Monstrous animals, stinging moral revelations, grisly deaths and poetic justice-"Petshop
of Horrors" comes off as an odd marriage of "Tales from the Crypt" and "Aesop's Fables."
The Cryptkeeper may not be as charismatic as the eerily androgynous Count in "Petshop,"
but at least she has the good taste to remove herself from the stage and let the actors
perform their play. Granted, the slow-tongued Count is the most interesting element in the
series, but his copious, proverbial wisdom is too intrusive.
Sadly, his clients aren't particularly sympathetic, their ill-fated predicaments are
not fleshed out enough to make their sorrows attention worthy. Instead, screenwriter
Yasuhiro Imagawa depicts the characters as pitiable, two-dimensional shadow puppets whose
interpretation relies heavily upon the Count's pre-packaged character summary. Their heart
wrenching tragedies may evoke an "aww shucks, that's too bad" at the most, but their
scenarios are too uninspired to stir emotionally.
Obviously, "Petshop's" creators were more concerned about giving the bulk of the screen
time to flattering bishonen interaction between the sexually ambiguous Count and Japan's
version of the generic all-American good guy, Leon. Leon, the blond, pony-tailed, fist-clenching
plain-clothes-cop emerges as a reject from the "King of Fighters" arcade game and tallies in
as the most disruptive figure in the series.
"Petshop" does have its good moments: the imagery is beautiful and the colors are
rich and vibrant. Unfortunately, the colors work against the desired horror mood. The smoky
red rooms of the Count's shop suggest an underground massage parlor more than a den of mystery.
On the lighter side, the first two episodes show promise in the amusing Count/Leon relationship,
but given its lack of substance, you may find yourself closing down the shop before it has a
chance to really sell.