View source for Nightwalker: The Midnight Detective

{{Short description|Japanese television anime series}}
{{Other uses|Nightwalker (disambiguation)}}
{{Unreliable sources|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox animanga/Header
| name            = Nightwalker — The Midnight Detective
| image           = ightwalkerTheMidnightDetective.jpg
| genre           = {{plainlist|
*[[horror fiction|Horror]]
*[[Mystery fiction|Mystery]]
*[[Adventure (genre)|Adventure]]
}}
| caption         = Cover of the original ''Nightwalker'' game
| ja_kanji        = Nightwalker 真夜中の探偵
| ja_romaji       = Naitouōkā Mayonaka no Tantei 
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Game
| developer       = {{plainlist|
*Tomboy (PC-9801)
*Arieroof (Windows 2000)
}}
| publisher       = 
| platforms       = {{plainlist|
*[[PC-9801]]
*[[Windows 2000]]
}}
| released        = 22 December 1993 (PC-9801) <br /> 25 May 2001 (Windows 2000)
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Video
| type            = TV series
| director        = {{plainlist|
*Yutaka Kagawa <small>(1-4)</small>
*Kiyotoshi Sasano <small>(5-12)</small>
}}
| producer        = Hiroaki Inoue<br />Kinya Watanabe
| writer          = Ryota Yamaguchi
| music           = [[Akifumi Tada]]
| studio          = [[Anime International Company|AIC]]
| licensee        = {{English anime licensee
 | AUS = [[Siren Visual]]
 | NA  = [[Central Park Media]] (former) <br /> [[Discotek Media]]
 | UK  = [[MVM Films]]
}}
| network         = [[TV Tokyo]]
| first           = 8 July 1998
| last            = 23 September 1998
| episodes        = 12
| episode_list    = #Episodes
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Print
| type            = manga
| author          = United Soji
| magazine        = [[Monthly Dengeki Comic Gao!]]
| demographic     = ''[[Shōnen manga|Shōnen]]''
| first           = September 1998
| last            = February 1999
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Footer}}

{{Nihongo|'''''Nightwalker — The Midnight Detective'''''|ナイトウォーカー真夜中の探偵|Naitouōkā Mayonaka no Tantei |lead=yes}} 
is a [[late night anime]] TV series created by Ayana Itsuki that is adapted from a [[PC-9801]] game of the same name.

''Nightwalker'' incorporates elements of the [[horror fiction|horror]], [[detective fiction|detective story]] and [[vampire fiction|vampire]] genres, and is critically noted as a vampire story "with a bit of a twist".<ref name="EX">{{cite web | url = http://www.ex.org/4.1/14-anime_nightwalker.html | title = Night Walker Volume 1 | access-date = 2010-04-23 | author = Maria M. Rider | publisher = Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110606100059/http://www.ex.org/4.1/14-anime_nightwalker.html | archive-date = 2011-06-06 }}</ref><ref name="THEM">{{cite web| url = http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=246 | title=Nightwalker | access-date= 2010-04-23 | author = Carlos Ross | publisher = [[THEM Anime Reviews|T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews]] }}</ref> The main character is Shido, a [[vampire]] who protects humans from other supernatural creatures. A private investigator by day and a demon hunter by night, Shido solves [[murder]] cases caused by monsters called Nightbreeds.

==Video game==
''{{Nihongo|Mayonaka no Tantei Nightwalker|真夜中の探偵 Nightwalker}}'' is a 16-color [[PC-9801]] [[eroge]] released by Tomboy in December 1993. ''Nightwalker'' is an [[adventure game]], focused mostly on character interaction and problem solving. While the main characters of this game have the same names and similar appearances to their anime equivalents, their personalities are generally more easy-going and their backgrounds are less tragic (they all have living relatives). In comparison to the anime, the game is fairly lighthearted, with Shidō and Guni providing comic relief.

''Nightwalker'' was initially developed as a spin-off project of the adult game ''Bishōjo Audition: Find an Idol'' released by Tomboy in February 1993, with the character Rihoko Ayukawa from that game reappearing as a heroine. However, in the process of refining the setting, the heroine's name was changed to Riho Yamazaki, her design was changed, and the story and setting were separated from the previous work. The concept of the world of ''Nightwalker'' itself is based on illustrations from 1992.

In 2001 the developer Arieroof remade this game for [[Windows 2000]] as just ''Nightwalker''. This version uses the same source drawings as the original game, except with 256-color displays, and plays similarly. The characters are recolored, and match the anime more closely. (Shidō's hair is purple, Guni's body is green. Inexplicably, Yayoi's hair is bubblegum pink.)

==Anime==

===Development===
One oddity of the series is that the character designs for the first four episodes are different from the main character designs used for the rest of the series and both the opening and ending.  This is due to the fact that these episodes were intended to be presented as an OVA, with the remaining episodes added after the fact to make up the entire series. In fact, ''Nightwalker'' is the first anime TV series (as opposed to OVA) adaptation of an adult game.

===Story===
In the world of ''Nightwalker'', attacks by the {{nihongo|nightbreed|ナイトブリード}}, minor demons that possess humans and feed on their souls, are relatively common. As a group, nightbreeds (often referred to by the abbreviation 'breed') are usually self-serving and of low intelligence, and they drive a human host to commit crimes. Because these breed-inspired crimes are often difficult to identify, a special agency known as the N.O.S. has been organized to investigate and solve breed-related cases.

Shido, the main character of the series, is a [[vampire]] who decided to defend humans against his demonic brethren as atonement for the sins he committed early in his vampiric life. He knows little of his life prior to becoming a vampire, and even his name is a [[pseudonym]] he took when he arrived in Japan. Upon settling down in Japan, Shido established a one-man (plus one-secretary) private investigator office, which he uses as a means to hunt breeds while keeping his true nature secret. Shido even keeps his identity secret from Riho, a teenage high school girl he decided to employ as a secretary after her parents were killed in a breed attack.

All is not business as usual at Shido's office, however, as Shido is soon forced to reveal to Riho that he is the same sort of creature that killed her parents. Furthermore, Shido's powerful and obsessive sire, Cain, has plans in motion to reclaim Shido, as well as to initiate the 'Golden Dawn', a secret with far-reaching implications for all creatures of the night.

===Characters===
*{{nihongo|'''Shido Tatsuhiko'''|紫藤 龍彦}} {{Voiced by|[[Takumi Yamazaki]]|[[Richard Cansino]]}}
The main character, Tatsuhiko Shido is a private detective. He is also a vampire with the ability to manipulate his own blood to form weapons. It is also implied that he has the ability to create illusions. Shido has an outwardly mercurial personality, but beneath that, he is very serious and dedicated so much so that he is likely to blame himself when something goes wrong. He is often employed by Yayoi Matsunaga. He is a quarter-vampire (one of his grandfathers was a full-blood vampire, and the rest of his family line is of Japanese descent), Shidō has inherited guardianship of the passage between the mortal world and the demon world, but otherwise he lives as a human. His 'day job' is private investigator, and he works closely with the Kanagawa police. Through this connection, he learns that a girl he was unable to save from nightbreeds was a student at St. Michael Girls Academy, and goes to the school to investigate. He is quite pleased about this because he is something of a pervert, and takes plenty of time out to ogle the teenage girls.

*{{nihongo|'''Yayoi Matsunaga'''|松永 弥生}} {{Voiced by|[[Emi Shinohara]]|[[Mari Devon]]}}
An agent with the N.O.S. anti-nightbreed crime unit. Yayoi pays Shido with her blood in exchange for his expertise in investigating nightbreeds, and their relationship goes beyond being strictly professional. In the game, Yayoi comes from a  police family, and her father, the chief of the Yokohama police, worked closely with Shidō's vampiric relatives. As much as Yayoi resents it, she seems to be destined for the same role. She and Shidō dated prior to the game, but the relationship fell apart. Now they spend most of their time together bickering, and Shidō loves to tease her. Yet, there's still a bit of a spark between them.

*{{nihongo|'''Riho Yamazaki'''|山崎理}} {{Voiced by|[[Maaya Sakamoto]]|[[Dorothy Elias-Fahn]]}}
An orphaned high-school aged girl whose family was murdered by nightbreeds. Riho idolizes Shido and works as his secretary, but is initially unaware of that he is a vampire. She learns Shido's secret while attempting to help him with an investigation, but decides to continue working for him despite this. In both the PC Game and anime series, she is a student at St. Michael Academy, she shared a dorm room with Miyako, a girl who as murdered by nightbreeds. Normally cheerful and energetic, Riho is shocked and depressed by her friend's murder. When Shidō comes to her for help, she vows to avenge her friend's death and helps Shidō unravel the conspiracy based out of the school. Shidō drinks Riho's blood in the finalé of the game, and she  becomes a vampire. Because of the death of her parents, she lives by herself in an apartment complex. Originally, ''Nightwalker'' was planned to have Rihoko Ayukawa, a character from a previous Tomboy game ''Bishōjo Audition'', in the role of a heroine; as the project evolved, Rihoko became Riho.

*{{nihongo|'''Guni'''|グニ}} {{Voiced by|[[Ikue Otani]]|[[Sandy Fox]]}}
A small, fairy-like creature. Guni's relationship with Shido is like that of a [[familiar spirit]], but she only assists him if she feels like it. She often irritates the others, especially Riho, with biting remarks.

*{{nihongo|'''Cain'''|カイン}} {{Voiced by|[[Hideyuki Tanaka]]|[[Lex Lang]]}}
Cain transformed Shido into a vampire long before the main events of the series. He and Shido once lived together in Transylvania; where they fed on countless innocent people. Over time Cain's cruelty drove Shido to leave him, though Cain refuses to let him go.

*{{nihongo|'''Mikako'''|ミカコ}} {{Voiced by|[[Makiko Ohmoto]]|[[Lia Sargent]]}}
A childhood friend of Riho's from school. She along with Shunichi and Riho are members of their school's film club.

*{{nihongo|'''Shunichi'''|俊一}} {{Voiced by|[[Akira Ishida]]|[[Lex Lang]]}}
A male friend of Riho and Mikako. He along with Riho and Mikako are members of the film club at school.

===Episodes===
The anime television series was broadcast on [[TV Tokyo]] from July 9, 1998 to September 24, 1998, with each episode referred as nights. In 2001, [[Central Park Media]] licensed and release the anime series on DVD in North America, under the U.S. Manga Corps label. The English dub was produced at [[Bang Zoom! Entertainment]]. The series is currently distributed by [[Siren Visual]] in Australia and in 2013 by [[MVM Films]] in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web|title=MVM to Release Nightwalker Series|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-01-17/mvm-to-release-nightwalker/the-midnight-detective|publisher=Anime News Network|access-date=18 January 2013}}</ref> [[Discotek Media]] has re-licensed the series in North America and released it on August 29, 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-05-06/discotek-licenses-marmalade-boy-sanrio-nutcracker-fantasy/.115778|title=Discotek Licenses Marmalade Boy, Sanrio's Nutcracker Fantasy|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|date=May 6, 2017}}</ref>

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="width:98%; margin:auto; background:#FFF;"
|-
! style="width:3em;"  | No.
! Title
! style="width:12em;" | Original air date
|-
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 1
| Title           = A Visitor in the Night
| AltTitle        = Yami wo kuru mono
| RAltTitle       = &nbsp;({{Nihongo2|闇を来る者}})
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|7|9}}
| ShortSummary    = With Shido and Yayoi on the tail of a night breed causing car accidents, young Riho decides to investigate on her own - which has disastrous results, and ends up with her discovering Shido's secret.
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 2
| Title           = The Terms of Stardom
| AltTitle        = Jyoyuu no jyouken
| RAltTitle       = &nbsp;({{Nihongo2|女優の条件}})
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|7|16}}
| ShortSummary    = Yoko wants to become the greatest actress in the world. There is a short cut, but if you plan to sell your soul for fame and glory, it's best to find out all the details of the deal first.
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 3
| Title           = A Man on the Run
| AltTitle        = Nigeru otoko
| RAltTitle       = &nbsp;({{Nihongo2|逃げる男}})
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|7|23}}
| ShortSummary    = While hunting an acid-spitting breed possessing the body of an injured policeman, Shido is haunted by his creator warning about the coming 'golden dawn'.
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 4
| Title           = The Golden Dawn
| AltTitle        = Ougon no yoake
| RAltTitle       = &nbsp;({{Nihongo2|黄金の夜明け}})
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|7|30}}
| ShortSummary    = While Shido is distracted by a potential cross-breed's birth, Cain abducts Riho. Will Shido take the drastic action needed to save her life?
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 5
| Title           = Medicine for the Dead
| AltTitle        = Shisha no kusuri
| RAltTitle       = &nbsp;({{Nihongo2|死者の薬}})
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|8|6}}
| ShortSummary    = "What price is eternal life?" While Shido hunts a vindictive breed, Riho comes to terms with her new form of existence, and says goodbye to her friends.
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 6
| Title           = The Bottom of A Well
| AltTitle        = Ido no soko
| RAltTitle       = &nbsp;({{Nihongo2|井戸の底}})
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|8|13}}
| ShortSummary    = With Shido trapped in a well on a building site with the breed he was pursuing and the breed's hostage, Riho and Yayoi make a startling discovery in their search for him.
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 7
| Title           = A Mother & Her Son
| AltTitle        = Haha to musuko
| RAltTitle       = &nbsp;({{Nihongo2|母と息子}})
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|8|20}}
| ShortSummary    = Shido very reluctantly takes on the case of a breed feeding on small animals and pets, only to reveal the tragedy of a mother's love.
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 8
| Title           = A Soul Lost in the Darkness
| AltTitle        = Yo aruku mono
| RAltTitle       = &nbsp;({{Nihongo2|夜歩く者}})
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|8|27}}
| ShortSummary    = When an attempt to gain access to an old man's money goes badly wrong, Shido and Yayoi have to clear up the subsequent breed-related mess.
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 9
| Title           = Someone Else's Face
| AltTitle        = Tanin no kao
| RAltTitle       = &nbsp;({{Nihongo2|他人の顔}})
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|9|3}}
| ShortSummary    = The origin story of how Shido first came to the city, acquired Guni, and met Yayoi.
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 10
| Title           = Tears of an Angel
| AltTitle        = Tenshi no namida
| RAltTitle       = &nbsp;({{Nihongo2|天使の涙}})
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|9|10}}
| ShortSummary    = Life changes dramatically for the better when lonely, awkward Yuki finds a pendant containing the angel of happiness. But the angel is both more, and less, than he seems to be.
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 11
| Title           = A Witch in the Forest
| AltTitle        = Mori no majyo
| RAltTitle       = &nbsp;({{Nihongo2|森の魔女}})
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|9|17}}
| ShortSummary    = Two cases, one old, one new, of love and obsession and their terrible consequences, nevertheless reveal the potential of the human heart to overcome evil - and show Shido he is doing the right thing.
}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber   = 12
| Title           = Eternal Darkness
| AltTitle        = Eien no yami
| RAltTitle       = &nbsp;({{Nihongo2|永遠の闇}})
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|9|24}}
| ShortSummary    = Plagued by nightmares and horrifying visions sent by Cain, and acknowledging that nothing is truly forever, Shido finally enters into a relationship with Riho.
}}
|}

===Music===
The soundtrack for the ''Nightwalker'' anime, composed by [[Akifumi Tada]], is noted for its [[jazz]] themes and prominent use of [[saxophone]]s.<ref name="EX"/> The soundtrack also features {{Nihongo|"[[Gessekai]]"|月世界|}} by [[Buck-Tick]] as the opening theme, and {{Nihongo|"Mirai Kōro"|未来航路}} by [[La'cryma Christi]] as the closing theme. ''Gessekai'' is unusual in that it was not a purpose-written [[tie-in]] song, but was selected from Buck-Tick's existing body of work. An official soundtrack was released in Japan on October 14, 1998 by Universal Music Japan.<ref name="VGMbd">{{cite web| url = http://vgmdb.net/album/17345 | title= NightWalker -Midnight Detective- Original Soundtrack | access-date= 2010-04-23 | publisher = VGMdb 0.15 }}</ref>
<div style="width:90%">
{{track listing 
| headline        = ''NightWalker -Midnight Detective- Original Soundtrack'' track list
| title1          = [[Gessekai]]
| note1           = by [[Buck-Tick]]
| title2          = Mirai Kōro 
| note2           = by [[La'cryma Christi]]
| title3          = Avant-title ~Prologue~
| title4          = Shidō's Theme ~Visitor in the Night~
| title5          = Peaceful Days ~Afternoon, Office~
| title6          = Riho's Theme
| title7          = Premonition of a Case
| title8          = Yayoi's Theme
| title9          = Peculiarity
| title10         = Breed Theme ~Shadows that Stir in Darkness~
| title11         = Lure of the Breed ~Sweet Temptation, then Destruction~
| title12         = Shidō's Rage
| title13         = Decisive Battle ~Fight of Darkness against Darkness~
| title14         = Case Closed
| title15         = Cain's Theme ~Beautiful Evil, Lure of Decadence and Beauty~
| title16         = Sorrowful Past ~Shidō's Distress~
| title17         = Eternal Darkness
| title18         = Gessekai
| note18          = instrumental
}}
</div>

===Home releases===
In [[Japan]], ''Nightwalker: The Midnight Detective'' aired on TV Tokyo <ref name="imdb.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0282312/companycredits?ref_=tt_ql_dt_5|title=Nightwalker: Midnight Detective (1998– ) : Company Credits|website=IMDb.com|access-date=2016-10-23}}</ref> and was later released on VHS in 1998 on six VHS tapes with two episodes each.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00005EEOI |title=Amazon.co.jp： 真夜中の探偵 ナイトウォーカー Vol.1 [VHS&#93;: 山崎たくみ, 篠原恵美, 坂本真綾: ビデオ |website=Amazon.co.jp |date=25 November 1998 |access-date=2016-10-23|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=山崎たくみ (出演) |url=https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00005EEOK |title=Amazon.co.jp： 真夜中の探偵 ナイトウォーカー Vol.2 [VHS&#93;: 山崎たくみ: ビデオ |website=Amazon.co.jp |date=18 December 1998 |access-date=2016-10-23|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=山崎たくみ (出演) |url=https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00005EEOL |title=Amazon.co.jp： 真夜中の探偵 ナイトウォーカー Vol.3 [VHS&#93;: 山崎たくみ: ビデオ |website=Amazon.co.jp |date=25 January 1999 |access-date=2016-10-23|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=山崎たくみ (出演) |url=https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00005EEOM |title=Amazon.co.jp： 真夜中の探偵 ナイトウォーカー Vol.4 [VHS&#93;: 山崎たくみ: ビデオ |website=Amazon.co.jp |date=25 February 1999 |access-date=2016-10-23|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=山崎たくみ (出演) |url=https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00005EEON |title=Amazon.co.jp： ナイトウォーカー～真夜中の探偵～ Vol.5 [VHS&#93;: 山崎たくみ: ビデオ |website=Amazon.co.jp |date=25 March 1999 |access-date=2016-10-23|language=ja}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=山崎たくみ (出演) |url=https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00005EEOO |title=Amazon.co.jp： ナイトウォーカー～真夜中の探偵～ Vol.6 [VHS&#93;: 山崎たくみ: ビデオ |website=Amazon.co.jp |date=25 April 1999 |access-date=2016-10-23|language=ja}}</ref> It was also released on DVD by Pioneer LDC in 2007.<ref name="imdb.com"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00005HUDI |title=Night Walker-真夜中の探偵- DVD-BOX -アニメ |website=Amazon.co.jp |date=19 December 2007 |access-date=2016-10-23|language=ja}}</ref> In North America, was licensed by [[US Manga Corps]]/[[Central Park Media]] and released on VHS in 2001 and on DVD in 2003.<ref name="imdb.com"/> In the United Kingdom it was released on DVD by anime company [[MVM Films|MVM]],<ref name="imdb.com"/> and in [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]] by [[Siren Visual Entertainment]].<ref name="imdb.com"/>

==Radio drama==
Radio drama adaptation by Yosuke Kuroda was broadcast in 1995 on KBS Kyoto. In 1996, it was decided to release it as a drama CD, but it was never released on a major label and was later distributed in very small numbers by doujin circles.

==Manga==
Manga adaptation by United Soji was published in ''[[Monthly Dengeki Comic Gao!]]'' in the September 1998 supplement, December 1998, and February 1999 issues. It is based on the radio drama version, and differs from the game and anime in many ways, such as setting and Shido's appearance and personality. It was not compiled in a book. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=29701 | title=Nightwalker: The Midnight Detective (Manga) - Anime News Network }}</ref> There is also another manga by Ryuichi Makino.<ref>https://refuge.tokyo/pc9801/pc98/archive/NightWalker_15.jpg {{Bare URL image|date=August 2024}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Vampire film]]
*[[List of vampire television series#Episodes|List of vampire television series]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{anime News Network|anime|52}}
* {{IMDb title|0282312|Nightwalker: The Midnight Detective}}
* {{vndb|8983|v|''Nightwalker: The Midnight Detective''}}
* {{vndb|7535|v|''Nightwalker''}}
{{AIC TV series}}

[[Category:1993 video games]]
[[Category:1998 anime television series debuts]]
[[Category:Anime television series based on video games]]
[[Category:Anime International Company]]
[[Category:Central Park Media]]
[[Category:Eroge]]
[[Category:NEC PC-9801 games]]
[[Category:Occult detective anime and manga]]
[[Category:TV Tokyo original programming]]
[[Category:Vampire detective shows]]
[[Category:Animated television series about vampires]]
[[Category:Vampires in anime and manga]]
[[Category:Video games about vampires]]
[[Category:Video games developed in Japan]]
[[Category:Windows games]]