One of the true greats of Japanese Animation, Demon City Shinjuku comes from the brilliant mind also behind other Anime classics like Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D and Wicked City. There's plenty of explosive action, as well as monster action and it's just risqué enough without being overly offensive. Since the classics will never die, let's take a look and see how this DVD stacks up against the competition.

Our story begins as the evil Rebi-Ra is in the midst of a battle to over take Shinjuku, a city deep within then heart of Tokyo. Ra battles what appears to be a mere mortal man for control and of course the poor sap can't hold a candle to Ra's extreme display of power. Ten years later Shinjuku is nearly uninhabited except for the occasional mutant or freak, many monsters and of course Ra himself. This is when we're introduced to Koyoya who at the time doesn't think of himself to be much of a hero. It's ironic then that he's ultimately convinced by the super sweet Sayaka to accompany her to the Demon City Shinjuku to save her father (we also learn that it was Koyoya's father who lost his life in the devilish prologue). Koyoya declines the invitation at first and Sayaka ventures forth on her own towards the Demon City, where very few have recently dared to tread.

Upon her arrival Sayaka is almost instantly attacked, and ultimately saved by Koyoya who just happened to be trailing close behind. The two embark on a journey deep within Shinjuku and seek out the deadly Ra who is meticulously planning his "resurrection day" which could unfortunately begin at any moment. Along the way Koyoya and Sayaka encounter a host of loonies including a little kid who moves about on rocket powered roller skates, a host of incredibly disturbed monsters, a possible ally in the mysterious Mephisto and of course Rebi-Ra himself.

The beauty of Demon City Shinjuku lies with its brilliant simplicity. The story itself is your basic cookie cutter Anime formula with a few not so ironic twists thrown in for good measure. Why then does Demon City work so well? The answer lies partially in the brilliant execution of its absurd subject matter. Demon City features exceptional character detail and the almost frightening lifelike attributes of these characters makes one almost forget that they are watching an Anime to begin with. The story is so well written and has a near pitch perfect pace from start to finish which ensures an almost 100% positive and satisfying viewing experience. Yes, the story is simple but the characters, dialogue and extreme visual style allow Demon City to stand out in a crowd.

Featuring plenty of off the wall violence and bizarre chills, each element seems to fit in with the story and never feels forced or contrived. Many Animes (like most exploitation films) are enjoyed for their exploitation merits alone. While Demon City does feature many of these elements (and a few go a bit over the top) it never feels pretentious or like exploitation just for exploitation's sake. In other words, there are tentacles and they get a bit naughty, but the line between good and bad taste doesn't feel like it's ever crossed.

It's worth mentioning some of the outstanding set pieces like an attack that takes place on a moving train by a crab/spider-like creature and a Lady Demon who tries to use her odd sense of sex appeal to get what she needs. There are so many brilliant and well-executed monster set pieces I could go on for days, definitely much coolness can be found within.

Demon City Shinjuku is presented on DVD in a near flawless transfer. Aside from the occasional spec, this is a near perfect transfer that sports bright and vibrant colors and barely even a hint of print damage. Without any evidence of pixilation and solid black levels, this transfer does nothing but please all around. THIS is the way to watch Demon City Shinjuku.

Audio is presented in a Dolby Surround mix in either English Dub or its original Japanese language. We're also given the option of removable English or Japanese subtitles as well. Both surround mixes are about the same with extremely subtle yet effective uses of their surround tracks. Dialogue is crystal clear and there is absolutely no hiss or background noise. These effective surround tracks serve the wholly original visuals quite well. It's also worth noting that the Japanese language version is the preferred way to view this film in my opinion. The English Dub track features way over the top voice actors and an extremely loose translation of the films original Japanese language. At some points the dub dialogue is completely different than that of the English subs. It's worth noting that the subs fit nicer with the image than the off the wall dub. Not to mention that the dub features lots of unnecessary profanity that isn't present on the subtitled track. The expletives seem really out of place.

Extras include a meet the cast segment in which each character can be chosen and we get to view a selected scene from the film that "personifies" the chosen character. Next up is Supernatural Beasts and like the meet the cast, you get to choose a monster and his (or her) moment to shine in the flick is instantly delivered. This includes my favorite "The Lady Demon" that I'm sure will wind up being many others favorite as well! Finally, there are trailers for 5 other Central Park Media titles to view as well. The instant access features are cool and definitely a nice touch, but it would have been nice to see some behind the scenes footage or character sketches if they had been available.

This is a really easy one folks... excellent Anime, excellent presentation, therefore an excellent choice would be to check out this DVD. Highly recommended. To check out all that Central Park Media has to offer click here!