Somebody watched a lot of "Twilight Zone" as a kid. Pet Shop of Horrors is an anime anthology based around a mysterious pet shop (what else?) in Chinatown. The proprietor of this shop is the androgynous Count D, who is constantly under suspicion by hotshot detective Leon. Each episode begins with the purchase of a "pet" and ends with…now that would be telling now, wouldn't it?

Episode 1 - Daughter
After an opening sequence in which a crime boss is killed by a "paper" tiger, Detective Leon pays a visit to the pet shop and accuses the Count of being a drug dealer. The Count insists he only sells "happiness and dreams". A bereaved couple comes to the shop, and the Count offers to sell them a rabbit - a rabbit that looks exactly like their recently deceased daughter Alice. The Count has them sign a contract, explaining that 1) no one else may see Alice, 2) incense must be burned at all times, and 3) feed Alice only water and vegetables. If these terms are not kept, the shop cannot be held responsible for the consequences. The couple agrees and leave with their new "pet", unaware the vigilant Leon is watching them. Later, Alice begs for sweets, and ignoring their contract, the couple gives in. A bat-winged creature - the Count's pet - informs him of the situation. The Count can only shake his head in sorrow. Meanwhile, Alice writhes in agony and to the couple's horror, her stomach explodes. But the worst is yet to come.

Episode 2 - Delicious
A widower - Jason Green - whose wife fell overboard on their wedding night, arrives at the shop. The Count sells him a rare creature - a mermaid who looks exactly like his lost wife Eva. The contract for this pet instructs that no one may see her, she must be kept in clean salt water, and, most importantly, she must never go hungry. Leon shows up at the shop, and in talking to the Count, we find out Eva was a big singing star, and Jason was her agent. We also learn their was another woman in Jason's life, Louise. Leon interrogates her, but believes she is innocent. Louise then goes to see Jason. However, Jason has heard the mermaid sing with Eva's voice, and is convinced it is Eva reincarnated. He rejects Louise, because he'll never leave Eva again...

Episode 3 - Despair
Robin Hendricks, actor, is found dead in his apartment. Detective Leon, ever on the scene, discovers a dead lizard on his corpse. He immediately suspects the Count. A sugary treat convinces the Count to be talkative, and he tells Leon that the life of Robin was a lonely one. His wife had left him and his acting career was going nowhere because he had been typecast. All he had was his collection of exotic lizards. On a visit to the pet shop, he purchased a one-of-a-kind pet - a Medusa lizard. Having the tail of a snake and the body of a woman, the Medusa lizard must always wear a blindfold, for her gaze could kill. All Robin had to remember was never look into its eyes. Inspired by his new creature, Robin gives his all at his next audition. But sometimes that just isn't enough...

Episode 4 - Dual
A young congressman, Roger, tries to convince the Count to sell him a legendary beast called a Kirin. The Count refuses and tells him the Kirin decides to whom it will belong. Later, Roger's manager Kelly has a long talk with Roger's wife Nancy, who is unhappy with politics. Kelly feels he owes it to Roger to have him elected President; Nancy feels Kelly is just being used by her lothario husband. After Kelly and Nancy revisit the shop, The Count informs them he will now sell the Kirin. Roger and Kelly return the following day, whereupon the Kirin, in the guise of a little girl, is given to them. The Count reiterates the Kirin will decide who is its master, and grant its master one wish. On the way back home, a school bus full of children is in peril, but the quick thinking of Roger and Kelly prevent a disaster. However, their car goes over a cliff. Which man will the Kirin call master and allow to live?

Well, as a whole, Pet Shop of Horrors is only average entertainment. The stories are not particularly suspenseful - you can guess the ending pretty much fro the start. The characters in each episode are not very well defined, which is probably the result of having only 20 or so minutes to tell each story. The animation is fine, but not anything noteworthy. Sound is adequate with Dolby 5.1, and the film image is nice and clean. However, the reoccurring characters of the Count and Leon are the reason to watch this DVD. You never really know exactly who the Count is, but the writers give him enough nuances, like his sweet tooth, that you really want to see more of him. Leon could have been a typical cop-type character, but he's given complexity. He may think the Count is up no good, but when confronted by evidence to the contrary, he believes the Count, even if he's not sure why. The interplay of these two makes the disc worth watching. Fortunately, each episode does give the duo a good amount of screen time.

The Pet Shop DVD contains a few nice extras, mainly a commentary track featuring the English language director and some of the vocal cast. They've got a lot of interesting stories about the show, and they're pretty funny, too. Also included is a music video opening that feature unused animation from the series. Viewers have a choice of English language, Japanese language, and the option of English subtitles. The show itself is presented full screen, because it was originally done for television, not theatrical release.

Due to the characters of the Count and Leon, I recommend Pet Shop of Horrors as a decent anime disc. The actual stories may be nothing special, but those two guys are great. Maybe we can get them to come over here for a late night talk show. I bet they'll be better than Jimmy Kimmel...

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