Purple Eyes in the Dark

Purple Eyes in the Dark (闇のパープル·アイ) is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Chie Shinohara. It was serialized in Shōjo Comic magazine from 1984 to 1986. The individual chapters were collected in 12 tankōbon volumes published by Shogakukan between October 1984 and February 1987. The story follows the struggles of a teenage girl after she finds herself turning into a lycanthropy-leopard and having to battle her newly found predatory instincts.

The series was adapted into a 30-minute music video (original video animation) in 1987 and a series of six light novels which were published from 1991 to 1992. It was also adapted into an 11-episode live-action Japanese television drama that was broadcast on TV Asahi in Japan in 1996.

Purple Eyes in the Dark was awarded the 1987 Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōjo manga category.

Story
Rinko Ozaki is a normal high school girl, but she has a fixation on a weird birthmark on her arm. Her biology teacher, Ms. Sonehara, has a peculiar interest in the birthmark, and it fires up when her childhood friend, Shin'ya Mizushima, tries to make a move on her. Not only that, Rinko also notices her eyes glow purple. The next day when Rinko is sexually assaulted, she finally discovers that her birthmark causes her to shapeshift into a leopard.

Characters

 * Rinko Ozaki
 * A first year in high-school, she has a crush on her childhood friend Shin'ya Mizushima. When assaulted by some of her classmates, Rinko involuntarily transforms into a leopard and kills them.


 * Shin'ya Mizushima
 * A third year high-school student, Shin'ya has known Rinko since they were very young. He first shelters Rinko after finding her unconscious after the deaths of their classmates.


 * Kaoruko Sonehara
 * Rinko's biology teacher. She and her father studied humans who could turn into beasts. She first suspects Rinko of being one of these humans after she sees her birthmark. She is a cruel woman who tries to conduct experiments on Rinko and even her sister Maiko, assuming that she can transform too because they have the same blood.


 * Maiko Ozaki
 * Rinko's sister. She later dies when Sonehara experiments on her, thinking she too can transform.


 * Professor Sonehara
 * Kaoruko's father, he also studied people who can transform into beasts. When he presents his evidence to the world of science, he is shamed and rejected leading him to set himself on fire in a fit of madness. Kaoruko douses the flames and he survives, but ends up succumbing to insanity. Kaoruko locks him in the basement of their home to make the world believe he died instead of tainting his image and research with his mental breakdown.


 * Mitusgu Odagiri
 * A journalist who originally tries to expose Sonehara's research on humans that can turn into beasts, but later on ends up pursuing Rinko and revealing hat he has purple eyes too. He can transform into a black panther that is larger than Rinko.

Manga
Written and illustrated by Chie Shinohara, Purple Eyes in the Dark was serialized in Shōjo Comic magazine from 1984 to 1986 and later published in Japan in 12 tankōbon volumes by Shogakukan. The first volume was released on October 26, 1984, and the last on February 26, 1987. It was republished in seven bunkoban volumes, the first four on February 17, 1995, and final three on April 15, 1995.

Albums
EMI Music released two albums for Purple Eyes in the Dark using songs written by Linda Hennrick. The first, Purple Eyes in the Dark (闇のパープルアイ), was released on March 20, 1986. Vocal tracks included performances by Shoko Yamagiwa, Derek Jackson, and Seki Mayumi. The second CD, Purple Eyes in the Dark: Part 2 (闇のパープルアイ PART-2), was released on January 27, 1993.

OVA
J.C. Staff and Youmex released the OVA adaptation of Purple Eyes in the Dark in 1987.

Novels
The series was adapted as a series of six light novels published by Shogakukan entitled Purple Eyes in the Dark Novel (小説 闇のパープル·アイ).

Live-action drama
The series was adapted into an 11-episode live-action television drama produced by Toei Company. It was broadcast on TV Asahi in Japan between July 1 and September 9, 1996.

Reception
In 1987, Purple Eyes in the Dark was awarded the Shogakukan Manga Award for the shōjo manga category.