OBSCURE O.V.A.S, *Vampire Wars

Toei Animation has a splendid track record with titles like Sailor Moon, One Piece, and Transformers, but when it came to their single OVA of Vampire Wars they seriously flattened all four tires. Based on the book series by Kiyoshi Kasai, this action-packed supernatural sample was directed by Kazuhisa Takenouchi who usually works directed good OVAs like 3X3 Eyes, where here he's value got dialed down to near zero. Manga Entertainment provided the curse-filled dub on DVD in both the UK and America for this 1991 anime, even though this mix of intrigue and vampire slaying doesn't gel at all.

Wanted criminal Kousaburo Kuki is in France when he gets cornered by the French Secret Service who pressure him into working for them as a secret agent. This involves an attack on an American space base and a dead CIA man found in France which both tie back a secret cabal of vampires who are really the descendants of a race of aliens. These space bloodsuckers, who can walk around in the daylight, are really the enemies of a different race that plan on invading Earth. The only thing that can stop this possible assault is the blood of famous actress Lamia that the vampires can use to resurrect their spiritual leader. Kuki has to protect Lamia as she is nabbed by the Americans even though the movie star's vampire powers kick in as she frees herself and turns Kuki into a vampire to help her deal with all the other greedy factions wanting her blood. The story ends with only the "war" going on in it left dangling as the OVA never got a continuation.

Manga Entertainment did a horrendous job on the dub while concurrently having no idea how to market this when they released it. The fact that they came out with it at the same time of the likewise titled Psychic Wars didn't help either causing confusion for any prospective buyers. Vampire Wars pulls along like a scratchy Tom Clancy novel rip off while throwing in a dodgy L. Ron Hubbard take on vampire lore that actually makes Twilight look good. You are missing nothing by leaving this buried lump of excrement in the pile of dung it came from.