Guardian of Darkness

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Guardian of Darkness is a three-episode OVA anime by studio J.C.Staff, released from 1990 to 1992. Each episode runs about 45 minutes. It was directed and written by Osamu Yamazaki.

Plot in simple terms:
- Terumi is a shy high school girl who is teased by her classmates.
- An ancient dragon lord offers to make her beautiful and popular if she lets the dragon possess her.
- She agrees and starts hurting the girls who bullied her.
- Her friend Kouichi is approached by the god Susano to possess him so he can help defeat the dragon.
- A priestess named Sayoko explains the ongoing war among gods.
- To kill the dragon, the host must die, so Kouichi faces a tough choice while trying to save Terumi.

Production and release:
- Made by J.C.Staff, produced by Nobuhisa Abe and Shigeaki Komatsu.
- In Japan, released across three VHS volumes (first in March 1990, last in January 1992).
- North American rights were held by Central Park Media; the UK release was by ADV Films UK.
- The English-dubbed version came out on VHS in 1997–1998; a DVD with original Japanese audio and English subtitles was released in 1999, and a 2003 re-release titled Guardian of Darkness added extras.
- Digital download availability existed in the UK via IGN Direct2Drive.

Reception:
- Some reviewers praised character and dragon designs, the soundtrack, and overall animation, describing it as a fun series for horror and occult fans.
- Others criticized Terumi’s attractive appearance versus her behavior, the portrayal of Susanoo as a good guy, and mispronounced names in the English dub.
- Some found the writing inconsistent and the animation weak, calling the series unmemorable, though the English dub and demon voice effects had some praise.