Movie: Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 3: Goblin Cat is a tight little script compared to the previous volumes of the series, ultimately leading to a spin off series starring the main character, a medicine vendor played by Takahiro Sakurai. The show starts off innocently enough as the vendor seems to be going door to door selling his stuff, stopping at the modestly successful Sakai clan residence. It soon becomes apparent that his visit is anything but routine when the young bride is viciously murdered on her wedding day, leading the suspicions to be cast about and all heck breaking loose. Needless to say, the vendor (who is never given a proper name in either language, is the suspect until the carnage continues. The vendor then takes center stage as he figures out it is a dark spiritual presence causing the death toll to rise, claiming that he needs to know exactly what set the stage for the demons to have the energy to cross over and harm the humans. Just beneath the surface, the vendor appears to have his own secrets involving a mysterious past but the people learn to trust him and after much hemming and hawing, a variety of possible answers are offered the man. Making use of the information, he sets out to release the spirit before further harm can be done, but not without a lot of luck, and work, are employed by the man and his nervous allies.

Okay, as another stand alone volume in the trilogy of Edo Era, this one also had the same low budget feel of the other releases but at least provided some okay action in the form of the medicine man fighting the powerful monster cat (the Japanese title translates closely to the term, Bake Neko). Using a series of talismans as mystical shields, he first tries to capture the spirit but the size is not relative to a small cat so much as a huge monster feeding off the negative energies of the household. The vendor's elfin appearance is the first clue that he is more than a simple merchant but once the group is under fire, so to speak, his command is absolute and relatively unquestioned by the residents, including a mean spirited samurai that had a past where he sharpened his blades on household pets as a hobby, fueling the wrath of the demon.

I'm not going to kid you and tell you that the tale was exceptional in any way though; the animation sucked, the story needed polish, and it was substantially shorter than the previous volumes, but it did have some spark worth looking at in the spin off series from what I'm told (it's only just started airing) and the caricatures of the household members amounts to a two dimensional series of stereotypes that fans may appreciate picking apart as they are literally picked off one by one; evidence of a twisted writer at work having a bit of fun. I know this sounds kind of short for a review but without spoiling the rest of the fun (it only lasted about an hour), there really wasn't a lot to talk about; the guy comes to visit, deaths take place, he solves the crime, and then fights the monster. This basic dynamic is akin to our cop shows as much as most television just juiced up with the supernatural presence so if you're really interested, check this one out as a Rent It.

Picture: Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 3: Goblin Cat was presented in the same 1.33:1 ratio full frame color it was shot in for Japanese television by director Kenji Nakamura. While not a recent release in Japan, the show looked decidedly retro in terms of the animation style and lack of fluid movement. The print had scratches and if you told me it was made twenty years ago, I would not have doubted you for a second. The lack of depth and detail on the characters was clear with the various special visual effects looking like a student art project more than a commercial release from what I could see. The artifacts and shimmer present was low end with my assessment being that even had the story been great, it would have suffered these aspects sorely; especially at the end when all the carnage was going on.

Sound: The audio was presented in a straightforward 2.0 Dolby Digital offering with the usual choice of the original Japanese tracks or a newly created English language dub; both with optional English language subtitles. The voices were clear in both but the special effects and score were so minimal that I almost forgot about them this time. Rather than employ the aural qualities to further the story elements as they should have been, the volume merely provided the barebones version of audio experience needed to get the job done. The separation between the tracks and dynamic range were unimpressive as was the voice acting on both sets of tracks so don't get all worked up for this one.

Extras: The only extras were the clean openings and closings of the show and a glossary of a few terms from the show. Given the length of the show, I'd have liked something more but did not expect it after the limitations of Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 1 and Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 2

Final Thoughts: Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 3: Goblin Cat like Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 1 and Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 2, was decidedly for a niche audience and not the majority of anime fans out there who like comedy, science fiction themes, or the romance stuff so frequently making the rounds. The horrific elements seemed truncated and the blood flowed freely with the animation style showing static cells moved about to portray movement, exactly like what was used in Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 1 and Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 2. I'm not a huge fan of that style or of horror releases but was asked to check this one out and though it was the best of the trilogy, the best of a weak series is nothing to sing & dance over if you catch my drift. Still, if you like low budget horror anime Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 3: Goblin Cat might work for you better than it did for me.

If you enjoy anime, take a look at some of the recommendations by DVD Talk's twisted cast of reviewers in their Best Of Anime 2003, Best Of Anime 2004, Best of Anime 2005, and Best of Anime 2006 articles or their regular column Anime Talk.