Ghost Hunt, Part Two has Mai dreaming of death and has the rest of the ghost hunters scrambling to solve some grisly cases.

Plot Summary

Naru takes on another school related case, but this haunting is more sinister than the previous one, especially since people are being psychically hurt as well as mentally traumatized.

The next unresolved haunting the crew takes on is by far the most gruesome and shocking the group has ever experienced. Danger lurks in every shadow, and doors that seem to lead to nowhere, in fact lead to grisly death.

And Naru takes on a case with its roots in the bitter past and an ancient feud. His abilities are put to the test and his pride may get the better of him if he doesn’t fall prey to the hauntings first.

Review

Part Two of Ghost Hunt steps up the squeamish and scream factors with an abundance of blood and violence. The cases are more mature and has content which is on par with certain slash flicks, except Ghost Hunt has actual story and plot (gasp!)

This latter half of the series progresses much like the first, with fast pacing and non-stop action. Cases in the anime are original and suspenseful. Not much whimsy is floating around in this part of the series, and an air of dread hangs over the episodes. The supernatural drama is intense!

The ghost hunters are challenged by powerful adversaries and come together in a way which made me believe these folks were for real (as real as can be expected in a supernatural thriller).

The best aspects in Ghost Hunt are the story and the pacing. Thankfully, no filler is added in this series- it’s all concentrated story, dilute in brain as necessary. It was a relief not to plod through random episodes, or worse, clip episodes, that went nowhere and gobbled up time. Zero filler means brisk pacing and no downtime, and the pacing is stellar in this anime, along with the story.

The series has all the elements of good horror: it has moments in which hands are groped for a feeling of safety and eyes are squeezed shut until creepy moments pass. It’s a combination platter of Tales From the Crypt with a bit of X-Files on the side and a sprinkling of shoujo, except without cheesey, bring-down plot lines and disappointingly bad dialog.

Ghost Hunt is unlike much of its genre. Horror flicks and series, especially 80’s horror ( who remembers Troma?) are notorious for crap dialog and gratuitous pouring-on-of-blood and skimpy plot. But the biggest crime the horror genre perpetrates is the abysmal lack of decent characters. In most movies, audiences cheer the bad guy since the villains are the only ones with a back story and any sympathetic connection.

Character Development

Ghost Hunt has both interesting apparitions and sympathetic protagonists.
Naru is a great character who has ridiculously high amounts of self-confidence and preening egotism, coupled with a generous spirit and compassionate nature. He’s a complex lead who resists categorizing.

Mai is also another character who doesn’t quite fit any one stereotype. She’s strong without being tomboyish, and feminine without being weak or moe. She’s not at all annoying, and is also a storytelling device for learning more about the series’ supernatural groundwork.

The other characters were mostly superficial, but with enough development to either like or dislike them. John, the Australian priest, is the least interesting character and is bland addition to a spicy cast. As a Catholic priest he’s portrayed in a most bizarre way…just watch it and see for yourself. I wonder if John’s character is an example of how the Japanese view Catholicism?

Character Design

Most of the characters have the stamp of generic anime in their features. The innocent or young ones have large, doe eyes and tiny mouths and the more mature, devious or cynical characters have eyes which are better proportioned. The designs for characters are standard for their types according to the unwritten style book of anime. Although the character designs are pretty blah and a tad typical, they were still apt for the realistic approach the writers took for the story

The studio followed the writers’ lead, and crafted the rest of the story’s world with a more natural feel. The only exception would be the ghouls, but even they aren’t so over the top that they shock viewers with originality. No, I liked how the designs didn’t detract from the story, but blended with it. They weren’t a crutch for the story, but more of an reinforcement of the direction of the series.

Animation

J.C. Staff animated the anime and did an average to okay job on Part Two, which seemed not as good as Part One. There were some scenes which were out of focus or the perspective was off or the quality was grainy. And detail shots were few and far between, just as in Part One.

Music

I have to say I really liked the music for Ghost Hunt, especially the opening and ending themes. The opening theme was reminiscent of Danny Elfman’s work on the sci-fi action movie, Men In Black. He also did the opening theme from Tales From the Crypt. And the ending theme had a relaxed, almost lulling effect.

Voice Acting

The Japanese voice cast is better than the English. It’s worth switching over to Japanese just to avoid hearing John Brown’s weak Aussie accent

Conclusion

As good as Ghost Hunt is, the ending leaves too much up in the air. It just ends, as if somebody pulled the plug, and beeeeeeeep, it flat-lines, end of. The series has so much left to explain and flesh out, especially with relationships and motives, that the ending is a real downer.

The anime is based on the ongoing manga series of the same name, which leaves room for speculation that there may be a second season. The box set, however, doesn’t give any indication if the studio had a second season in mind when they initially released it. But the Amazon listing does. A sign that the studio now has plans for Season Two?

Yet, even though the ending is meh, the series is still a fantastic anime which has decent scares, a bit of drama and a hint of romance, and has them all without being lame. It’s worth watching for the unique experience of viewing a series which juggles so much and doesn’t drop the ball. Just make sure you don’t watch it alone!

Rating

Ghost Hunt, Part Two gets 4 outta 5 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher:Funimation
• Release Date: November 18, 2008
• Retail Price: $49.98
• Number of discs:2
• Episodes:12
• Run Time: 276 minutes
• Rating: TV-14
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled

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The only way to discover the truth about what’s bumping in the night is to hire a paranormal investigation team…

Ghost Hunt Part One

Plot Summary

Mai Taniyama loves a good ghost story, at least she does until she discovers a building on her school’s property is teeming with spirits! The first year high schooler comes face to face with the paranormal when she begins to work part-time for Kazuya Sihuya and his psychic research company, who’s investigating the haunted building.

The Shibuya Psychic Research Company is well known for getting to the bottom of hauntings, curses and other paranormal phenomena. Equipped with high tech gear, Kazuya, aka, “Naru“, and his trusted assistant Lin, can quickly determine if a haunting is real or hoax, man-made or supernatural.

With some help from a shrine maiden, a medium, a monk and a Catholic priest, Mai and her Shibuya associates delve into the supernatural to banish evil spirits and purify wandering souls. Mai, however, is learning that she has more than just a talent for answering phones, and she’s becoming an integral part of Kazuya’s research team. Ghost stories are tame compared to what Mai is discovering, and her new latent powers are leading her down paths she never knew existed.

Review

Classic tales of the Japanese supernatural come to life in this modern day ghost busting anime. The series tells its tales with realistic style, paying close attention to the things that send shivers down the spine. What’s creepier than the cries of hundreds of trapped children, wailing from a well? Or headless dolls moving about of their own volition? Ghost Hunt takes super creepy anime to the next level by adding a touch of realism to its supernatural brew.

You're Working For Me!

There are no giant monsters wreaking havoc, no loud visuals, just subtleness of mood and timing, like a cold breeze in a locked room, like an icy hand around a throat. Lighting and props take the place of outlandish ghouls (though they do make an appearance), giving an eerie air to the series. Watching Ghost Hunt is akin to prowling a deserted haunted mansion at midnight on Halloween. By yourself.

And standing stoutly through all the hauntings and possessions is Naru, equipped with either a worldly explanation or a knowledgeable paranormal answer. He’s collected through everything, never losing his calm or perspective. The anime reminds me a little of the American nineties television series, that paragon of the paranormal, the X-files- except with Japanese ghosts instead of aliens and with savvy teens instead of cynical FBI agents. It’s good fun, fit to give viewers goosebumps in the dark.

Ghost Hunt doesn’t have a repetitive format. The episodes don’t restart with a new case each and every time. The cases can take as long as four episodes or may be solved in just one. Cases which have a lighthearted theme only last about one or two episodes, but whether they’re spooky or humorous, all the episodes fly by and don’t drag.

Pacing is great in the series so far- each minute is maximized to inform, entertain or frighten. There were no wasted episodes in this half of the series. It was a sad moment when the last episode played and the title screen came up instead of another episode.

Character Development

Ghost Hunt is filled with a cast of mysterious characters, who are nonetheless given well defined personalities.

Mai Gets Scared

Naru is a good character. He has some unplumbed depths which promise to rise to the surface later in the series. His cool demeanor and straight-forward manner put him at odds with Mai’s intuitive nature and brash personality. Yet for all their dichotomy, they’re a good team and fun to watch.

The secondary characters are entertaining as well. The apostate monk, Houshou Takigawa, is the most effective exorcist on the the team, and knows his stuff when it comes to spiritual manifestations. When he gets to work, he generally gets the job done. His character is interesting since he left the priesthood to become a bassist for a rock and roll band and yet still retains the ability to perform exorcisms, and perform them well.

Character Design

Ghost Hunt takes place in modern Japan, and the clothing adheres to the general style in fashion. However, the anime has a very stereotypical feel to the designs. The girls have huge eyes and wear sailor uniforms to school, and the men have a generic bishonen feel.

The ghosts and apparitions add some interest, and they reflect traditional Japanese mythos, including long haired, entangled kimono-clad women. Aside from that the series has “meh” character designs. The storytelling is what sets this series apart, however, not the character designs.

Animation

Animation for Ghost Hunt was done by J.C. Staff, and was good. It was above average, and smoothly animated, but didn’t have any highly detailed shots. The lighting was well done, however, and further visual drama was created by splitting shots into panels in highly tense scenes. Attention to lightening and scene set-up added dynamic to the anime, and created mood.

Music

Ghost Hunt!

Ghost Hunt has fantastic mood music. The OP, the main theme, is a fun, orchestral number which sounds like something Tim Burton’s friend and score master, Danny Elfman, might’ve penned. Toshio Masuda scored Ghost Hunt, however, and did it justice with dark orchestral themes, and a quirky, but slightly ominous OP.

Voice Acting

The Japanese voice cast was my choice for Ghost Hunt since the English voice cast was average to poor. John Brown, the Catholic priest, had an English voice actor who gave the character a laughably fake Australian accent. It just wasn’t right. The rest of the English cast were fair, but not consistently.

Production

Funimation packaged the first half half in two slim line DVD cases set in a sleeve the size of a normal DVD case. It saves on space and looks good too.

Conclusion

The first half of Ghost Hunt flew by and was done before I could say boo. It’s a creepy series, with great visual storytelling and a good cast of diverse characters. The anime is fun, but frightful, in a “it could happen” sense, and presents its cases in a manner much like a quality horror story- you’re not so scared by what you see as by what you don’t see. What viewers do see, however, is a good anime sure to give them pause in the night.

Rating

Ghost Hunt, Part 01 gets 4.5 outta 5 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date: October 7, 2008
• Retail Price: $49.98
• Number of discs:2
• Episodes: 1-13
• Run Time: 310 minutes
• Rating: TV-14
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen