Review of Ghost Hunt

Quick take: If you like "Ghost Adventures," "Ghost Hunters" or any similar show on cable TV, you'll find "Ghost Hunt" very enjoyable. Even if you don't watch paranormal shows like that, you'll likely find this anime to be good. Characters are what I believe to be it's shining achievement. "Ghost Hunt" straddles the space between episodic and serialized. It doesn't quite fit into either category. Each part of the series is split into a "file," or case and can span anywhere from two to four episodes. I actually really enjoyed this aspect. For the most part, each of the cases feel different and a few ofthem feel truthfully tragic. You won't find much of an arc over the entirety of the series with the exception of Mai's feelings, but even then it seems that the writers realized it was neglected and attempted to make up for it in the final few episodes. We could have actually done without it and not missed anything.

Art was fun and entertaining. While the show does deal with a lot of serious topics, the over-the-top drawing used to highlight comedic sections was something I really enjoyed. The use of the different styles; chibi, kawaii and moe are all contrast to the main style.

The acting was extremely well done for an English dub, probably one of the best I've seen. The final "file" spanning episodes 21-25 is the worst of the series in my opinion, but I blame that on the script writing.

The poor script writing during the last episodes caused many problems beyond acting and can contribute for the extremely bad storyline. Had you asked me to rate the show halfway through, it would've scored even higher, because the last two "files" are the worst of the series in my opinion. Especially the final "file" where it honestly feels like a free-for-all and everyone gets a shot at being boss.

Even though I gave it a score of 7 for characters, the lowest of any category, I believe that the characters are the strongest point of the series. Every character feels right and I liked watching them interact with each other. They are well written and I enjoyed that there were three spiritualists from different schools of thought working together.

However, their arcs seem to fall apart in the last few episodes and I believe it's because there was a rush to tie up the loose ends. Indeed, if each arc was spread out a bit more, I think we would've gotten a much smoother ride and things wouldn't have suddenly happened. We learn a lot about some characters in the final episodes that I just think would do better with more explanation.

Then there's the frustration that grew from Mai's actions. Typically we expect to see growth in a character and at first, we get that. Mai starts out a student with no knowledge of the paranormal besides a few stories and blossoms into an a mature teenager with the ability to make informed decisions about the nature of the situation. Then, suddenly the stupid rock comes from left field and cracks her on the head. Yes, in the final few episodes she actually regresses back into a scared, little girl who can't do anything but blush about boys. She can't differentiate between when to do something and when not to, can't seem to follow requests by other characters in trouble and just becomes a total nuisance. It becomes frustrating and begins to sap the enjoyment out of the show. Mai just can't seem to pull it together. This contributed to the loss in score for the characters the most but despite that, I still consider it one of the best aspects of the series.

At the end of the day, "Ghost Hunt" is a fun show with a set of really good stories, excellent characters and good art. If you like "Ghost Adventures," "Ghost Hunters" or any similar show on cable TV, you'll find "Ghost Hunt" very enjoyable.