I say this, but this series isn't actually bad. I just don't think this should be a point of entry for anyone into the franchise of Corpse Party. In case somebody reads this and doesn't know: Corpse Party is originally a japanese horror game made in RPG Maker. It was remade several times, until recently, in the end of 2021. I played that version, it's got great visuals and sounds (the voice actors are terrific), and the story is full of twists and turns.
This OVA is a summary of the story of that game. As every short adaptation, it fails because it's rushed.
STORY
The story is from 1996 (the date the original game was released). As such, it is quite cliché. Stereotyped students get thrown in another dimension, a very crude one, where they can get killed, possessed, go crazy, or simply die from human needs depending on how long they stay. They have to get out of this hell.
It's a pretty solid concept, and Corpse Party is the best version of it in my opinion : it's got so many threats, and the way to get out of there is so complex, that you really feel the same dispair as the characters.
The anime managed to stay faithful to the game. But it's a 20 hours long game and there's only four OVAs, less than 30 minutes each. You know the rest: everything is so rushed that nothing ever has a real impact on the viewer.
Another issue compared to the original game is the many branches it contained. A series obviously can't tell many alternative stories at the same time. The game has so many ends to discover, and you HAVE to discover all of them to get the full experience.
The series did try to put a lot of different routes together. And honestly, they nailed it! The routes they adapted are mixed together in a perfect way, it never feels like several stories told at the same time.
Honestly, the only issue is the rythm. If only they had made FIVE episodes! I mean, seriously, the base game has five chapters, why make only four episodes???? That just didn't make any sense, and that destroys the entire thing. The final episode, in particular, is a complete mess. I read so many comments of people who don't get what happened in that episode. That's because it goes so fast on the explanations! Nothing is clear in the end: the origin of the curse, the way to get out of it, even the fate of the surviving characters is unclear.
The only way to understand the post-credit scene is to play the game. There's just no way to get what they're saying with the OVA alone.
ART
Nothing to say against it. It's not exceptional, but it's still great and very faithful to the game. They only made two changes that I don't get : Naho's eyes and the doll.
Naho is described explicitly as having "eyes like dead fish." Yet, in the series, she has normal eyes.
As for the doll, I also don't get the change, it was pointless.
These are minor issues, of course. In fact, I wouldn't call it issues. They're just changes that don't make sense.
SOUND
Solid OST faithful to the game. Exceptional work from the seiyuus. They're the same voice actors as the game, and frankly, I'm glad they kept them, they're perfect.
CHARACTER
The characters are straight out of the 90's. But one thing, in the game, kept them interesting : their believable behaviours. The way they react to what is happening to them is totally understandable, and while they are sometimes stupid, their reasoning is always explained.
In the series, the characters all look more dull than their game counterparts. This mainly happens because they changed the way they react to the stuff. It's still a cool crew, they just felt less real to me.
ENJOYMENT
Tortured Souls is a very faithful adaption. Honestly, and I almost never say it, I can feel how passionate they were about this project. They all made their best to make it work.
The problem is this CAN'T work. You can't take a 20 hours long game and make it into four episodes of 30 minutes. Five episodes could have worked better, although it would still be far from enough for the amount of story the game has. I mean, most secondary characters were cut and most stories aren't shown, As a result, this OVA series is very far from the game it adapts.
It's still a solid anime horror series. Just... PLAY THE GAME BEFORE. You can always watch that as a bonus.
