Ghost Hunt (2006–2007) User Reviews

Ghostly animation

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 7 December 2009]

I thought this looked as if it might be worth watching when I saw that Funimation had it on their YouTube channel. While it wasn't the best anime series I've seen it was still entertaining and I'm glad I gave it a go. The series was made up of eight individual stories which varied in length from one to four episodes.

The main character is Mai Taniyama, a sixteen year old orphan who ends up helping Kazuya Shibuya, who she calls Naru because of his narcissism, with his paranormal research. This typically involves being called in to a haunted site and discovering what is the cause of the problems them exorcising any malevolent spirits. They are assisted by a catholic priest, a TV spiritualist, a Buddhist monk and a Shinto shrine maiden, these people aren't officially part of the team but are either called in for help or just volunteer their help.

While I didn't find the stories particularly scary they were entertaining and one of them managed to be quite sad... in a good way. I liked the characters who each brought something to the story, the animation looked good and the voices sounded good to me although I admit not understanding Japanese but having to read the subtitles.

Worth Checking Out

[RecapAnime · 8/10 · 22 August 2014]

If you are into the paranormal or anime then this series is worth checking out. Up to 25 episodes, the show revolves around cases that are submitted by different characters. There are 8 cases in total with each one being better than the last "In my opinion"

The show offers a suspenseful atmosphere that makes you question what is going to happen next and being how it's on Netflix you can almost promise yourself that binge watching might occur.

Note: For a better experience I watched it when it was late at night with the lights off while wearing a headset that was turned up all the way with a bass boost...Makes the experience so much better.

A huntingly good show

[Angels_Review · 8/10 · 19 April 2014]

This show is pretty interesting, and has a rather creepy, hunting feeling. It's like Case Closed was mixed with supernatural horror. It's really interesting and sometimes the logic out ways supernatural things and the other way around. It keeps you on your toes because they will give you a reason, then fall back from it when something else happens.

The characters do seem a bit like the normal stereotypes but yet they do surprise you. You don't get much from the people early on but as the story keeps going, you learn much more. Mai Taniyama is rather smart, but she has a rather odd personality sometimes. She sometimes gets a bit annoying but always has a good heart. She cares a lot for those that she works with even if she fights with them. Shibuya is a rather interesting character in that he doesn't normally let people see what he is thinking until the very end. Though he never shows his emotions, he does care for people. John Brown is an interesting priest that is actually rather young. He shows his emotions pretty well but you don't see much of him in that aspect. Takigawa is the Buddhist monk who is a bit of a smart ass but he does bring up a lot of valuable points. Matsuzaki is the Shinto miko who wasn't taught in a shrine. Almost all the times she has actually done her things, it seems to not work. Hara is a spirit medium though she never really shows much of anything. All of these characters give very valuable insight on each of the different ways in exercising and figuring out things. It's also very interesting to see how all of them get along.

One of my favorite characters in the show actually showed up near the end of the show sadly, Osamu Yasuhara. I love his unorthodox sense of humor and he is a great counterpart to Shibuya's quiet demeanor. He even stands in for Shibuya in at least one case and I can tell there is a love triangle is forming with Mai between the two.

It's really hard to talk about the show because a lot of things that I say could be considered spoilers. The show has many different arcs that span about 3 or 4 episodes long revolving a case. Now episode 12 and 13 are a very special heartwarming arc so warning, it may make you cry. Other then that, the show is rather gory and can become intensely horrific in both story line and images.

The animation is rather nice, bright when it needs to be and then it turns a bit dark whenever ghosts are around. It's like the 'ghosts' place a filter over the show. Other then that, there isn't really much difference from all the other animations. It's pretty good and I didn't really see anything that really stands out as a mishap in the artwork. I love how the characters clothing does change.

The opening feels like we are going into the twilight zone or Doctor Who of anime, giving me a couple chills up my spine. It doesn't have the pop voice, only the instrumental and a women going ahhhh every once in a while. That's what sets it apart from any other anime opening. The ending is also rather different, mostly sweet and sad but again with no voices. The English voices are rather good, setting a nice mood between the characters. Shibuya is knowledgeable and has a rather good mono tone to him. Mai on the other hand has a rather good narrator voice and has a lot of emotion when she speaks. It's not like the high pitch voices most women get in anime but more of a normal tone.

Great Anime.

[fatemaster2003 · 10/10 · 22 July 2007]

Ghost hunt talks about hunting ghost, in a manner of speaking.

Believe me, I never saw any good ghost movie in anime lately. Well, maybe it's because, the situation doesn't match at all. The creep, the music, and etc. But you will got none of those "unmatch" condition in this movie.

To tell you the truth, even the opening music is rather creepy. Just like a good western ghost movie song.

All in all, this is a great anime. You will encounter every sort of movies genre inside. Comedy, horror, mystery, a little action, a little bit of love story (not to much though), and family movie.

I guarantee, anyone who likes anime, will like this one. Of course, that includes the horror anime-movie freak. You will definitely like it.

I rate it 10/10

Love this

[bmasteller · 10/10 · 10 July 2020]

I wish there were more than 2 seasons of Ghost Hunt. I want to know more about Lin, Naro and Mai. Plus Naro's powers and his parents.

Entertaining even with shortcomings

[savannahlake · 7/10 · 18 November 2016]

I had been looking for a good, scary anime with a well-rated English dub and was suggested to give this a watch. I love Mai and Naru's English voice actors from previous work, and decided this was my pick. Despite being easy to scare and hating most horror movies and haunted houses, I love ghost hunting and thought this would be a fun ride with that in mind. I have come to learn during my recently developed love and exploration of anime that not all writing is going to be stellar, and that is the case with Ghost Hunt. There were a handful of times where I was face-palming due to the lack of logic or seeming forgetfulness of what had already been established in the show's lore, yet I still enjoyed myself thoroughly. It had some great scares (in particular, the episodes involving a certain doll gave me the creeps, and the Winchester Mystery House-like saga was horrifying) and lovely nods to mythology and magic that gave it a nice edge over what I was expecting to be a scary slice-of-life anime. Mai and Naru both had a tendency to drive me up the wall, but I still found myself entertained by the antics in the show and wishing it ran longer so I could have more time with the whole cast of characters. I also appreciated the break from swearing and not-so- subtle fan service that is so common in "grown up" animes. How clean it was actually made me joy it more, it stood out because of it. Sometimes we need a break from cussing and boob shots, and this was a fully entertaining anime that offered that break.

Awesome

[bmasteller · 10/10 · 21 September 2019]

I love this show. I have watched it several times. I wish they would make more.

Watch if you love interesting ghost stories

[andreastornqvist · 7/10 · 9 May 2015]

I gave this anime a 7 since the individual adventures (or rather, 'Files', as they are called in the show) that stretch over a few episodes each are quite good. It doesn't deserve higher since it's not finished. The show would've ended perfectly where it does with just one extra episode or a couple of scenes to wrap some stuff up. But as it is, at least one major element is left unexplained (but is very easily researched as this is based of a manga)and a main character doesn't feel like he's developed that much at all by the end.

Despite not finishing the manga's arc, missing it's own as well, it's quite enjoyable as the individual cases that the 'gang' work on throughout the show all have their own interesting arcs and it's always a game of cat and mouse with guesses and information as the tools of progressing the story. This is one of my favorite animes despite being cut short. Perfect for anyone who likes ghost shows with investigative properties.

Americans what are you doing?

[mejay-15418 · 10/10 · 8 January 2022]

Why can't Americans do anime like these? They always focus on marvel and DC or they make childrens cartoons. If you can make 4 season of Sleepy Hollow why not make it an animation.

Unique Anime that is very interesting to watch

[jreneehughes · 10/10 · 27 May 2023]

I gave this a 10 because most anime's are about love, demons, witches, time travel, magic, etc. While this one takes on a whole new perspective of using multiple genre's like Buddhism, Priestess, Exorcists, Yin-Yang Masters etc to fight off spirits, ghosts, possessions, even a god. And in the process you see a unique perspective that hasn't been shown in other Animes as they all work together to fight off evil.

I loved it because I have watched hundreds of hours of Animes and this was the first like this. I hope more people get to see this as it contains a lot of personality and perspectives.

Ghosts that just doesn't really come to haunt you afterward...

[paul_haakonsen · 5/10 · 11 February 2013]

As a long time fan of Manga and anime, it is always a joy to stumble upon something new. And I thought that combining Manga with ghosts would be as interesting as the combination of Manga and zombies ("Highschool of the Dead"), but it just didn't fully managed to reach up to that particular level.

"Ghost Hunt" is a nice enough series, but the episodes seem sort of pointless in a way, as they initially all tend to turn out to be fairly much alike. The hauntings are different in each story, sure, but ultimately they turn out to be sort of anti-climatic as they never really turn out to be violent, end in unforetold ways, or anything like a proper horror story would be.

The animation itself is quite nice, and the characters are nicely drawn. Just be warned that there is a fair amount of childish comedy in this series - as to be expected from a Manga. But at times that Mai character turns out to be a nuisance and you just want to tell her to shut up already, because she says annoying things and acts like a child. For a group of professional ghost hunters, then this mixed group of people seem oddly out of tune with the seriousness of their ghostly work.

I had expected something more from this series, especially when it spanned over 25 episodes, but it just never managed to rise up to the level of the "Highschool of the Dead" Manga series, which was just half as many episodes.

If you enjoy ghosts and Manga, you might just find some enjoyment in this series, but personally I found it to be too superficial and never really delving properly into the hauntings and further elaborate on these events. It was just a brushed shallow shell of what it could have been, and that was a shame, because "Ghost Hunt" really had potential for something better.

Perfect Halloween Anime

[amiranda-39274 · 8/10 · 30 October 2022]

Ghost hunt is positively spooky. This anime focuses on a group of supernatural specialists that all bring their own skills and beliefs to the table, but together they are able to exorcise and combat ghosts and other kinds of violent spirits, sometimes winning and other times just holding the hostile spirits at bay. I love all the characters, while the main leads naru and mai can be irritating at times, i still love their roles in the show, but perhaps i am biased by the fact they are played by Tod haberkorn and Cherami leigh who play natsu and lucy from the fairy tail anime. There are many other recognizable anime English voice actors here, and they all give each character a lot of personality and likeability. There are only 25 episodes in this series, with the group of ghost hunters being hired to solve poltergeists, hauntings and so much more. What separates this ghostbusting group from others you might have already seen, is that they are purely professional, having the skills, the grit and the technology to do their jobs, as bizarre of a job as it is. I want to take the time and say that the intro of this anime is unlike any other anime intro you have ever scene, as soon as the music starts, it hits you like a brick with this sense of terror but it still engrosses you preparing you for a great ghost story, not to mention the visuals used look like live action footage fused with special effects that makes it look so surreal, giving the appearance of paranormal footage that you might find on the internet.

I will admit some episodes do drag, because there are multiple arcs with 4 episodes filling out each arc. While i enjoy this anime for these long arcs, there are times when the episodes would have been alot stronger if it had been shorter and tighter, instead of depending on filler. But by far the arc that is a must see out of this entire series is " the bloodstained labyrinth". Episodes 18-21 that takes place in a Winchester like mansion with the ancient ghost of a man that would bathe in young people's blood to keep himself alive, and he is not done yet. This specific episode gives me everything i could ever want in a horror anime, it has gothic atmosphere, tight storytelling, great dialogue and mystery solving. While not gorey, there is a sense of pure danger, not to mention the visuals and revelations of the ghost, are so scary, that I was left leaving the lights on all night. The blood stained labyrinth is the best episode of the series and i still watch it every october, even if I dont have time to watch the whole anime. In conclusion, this entire anime has excellent moments of horror, without going too far with that shock value, its classy horror, it has perfectly spooky music, and the right number of scary moments that make this a lot of fun to watch for Halloween but leave you sleeping with the lights on.

Worth keeping in your watchlist

[akpurendra · 9/10 · 21 December 2019]

I have been a big manga\anime fan since childhood and I recommend this anime to someone who wants to watch something in horror genre. You can't compare this to Death Note but yes, this can be added along with High School of the dead and Ghost stories. This show has 2-3 mind bending episodes or cases I should say, where you ultimately end saying "f dude". So, thumbs up from me.

Good anime ghostbusters series

[Irishchatter · 8/10 · 9 November 2018]

I watched this on Halloween night and of course IMDB didn't put up my original review...

Anyways this anime was really entertaining to watch, great English Dub voice actors involved including J Michael Tatum as Narus first sidekick. If you're really into real life paranormal, then this anime is definitely a most watch!

Ghost Hunt a Supernatural anime

[annahorvth · 5/10 · 31 May 2017]

Story: The story line of Ghost Hunt following Mai a student, who joined a group of paranormal investigators, who investigate reports of spiritual activity. The anime is divided into 7 cases.

Ghost Hunt what was adapted from a Manga with the same title. It's not a bloody horror anime, more of a supernatural thriller, except the last case "Dracula" that case is a little bit more bloody, but it depends on people what we say is bloody horror.

All in all, I would recommend this anime to everybody.