Over the years, Go Nagai has released works that oozed both of genius and insanity. His perversion and incredibly unique style show through every story he works on. Demon Lord Dante proves to be no exception to this rule with an oddly captivating story and a helping of nudity added for good measure. The moody atmosphere accompanied by Go Nagai's authoring combine to create the beginning of what could be Nagai's best "dark" series since Devilman.

For Ryo Utsugi, insomnia would be a blessing. For the past ten days, he has had a recurring nightmare about a gigantic monster that has lain dormant for many years in its icy Himalayan prison. Ryo's situation only grows more bizarre when he begins to have strange premonitions of grisly murders. At the same time, Satanists from around the world are gathering in an attempt to resurrect the greatest demon lord of all, Dante. Through black masses and sacrifices, the sects attempt to undo what has been created and unleash the great beast. Ryo's troubles come to a peak when the mountaineering club invites him to join in on a trip to the local "beginner peak". On the trip, an unseasonable snow falls and the group takes refuge in a small cabin. Ryo, however, remains restless. A voice calls for him, and he follows it despite the rest of the club's attempts to hold him back. Jumping blindly off a cliff, Ryo finds himself transported to the Himalayas, where he stands face to face with Demon Lord Dante himself. Without as much of a chance, Ryo is consumed by the great Dante, but awakens some time later seemingly unscathed. However, his body had changed... Ryo had become what has haunted his nightmares. He had taken the body of the greatest beast of all, Dante.

This volume presents a brilliant doorway into Go Nagai's devilish world. Although the plot itself seems generic at first glance, the elements quickly begin to fall into place. Ryo's plight is quickly known, as is the threat of the upcoming battle between good and evil. Tension is well-paced and builds up well through the course of the four episodes, which leads to an excellent cliffhanger by the end of the fourth episode. Ryo develops well through these episodes, as viewers quickly learn his character and motivations. The secondary characters receive plenty of time to mature as characters as well, which helps the series become more "organic" in its execution. As a caveat, this is a series revolving around a battle between Satanists and Christians. Therefore, the show contains several grisly scenes that may be unsuitable for younger viewers or the squeamish.

Meet Dante, the most powerful demon in the netherworld.	Ryo Utsugi smiles, blissfully unaware of what fate is plotting.

Coming from a 2002 master, Dante has made a flawless jump to DVD. The colors are vibrant, with no visual defects. The show itself presents itself well, with intriguing designs for both the Satanists and the Christian characters. The animation is standard television fare that features mostly fluid animation that are accompanied by a few "jerks" in character movements at times. However, these inconsistencies do not detract from the overall program and are easily overlooked.

Aurally, this disc could have fared better. For most of the disc, the audio is clear, with no distortions or dropouts on either track. However, on the opening sequence for the fourth episode, the Japanese track has a hollow echo to it. While it is distracting, the error does not appear to affect the rest of the episode. In regards to the acting, the Japanese cast manages to convey the situation well. In contrast, the English cast takes more of an amateurish approach to the series. The English audio sounds forced and unnatural. Ryo's English actor portrays plays his part in a whiney, pitiful tone rather than the tormented individual the character is. The English performance is mediocre at best, especially when compared to the original Japanese acting.

Geneon has managed to provide a fetching presentation for potential consumers with this disc. The front of the packaging features an image of Dante striking a fearsome pose below a glowing pair of eyes with Ryo's visage peering from between them. The back of the packaging features a "hellfire" setup, with flames creeping up the right side and black space on the left. The "black space" features a brief description of the disc's content and extras, while the "flames" have a series of screens from the disc. The insert features a return of the cover art on the front, and a series of screens from each episode on the inside. The menu takes a diferent approach from the norm, with an image of Ryo on the left side and the selections on the right. The image of Ryo shifts from human to demonic sides in a loop. When a selection is made, Dante's image superimposes itself over the screen as a short transition.

On the extras side, Geneon managed to obtain a few intriguing extras for this release. Along with the standard textless opening and closing sequences, the disc sports a character gallery that contains a brief description of the show's major characters and the trailer for the series' American release. Two highlight reels (one from episodes three and four, one from episodes five and six) provide a quick recap for the final episodes on the disc, as well as a tantalizing teaser for the next release. The most intriguing extra on the disc is reserved for the Press Conference Clip. The clip itself is a brief segment taken from the show's production conference that includes reactions from Go Nagai and the Kenichi Maejima (the series' director) about Demon Lord Dante. The clip provides some insight into the insight of how Demon Lord Dante was created, and what "spinoffs" it created as a result.

With an decent lead-in and plenty of Go Nagai charm, Demon Lord Dante has begun with a mighty roar. If the series keeps up with the pace it has set, Dante could easily become the next "must-have" series to come from Geneon's library.

Distributor: Geneon
Creator: Go Nagai
Released: 2002

Video Quality: A
Audio Quality: B-
Presentation: B+
Content: B
Overall: A-