Street Fighter, Darkstalkers, Final Fantasy, and Star Ocean. What do each of those titles have in common? They are anime series that got their start as popular video games that's what! The latest to join their rank is the cult fan-adored Nippon Ichi Software's Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. Originally a strategy role playing game for the PlayStation 2 system, Disgaea charmed gamers with a sarcastic whit, lively characters, and a fantastic musical score. Of course it didn't hurt that the game was a lot of fun to play as well.

When I first heard that a 12 episode anime was being produced I, like many others, was naturally excited. I'll admit that I didn't quite know what to expect when I started watching the show. I found myself pointing out differences between the game and the animation quite frequently, though there's nothing too "out there" in case you were wondering. The fantastic sense of humor and abundance of personality was still present so thankfully that is one thing that remained intact.

Disgaea tells the tale of a young demon named Leharl who aspires to dominate all other overlords in the Netherworld. In the game he was sleeping inside of his castle but in this rendition his coffin is found within the confines of a garbage dump. For two years he has slumbered and it isn't until an angel in training named Flonne wakes him up that he discovers his father has passed away. When he hears about his dad's passing he doesn't well up with tears or get emotional, instead he laughs at the ridiculousness of "death by choking on a meat bun" and states how his old man was weak. What do you want? He's a demon after all!

As it turns out Flonne is an assassin sent by the Powers that Be (IE: Seraph). As fate would have it she was actually ordered down to the Netherworld two years ago to kill King Krichevskoy (Laharl's father). Accepting the fact that he's already dead she kind of harasses Laharl until they are interrupted by Captain Gordon, the 37th Defender of Earth. Gordon and his comrades Thursday and Jennifer crash down on top of Laharl and Flonne in their space ship and attack them when they realize that Laharl is a demon. This results in Flonne losing a pendant that allows her to stay in the Netherworld and Gordon's crew being catapulted a great distance.

To make a long story short Laharl gives Flonne the pendant back after it appears during a confrontation with Mid-Boss (that's Dark Adonis to you!). With Flonne now being indebted to Laharl she becomes one of his vassals along side of Etna and a plethora of Prinnies (demonic penguins that love to say dood). This ragtag band of misfits takes the next couple of episodes to wander the countryside looking for a way to bring Laharl to power. My favorite event that occurs during this course of action involves Etna and Flonne exchanging personalities and outfits in the process. If you were ever a fan of the game this moment alone will be one of the dominant reasons to pick up this first volume.

In so many ways Disgaea the anime (so far) embodies what I loved about the game. Laharl, Etna, and Flonne are quite the trio and their adventures appear to be headed down a familiar yet slightly different road. Their characteristics and personalities have remained intact for the most part and despite the fact that I'm sure some of you will nitpick minor details, this is one of the most faithful (dare I say successful) game to anime crossovers that I have seen.

From start to finish the four episodes in this introductory volume were without a doubt everything that I was hoping for. We'll see where the other eight episodes in the series go but hopefully it branches away from the episodic direction that it seems to be headed. Either road that the show winds up heading down should be a fun trip though. This is a "must have" for otaku who loved the game and was more than enough to make me want to play the game again!

The DVD:

Disgaea the anime was released in Japan only last year so the transfer we get for this DVD is piping hot and fresh. The 1.78:1 anamorphic image is incredibly vibrant and captures the very essence of the game's universe. Everything from the character designs to animation and surrounding world has a certain "Disgaea" feel to it. The picture quality is strong for the most part with a relatively reliable image. There were a few occasions where grain was noticeable and even more so where bouts of compression popped up. Overall it's not a bad looking image but it's certainly a transfer that could have been better.

Instead of opting for a 5.1 English presentation Geneon has provided 2.0 stereo tracks for English and Japanese. It's unfortunate that we didn't receive a more technically impressive and immersive language track but it's not necessary to enjoy the dubbings. Both tracks hold up surprisingly well with the English dub containing some of the original voice actors from Hour of Darkness. The sound quality for both selections was fine and I didn't encounter any problems with the audio.

Like most anime on the market Disgaea's first volume has a few extra features worth mentioning. For starters there are a handful of previews, a trailer for Disgaea 2 the video game (if you're a fan of the series you have most likely played it already), and some clean animation. The only thing really worth noting is a short interview segment with some of the original Japanese members. Nothing too revolutionary is brought about by this feature but fans will appreciate some of the discussion.

Disgaea's first volume met just about every expectation that I had for it. The characters were a blast, the atmosphere oozed charm, and the story was lighthearted, bordering on maniacally pointless. This is a series that will undoubtedly be enjoyed mostly (but not exclusively) by fans of the game franchise. If you'd consider yourself amidst that fanbase then you have something to be excited about. It'll be interesting to see where the future volumes take Laharl and company but you can rest assured that if they are anything like this volume it'll be a trip worth taking. Highly Recommended

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