At times, even the greatest of storytellers will craft tales that disappoint. Go Nagai's Demon Lord Dante appears to be following an Icarian path, as the show soared gloriously through its first arc, but begins a sharp downward spiral toward mediocrity in the next. The sudden changes presented in this volume are unwelcome contributions that stunt the growth of what began as a potentially entertaining horror feature.

The first volume of Dante offered a dark, enthralling voyage into the darker realms of Go Nagai's creations. With the second volume, the creative staff attempts to inject action into the mostly calm and macabre series, with varying results. The spats between Dante and his adversaries continue to be well-performed as they reveal more of the unfolding plot and offer a much-needed shot of adrenaline to the series. The rest of the action is delievered through a new quartet of characters known as the Four Horsemen. However, unlike the rest of the players in the series, the horsemen provide little more than gratuitous, and often morbid violence. These scenes seem out of place, and do little more than detract from the overall atmosphere of the series. On the flip side, the more subtle and dramatic segments continue to create a wonderfully dark, tense situation that leaves viewers begging for more.

The horsemen just seem to be around to increase the show's kill count.	Devilman, anyone?

For this release, Geneon opted for a dual release. The limited edition contains an additional sheet of temporary tattoos. The cover uses an image of Dante as he strikes a pose from his icy prison. The back of the package utilizes the same format as the first volume, with a series of images, a short summary, and a description of the disc's contents in front of a "hellfire" background. For extras, Geneon has included highlights for episodes seven through ten, another set of character profiles, and a video interview with series creator Go Nagai. The interview is possibly the most desireable extra, as it delves into the origins of Dante and why it took thirty years for the series to be animated, among well as other tidbits about Nagai's career.

The second volume of Demon Lord Dante feels like Devilman, minus the charm. The episodes presented prove to be exceptionally weak, especially in comparison to those on the first disc. Unless the series shifts more toward plot focus over mindless mayhem, it will find itself resting only in the minds of die-hard fans.

Distributor: Geneon
Creator: Go Nagai
Released: 2002

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