Plot: What’s it about?
Dr. Harasaka hasn’t practiced medicine in well over a decade, but he isn’t retired, he simply left the profession in short order. This is because of his involvement in some kind of unusual experimentation, though details on this remain vague. His absence from the medical field is soon ended however, when he is asked to work for a few months at a local hospital and by turn, he agrees to join the hospital’s staff. As soon as he arrives, he becomes overcome by visions of the various females he encounters, lurid visions of them under his control. He imagines himself as master of these women, being able to have his way with them whenever he pleases, to use them to satisfy his own perverse desires. Of course, in his mind these women are willing slaves, though in reality, that’s not a likely scenario, to say the least. He is soon introduced to his new boss, who turns out to be the woman he experimented on years before, which presents an awkward encounter. But she is well aware of who he is and in fact, she chose him because of the skills he displayed in the experiment. She wishes to create a new secret service of sorts, one in which the nurses will service rich clients, in whichever ways they so wish. This means Harasaka will train them to become these willing slaves, which he is more than happy to do, of course…
As Anime 18 is known for its adult oriented anime releases, I am a little surprised that this one was released in a truncated version. As Night Shift Nurses is loaded with sex, violence, and disturbing images, I can’t imagine why so much has been trimmed out for this edition, but whatever the case, its a disappointment. I’m not sure of the exact cuts, but articles I’ve read indicate about twenty minutes of missing scenes, which is a substantial amount and without question, alters the flow and impact of the picture. In this shortened version, we still see the usual hentai elements and it is a solid release, but I wish an uncut & uncensored edition could be issued, so we could see the movie as it was intended. As you should be able to surmise from the synopsis, Night Shift Nurses is a dark and very unusual anime release, as it involves some rather offputting moments, even for a seasoned hentai audience. But it never goes far beyond the normal boundaries of the genre, though it might in the excised footage, I can’t say for certain. The animation is slick and fun to watch, with solid character designs and smooth, fluid motion. A better than average hentai release in terms of visuals, which makes it a more well rounded experience. Even so, I cannot recommend this version of Night Shift Nurses, though an uncut edition would be most welcome.
Video: How does it look?
Night Shift Nurses is presented in a full frame transfer, as intended. As this program has some shining visuals, I wanted to see an impressive transfer here and for the most part, Anime 18 has delivered just that. A few problems crop up in a few scenes, but nothing too serious and it doesn’t lessen the experience much. The animation looks very good here, with vibrant colors and well balanced contrast, so the visuals don’t skip a beat. A little aliasing is noticed at times, as are some light compression hiccups, but these prove to be mere minor distractions, leaving me to score this one as above average.
Audio: How does it sound?
A basic, but effective couple of stereo tracks are included here, with Japanese and English language options. I scanned both tracks for review’s sake, but I recommend the Japanese choice, as per usual. I liken this mix to a clean, sharp television presentation, as there isn’t much in terms of dynamic presence, but the elements still sound very good. The music is well crafted and it sounds acceptable here, while sound effects are limited in this stereo mix, but come through as well as possible. I was pleased with the vocals also, as dialogue is clean and never out of balance. This disc also includes optional English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a selection of artwork, a promotional trailer, and an introduction to anime, which is a handy inclusion for newcomers.
