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Pet Shop of Horrors Director: Toshio Hirata Number of Items: 1 Format: Color, Animated, Dolby Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Running Time: 95 minutes Studio: Urban Vision Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2001-02-27 Buy from Amazon

Customer Reviews: Total numer of reviews: 24 Average rating: 5.0 "Filled with mystery...." I really love physiological thrillers and anime especially so its not surprising that I love this, or that this started my love for this area of anime. What is surprising is how much I can watch this and: 1) Never get tired of it 2) Find something new each time 3) Hate the Daughter episode more and love all the others more each time I see them I can't wait for the manga to be released on June 16th of 2003 (which this is based on). "Very good lessons to be learned" This DVD contains 4 different episodes. All 4 episodes deal with the weaknesses and temptations we all of go through - or could go through. Excellently written with an eye for perfection. "Understanding What's in Front of the Dotted Line" Deep in the heart of the city is Chinatown, a rather mysterious location playing by rules of its own. Located there is a petshop ran by the rather enjoyable Count D, one whose motto is "to sell love, dreams and hopes" by granting each of its customers something special. With those come only a few rules and the signing of a contract; a document that should be followed carefully because the petshop cannot be held responsible if it is ignored. The series is broken up into 4 episodes, all enjoyable and some even moreso than others. Although animals are involved in all of the tales, there are other ideas posed here by the assembly of talents such as Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Bio Hunter, Ninja Scroll, Wicked City) and Hisashi Abe (Vampire Hunter D) that overcast this tale with more than their far share of darkness. The first tale begins a little slowly, with parents that want nothing more than to reclaim the most precious jewel they lost, and ends on a bit of a "happy" note, dealing with politics and the high costs of happiness. Still, the two pieces that occur in the middle; one dealing with love and the concept of crocodile tears and the other leveling its eyes at the struggles the successful have and the mirror into with ambition casts its gaze, are beautifully done. For these two alone I would have given this five stars, but there was so much more. Perhaps it should be noted that these tales are not soaked in gore and violence, but are instead little snapshots of the souls that are affected and the things that possess them. While there are moments of both, this is endowed is quite a bit more as well, making you wonder exactly what type of "exotic" pet you're leasing the next time you need a companion. "Right up there with Vampire Hunter D" This anime is kinda creepy. The four stories were very well thought out, my favorite being Despair. The animation was very well done, and the dubbing was good. The overall show has a great quality to it, like most other anime I've seen by urban vision (such as Vampire Hunter D, Bloodlust). Unfortunatly, there was only one DVD. Hopefully, they'll make more! "Wish there were more like this" Excellent piece of animation. Wish there were more movies with short tales like this. The stories are short but very interesting.