Anime: Ghost Hunt

Let’s start by making clear what this show is and is not. Whatever the title may imply about the genres, you must be aware that it is not mainly a horror title with some girly romance but in the contrary it is girly romance with some horror. If you expect to find super creepy stuff in it, you are not going to find them. If you are not fans of pretty boys and airhead girls in love with said pretty boys, you are not going to like this anime very much.

Now that we clarified this, I can freely say that Ghost Hunt is your standard shoujo formula, combined with something else for flavour. It has been done many times and it usually creates a far more enjoyable and memorable overall, just because it is not just shoujo. Plain girly romances tend to get boring very fast. And thus, just like Vampire Knight had vampires, Library Wars had libraries and Chihayafuru had Chihara… err, card games I mean, Ghost Hunt uses ghosts to flavour its setting.

The animation is done by J.C. Staff, the studio famous for its low in context and high on shallow fan service shows. Their budgets are usually good but their shows are most of the times softporn garbage nobody even cares to keep around or watch a second time. In this particular case though they had a much different approach. The production values are NOT that eye-catchy and there is some context to pay attention besides oversexualized underage girls. It is a very uncommon work for their standards. The direction is done by Mano Akira, a guy who only did this and the very dull second season of Gunslinger girl. Definitely not a promising name.

So, as you begin to watch, you basically get average to good production values, an unimpressive director, and a girly romance with some ghosts in the background. What do you think will happen? Hmmm…

The overall artwork is nothing impressive and the characters are rather cop-out figures of shoujo clichés. There isn’t much fluent animation but at least there is consistency in the figures and no sudden quality drops or deformities. The saving grace lies in the uses of visual effects, in a way that doesn’t pass as overdone or dull. They are used properly to bring out whatever emotions you are supposed to feel in a situation (fear, anxiety, laughter) and they are doing it right.

The sound part is nothing impressive in terms of voice acting or most cases of BGM. It feels like it’s there for the sake of being there and the actors aren’t doing an exceptional job but I can’t blame them for the roles they were given. What really stands out are the opening and ending themes. They are gorgeous! So dynamic and attractive to the point they make you think you are going to watch an action-horror movie by Tim Barton or something. To be honest, they don’t exactly fit with the show as the plotlines are hardly THAT exciting but whatever, I liked them a lot.

The story is a bit of a let down if you fancy on-going scenarios. It is just stand-alone mini arcs where the teenager heroes seek for the solution to some creepy mystery. Although there is a solid ending to each one of them, the very loose arcing is what makes the whole thing lacking an actual built up towards something specific. Basically, there is no actual progress outside an arc and the final episode is just the ending of another case. Nothing solid to prevent a sequel from popping up.

The characters are ok if you like shoujo casts but definitely don’t stand out in any particular way. You get your standard airhead female and your standard snotty pretty boy allying with a few other rather eccentric people with a speciality in the supernatural and head to solve weird cases. And that is pretty much all you get since aside from their quirky behaviours, they never develop to anything further than they appear to be. This is also the result of the style of narration, as you basically get stand alone arcs and no actual build up towards a goal and to allow some actual change about them. They are fun to see them act alright but nothing past that.

I don’t find much value in this show. Although the shoujo/ghost combo is indeed helping to make it memorable, at the same time there is very little to gain from watching it a second time. You already know the answers to each mystery and the characters don’t develop in any way so you are not motivated to do so.

So, did I enjoy this anime? Yes, but only in very specific areas. I really liked the use of darkness and visual effects, I really liked the opening and ending themes, and the characters were fun to look at on a standard level. But that’s all of it; I wasn’t really amazed about anything in terms of animation, BGM, characters or stories. It is an ok show for anyone who can stand shoujo clichés but hardly amazing or something you will remember in a few years.

And now for some excused scorings.

*Ghost Hunt*'s structure is simliar to *X-File*'s. It's divided in three to four episodes long stories, each covering one investigation by a team of ESP users. The setting is, unsurprisingly, today's Japan. This 25 episodes series covers part of the manga with the same name and doesn't have a real ending -- maybe a second season will follow.

Animation
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*Ghost Hunt* has the most boring animation I've ever seen. The character design is so generic any character could fit in any other anime, the various phantoms and spirits and whatnot seem taken from a child's drawing or bad b-movies and the environments are also generic -- the typical school, the typical flat and so on -- and not very well drawn. That is, the backgrounds suck.

Only a few 3D elements are used throughout the anime, e.g. the glass shards during the first story, and while they're not too ugly they certainly are completely uninteresting.

I'd like to go out on a limb and claim the producers simply went through the manga's pages re-drawing it and animating as little as they could, but since I haven't read the manga I can't be sure.

The animation is the element that is most guilty of Ghost Hunt being a boring anime. Even the OP is barely bearable the very first time and would make a fly fall asleep from the second time on.

Sound
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The soundtrack is forgettable, the dubbing and the special effects are adequate. Completely average from any point of view.

Story
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The novelistic frame seems, like all the other elements composing this anime, the lowest common denominator of all the anime belonging to *Ghost Hunt*'s genre and the viewer is always able to predict accurately what will happen during the next three or four episodes.

As for the actual stories within that frame, even I could write something better and I lack any talent. The lack of imagination -- in a fantasy story ffs!!! -- and the excessive use of clichès derived from famous movies like *The Ring* are simply ridiculous.

Characters
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I have no words to describe the ridiculousness of the idea of a Catholic priest, a Shinto priest and a Buddhist monk working together to exorcise spirits -- with the same success rate. Whether those religions are actually at odds or not in real life is irrelevant, the overly simplistic approach to religion used either by the manga creator or by those who made the anime adaptation reveals what they had in mind: a team of superheroes, each using different superpowers to fight a common enemy. A common paradigm in anime, but this time in particular it doesn't work: the only things setting a character apart from the others are the clothes and the nonsense they mutter. The lack of personality and development worsen an already disastrous situation.

Personal judgment
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One of the worst anime I've ever watched. A waste of colors. I could go on a tirade about exactly what I personally disliked about it, but who cares? Ghost Hunt is, like ectoplasm, phantom's ethereal vomit bound to disappear soon.

Overall
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While devoid of interesting elements, *Ghost Hunt* isn't ugly, just boring.

Story
Mai joins the Shibuya Psychic Research agency as an assistant to its director Naru. The agency hires itself out to perform exorcisms. The series is divided up into several files, each of which is solved by the agency by uncovering the hidden back story for each case. Usually it's a tragic incident that happened in the past that has left the spirits restless and unable to move on. Their presence is manifested in a bunch of different ways, which ultimately end up being clues for the group as they make their way towards solving each specific problem. The interplay of the different characters psychic abilities and how Naru uses them to reason out a solution, along with modern ghost hunting techniques that use night vision cameras and temperature readings. Mai has an almost instant crush on Naru, why I never could tell, she adds a compassionate side to the group that is needed do to Naru's impersonal approach to all the cases.

Characters
The Ghost Hunters are made up of a diverse group of characters, Naru is a paranormal researcher, Mai later exhibits ESP tendencies, a buddhist monk, a Catholic priest, a miko, a medium, an onmyouji and a sometimes helpful, as a researcher, high school kid. Some of the characters are only honorary members of the agency, but end up being in every episode. The pasts of almost all the characters are left virtually unexplained and it would have been interesting for creators to explore this more, although leaving their pasts mysterious pasts, or saving them for later explanation keeps the series interesting as little tidbits are dropped here and there. The characters strengths and weaknesses complement each other and the interaction, while they solve each ghost's mystery is what makes this anime worth watching.

Animation & Sound
Keeping with the motif of hauntings and spirits a lot of the scenes take place at night or in the dark. Portraying a poltergeist, the animators were very creative, often not making direct depictions, but taking other creative routes, such as animating the absence of a visible entity and focusing on its effects on the material world its reeking havoc on. The animators did a good job doing this, so that it actually feels creepy when its supposed to, instead of unrealistically showing a horde of ghouls, which actually does happen in the last file case, oops. There is close attention paid to real life reports of ghost manifestations and poltergeists, with the result that the animation achieves the eerie ambiance I am sure the creators wished for. The sound also adds to the creepiness of the hole series and the sound effects are realistic and scary. The voice acting was well done all the characters were well represented. I've got to say something about reviewing sound for me, it's either bad, ok, or great. Other than voice acting and background music, sound effects the only thing I'd comment on is the opening and ending, which in this case I will say I liked the instrumental themes, reminded me of X-Files and it seemed very fitting.

Value & Enjoyment
This anime has a lot of original value. The attention to detail, in the characters and the portrayal of demons, ghosts, souls and poltergeists was great. I found myself hooked watching this and it was hard to stop watching until each case was solved. There should be second season of this, if only because it still has so much potential in the characters and story lines that are left open. If you get a chance definitely check this series out, especially if you want something to get you in the mood for Halloween, or even just to freak yourself out. :thumbup: FIN

Please leave feedback for ways that I can improve this review!!

I have just finished watching the quite enjoyable anime series that is Ghost Hunt.

First and foremost, it is perhaps important to point out that, while many rather mature themes come into play within this series, it is ultimately a shoujo anime series (that is, the target audience is young females). Saying this, and being more or less a 23-year-old male, I must proudly admit that I loved this series for what it was worth.

What exactly was it worth, however?

Originally created by Inada Shiho (the manga creator... known for no other titles whatsoever), Ghost Hunt has rather humble beginnings. The anime series composition was done Kamishiro Tsutomu (series composition of Capeta, screenplay of Appleseed 2004), and it was directed by Mano Rei (director of Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino, and one of the episode directors for Cardcaptor Sakura). While the work these key creators have done in the past may not be very extensive, I am pointing this all out because, despite the background of Ghost Hunt, it nonetheless manages to pull off being immensely enjoyable. As such, I recommend this to anyone that feels like experiencing a bit of the supernatural.

The animation is standard in terms of style, though instead of being merely passable, it gets bonus points for being consistent throughout the entire series, and for having some exceptionally well-done scenes, notably shining the most during the climaxes within each individual storyline. These often involve all sorts of supernatural phenomena, and it is animated in an effective way throughout the series.

The music is noteworthy, and especially the OP and ED stand out as very fitting. They aren't just some random pop songs—they are well-composed works by the same person that does the background music: Masuda Toshio (also did the music for Mushishi, Naruto, Excel Saga). Huge bonus points for the creative and sensible choice of OP and ED. The background music itself is fitting, though generally doesn't stand out too much—rather, it simply keeps pace with the atmosphere, which is a good thing.

The voice acting is nothing spectacular in either direction, so while the sound category could have gotten a higher rating thanks to the use of music, I give it an eight simply because none of the voice actors had stellar performances, but rather fulfilled their roles as expected, which is to say that they played their parts effectively.

The story is rather simple, and the way it develops is in some ways refreshing, and in other ways very limiting. Ghost Hunt is composed of several short stories, generally ranging from 3-4 episodes. There are a total of 8 cases that are solved throughout the series, and each one of these was enjoyable to view. This makes it easily accessible, and I imagine people that are not very into anime would not have much of a problem watching through a series of this nature, as there's tension alongside some cliffhanger moments, while at the same time there's a lot of satisfaction each time a case is solved, and no true obligation to watch more, other than to simply be entertained.

This is the story's biggest fault, and it ties in to the whole character situation: it is so disjointed due to the format of the storytelling that a lot of long-term story and character developments never get the chance to see the light of day. The story is not character-driven, at all, but rather plot-driven by this series of mini-arcs. A lot of questions regarding most of the characters' pasts are either never explored, or very briefly explored.

The characters, themselves, were all fun to watch, and I came to like all of the key characters, notably Bou-san (the strong-willed monk, good at fending off vengeful spirits) and Naru (the intelligent, narcissistic leader of the group, and the one who generally figures everything out before anyone else). Bou-san is cool because he was like a big brother to everyone, and was a sort of inspirational character in that regard. Naru was entertaining because he's just so arrogant and sure of himself, and never wants to tell anyone anything. Mai, the lead female character (a schoolgirl, perhaps not as typical as she at first seems), is also entertaining, as she drives a lot of the stories forward through her often outrageous actions. At the same time, Mai also frustrated me a bit, as she tends to be overly emotional about the situations at hand, and thus begins to act illogical. It makes for some nice interactions between Naru and Mai. They have some form of chemistry, however this is unfortunately never explored at any length throughout the series. That is, simply-put, one of the more notable downfalls of this series: the characters, while strong in terms of personality, are never explored (and thus lack much depth).

Otherwise, the cast is great, and they all work together as an interesting and diverse team. Lin is a mysterious Chinese man who works under Naru, and whose powers are mysterious (and gradually uncovered as the series progresses); John is a Catholic priest who specializes in exorcisms; Ayako is a priestess who is great at warding off spirits with the charms she creates; Yasuhara (who enters the series half-way through) excels at information gathering and analyzation; and Masako is capable of detecting and channeling spirits. Their abilities, when combined together, form a great team that is a blast to watch.

Either way, the value of this series lies in the entertainment factor. It's fun and easy to watch through the 8 cases that the team solves. There's a fair level of tension mixed in with mystery (though sometimes, the answers are fairly obvious), and this is driven forward by the fun characters. It is worth watching once. I would likely not watch it again, as discovering the mysteries behind the situations is usually the most interesting part. I would consider watching it again, however, if I were to watch it with someone else that hadn't seen it, as the character interactions have their own entertaining aspects.

I recommend Ghost Hunt to anyone looking for a fun anime series about the supernatural that even has a few surprises thrown in.

Setting/Plot summary:
Ghost Hunter follows the the story of Mai, a young high school student who through certain circumstances ends up working as an assistant for Shibuya, a prodigal psychic who manages Shibuya Psychic Research. Mai, Shabuya and a team of other psychics, exorcists and mediums including a monk are hired to investigate paranormal activity in "haunted" settings such as schools, houses etc... It is set in modern day Japan and uses factual information about the paranormal to solve such mysteries, originally a series of novels by Fuyumi Ono.

Storyline:
The series is split into 8 "files"(arcs) - each, a different investigation (files #2 & #7, I believe to be the most intense and/or frightening), the series itself 25 episodes in length, each file between 1-4 episodes long. I wouldn't really recommend it if you're looking for a real blood & guts horror, it's more about the mysticism and a chain of events that occur - but it does have its moments. Also, I noticed a few complaints of the series revolve around the questions left un-answered about Shabuya & Mai's relationship and Mai's paranormal abilities - please ignore this, it is not relevant to know! - it's a 50/50 answer so it's not that hard to guess either

Characters:
The wide range of characters encompass many different personality traits and form a well-rounded team, they are not particularly well-developed (par Mai) but it is not neccessary to the storyline to do so (you know enough to know what choices they make & why). The series mostly develops on the characters' abilities and slowly introduces you to the world of paranormal by doing so which is why I believe it is intentionally so, much preferred by those who like for series' to just get on with the story and quit yapping. Although the story can get a bit cheesy which I think is meant to humour the viewer (I repressed it).

Aesthetics:
Introduction music was very good, accompanies the series' theme very well - but wares thin early on. I didn't really notice the music during the scenes, nothing was out of place and blended well otherwise BUT didn't really add to the intensity or create any as horrors usually rely on to do so (justly).
The animation was sharp, not particularly detailed but did not have to be as the scenes of violence/horror were very well illustrated, using appropriate colour and camera angles. However, it was frustrating that the really beautifully mastered scenes (of horror) were too short to make full use of this.

Enjoyment & Value:
It is a "nice" anime, it isn't really frightening but the concepts and research involved in it make it worth viewing - once. That's right, if like me you find yourself enjoying all the information about the paranormal than unfortunately whence you find all this out it seems pointless to view again. I liked it and it was watchable but it's not like I couldn't pry myself away from it either. All in all if you like standard, informative horrors that look good than this is for you, if you want something better, try Jigoku Shoujo....

I hate scary and ghost stories. However, when it comes to Ghost Hunt, I must say I absolutely loved it. With its simple animation, intense story development and intriguing characters, Ghost Hunt has managed to succeed and distinguish itself to be one of the best horror series.

Animation:

The animation rely little on high tech graphics and 3D special effects. This is quite a surprise because most modern horror series tends to over emphasize on creating horrendous graphics to satisfy the scare factor. With simplicity in mind, Ghost Hunt only feature traditional effects to highlight the horror scene, such as the use of absolute darkness, black and white grain footages etc. This has resulted in a high level realism, thus makes the series more scarier than it appears to be, and it makes the situation to be more believable. Secondly, the timing of the series definitely deserves to be praised. From the frame rate to music, all had been measured precisely to match the story development and maximise the scare factor. Also, the setting was quite well planned as well, especially in the last 8 episodes where the mystery house and remote Cliffside mansion definitely set a nice atmosphere for a horror series.

Music:

Like the animation, the use of music is also quite simple. The choice of having no vocal music even in the OP and EP is quite a surprise. Especially this series’s target audience should be teenagers. Instead, they rely heavily on small scale or solo instrumental music to set the mood. Although most of the BGM is nothing special, but the solo violin melody in the horror scenes still sent chill down my bones. Also, the epic like opening OP music really draws the audience right from the start.

I am a bit disappointed with the character voice, most of their performances are quite flat, this is probably due to the limitation of character development. However, I did enjoy the main character, Mai’s voice performance. Her voice is the less fan serve out of all. Also, her voice is quite deep and seems to be quite mature, so when it comes to the dramatic scene, her voice has add another dimension to the story, thus reduced the reliance on teenage hysterical screaming.

Story and characters:

The story is probably the strength of Ghost Hunt. In fact, the story is so well constructed that it had left out much needed character development. This is normally a bad thing, but it worked extremely well in Ghost Hunt. This is because the series is divided into several smaller, non-connected theme stories. These stories’ themes and scripts are well constructed. The story development is quite intense, and the suspend and final revelation are also well timed. These factors continuously leave the audiences hanging at the edge of the seat and wanting for more. It is only after finished watching all the episodes that I had realised I didn’t learn much about any characters. Lastly, the theme of mixing several different exodus “professionals” to solve a mystery is quite ingenious and original. This makes the series more exciting to watch. Also, it covers up the lack of character development and make them more intriguing then they suppose to be.

Despite the strength of the story, there are a few problems with it as well. Firstly, the series ended prematurely and the ending was rushed and incomplete. This is such a shame because all previous episodes were so well made. Yet, the finale was badly performed and badly directed. Secondly, the over focus of the small stories had limited all the characters, although they are quite intriguing to watch, especially when they are applying their trades, but it makes them rather flat as we know so little about them, thus leads to a lower re-watch value.

Enjoyment and Value:

Overall, Ghost Hunt is a well developed and well constructed anime that deserved to be praised. Although the animation style was not flashy and the use of music was simple, but they were all mixed in nicely and help to create some very scary yet beautiful frames. Together with the use of effective story and highly entertaining scripts, Ghost Hunt has managed to captivate me throughout the entire series. So I am giving it an overall 8 here.