is a

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series by

Hideyuki Kikuchi is a Japanese author known for his horror novels. His most famous works include the ''Vampire Hunter D'' series, ''Darkside Blues'' and ''Wicked City (novel), Wicked City''. Biography Kikuchi was born in Chōshi, Chiba, Chōshi, Japan on Septe ...

. The story has been adapted into an

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

film directed by

Yoshimichi Furukawa Yoshimichi is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Yoshimichi can be written using different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: *義道, "justice, way" *義路, "justice, route" *義通, "justice, pass through ...

. The film was originally licensed by

Central Park Media Central Park Media, often abbreviated as CPM, was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York and was headquartered in the 250 West 57th Street building in Midtown Manhattan (on the corner of Central Park, hence ...

and then later licensed by

ADV Films A.D. Vision Holdings, Inc. (known simply as ADV and also referred to as ADV Films) was an American multimedia entertainment distributor headquartered in Houston, Texas, and founded in 1992 by video game fan John Ledford and anime fans Matt Gre ...

Storyline

The story involves the town of Kabuki-cho, home of a resistance faction called Messiah. In the futuristic setting, Kabuki-cho is one of the last places of freedom because the Persona Century Corporation has taken control of the majority of the Earth. Kabuki-cho is hence known as "The Dark Side of Tokyo". Furthermore, a mysterious stranger called Darkside appears to protect the citizens of Kabuki-cho.

Release

The manga was published by

Akita Shoten is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Teio Akita on 10 August 1948. As of 2020, the company's president is Shigeru Higuchi. Magazines Male-oriented manga magazines ''Shōnen'' magazines * – Bimo ...

into two volumes between September 1988 and December 1988. The series was rereleased three times in special one-volume editions: on November 22, 1993; on May 10, 2002; and on March 16, 2012. ''Darkside Blues'' was adapted into a film by J.C. Staff under the direction of Yoriyasu Kogawa and based on a script by Mayori Sekijima. It was released theatrically by

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer an ...

on October 8, 1994.

licensed it for a North American audience and first released it in VHS on May 6, 1997.

Reception

Helen McCarthy Helen McCarthy (born 27 February 1951) is the British author of such anime reference books as ''500 Manga Heroes and Villains'', ''Anime!'', ''The Anime Movie Guide'' and ''Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation''. She is the co-author of ...

in ''500 Essential Anime Movies'' calls the film "one of the most atmospheric films" of the 1990s. She praises the design, but states that "the luxuriant designs are almost outdone by the well-crafted background track, with some superior foley editing and jazzy, atmospheric music". McCarthy, Helen. ''500 Essential Anime Movies: The Ultimate Guide''. — Harper Design, 2009. — P. 288. — 528 p. —

References

External links

* * 1988 manga 1994 anime films 1990s science fiction films Action anime and manga ADV Films ADV Manga Akita Shoten manga Central Park Media Hideyuki Kikuchi J.C.Staff Japanese science fiction films Science fiction anime and manga {{anime-film-stub