing people. We follow Leon as he tries to prove the Count is really behind all these things, despite Leon's boss just thinking he's stressed out or worse, crazy. Leon keeps investigatingthe Count up until the last episode, and although he seems to be discovering quite a bit of evidence here and there, nothing much comes of it. It feels very open ended, like perhaps there's more about this in the manga or something? Because after everything is said and done, it doesn't really matter because the show just ends. It gave me a feeling of "ok so what was the point?". Although it is nice to have some sort of story develop over the four episodes, but I can't help from thinking that it would have been even better for it to have gone somewhere (like Leon proving for once and for all that the Count was behind everything, or the Count stoping Leon some how). But I did like how the overarching story played out. And some of the funnyest, and weirdest moments happen when Leon is talking to the Count . The way the count plays with Leon is just great. And it's during these scenes that we really see just how odd, eccentric, and quirky the Count really is. He's much less serious when he's talking to the Detective, and the way these characters intereact is just fun to watch. As the Detective Leon is truly trying to get the root of everything, and the Count really just doesn't care, and likes to mess with him, and play games with him. Watching the two interact is a strong point of the series. Although I have to mention I think Leon is very boring in comparision to the Count. But I guess it's not really fair to compare anyone to the Count, because he's quite a character, and anyone would seem boring in comparison. But I do wish Detective Leon was a bit more interesting. Even some of the minor and episodic characters are much more interesting in comparison, which to me is a bad sign. But this is a very small problem, and it's easily over looked.
As far as the artwork goes in this anime, I thought it was great. For 1999 it did seem a little simple, but overall I thought it was very well done. The backgrounds look like their watercolored but very nice. Although at times they do appear to be a litle cheap looking. I did enjoy some of the interior shots, as I felt they were very dark and creepy looking, which is a must for this show. It's not too detailed, but I did like everything. The character designs were however perfect for this show. All of them were original, in a different style, and just looked great. Extra points for the oddball design of the Count, and all the creepy monster/pet designs. The only real problem with the artwork is it feels a little flat, like the characters can't really move back and forth very well. It feels like they are stuck in a spot. There really isn't an illusion of real physical space for these characters. But this isn't a big deal or anything, it's just something Madhouse usually does quite well, and didn't seem to bother with much here.
As far as the music goes, it's fitting. It's all very spooky and atmospheric. I liked it alot, although it's nothing outstanding or anything. Some of it had a great 80's detective vibe, that felt very Jazzy, which I loved. And some of it had a horror-feeling going on, which was also quite good. As far as the dub goes, I thought it was great. Detective Leon is played by Alex Fernandez, who fits the part, but feels a little lost and confused at times. But he has a great voice, and really can act when need be. He just needed a little more guidence in my opinion. But he is useally quite good. It is a shame his performance is not as good as it could have been, but I personally blame the director. Count D is played by John Demita, who makes the character feel spooky, otherworldly, and odd. In a word, he's perfect. He really helps bring out the eccentricities when need be, and bring out the spooky side of his character, when it's time. This guy knows what he's doing, and I just wish he'd be cast in more roles. I rather liked his performance and he has a really unique voice. The other detectives that work with Leon are cast quite well, and do a good job. The minor characters are useally great, although a few are quite bad (the guy who get's a Tiger in episode 1, really all of that sounds pretty bad). But the good easily out weights the bad. It is a very fresh sounding dub too. My only other problem with it is some lines here and there feel a little awkward. But overall this is a great dub, even though it does feel like it aged quite a bit. It probally won't stand up well against today's dubs, but for my viewing it was more then adequate. Plus John Demita for the win, really. He's just nuts at times.
So overall the series is quite spooky at times, has some great themes, and is way too short. We need more episodes of this great anime. The animation was good, and the artowkr was great, but I felt it was a little below average from Madhouse at the time. The character desings are exellent however. It's a great show, that any horror fan would love. I highly recommend it!
- Review copyed from my personal blog
- Original review posted at: http://predeanimereview.blogspot.com/2009/10/pet-shop-of-horrors.html
thephilistine_
What a fun little show. 4 episodes of about 22 minutes each. It didn't really feel like an anime but it was still good. It could best be described as a mix of Needful Things and Tales From the Crypt. Not really eerie or creepy but more of a show of human nature and people getting their just desserts when they follow their desires with little regard for the rules.
espie666
For any fans of Tales from the Crypt, this is most definitely the anime for you. Each episode follows a different character who has visited the pet shop. This 4 episode OVA is filled with creepy and spooky tales, and at the end of the episode, you may just learn a lesson or moral from each story. Story Pet Shop of Horrors is about a strange gothic young man named Count D who manages a pet shop. However, this is no average pet shop. At this pet shop you can find a wide variety of 'rare' and 'exotic' animals. All you need to do is sign acontract with this man, and it's yours. However, you may find these rules hard to abide with, and end up with a disaster in which even death may occur.
I'm a big fan of episodic series, so this anime was definitely a hit for me. Each story was creepy and interesting, and the animal the characters ordered corresponded with the owners inner demons and troubles.What really got me interested was that at the end of each episode, a very interesting moral was taught. That was probably my favorite aspect of the show, besides the spooky ominous feel to it.
I also found the concept of this series very unique. The idea of a creepy 'animal' from a pet shop to move a long an entire story really intrigued me. I love animals, and like to learn about mystical creatures, so when I saw the title, I was automatically drawn in. This series definitely did not disappoint. Even with my high expectations, Pet Shop of Horrors exceeded them with its eerie tales of the characters dark pasts and their new pet which may in the end teach them a lesson.
Animation
Pet Shop of Horrors was released in 1999, so the animation is quite dated. I went into the story with low expectations of the art, but I was actually surprised. Yes, the animation was definitely not the best, but it was fitting, and was actually very well done for its time. It was also very unique in a way as well. There was no set style or pattern I could find. For example Count D and the detective Leon, have a totally different style. With the Count, his features were very pointed while Leon's were much more realistic and better shaded. This goes for not only these two, but for many other characters as well.
The character designs were pretty interesting as well, especially the Count. His tall, yet feminine figure added to his mysterious personality, along with his painted long nails, dark lips always in a small smile, and his hetereochromic eyes narrowed at you. The creature designs were interesting and haunting as well. This anime would have been a flop without the creepy and spooky animation.
Sound
There's not to much music in this anime, but nothing felt out of place or unfitting. When there was music, it only added to the dark atmosphere. No music needed to be added or deleted, and it felt as if everything was in order.
As for voice acting, it was very well done. I personally watched the dub, and each voice matched the character perfectly. I especially liked the Count's voice actor, as he sounded very calm and collected even while delivering disturbing lines, which built up the Count's character even more, and added to his eerie aura. Considering the importance and amount of dialogue the Count has, it was very important to have an excellent voice actor, which is another thing Pet Shop of Horrors did very well
Characters
Since Pet Shop of Horrors is episodic, there is a large variety of characters, but does not feel overcrowded since each set is different in each episode. The only characters which remained throughout was Count D, the tall dark mysterious pet shop owner, and Leon Orcot, the hot headed detective suspects the Count for the recent string of murders, and is determined to expose Count D for his crimes.Leon acts as an extra viewpoint, and as a piece to help dig up the other characters backgrounds.
As for the customers and main characters of an episode, they all seem to have a dark past or secret which indirectly causes them to end up at the Count's shop to fulfill their desires through their new pet. As each episode progresses we learn more and more about each character, and finally discover who they really are. At the end of each episode, these characters' backstories and mistakes serve as a lesson or moral to the story.
Overall
Overall, Pet Shop of Horrors gets a solid 9 out of 10. This short series was a psychological horror masterpiece, and deserves to be appraised for its thought provoking spooky stories. This show is definitely one of my favorites and is a must watch for any psychological or horror fan.
bro3112
Pet Shop of Horros is a very unique and interesting anime that is quite different to most. With only 4 episodes you should not come in expecting a big story line or a lot of character development. Although the art may not be the most appealing and the anime may seem to look like it had a smaller budget than a lot of popular animes it is still an anime I believe most viewers should watch. {STORY - 6} Pet Shop of Horrors has an interesting story with a different set of characters each episode visiting our main character, Count Drac. I think each of the differentstories was unique and interesting in their own way and also that they each have a moral behind them which you would expect from an anime such as this one.
{ART & SOUND- 4 & 7}
The art is not amazing and the anime is in general not visually stunning but if you can look past that then everything else that is interesting is still there to be enojoyed. The sound quailty is good enough but there isn't a need for amazing sound effects or things like that in this anime.
{CHARACTERS - 7}
With a different character each episode there is not a lot of time to fully connect with the character but in each 20 minute episode you can get a feel for what the character's personality is and how they act under certain circumstances. Count Drac is a very interesting character with a very low, calm and sultry voice. He is very eccentric and most people who would meet him in real life would find him slightly creepy proabably, but there is something about his characetr that makes you intrigued about his motives behind giving these people the pets he sells and how he manages to come upon.
{ENJOYMENT - 6}
It did take me a few tries to finish this anime even with it being only 4 episodes long. Normally I would easily be able to watch an anime in one sitting but this one didn't grab my attention as quickly as I though it would. I am glad I have seen it and can say I have seen it as it was, as I have said before different to most other animes and very interesting in it's own way.
Overall, I feel as though this anime may be for people who have been watching anime a bit longer rather than just starting because I think you may need that knowledge to be able to really appreciate it's artistic and unique story telling and characters. This was one of the first animes I watched and I don't know if that would have had an affect on my enjoyment of the series. Still, with all this I still believe it is an anime that should be watched. Or as a lot people say, the manga is a lot better but I can't as I have not actually read the manga.
I didn't mind it, that is probaby a summary of everything I just said.
ChristianMB
Now, the scores here may seem very high, and perhaps that is because I am a little bias; I have been in love with this anime since the moment that I discovered it, and have rewatched it too many times to 'Count'. Lame joke, not sorry. Anyway, onto the review. Personally I have never found an anime that I have loved more than this despite its length in comparison to the manga. Regardless of this, I truly adore it all the same. While the manga displays the Count's humor quite often, the manga takes a look at the darker side of things, taking 4 stories fromthe first part of the manga series. The art of this series is very nostalgic in its style, but still an absolute masterpiece in my opinion, as are the sound tracks and voice actors, especially the people involved in developing the series for the fact that they managed to somehow keep the character depth for all those involved, once again despite it only lasting for four episodes and the majority of characters only having a single episode each; and on top of this despite allowing the viewer to feel as if they're beginning to partially understand the count and his motives, by the end of it, it becomes clear that his mystery was kept more than well in tact.
All in all, I would recommend this series to anyone looking for something darker with small hints of humor, and who enjoys more nostalgic feeling anime.
AntonConstantin
This is one of my most favorite anime I have ever seen and I wish there was more of it. I know that there's plenty of more manga chapters, however it would be great to see them animated with music, movement and colors. I really enjoy the way the way it looks, the story and everything in it. There is an incredible combination between darkness, despair and beauty. It makes me think this anime holds a deep truth for life itself. How illusory things are. I like the idea of the pets looking like humans, but they are actually some kind of strange demons. It'snot exactly easy to describe everything that I love about this anime. It only saddens me to see that most people do not find it as enjoyable as I do. Most people don't understand this. The shopkeeper is so mysterious. He reminds me of Orochimaru, one of my most favorite anime characters ever.
Bikou
Someone had told me to watch this Anime as I was a fan of Horror. It was quite cheap in a store so I picked it up. I was hoping for a very interesting story with elements of horror, although I was curious as to how they planned to pack this into 4 episodes if I remember correctly. The story seemed good, different & interesting. The animation and art was old, but don't think I hated it because it was old. No, other older Anime have still managed to capture me with their art, however this one was quite basic, mediocre and overall boring. Thesound effects and music didn't tend to vary, they just played the same boring sounds over and over again. Characters were okay, nothing terrible or great about them. They didn't have much back-story or personality or unique looks however. I barely got through the very short 4ep series and cringed at every dull event. Overall I would'nt recommend wasting your time.
Panda_Roll
Episodic in nature this show follows the logic of the book "Needful things" by Stephen King. Count D is a mysterious figure that owns an exotic pet shop down in china town.... This is not a joke, it's really in china town. Anyway every episode someone comes to the shop to buy a pet. They are given specific instructions regarding the care of said pet and after signing the contract they leave. Because this is a psychological horror anime you are just waiting for them to break the contract and get their karmic retributions from it.The anime dives deep into different aspects of human emotions and actions. Very atmospheric and beautifully drawn it's not afraid of just letting you soak in the view instead of blah blah blahing all the time like other shows would do.
Very Mature, haunting and beautiful. It's one flaw is that there are only 4 episodes with zero fat to trim.
KungSour
It's difficult to review a anime in which there is barely anything to draw from, but I will try. Story - Guy named the Count owns a pet shop full of strange animals with weird conditions you have to follow or you die, pretty much. I like how this is quite unique as I have not seen any anime about a pet shop of horrors (if you please) so it's quite interesting, I heard that there is a manga and that is what it's drawn from but I wish this could have at least gotten a 12 to 13 episode anime to help explain the charactersand the plot more as it's quite limited. But the stories the anime does show are quite intriguing and interesting, I like seeing how the clients come to disobey the conditions of owning the 'pet', one key thing I see is obsession from the clients to have something that is impossible to keep. But I'm rating the anime remember and in reality there's just not enough content.
Art - For the time, it's ok.
Sound - Fits the atmosphere, but gets a bit silent at times.
Character - I like the Count and what he does and all the rhetorical things he says to the detective are quite amusing (it's like mocking a monkey). The detective is a typical character but goes well with the Count.
Enjoyment - Like I said it's ok, just wish the anime was longer.
Overall - For 4 episodes, it's better than most OVAs you seen during that time, I know it's listed as a TV series but 4 episodes in my opinion is not a TV Series, I want to read the manga to find out more about Pet Shop of Horrors and I hope I do in the future.
Positives - Good main Character, interesting plot.
Negatives - Not enough episodes/content, leaves you wanting more.
Thanks for Reading - AkatsukiBuzai - Kuroagi
Shae214
Short anime series- it is four episodes you have really no idea as to the back story to Count D and his pet shop. Basically people buy rare items out of this shop in China town and even though they are given a strict set of rules to follow, the buyers alway break them. It is yet another insightful look into how humans are insatiable in nature and let our emotions overrule our common sense. Instead of Pet Shop of Horrors it should be Pet Shop for Idiots. Count D tells the buyers not to do "a" and soon they do "a" and somethinghappens. The fun part of the anime is to watch how they screw things up. I wish there were more episodes because it is half way decent.
GarlandReese
The anthology series has always been a popular stable. Particularly those involving the strange, like horror and sci-fi. Anime doesn't always offer this style, but I wish it did more. Particularly this short-lived show from Studio Madhouse. "Petshop of Horrors" only has four episodes, but it does well in it's presentation and gives us a good story with a little food for thought. The series is wrapped around the extravagant and enigmatic Count D. This character is something that only anime can do. He dresses like a kabuki performer and is meant to make the viewer feel curious and unsettled as your defacto host. Heis the thing I will remember most from this show.
The stories are short, sweet, tales with a lesson or subtle twist at the end and are all centered around the "pet" purchased by the customer in question at the center of the story. The ultimate lesson of the show is "buyer beware". While each story carries itself on the lines of a "Night Gallery" or "Outer Limits" episode, and decent art for late 90s, the lack of content leaves me wondering what could have been.
Sub vs. Dub ends in no-contest in favor of Sub. The English acting is competent, but overall poor. Even though it appears to take place in Los Angeles and the English would make it more authentic, the Japanese is a better viewing experience.
It was nice to see a show that lives on it's story presentation, but again, only four episodes makes it more frustrating than enjoyable. This show is a prime candidate for a re-boot. It has great potential. That is probably what I took out of this show the most: You're left wanting more. Bummer. Cheers hoping the petshop re-opens someday.
silsari
The anime was short stories about the clients who purchased the pets, showed the consequences of breaking the contract, and a detective trying to pin all his cases on the petshop owner. It's a good anime if you are bored with nothing else to do and want a slightly good scare.
obtrice
Petshop of Horrors is a collection of short stories that has been best described as a cross between The Twilight Zone and Needful Things. It’s a series of mysteries that are also parables. While there is some continuity due to the presence of Count D, Detective Orcot, and the petshop, each episode is a stand-alone story about one of the petshop’s customers who is suffering in some way and seeks a supernatural remedy. As one might expect, these tragic characters frequently meet tragic ends brought about by the very character traits that led to their deplorable condition in the first place. The best thing about theseries is that it excels at storytelling. Even though the episodes are only 20 minutes, each manages to deliver a highly original and interesting mystery that will have you on the edge of your seat until the end. Episodes 2 and 3 are especially good and show just how exceptional a writer Matsuri Akino can be. Were this a substantially longer series, I would recommend it without reservation.
Unfortunately, Petshop of Horrors is just a small sampling of the 10 volume manga, and it simply wasn’t possible to do it justice in such a short time. Count D and Detective Orcot, rather than dynamic main characters, function solely as a way to tie the stories together and provide a voice to narrate the morals. And while the first three episodes are quite good, the last is not really a mystery and ends abruptly. This is perhaps fitting: there is no overarching plot, so there isn’t really a reason to have an ending.
The series also suffers from notably poor production values. It’s not very old, but the animation looks much older (think late 80s), and not in the good nostalgic way. And while the character and animal designs are quite good, many shots are dark or blurry, and the framerate often results in choppy movement.
The soundtrack has a couple of nice tracks (e.g., Damage), but on the whole it’s pretty lacking, and many of the songs don’t fit the show at all. Dope, for instance, sounds like something out of an 80s porno. The Japanese voice cast is fine. The English voice cast arguably has a better Count D, but Detective Orcot’s voice is cringeworthy.
Petshop of Horrors is a good example of how much production values and budget matter. Hopefully Madhouse or another studio will decide to pick up the full story in the future and dedicate the resources it deserves. In the meantime, you can at least see a snapshot of the manga brought to life. At four episodes, there’s not much to recommend, but it’s also a small investment for a potentially large return.
