I just finished watching Ghost Hunt on Netflix, and I have to say I’m really sad there’s only one season. In addition to having one of the coolest opening songs of any anime (see above video) it’s a really unique series- a semi-realistic ghost hunting TV series. This is likely because it wasn’t conceived as an anime, but a light novel series by author Fuyumi Ono, and as a result it’s more grounded than most anime. (With the exceptions of File #4 and File #5, which are radically out of place with the rest of the series, and were likely written as filler episodes by the anime production staff.)
For those not familiar with the series, Ghost Hunt is a supernatural thriller anime about an extremely mixed group of spiritualists who are united by their employer, a science-based spiritual researcher who goes by the nickname Naru. Each story is a multi-part supernatural mystery (a novel broken into parts) with twists and turns and unexpected surprises. You can never be quite sure what the real culprit is, and this gives the series a fresh and creepy feeling that most supernatural shows lack, much less anime. The combination of reading on actual psychic research the author has obviously done while mixing it with just the right amount of fantasy helps heighten the realism of the show and makes it feel more solid. This, in turn, makes the whole thing creepier and more thrilling at certain points, and I have to say that it’s one of the very few anime that have ever given me chills.
Anyhow, if you get the chance to watch it, it’s highly recommended. It has its silly points, but they’re really outweighed by the quality of the series. It’s too bad the author didn’t put out enough books for them to do a second season (although rumor has it she might be returning to it soon), especially since the mystery of psychic dreams of the viewpoint character, Mai, isn’t answered during the run of the series. I had to read the comic adaptations of the further novels to learn the answer to that particular mystery.
Give it a look, it’s the perfect Anime for Halloween!
Rob
