Wednesday, January 16, 2013

I Watched This: Ghost Hunt


I know what you're thinking - Not another Anime, Dave, come on!

Hey, if I see something cool, I gotta say something - and here it is:

Telling ghost stories is a favorite past time of Mai Taniyama and her friends—that is, until she meets 17-year-old Kazuya Shibuya, the man sent by Shibuya Psychic Research Center to investigate paranormal activity at a supposedly haunted school. When Mai gets caught in a dangerous situation, she is rescued by Kazuya's assistant. Saving her lands the assistant incapacitated, and Kazuya demands that Mai become his assistant, instead...

(From animenewsnetwork)  


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The show had me at Ghost - what can I say? The idea of an Anime series centered around ghost hunting seemed like a fun idea, so thanks to the ever faithful Netflix cue, we "investigated." And to our surprise, it turned out to be a good show - a short one, but good.

What I thought was most fun about this show was the depth of psychic and paranormal research that went into this, enough so that I learned a few things from it (and being a big fan of ghost stories, that's saying trackloads). It even showcased a wide variety of diverse methods for dealing with undeparted spirits, from chanting shamans and monks to holy-water-dousing priests - and then some.

What really kept us watching was Mai, the protagonist. Honest, believable, ever learning and growing with a personality that draws you in. The main guy is a riot, too; tall, dark, handsome - callous, mysterious, narcissistic - every teenage girl's dream, right? Add them together and what do you get? A vial of winning chemistry, is what!

The only downside is the series is only one season, I think because the show shifted near the end to material that was, for all intents and purposes cool and creepy, but ventured outside the realm of ghosts and entered the domain of demons and gods. Yes. Gods. And the relationship setup never reached full circle, but other than that, it's a solid watch. Just be mindful of the kidlets; it's intense stuff.

I'm David, and the dead have something to say ...


19 comments:

  1. I just saw this oneon another site - will check it out.

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  2. I've always thought that the words "demon" and "god" were bad translations for their Japanese counterparts. What we in the West think of when we hear the words seems to be markedly different from what is portrayed in Japanese stories. Of course, I have no idea what a better translation would be. They are probably concepts that don't quite translate at all.

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  3. I have absolutely zip knowledge of anything Anime. (I had to scroll to spell it correctly. I think I ended up with enema my first attempt.) I like reading about it here, though, just to get an education. When I worked at the college, I had a student who was mega into it and he could often be seen walking across campus deep in an imaginary conversation or sword fight acting out his fantasies. Hmmm... if you start doing that, give us warning...

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  4. I've seen only a little bit of Anime. My boys loved it. Haven't heard of this one--no surprise there, huh? ;)

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  5. Looks creeptastic! I'll have to check it out :)

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  6. I love Anime, but Mexico's version of Netflix is a joke. There are so many series I would like the get my claws on. Someday, I guess...

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  7. There are some awesome hidden gems in Netflix, eh! Without Netflix I would never have found my true love, Vampire Diaries! haha

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  8. Oooo, sounds good. I'll hunt for this one on line, sounds great. (:

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  9. It's been years since I watched anime. I don't remember any of it being kid-friendly, but maybe it was just what was popular at the time. (The Japanese do like their naked women.)

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  10. Not a big anime buff, but I like the switch from ghosts to gods, curious to see how that was done.

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  11. I've not seen it. But it gives one reason to think about characters and what makes them great. Perfect for writers who need help building a character. Did I mention this is what I'm doing right now. Some moments are awesome...:)

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  12. That sounds so creepy and cool! All of your anime posts make me want to watch more.

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  13. I love paranormal shows! Ghosts fascinate me. I especially love Long Island Medium because Theresa is hilarious. I've got an idea for a contemporary with a paranormal element so I'll have to check this show out. :)

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  14. I actually don't know a lot about anime, but I'm a huge fan of ghosts or anything paranormal really. I'll have to check this out on Netflix :)

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  15. Cool review of this. I haven't watched a lot of anime, but feel like I could get hooked pretty quickly.

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  16. This sounds awesome for the ghost factor. Sad how so many really good shows only get one season.

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  17. Thanks for keeping me up to speed on all the animes!

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  18. I love anime, this one sounds good. I'm adding it to my to-watch list!

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