Don't rush to see this. You can live the rest of your life without it.
Just because an anime demands your full attention, doesn't make it great or even good. I hate those so called anime fans who feels everything forces you to think somewhat is a special must see title. Darkside Blues is a very easy anime movie to hate. This is something that requires a little bit of work to fully understand. Now is it worth the extra viewings? I would say no. Simply because it has very little to no plot. And an ending that makes sense but not worth all of the trouble trying to figure it out. Plus some questions aren't answered.

The story is about an organization that rules about 90% of the world. The 10% they don't own is a dangerous place called Kabuki Town which is also called Darkside Tokyo. However, this place has the most freedom.

Now like I said the plot is almost non existent. Things take place for several reasons that are answered in the movie. But I just feel for the most part things is thrown in there just to have a movie. The main character Darkside who appears to be the hero. Is by far the most interesting person. He uses mystical powers to battle plus conduct a mystic cleansing of the mind for some. I don't think he was used to his full potential and the character is pretty much wasted to me. The character development is very weak and towards the end I found myself not caring for any of them.

The fights aren't too bad. Nothing too gory and bloody but it's there. The animation seems a bit too old for the year this came out. The soundtrack is terrible. And the dialogue sometimes comes off sounding very dumb.

I didn't find Darkside Blues to be horrible but it definitly isn't good. I would give it a 2.5 if possible. I honestly can't see how anyone could like this enough to give it more than a 3. I don't believe extra viewings is needed for this movie. Simply because of what I said earlier. It doesn't reward you for your time spent in the end. If you haven't seen Darkisde Blues, it would be a good idea to skip it for another 14 years. Or at the very least, make it your last rental or buy. There are far better anime titles out there that are more complex. I really don't see the sense beating your head against the wall over this. This title should definitly be avoided if you're the type who hates working to understand an anime.

Anime fans tempted: avoid
I was drawn to this movie because I enjoyed the Vampire Hunter D films and other darker-style anime. It was a big mistake. This movie starts off terribly, having no hook whatsover. Nothing to be drawn towards. It doesn't get any more interesting and by the middle I could not wait for it to be over. The animation is second rate and we've seen every character design before. Do yourself a favor and avoid, there are much better full-length anime feature films. Try Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, or Jin-Roh instead.

If you liked Demon City Shinjuku, Vampire Hunter D, or Wicked City...
You'll hate this.

Avoid this like the plague.

This movie begins in the middle and ends in the middle, none of your questions will be answered, EVERYTHING is left up to interpretation, and the director/creator fails miserably at attempting to spark interest by revealing absolutely NOTHING and maintaining secrecy throughout the entire (if you must call it) "FILM".

Dark Hope
Despair can become hope and hope gets you moving to change. A man dressed in all black inside a carriage driven by four horses returns a young boy fallen into a dimensional hole fleeing bullies who want to do him harm. The movie is mysterious and dark. The Persona company owns a large part of the world and there is a small percentage who are still free from its domain. The individuals are the low of the low with a few decent people who are trying to make the best of a bad situation. The man dressed in all black takes the name Darkside and different events start to take off. There are stories within stories. Individuals with different abilities and rebels fighting against the company. It kept my interest and loved the blues soundtrack.

I love dark animes
Such a low rating isn't fair! It was a deep movie and yes, hard to understand but I liked it none the less! It deserves higher than a 3. It had good fighting and great animation in it. I would love to see it again at anytime! I really did like this anime.