What can I say? Perfect review, wow!
I guess 7 is an appropriate rating, I enjoyed this show very much but it doesn't have much memorial footage...I
like the OP/ED and the moods they create as you said. You analysed it pretty well, maybe I'll write similar reviews
in the future..as a synopsis for myself - to strenghten my own impression of a show.
The romance part doesn't get much importance, mostly in Mai's dreams I guess...but well, it doesn't fit
in it, just a little extra~
For me, the Music is a very important aspect of an Anime. There's no memorable BGM as you said, but OP/ED are nice,
especially because there are no lyrics - very befitting for this Anime.
7-8 is a fair rating for this Show, but sadly I have the feeling that it isn't as popular as it should be.
As a little sidenote I noticed that the OP steadily revealed more details, like in the first Episodes there's not
much to see, but the more you advance, the more is actually revealed^^
Ghost Hunt tv Review
Mai Taniyama is a typical first-year high school student with a passion for the supernatural and ghost stories. When ghost hunters from "Shibuya Psychic Research" arrive to investigate an old school building an accident results in Mai breaking equipment, injuring an assistant and in turn temporarily filling his position. This starts a permanent work relationship between Mai and Naru, the young owner of Shibuya Psychic Research, as they unravel the mysteries being laid before them in order to put involved spirits to rest.
Story & Characters
Summed up simply, this is anime X-files. For those of you who don't know of X-files, it's as simple as the title, however, this is not a mindless action packed ghost chasing game. This anime takes a tactful and investigative roll towards hunting down ghosts, not your typical seek and destroy. Hence don;t expect to see any guns or swords. The anime is educational as to the typical world of spirits and involves finding out why something is happening before taking appropriate steps to either make amends or exorcise.
The anime is set out in an interesting fashion, rather than having a single storyline, there are multiple arcs or "files", one file involving the characters investigation and solving of a single case. Contained in the series is 8 files over 25 episodes. If you're looking for a deep progressive plot this anime isn't for you, again it follows a fragmented detective style. There is some character development seen, both personal and relational however this is the only real ongoing aspect of the anime between all episodes. The anime is generally eerie and as the files progress, the episodes become increasingly creepy and gory.
The band of ghost hunters is set up almost as if it were an all catering fan-service with a spectrum of specialities including a monk, priestess, catholic, spiritual medium and clairvoyant. Although they all have a special ability their day to day interaction is realistic and typical of a band of mismatches and reminding that these are just normal people with an abnormal job.
Rating:
Art
The 'normal' art is fairly standard, however the animator uses different styles that normally wouldn't go together to create an atmosphere that is either intense or comedic to correspond to its scene. Although the art is generally plain, it must be commended for its ability to constantly work with changing shadows and lighting, especially when involving supernatural phenomena.
In theme with the anime there are a lot of ghosts as well as spirits and spiritual realms. The spiritual feel in this is generally created by blends of dark purples and blues as well as a typical swirling of colours. In contrast, comedic shock will be displayed with characters appearing as basic vectors with abstract expressions. The more interesting technique used within this art is the boxed framing during certain key events or realisations as well as blacking out or blurring all of a scene save a face.
As far as following ghosts and freaky occurrences, the art takes a similar turn in regards to the plot in that as the
series progresses, the blood and gore of the art becomes much more prevalent.
Rating:
Sound
Eerie is the most appropriate word for Ghost Hunt as the sounds add to the atmosphere that is essential in any ghost tales. The opening and ending themes are an interesting example as they have no lyrics but simply create separate moods, the opening theme sets up the eeriness that flows though the episode while the ending creates a gentler mood that allows a reflection of what just happened and what will happen next.
Unfortunately, I can't comment greatly on the speech as the Japanese dialects would have many important subtleties that I would have missed, such as an Australian Catholics presence. Regardless the voices sound appropriate and no complaints there.
There isn't a great deal of background music, at least nothing to take special note of. The background is generally
filled with ambient noises such as creepy hums and pulsing, but when there is music, it acts as a filler, never becoming
a main feature of a scene. In terms of music, the rating is poor, however in terms of sound that is what creates half
the atmosphere.
Rating:
Presentation
This anime's most worthy audience would probably be a thirsty intellectual as it's thought provoking and at its foundation a detective fling. No fan-service, no meaningless exhilarations, just a juicy mystery and a conclusion. There's the inclusion of light humour so the series doesn't become overbearing. Each case is unique and if pulled over multiple episodes creates the longing for more, however a downside is that once a case ends, all questions are generally answered and although you're left with a lot to think about, the longing for more will end; that is until the next episode.
Although I rated the storyline as fairly average I think it really comes down to the presentation of the story as the redeeming figure. All aspects of the anime tie in together to create a great final impression, and collectively this anime achieves its purpose. It may not be something you'll look back on, but there are definitely some interesting lessons to remember. If you're a thinking person, it's an anime you would enjoy, even more so if you have that interest in supernatural.
I'll conclude by saying it again; X-files, Anime style!
Rating:
Final Verdict
7.0000 (above average)
Reviewed by littlejonny100, Apr 17, 2007
Comments
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LastExil3 Apr 17, 2007
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fireflywishes Retired Moderator Apr 18, 2007
I love this anime... (and how much do I love you LJ for creating a category for it!) I would suggest to people who are thinking about following the series to stick with it through the first 3 episodes. Those cover (imho) the weakest file, but after that point the anime really takes off!
I agree there wasn't a real super musical score, but I did enjoy the ED and the special ED for the Christmas Arc.
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Tyzz May 12, 2007
I hate this anime.... So scary =(... Everytime i close my eye i think the ghost with red eye appear nowhere n attack me >.< couldn get any sleep. geez i wake up the whole day n skip skool for my late sleep.
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LITTLECHIISAN May 17, 2007
Quote by TyzzI hate this anime.... So scary =(... Everytime i close my eye i think the ghost with red eye appear nowhere n attack me >.< couldn get any sleep. geez i wake up the whole day n skip skool for my late sleep.
well i've never seen the amie but, i have red the manga and i dont think its that scary.......
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Hanazaki May 28, 2007
Love this anime. I must admit it's started pretty slow for the 1st three epi. After that, the truth is out there ;). I never expected this to be so scary until I watched with my onee-chan until midnight (for the Silent Christmas episodes). Don't like the OP coz it's so creepy but the ED is soothing. I wish it got more than 25 episodes. Perhaps 2nd season maybe...?
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SchRita Jan 15, 2010
Thanks for the review!
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