Shihaisha no Tasogare

Since the beginning of time, monstrous Demons and noble Guardians have battled for Earth - the everlasting gift of the one great Mother, creator of all life. A deep hatred burns between Demon and Guardian; the Guardians prevented the Demons from destroying humanity and the world itself.

Eons later, Neo-Shinjuku City: few Demons or Guardians remain to continue their epic war. Humans rule the Earth, with no real memory of either Demons or Guardians. Yet deep within the dark underworld of the city, one supreme Demon is alive and plotting to subjugate mankind. Only one Guardian is left to do battle, and the fate of the human race is at stake.

Based on the Graphic Novel
"Twilight of the Dark Master (Shihaisha no Tasogare)" (Shinshokan) by Saki Okuse

(Source: DVD Back Cover)

Shijo, Tsunami Main

Seki, Toshihiko Japanese

Takamiya Main

Katou, Seizou Japanese

Kurizawa, Eiji Main

Yasui, Kunihiko Japanese

Tachibana, Shizuka Supporting

Shinohara, Emi Japanese

Junk Supporting

Tatsuta, Naoki Japanese

Tajima Supporting

Murozono, Takehiro Japanese

Kumazawa Supporting

Hashi, Takaya Japanese

Long, Chen Supporting

Takano, Urara Japanese

Long, Huang Supporting

Kamiya, Akira Japanese

Tenku Supporting

Ishimaru, Hiroya Japanese

Maruyama, Masao Producer

Takahashi, Naoko Producer

Shinbou, Akiyuki Director

Oohashi, Yoshimitsu Episode Director

Reviews

Nov 6, 2020

Motokogummi

Recommended

If you are here that means you are already aware of the 80s Anime style, the brutal visceral and atmospheric take from the Japanese talent. Yes this one got it all.

The story is very thin, and as mentioned already here. I will just keep it short. Demons vs Angels as the Prologue itself defines, but this anime is purely for the art, the original hand drawn masterpiece is what makes this OVA shine. It's very similar to the art style of Mr. Kawajiri. And the mystery of the plot keeps it going. That's why you won't even remember the prologue once you are in the ... narration.

Extreme gore is missing for a Cyberpunk work like this, but it will still satisfy for the ones who are looking for something very dark, as the opening itself hits perfect. The screenplay is fantastic, since the story is nothing much to write about the intriguing screenplay is what keeps this alive and makes you lit. The background score which plays in some sequences matches pretty well for the scene, it's very subtle so you will definitely feel it's effect.

Wish they had a 3 part OVA for this work, it would have been excellent as the depth is lacking in the work, characters of the Long siblings should have been explored more and the beautiful women esp Chen, her dominatrix dress in the start gave away strong vibes of extreme sinister thoughts, and female body is shown in the work thoroughly but with a bit of hesitation they should have at-least extended the scenes and went more deeper like Yōjū Toshi. But probably wanted to have a distinct style which the staff definitely achieved, the Demon's capturing of prey is somewhat reminiscent of lovecraftian style, H.R Giger inspired, Vulva with thorns and tentacles, I mean you can clearly see what their intent was, they really held back in my eyes, still a great achievement.

Just watch it for the Art and the Atmosphere, the old anime works like this have always captured 10/10 in the impact, there's simply no way Japan would have such works, it's a lost art. And the best part is it's Timeless so you watch it anytime as you wish.

Thanks for your time.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Nov 23, 2025

Ruuu___

Mixed Feelings

Honestly, this OVA felt pretty mediocre. It is a very beautiful looking piece of work, nicely animated, elegant with pretty colours, giving it a cool atmosphere. The music is also nice, which further contributes to the atmosphere. Cool looking action scenes as well.

The story was honestly not very engaging, and confusing. This seems like it was was rather meant for people who had already read the manga/source material and not really to stand on it's own, which is a bit fair. The side characters were meh, and the whole OVA honestly felt more like a chance for Tsunami to show off.

If you want to ... see it for the pretty animation, you like the vibe of of retro animes with demons in it, or you just want to see the pretty male MC, then you'll probally be fine watching it. But if you are looking for something rich and engaging, this is not the OVA to watch because it is really not that creative, you don't feel any attachment to any of the characters, and the plot is really generic.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Apr 7, 2024

Ghost-Hardware

Not Recommended

The easiest way I can describe Twilight of the Dark Master for you is to imagine a 12 episode (at least) anime getting compressed into a 45 minute OVA. The art and animation are both really great and heavily influenced by Blade Runner - but everything else is a complete and utter mess. The story barely makes any sense and the characters are paper thin. It's not a surprise that this OVA has been long forgotten to the point that even YouTube had very little videos available on it. I can only imagine what went on at the studio behind the scenes that led ... to this being the end result.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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	Poll: Shihaisha no Tasogare Episode 1 Discussion Blackouting - Mar 22, 2014	22 replies	by Kurisu7720 »» May 15, 7:37 AM
	Soundtrack?? removed-user - Jan 5, 2009	1 replies	by HughMungis »» Jan 30, 2025 7:01 PM