A comment on a chat board suggested that this series (film and TV) was not merely as good as Buffy, but actually "better." I have noted in other reviews that Whedon and Buffy literally changed the face of television (in terms of expectations of plot, casting, action etc) so to state the case mildly I was intrigued and ordered this DVD. Verdict? Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. This is the second time I have tracked down a hard to find DVD based on a single comment (the last one was Kiltro, also reviewed on IMDb, a rare South American martial arts film that was supposed to be riveting but instead deserved to be riveted) and the second time I have ended up astonished at what some individuals will consider to be quality. Let's be clear - I love both Japanese films and TV. I did a review of Lone Wolf and Cub here, after watching it beginning to end, a multi-year series and still consider it one of the best works of its kind. This is not even in the same league. It fails on all counts. The young actress playing Misa has an interesting face, but that novelty wears off in the time it takes to cook an egg. The special effects are considerably beneath what was available in the 90s when this was produced, suggesting budget issues. The script is horrendous, even when you take into account that it takes place in a high school and is spoken by high schoolers. The supernatural elements appear to be stolen from Hammer Studios in the 60s and border on silly. The direction is lugubrious. In all, completely forgettable, and should have been forgotten, if not for misguided fanboys in chat groups prattling on about things they simply do not understand.

A young student and aspiring wizard comes to a new school where she makes friends with some difficulty. Before long, however, she finds herself having to protect her new friends and herself against the powerful forces of darkness that are conspiring against them. This synopsis may sound like a "Harry Potter" movie, but this movie has something that over-hyped mega-budgeted Hollywood franchise sorely lacks--hot girl-on-girl action! Actually, this movie has plenty of exploitative elements, but they veer more toward the violent than the sexy--i.e. a topless satanic crucifixion, a toilet stall drowning (don't ask), a pretty realistic decapitation. Fortunately for gore-minded viewers, Misa, the lead character, proves singularly incompetent in protecting her friends from the forces of evil. The females are generally on the receiving end of most of the extreme violence, but they are also the strongest characters with most of the males reduced to cowering peripheral figures. The movie is also a happy medium between the more child-oriented "Haunted School" type Japanese horror films (which adults may find pretty boring) and the more sexploitative fare like "Kekko Kammen" (which tend to substitute believable adolescent characters with talentless strippers and porn starlets spilling out of schoolgirl outfits). This has fairly credible and likable characters despite the strong exploitation elements. It compares pretty favorably to films like "Battle Royale".It is set in one of those strange Japanese schools where the one male teacher brazenly feels up his female students and the lesbian principal does a whole lot more than that. (Movies like this don't exactly instill one with confidence about the Japanese educational system). I'm not going to claim that this movie is objectively of the same caliber as a "Harry Potter" movie, but I sure enjoyed it more.

Version: Japanese, with English subtitles (by SBS)With my knowledge of Japanese horror movies limited to the 'Ringu' and Takashi Miike's 'Audition', I caught this on SBS one night. I really liked 'Audition', but I found the Ring movies to be rather boring, so I watched this few expectations. When it was over, I was pretty impressed.Misa Kuroi (Kimika Yoshino) is a witch, her secret means she gets transferred from school to school. Rumours constantly follow her - they say that people in her presence are prone to dying. Naturally, dark forces at work at her new school, and one night, Misa and twelve other students (that makes 13, get it?) are locked in the school. They will all die unless Misa can protect them.Story wise, it isn't very original, but its still rather interesting. Horror wise, it is pretty good. Dealing with the occult and supernatural, 'Wizard of Darkness' is stylish and gory. Nice special effects, and what surprised me was the fact that there were good actors in what is essentially gory teen-horror.It gets a bit Japanese at times, and if you've seen a few Japanese horror or action movies, you'll know what I'm talking about, e.g. unusual situations involving lesbians. If you don't like these movies, then maybe its best to avoid 'Wizard of Darkness, as it features unusual situations involving lesbians, among other things.8/10 - Check it out if you like Japanese horror, or horror in general.

Here's a sexy and bloody by-the-numbers supernatural teen horror film that somehow manages to be fresh and exciting. The tight and intelligent script is matched by high production values, interesting characters, slick special effects, and a haunting musical score. The direction is smart and generates a tense atmosphere of ever-increasing dread without dipping into cheap thrill exploitation. Highly recommended as a late night scare-fest - particularly if you enjoy watching girls dabble in the black arts.