DVD Review- Ghost Hunt Season 1, Part 2
My review for the first set of season one of Ghost Hunt can be found here.
The second half of Ghost Hunt follows the lead of the first half; though the cases become more complex and darker in tone, the series remains entertaining and engaging, especially for viewers who already have an interest in the paranormal and/or Japanese mythology.
The first story arc on the DVD features yet another haunted high school. The solution is similar to a story arc from the beginning of the show, but this time getting rid of the angry spirits poses a truly disconcerting moral dilemma that only Naru and Lin can handle.
The second arc, The Blood-Stained Labyrinth, is a gruesome hodge-podge that references everything from the Winchester House to Elizabeth Bathory. The SPR team investigates a bizarre mansion where multiple young people have gone missing- a matter of some concern since all of SPR’s members (with the possible exception of Lin) are under the age of thirty. They’re in a race to solve the case with a couple other paranormal research teams; then, as the situation deteriorates, in a race to save one of their own members from a bloodthirsty ghost. This tale is pretty disturbing and has some chilling moments.
The final arc, The Cursed House, is about an entire family under the spiritual gun. Every time the Yoshimi family loses a patriarch, other family members die. With the latest head of the family just a few days in the ground, they’re desperate to prevent another mass die-off. When a rampaging spirit puts Naru in a coma for most of the story, Monk takes over temporary SPR leadership duties. But the spirits in the Yoshimi home are numerous and pissed off. Soon the deaths that the SPR had hoped to prevent begin to occur, and the team realizes they are up against a powerful curse, one laid not by a human or a ghost, but a god.
All the characters from the first half of the series are back, plus one- Yasuhara, a student from the aforementioned haunted high school whom Naru decides to employ as a sort of research assistant. It’s an unnecessary addition to an already rounded ensemble cast, but luckily Yasuhara doesn’t get in the way too much and even has his uses in The Blood-Stained Labyrinth. None of the characters changes drastically over the course of the anime, though some subtle development takes place: Mai’s confidence has grown since her first case, though she still tries to dent her own psychic abilities. Her rivalry with Masako for Naru’s affections has intensified to outright nastiness. Monk takes center stage for most of the final story arc. John doesn’t have much to do other than meander around and mutter badly translated Bible verses. Ayako, however, finally has something to do in The Cursed House, and we learn the reason why she hasn’t exhibited any real power before this. Naru’s asshole-ishness eases noticeably in the second half of the series, and Lin even provides something approximating an explanation as to why he’s such a jerk (Lin’s explanation for his own surly attitude falls pretty flat, though). As much explanation as we get, however, there’s a lot more that never comes, particularly regarding Naru’s past and his relationship to Masako.
While no second season has been announced, it would be welcome. Not only could it expound upon Naru’s secrets (for now, interested viewers will have to turn to the manga for more information), but ghost stories are always welcome in my house.
Ghost Hunt hangs onto the same instrumental opening and ending themes throughout the season, but in this second DVD set the opening animation changes to become creepier, perhaps to match the darker atmosphere of the new storylines.
Other than that there isn’t much to say that wasn’t said in my first review; the animation looks great, the sub and dub casts are both excellent (though I have a minor beef with their translation of the word onmyouji as ‘yin-yang master’. While this is as accurate a description as you’re likely to find in English, onmyouji are popular characters in anime and manga and most fans are probably well aware of what the word means. Funimation could easily have left the word untranslated as they did the honorifics, especially since the other characters give Mai a detailed explanation of the concept of onmyodo).
The extras on the set are identical to the first set’s extras: manga pages, trailers, interviews. It’s not a wide variety but since I’m not a big fan of extras it didn’t really bother me.
The packaging for the second set is attractive. Funimation has made a smart move by releasing these season sets; not only are they cheaper than releasing each DVD individually, but they also take up less shelf space.
The conclusion of the first season of Ghost Hunt doesn’t disappoint; it’s still one of the better shows I’ve seen lately. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope for a second season.
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