Master of Mosquiton is a quirky, funny, and unapologetically 90s OVA which has a lot of potential, but falls short in a few vital ways. I'd say the major issue here is that it starts off strong, but rapidly deteriorates over the course of its brief run. By the end of episode 1 I was even prepared to give it an 8, but there's not enough staying power, resulting in an unremarkable finished product. Beginning with the story, it charts the course of this show's overall quality rather nicely. It astounds right off the bat with a world that feelsalive with magic, and a compelling goal for our characters to pursue. There are mysterious, threatening villains, and ominous forces beyond regular human conception which drag the main cast into the path of fate. There are references to real historical figures throughout, and clever references to 20th century horror. It's hard to pin down, but by around episode 3 or 4 it begins to get confused. It breaks its own rules for how the world works, it randomly adds in extra plots and subplots, it peppers in high-stakes scenarios which feel random and unearned, and ends up losing all the character and magic which gave it such a strong start. The viewer is ferried to a lackluster conclusion on the back of a plot which loses its sense of identity halfway through.

The same thing happens to the art, which I regardless feel is still the strongest aspect of this show. It begins with all the glories of late 90s anime, with everything from the painstakingly detailed and colorful world to the masterful character design and facial expressiveness, absolutely dripping with passion. You can tell the animators poured their heart and soul into this piece. Unfortunately, it falls off about the same time the story does, taking cheap shortcuts and making decisions which are ultimately lazy, diminishing the work. This is the worst part, as the art really is a spectacle, until they inexplicably stop putting nearly as much effort in. One wonders if they ran out of time in order for something like this to happen.

The sound is a thoroughly mixed bag, unlike the first two. Beginning with the good, the OST is wonderful and immersive, and at times jazzy, which you wouldn't think would work as well as it does here, lending emotion and atmosphere to all the right moments. The bad, however, I suspect in part to be a result of garbage audio mixing. The sounds of life, things like footsteps or breaking glass, either get lost behind the music or overpower the dialogue. As for the voice work, I had a uniquely difficult time choosing between the sub and the dub. The sub is more accurate to the original Japanese, as well as fitting the tone of certain scenes better, but the Japanese voice work is almost inaudible. Meanwhile, the dub is much funnier, speaking to the intrinsic spirit of this show as more of a comedy than anything else, and enjoys superior audio mixing, but the body of drastic changes it makes to the original dialogue is a sin. It is a shame to see such unnecessary, gratuitous rewriting. So, while the dub is somehow higher quality, making for a superior viewing experience, I cannot in good conscience recommend it, and ended up going with the sub myself.

The characters are the only aspect of this show which inhabit the middle ground of quality. They all fulfill their roles within the story, and are easy to get invested in while also being broadly unremarkable. Still, my favorites from among the cast are our two main characters, Mosquiton and Inaho. Overall, Master of Mosquiton is an anime with so much potential, which it ultimately squanders, leaving no cushion for its fall from grace. I will choose to remember it for its first half rather than its second, and can only recommend it to those of you who are truly passionate about vampire stories or 90s anime.