Of all video games to receive anime adaptations, it is often the pornographic dating simulations that receive the most attention. Maybe it's the already detailed storylines or fleshed-out cast, but these series have always seemed to translate well into animated format. Lunar Legend Tsukihime proves to be no different, as it sheds a darker, more introspective light on dating-sim adaptations.

The story revolves around Shiki Tohno, a seemingly-average high school student. However, unlike the rest of the world, Shiki can see the threads of fate that run through all objects, be they living or inanimate. As one would expect, severing those threads will completely destroy the object in question. One would expect that such a gift would drive a person insane unless it was somehow nullified. Enter a mysterious sorceress, who gives Shiki a pair of glasses that block out the Red Lines of Death (TM).

Because of the woman's gift, Shiki is able to lead a mostly normal life. However, everything changes when Shiki and a strange woman cross paths. Shiki is attracted to this woman but not in the lovey-dovey, romantic way. Instead, he cuts the womans' life threads, effectively reducing the lady to a bloody mess. Much to Shiki's chagrin, the same woman is alive, well, and looking for him. The woman introduces herself as Arcueid Brunsted: princess of the True Ancestors (read: vampires), and demands that Shiki become her "shield." As one can expect, Shiki's life will never be the same again.

In just a single instant, Shiki realizes he is screwed.	A rare moment of tenderness between Shiki and Arcueid.

The original PC game contained some 5,000 pages of text, so one can safely assume that the television adapation contains a fairly dense retelling of the story. The plot is delivered in a fashion that almost ensures an eager addiction from the beginning. The atmosphere of the series is dark and moody, with very few opportunities to break the omnipresent tension. The tension is welcome, though, as everything builds up to create a story that can carry action or conversation with little difficulty. Arcueid proves to be an intriguing enigma of a character that will hopefully gain the exposure she deserves through the series.

Tsukihime attempts to differentiate itself from the rest of the horror anime lot with its subdued, down-to-earth visual style. The characters appear to be designed with the real world in mind, for the most part. The character designs tend to shy away from unnatural hair color, and larger eyes in an attempt at a more realistic appearance. The series is presented in a widescreen format. Animation proves to be clean and smooth in all situations, including the simple conversations that tend to be ignored by many series. This volume benefits from a recent master, and transferred well to DVD. The disc shows no signs of aliasing, cross-coloration, artifacts, or other visual defects.

Toshiyuki Omori, the composer for the series, went to great lengths to create a soundtrack that manages to be simple, yet effective. Much of the series' music consists of strings and piano. Even the tense action melodies add little more than synthesized drums to the mix. The simplicity is works well in enhancing the mood of the series. The opening theme, "The Sacred Moon," is a gorgeous choral and instrumental arrangement that has a haunting, yet pleasing quality to it. The show's closer, "Rinne no Hate ni," is a somber song performed by Fumiko Orisaka that tells the tale of a lost soul, and its search for a special someone, even if it takes until the end of eternity. The acting on both tracks is strong, and portray the characters well. However, the Japanese track has a chemistry that the English version appears to lack.

Despite the series' rich background, it seems that Geneon has decided to offer a more basic presentation to viewers. The volume is available as a disc-only version, or a limited edition that includes an art box. The disc is in a clear keepcase with a reversible cover. The first cover uses an image of Arcueid as she stands before a background that is marked with the Red Lines of Death (TM). The back of the case contains several shots from the show set over a bolld-spattered moon. A brief summary, as well as lists of the episodes and features on the disc are positioned below the images. The second cover features Hisui as the cover girl as she stands before the "Red Lines" background. The back of the second cover mirrors the first, but places more focus on Hisui over Shiki and Arcueid. The insert contains a shot of each of the character two cover characters, which are accompanied by a short profile of each character. The menus list the options in front of a moonlit shot of a lake. The sole extra on the disc is a textless version of the opening animation.

Tsukihime has taken all of the proper steps to ensure a successful start. If the series can holds its focus on the delightfully dark storyline and eerie atmosphere, then Tsukihime could become one of the rare, must-have shows on the market.

Distributor: Geneon
Creator: TYPE-MOON/Tsukihime Project
Released: 2003

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