Pet Shop of Horrors

(OVA Series - 4 episodes - TBS)

4 reviews - 16.5 total score (Explanation of the rating system)
avg. score: (4.1)

4. Iodine

This horror anthology is only four episodes long, but in this short time manages to establish itself as something special. Each chilling tale follows the same pattern. A customer buys a special pet from the effeminate Count D's dark and mysterious Chinatown pet shop, is instructed to follow certain rules regarding their purchase's care, breaks the rules, and meets an appropriate fate. The separate stories are all well told, but the real fun is the narrative provided by Count D's encounters with the frustrated detective, Leon, who never manages to prove D did anything wrong. The two personalities make a surprisingly lastng impression, especially the sugar-fixated Count. The first two installments of the series work much better than the last two, but all share the same delight in both their whimsies and their creeps.

Madhouse's exquisite stylized designs are put to good use, and the somber, deliciously anticipatory atmosphere is a winner. The animation varies from episode to episode, but is never a detraction. The writing, by comparison, feels a little sparse at times, but still manages to avoid the embarassing pitfalls that other productions with stories set in the U.S. are often subject to. There are no plans to continue the anime in any form, making it one of the countless good beginnings that never got a well-deserved chance at continuation.

3. Tempy

4 tales of classic horror storytelling all bound by a mysterious pet shop in a Chinatown somewhere in the USA and its owner, the androgynous Count D (deliciously voiced by Seki Toshihiko) with a sweet tooth, who sells hopes and dreams. The interaction between the raw detective Leon and Count D are a joy to behold. The horror stories are poignant and tragic morality tales, not terribly original by itself, but the whole is wonderfully executed. I would have loved more of this.

2. Michael Heggemann

Count D's Pet Shop in Chinatown always has exactly what you desire. Just make sure you follow the sales contract. After all, if you don't, he's not responsible for what might happen... Pet Shop of Horrors is a series of four horror vignettes, each linked by a backstory about Leon, a police officer who suspects the Pet Shop is a front for illegal activity. The vignettes themselves are very creepy, sometimes even disturbing, and the interaction between Leon and the effeminate Count D is quite amusing (especially the Count's reactions to the sweets Leon uses in each episode to get the Count to talk). Too bad only four episodes were produced, since the lack of an overall conclusion to the Leon/Count D backstory is all that kept me from giving this series a 5 star rating.

1. weasl

Pet Shop of Horrors fits nicely into the horror genre of anime, with a very episodic approach that can be compared to Tales from the Crypt. The only connection between the episodes is the pet shop at which the story centers around. All of the stories end in tragic ways, and explore a bit of human nature. A great find for fans of the dwindling horror genre. Now if only they had made more then 4 episodes.