Ghost Hunt

Ghost Hunt is a 25 episode horror series based on the manga by the same name which is based off of a series of light novels by the same name that aired on TV in Japan in 2006 and 2007.

    This shojo horror series follows a small group of paranormal investigators as they solve a number of cases involving haunting. The main characters are; high school student Mai Taniyama who has latched onto high school student Kazuya Shibuya and his paranormal investigation company.  Kazuya’s company SPR utilizes technology to observe and prove/disprove the existence of paranormal activities. At first Mai elects to stand in for Kazuya’s assistant after she injures him, but once he returns she continues to aid the company, mostly due to her attraction to Kazuya. As she spends more time working with the investigators on the various cases she begins to understand the world they live in and believe in peoples abilities to interact with the super natural.

    The series is split into 8 separate chapters. Each chapter is a multi-episode investigation story. The different chapters have nothing in common with each other but they will sometimes reference an event from an earlier chapter. Ultimately you only need to watch the first chapter first, and then the rest can be viewed in any order. The first chapter introduces all of the main characters and brings Mai together with them for the first time. All of the chapters involve the group of investigators solving cases of haunting's, from the ghost of a lost child to a haunted school.

    This is single-handedly the creepiest anime I have ever seen. Even though its intended audience is teenage girls, this show is entertaining for people of all ages. I would suggest a mature audience due to some of the subject matter. The more frightening story would be the second one where the team investigates a possible possession of a young girl in her house. Even though it is just a cartoon the use of atmosphere, psychology and sound effects matches that of any great live action horror film. I was very creeped out and a bit disturbed during part of the story, as was a friend of mine. Once that happened our respect for the show increased greatly. 

    Initially, with the first few episodes, the series seemed a waste of time. It seemed that it was going to be yet another story dealing with a motley yet lovable crew of teenage ghost busters. I decided to give the series a customary 5 episode test run and was glad I did. The first story wrapped up and did little to impress us as it was little more than an introduction of the cast. The second chapter started and we were drawn in by the end of it's first episode.

    While there is the ever present love story between Mai and Kazuya, the stereotypical cast of characters (too cool monk, blond priest, creepy medium) and a propensity for odd ball antics, the series as a whole is very entertaining and creepy. As it progresses each chapter seems to become darker in subject matter, such as one dealing with a man who would kidnap and torture/murder people because he thought he could live forever. It isn’t original by any stretch of the word, but it is well done and enjoyable. The characters, while type cast are enjoyable. There’s something to be said for a cartoon that can scare you. Even though the series is initially aimed at the shojo crowd I wouldn’t leave it to them exclusively. Fans of Blood, Jigoku Shojo or Monster would enjoy this series as well as fans of plain mysteries and ghost stories.