Freezing Anime Review

Freezing
Furijingu
Funimation
Complete Collection - 4 discs
300 mins. - 12 episodes + 6 OVAs
$39.98 (2014) Blu-Ray/DVD
$64.98 (2013) Blu-Ray/DVD
$69.98 (2012) Blu-Ray/DVD
ISBN 704400095177
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Takashi Watanabe
Studio - ACGT

Synopsis: Humanity is being attacked by powerful alien beings called NOVA and have developed the Pandora program as their best line of defense.  The Pandora are young women implanted with special nodes called Stigmata granting them superhuman abilities of strength, speed, durability, healing, and manifesting objects (like clothing and weapons).  The NOVA usually attack in the form of giant floating statues with massive whip-like tentacles and the ability to generate Freezing fields to immobilize targets.  Despite the Pandoras great powers they are still no match for the NOVA in single combat.  Pandoras are paired with male Limiters who can generate their own Freezing fields to counter those of the NOVA.  The combination of Pandora and Limiter in sync are able to overcome the NOVA.

Kazuya Aoi (right) is a new first year starting at West Genetics Academy

Kazuya Aoi is a freshman at West Genetics Academy, a special school for Pandoras and Limiters, and training to become a Limiter.  His older sister Kazuha was a premier Pandora who gave her life defeating a wave of NOVA and protecting a group of younger Pandoras.  She was one of the greatest Pandoras and very close with Kazuya.  The current top-ranked second year Pandora at West Genetics is named Satellizer el Bridget, also known as "The Untouchable Queen".  She is a ruthless, feared fighter and utterly despises being touched by anyone.

Satellizer el Bridget is the top-ranked second year student at West
Genetics Academy and also known as "The Untouchable Queen"

Much to Satellizer's horror, Kazuya actually gives her a hug on their first meeting.  She normally reacts with extreme violence to any physical contact, but for some reason Kazuya's touch feels different.  Her emotions become conflicted around Kazuya who treats her respectfully and tries to be her friend.  He even defends her when other students (particularly upper-class Pandora) try to violently humiliate her.  West Genetics Academy has a ruthless hierarchy with upper-class students frequently abusing underclass students through brutal duels.

Kazuya's first meeting with Satellizer is more than awkward - he
actually hugs and touches her

Will Satellizer thaw to Kazuya's positive influence or is she too traumatized from her tragic upbringing to let anyone close to her.  A rival appears in the form of Rana Linchen, second-year transfer student from Tibet.  She immediately befriends Kazuya and puts a wedge between he and Satellizer's chances at a partnership.  Kazuya exhibits unusually strong Limiter abilities, but who will he choose?  The cold yet undeniably powerful Satellizer or the hot-blooded and eager Rana?  The NOVA continue their onslaught and time is running out for West Genetics.

The upper-class girls plot to put Satellizer in her place

Pros: Great opening and ending theme songs (OP theme Color by MARiA rocked pretty hard), animation quality is decent with good effects, tons of fan-service for those ecchi perverts, surprisingly violent with actual limbs getting cut off later in the series, heartbreaking origin story for Satellizer validates her character, Rana was a fun character and refreshingly carefree, eyecatches (before/after commercial breaks) were good and focused on different characters each episode, the OVA is totally shameless cheesecake with tons of nudity

Satellizer battles a fellow student who can use Accel Turn for
blindingly fast speed attacks

Cons: Story and plot are pretty bad, NOVA are boring and unexplained foes, most of the girls are really vicious to Satellizer, this series completely objectifies women with repetitive combination of sex and violence, Cathy Lockharte's dream of being a novelist

Satellizer suffers humiliation at the hands of brutally sadistic upper-class
students before Kazuya steps in and helps her turn the tide

Mike Tells It Straight: I didn't know what to expect from Freezing when I first started watching it.  All I could tell from the cover was a beautiful girl was battling and her clothes were ripped in a provocative manner.  I've seen other battle girl shows like Sekirei, Queen's Blade, and Master of Martial Hearts.  I guess my expectations were a little too high and the series kind of let me down.  It was more like Master of Martial Hearts which was a bland series.

It's not a fight at West Genetics unless you get your shirt torn

Satellizer was not a compelling heroine (although her character is justified by her tragic upbringing) and her relationship with Kazuya felt contrived.  It's anime after all and this show fits in the harem genre so expectations can't be too high.  The NOVA were totally unexplained and boring.  The series fell into repetitive fight arcs with Satellizer brutalized by ruthless upperclass girls only to pull out a last minute win.  It got old and the plot never really delivered anything unique.  The OVAs were released with the complete collection (you can find them pretty easily on the internet too) and were unrepentant cheesecake.

New student Rana Linchen immediately becomes Satellizer's
 rival for Kazuya's attention

Kazuya was a decent male protagonist and Rana the transfer student injected a much-needed lightheartedness to the series.  Overall it was violent and sexist, completely objectifying these girls.  The fan-service and nudity were consistent across every episode and definitely caters to juvenile fantasies.  This show was kind of a disappointment and not something I would highly recommend.  Other series do it much better (i.e. more plot and characterization) although Freezing is high up there when it comes to nudity/violence.  There's a second season called Freezing: Vibration and I'll check it out to see if the story actually redeems itself.  Look for the upcoming review and let me know your thoughts on this series!

Rana and Satellizer find themselves battling over Kazuya frequently

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Sword Art Online Anime Review

Sword Art Online
Sodo Ato Onrain
Aniplex
Complete Collection - 4 discs
625 mins. - 25 episodes
$74.98 (2015) Parts 1-4 Blu-Ray
$112.98 (2013) Parts 1-4 Blu-Ray Limited Edition
$49.98 (2013) Parts 1-4
ISBN 850527003325
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Tomohiko Ito
Studio - A-1 Pictures

Synopsis: In the year 2022 the Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) genre has advanced into an amazingly realistic and immersive user experience using cutting edge virtual reality headgear.  Users are able to control their avatars with their minds and sensations are relayed directly to their brains.  Kazuto Kirigaya is your regular high school student who is an avid fan of MMORPGs and spends a lot of time online in his room alone.  His parents died when he was young and he escapes into virtual reality as a way of avoiding the real world.  He's pretty good too and was selected as a beta tester for the hottest new game - Sword Art Online!  There's a special new VR headset called Nerve Gear which is the only way to access the world of SAO.

Kirito meets Klein and shows him the ropes on the first day of SAO

On the official release day of Sword Art Online (SAO) ten thousand users login using the Nerve Gear headsets including Kazuto.  They explore the new world of Aincrad and the beta testers note new additions from the version they played.  Kazuto's username is Kirito in SAO and he spends the day helping a newbie named Klein learn the basics of the game.  At the end of the day a tragic event happens.  The sky goes red and a menacing, robed figure appears above the Town of Beginnings.  It announces itself as Akihiko Kayaba, the creator of SAO.  Kayaba tells all the players they are trapped in the game and cannot logout unless they defeat all 100 floors.  Further, the Nerve Gear headsets are wired so that when a player's health reaches zero in the game they die in real life as well.  Any attempts to remove the headsets in the real world will also cause the player to die (which is learned the hard way by a few hundred players).  SAO has become the ultimate game of death!

Kirito meets a hooded girl named Asuna before the first boss raid

The death toll begins to mount as weaker and inexperienced players fall prey to monsters or bosses.  Many players can't handle being trapped in a virtual reality world and commit suicide.  Other players form guilds to support each other as they continue trying to level up and beat the game.  Beta testers like Kirito are especially despised as they are considered cheaters with unfair secret knowledge.  Kirito decides on a strategy to level up as quickly as he can, but remain a loner without a guild.  He makes friends along the way and learns some difficult life lessons.

Kirito befriends a low-level guild called the Moonlit Black Cats

Some of the players Kirito befriends are:

• Klein - prefers to work together with people while Kirito remains a solo player.  Despite their different personalities the pair are friends
• Asuna - meets Kirito before the first floor boss fight and is a powerful warrior.  Kirito befriends her and gives her the advice to join a guild (i.e. not become a solo player like him)
• Egil - wields a powerful axe in battle, but is a better merchant and shopkeeper.  He and Kirito have a friendship based mostly on Kirito bringing rare items for Egil to buy/sell
• Lisbeth - Asuna's friend and swordsmith.  Kirito asks her to make him the most powerful sword she can from a rare element.  She develops a crush on him after their adventure
• The Moonlit Black Cats guild - meet Kirito on a mission and befriend him.  The group are friends from the real world and Kirito admires their camaraderie.  Will the diehard solo player give in and join a guild after all?  
• Silica - a beast tamer who is getting hassled by her former comrades.  She has a pet dragon that helps her on quests.  Kirito comes to her aid
• Yui - a lost child that Kirito and Asuna find in the woods.  She has amnesia and doesn't remember the real world.  What is her strange past?
• Leafa - of the Sylph race and able to fly with fairy wings.  She helps Kirito learn the ropes of flying and politics in Alfheim.  She's got a big secret and is closer to Kirito's offline life than either one of them could truly guess

Asuna is a skilled warrior and known as the Lightning Flash for her speed

Kayaba has developed an incredibly lifelike virtual world.  Some players are too afraid to fight and are able to take up different trades like fishing, gathering resources, cooking, and trading information.  It's even possible to kill another player in the game and an evil murder guild forms to steal the rare items from players.  The towns are neutral territories where players are safe from being killed.    The front line is where players continuously battle to advance the game forward and open up new levels.  Kirito becomes a rare solo player who fights on the front line.

Kirito and Lisbeth go on a quest to find a rare ore to create a powerful sword

His levels are high and he has rare equipment to help him in battle.  He'll need it because Kayaba's SAO world is a virtual prison and impossible to escape.  The greatest challenge lies beyond the virtual world - what has happened to the bodies of the comatose players?  Are virtual relationships as strong as real ones?  Who will survive to see the light of day and who will sacrifice themselves so that others might have a chance?

Kirito takes on a monster in a dungeon

Pros: Great animation - character designs/backgrounds/action, some memorable characters and situations, the love story between Kirito and Asuna is touching, nice soundtrack, first half had a serious feel to it as characters died causing their real world bodies to also die, second half was an adventure, some very mild fan-service

Kirito and Asuna start getting closer even though she's the 2nd in command
of the Knights of the Blood Oath guild and he's a solo player

Cons: First story arc is much more powerful and interesting, final story arc was too cliched with the whole damsel-in-distress thing, relationship between Kazuto and his sister Suguha was a bit questionable, ending seemed a bit too easy (although the series gets dark), as of this review there's no affordable complete collection available which makes this a ridiculously expensive series to own

Kirito takes on Heathcliff, leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath guild

Mike Tells It Straight: Sword Art Online is based on an ongoing series of light novels by Reki Kawahara.  I watched part of an episode of SAO on Cartoon Network's Toonami and it looked interesting.  I didn't know the story coming in, but knew it had something to do with MMORPGs and knew a little bit about those (a friend was heavily into EverQuest at one point).  I was hooked after watching the first episode!  The idea of players trapped in a virtual world where they die for real was awesome.  .hack//Sign had a similar story where the protagonist was unable to log out from a virtual world, but I liked the grand scale and adventure of SAO.  There was a clear and present danger as players were dying on missions, through treachery, and even committing suicide.  The story contains some heavy themes, but is mostly lighthearted in nature.

Kirito asks Asuna to cook a rare meat for him because she has
a high cooking skill level

The first half of the series was entirely dedicated to the 'death game' theme, but the focus slowly shifts to Kirito and Asuna.  They become allies and then something more.  I really liked how SAO explored the question of 'in-game' relationships.  The whole virtual reality thing gets more serious when you can really experience the sensations of your character (there's a pain setting which I have to assume also governs other sensory input like touch).

Asuna and Kirito take on a high level boss raid together

Kirito is a likable protagonist and you can't help rooting for him, but Asuna was pretty darn cool in her own right.  I really think Reki Kawahara missed it with how he handled her - she's strong, but then gets too sappy and sentimental with Kirito and later on Yui.  Her treatment in the second half of the series is totally weak.  Kirito is a lone wolf throughout the series and I liked that about his nature.  Sure, he gets a little help from other players, but at the end of the quest it's him vs. the boss!

Leafa is a Sylph who Kirito helps when she's getting hassled

I think the series would have been more powerful if it didn't veer off the 'death game' theme to focus on Kirito and Asuna (plus Leafa) as much.  It was still a great story and offered some really interesting views of virtual reality gaming.  The battles and action were really awesome in the boss fights and there was a desperate emotional undercurrent throughout.  Kazuto's sister Suguha was a surprisingly good character.  I read a lot of mixed reviews on this series, but suggest you find out for yourself.  It's worth it and there's even a sequel (Sword Art Online II).

Who is this girl being held prisoner?

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Space Pirate Captain Harlock Anime Movie Review

Harlock: Space Pirate
Uchu Kaizoku Kyaputen Harokku
Ketchup
Movie - 115 minutes
$20.99 (2015)
ISBN 037117040391
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Shinji Aramaki
Studio - Toei Animation

Synopsis: In the far future humankind has spread throughout the galaxy and number 500 billion souls.  None of the worlds colonized by humans ever lived up to the standard of Earth and a mass migration back to the home planet sparked a devastating conflict called the "Homecoming War".  The Gaia Coalition, the human universal government, now holds the planet as sacred and forbidden for anyone to set foot on.  A group of space pirates headed by Captain Harlock refuse to leave the Earth alone and fight to regain it for access by the greater humanity.

Logan is the latest recruit to join the Arcadia

Harlock captains the elusive vessel the Arcadia, known as a Deathshadow-Class ship, with his crew of space pirates.  They fight the Gaia Coalition at every chance and have garnered a mythical reputation after a full 100 years as rogues.  How is it possible that Harlock has captained the Arcadia for 100 years without aging?  Is the pirate ship a supernatural force in space?

The Arcadia is a seemingly unbeatable ship powered by dark matter engines

The main crew of the Arcadia are:

•  Kei Yuuki - beautiful and fierce female space pirate
• Yullian ("Yattaran") - tough-talking first mate who wields a powerful hammer during melee combat
• Mimay - member of the mysterious Nibelung alien race and expert at controlling the dark matter engines of the Arcadia
• Logan ("Yama") - the Arcadia's newest recruit, he bears an uncanny resemblance to Harlock (merely coincidental?), and understands the Captain's pursuit of interstellar freedom

The main crew of the Arcadia (from left) - Yullian, Mimay, Harlock,
Logan, and Kei

The Gaia Coalition have unleashed a task force to take down the Arcadia once and for all.  It's led by a man named Ezra who is wheelchair-bound.  What is Ezra's shocking link to Logan and who is Nami?  Harlock's plans are to retake the Earth, but why is he collecting massive detonators and placing them at key points in the galaxy?  The famed space pirate is much more than he seems and his mission far more sinister.  Will Logan fall under Harlock's spell and embrace the pirate's lifestyle?  Can the Earth survive another conflict?  Get ready for epic space battle as you've never seen it!

The Gaia Coalition's forces led by Isola hunt Harlock and his pirates

Pros: Beautiful full CG rendering with incredible detail, killer character designs which look retro-futuristic, exciting space battles with guns blazing, some really cool scenes and interactions, a lot of the mystery behind Harlock is presented (his link to the Arcadia), Harlock actually gets into the action and shows his stuff (instead of just sitting around), Japanese voice acting is top notch

Harlock captains from the bridge with Mimay by his side

Cons: CG character animation is incredibly stiff and unrealistic, plot is all over the place and kinda bad, character allegiances seem to switch back and forth pretty quickly, space pirates in their shiny battle suits are invincible one minute and then cannon fodder the next, Harlock never really has a personality and overall character development of the cast is weak, major wrench thrown into Harlock's motivations and backstory, they kept the cartoon-looking 'Mister Bird' (Tori-San), English dub is not great, subtitles take some liberties with names and meanings

Yullian offers some comedy relief to balance the stoic Harlock

Mike Tells It Straight: This film is based on the manga Space Pirate Captain Harlock by famed creator Leiji Matsumoto (Space Battleship Yamato aka Starblazers, Galaxy Express 999, many more).  There was a 1970s anime television series (42 episodes) based on the manga and currently available with English subtitles.  This film originally shared the same title and I think it was changed for the domestic release to avoid copyright issues (a different company owns the licensing rights to the television series) or to at least differentiate it for the Western audience.  It's a visually stunning CG film with amazing textures and an exciting story.  Obviously a labor of love for the creators and contains serious artistic effort.

Kei is as tough as she is beautiful

Beautiful visuals aside I found the story to be rather haphazard.  The crew of the Arcadia don armored suits and are seemingly invincible when they board another vessel for hand-to-hand combat.  Then later in the series they get their asses handed to them in a similar situation.  It's inconsistent and there were several other instances which had me scratching my head (like the Gaia Coalition's 'grand cannon').  There's a major plot twist involving Harlock which really throws a wrench into his established character.  Either genius by the writers/director (for making this an original work) or abject suicide by alienating the established fan-base.  The body movements for the character animation weren't fluid (wrists are horribly awkward) which is a common problem with CG works (reminded me of the Final Fantasy CG movies).

Harlock unleashes his true power against the Gaia Coalition

One thing I liked in this film is the connection between Harlock and the Arcadia.  Both seem downright supernatural at times and each had some great action sequences to reinforce their otherworldly might.  Harlock is rarely seen in actual combat and it was refreshing (usually he's a chair jockey on the Arcadia's bridge).  The film is faithful to Matsumoto's work with classic scenes (Logan and Harlock with guns locked on each other).  The space battles were great and I really liked the plasma cannon fire lancing through the black void.  The Arcadia's dark matter effect (black smoke emanating from the ship) was pretty spooky and looked neat.

Mimay offers her advice to Harlock as he questions his motives

I'm not usually a fan of CG films (much prefer hand-drawn animation mixed with CG backgrounds/effects), but Harlock showcases the latest Japan has to offer.  It wasn't a critical success and garnered a lot of negative reviews from critics.  It cost $30 million and didn't make it back at the box office - that's a critical failure.  I'm kind of surprised it didn't do as well in Japan considering the fan-base, but there's hope the film will make it's budget with the DVD release.  Still a big disappointment after all the hype surrounding its release.

Kei talks to Harlock 

Love it or hate it, this film is a big budget version of Harlock.  It's visually stunning and has some great action sequences.  For these alone it's probably worth a watch.  The plot is filled with holes like swiss cheese, but what did you expect?  I could definitely see hardcore Harlock fans getting offended by some of the plot twists in the film.  Overall it's a passable sci-fi movie and has some cool space battles.

Logan and Harlock have a familiar standoff

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Heaven's Lost Property Forte Anime Review

Heaven's Lost Property: Forte
Sora no Otoshimono Forte
Funimation
Complete Collection - 4 discs
300 mins. - 12 episodes
$39.98 (2014) Blu-Ray/DVD
$64.98 (2013) Blu-Ray
$59.98 (2013)
ISBN 704400058783
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Hisashi Saito
Studio - AIC

Synopsis: Tomoki Sakurai was a regular high school student living in a boring town who just wanted to enjoy a quiet existence.  All of that ended when he discovered the Angeloid named Ikaros one evening.  She fell from a place called the Synapse and became Tomoki's servant.  To make matters worse she was followed by another Angeloid named Nymph.  Both Angeloids now live and go to school with Tomoki.  There go his chances for any peace and quiet!

Ikaros attempts to get close to Tomoki...with disastrous results

The Angeloids can fly, are extremely durable, and each have special abilities.  In her former state Ikaros was a fearsome Angeloid called the Uranus Queen with highly destructive capabilities.  It appears her memories were suppressed from this time and her emotions are purposefully stunted.  Nymph is a walking supercomputer and has highly technical abilities (although she is much weaker physically than Ikaros).

Nymph laments the loss of her wings in the first season

Tomoki's friends help him deal with the Angeloids and their antics.  They include his next door neighbor Sohara (who has a secret crush on him), the eccentric Sugata who is head of the New World Discovery Club (he's pretty much the only member), and the sadistic student body president Mikako (her family are Yakuza).  Together they try to learn about the Angeloids and the Synapse while getting into outlandish situations.

Tomoki devises an ingenious system of peep holes - how long until he's caught?

Another Angeloid is sent to Earth to eliminate Tomoki!  Her name is Astraea and she is one of the strongest Angeloids, but woefully clumsy and not very bright.  She also has enormous boobs.  She remains on Earth and plots to somehow destroy Tomoki, but keeps hanging around his house to mooch food.  She gets sucked into all the goofiness happening in Tomoki's life including - Mikako's snowball battle girls vs. boys, Tomoki's panty robot pedal bicycle (don't ask), a mock game show to prove Tomoki is despised by all the girls at school, the forbidden eating of Ikaros' watermelons, Mikako's mock fishing contest where the 'fish' are busty girls who have been tied up, Tomoki's peeping network and more.

Astraea comes down from the Synapse to snuff Tomoki!

Another Angeloid is sent from the Synapse and she's a next-generation model called Chaos.  She is ultimately powerful, inadvertently evil, and emotionally still a child.  Will even the combined might of Ikaros, Nymph, and Astraea be enough to stop her?  The evil master of the Synapse will stop at nothing to destroy the rogue Angeloids and their 'master' Tomoki.

The Angeloids face the fearsome Chaos - the next generation of Angeloid!

Pros: Great animation and backgrounds, every episode ends with a different song/closing credits based on what happened in the episode, tons of comedy moments and funny situations, even more fan-service than the first season, some very small character development and plot reveals (particularly Nymph), Chaos is a suitably dark and scary nemesis for the Angeloids in this season

Tomoki pulls his best prank yet

Cons: Female characters are ridiculous and wear collars with chains on them, Ikaros has zero personality and usually just stares blankly at stuff, plot barely moves forward (not much revealed about the Synapse), Chaos is fairly annoying, a lot of really silly episodes

We learn very little about the evil master of the Synapse

Mike Tells It Straight: The first season of Heaven's Lost Property (reviewed here) started out as your typical harem anime and eventually won me over with its outlandish comedy situations.  I was impressed with the unique ending credits and songs for each episode.  It stood out as a decent show with good animation and the serious parts were mildly compelling.  Tomoki is an unrepentant horn-dog and the mystery of the Synapse was mildly compelling.

Sugata meets the mysterious Daedalus who built the Angeloids

This second season continued the tradition of unique ending credits and nice animation.  The show is all about the ecchi/fan-service and this theme grows exponentially.  Entire episodes seem to be dedicated to Tomoki's lecherous ways, ridiculous contests surrounding boobs, and Tomoki is often sporting a boner or completely naked (with little graphics covering his parts).  It's crazy!

Nymph runs a diagnostic on Ikaros after she falls ill

I wish the series spent a little less time on Tomoki's massive porn collection and focused more on the mystery of the Synapse.  We get some new information, but nothing on the actual master of the Angeloids.  This was a letdown along with the annoying childlike Angeloid, Chaos.  She would have been practically unbearable if it weren't for her sheer scary evilness!  The battle with her was pretty wicked and overall Heaven's Lost Property Forte was a zany show.  It kicks the fan-service (no explicit nudity just lots of groping) and comedy up a notch while sacrificing plot development.  Even more of a guilty pleasure than the first season ;)

Ikaros manifests her full powers as the Uranus Queen

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Ghost Hunt Anime Review

Ghost Hunt
Gosuto Hanto
Funimation
Complete Collection - 4 discs
600 mins. - 25 episodes
$29.98 (2010) S.A.V.E.
$59.98 (2009)
$49.98 (2008) Parts 1-2/ea.
ISBN 704400079122
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Rei Mano
Studio - J.C. Staff

Synopsis: Mai Taniyama is an ordinary high school girl who likes to tell ghost stories with her friends.  She meets a mysterious young man who turns out to have been hired to investigate a supposed haunting in an abandoned school building.   Then Mai accidentally breaks one of his video cameras and even gets his assistant injured.  Feeling guilty she ends up taking the assistant's place during the investigation and witnesses some unexplained phenomena.  The young man is Kazuya Shibuya who runs Shibuya Paranormal Research (SPR), but Mai decides to call him 'Naru' because of his lofty, narcissistic attitude.

From left: Masako, Ayako, Yasuhara, Naru (Kazuya), Hosho, Mai, and John

The apparent haunting gets more severe and more investigators are called in.  They include:

• Hosho Takigawa is a former Buddhist monk who is adept at exorcising spirits (using Buddhist mantras) and is very brave.  He appears to be very laid back and even wears stylish clothes.  Mai is put off by his appearance at first, but soon discovers he is a capable expert and very brave.
• Ayako Matsuzaki is a Shinto shrine maiden who is brash and outspoken.  She doesn't look or act the part of a holy maiden by any means.  She also has the ability to release spirits (using Shinto kuji like the 'nine cuts') although her reputation is not very good.  Mai surmises that she talks a good game, but doesn't have the spiritual power to back it up.
• John Brown is a Catholic priest hailing from Australia.  He is very soft spoken and kind.  When performing an exorcism he uses holy water and reads passages from the Holy Bible.
• Masako Hara is a famous television star who has the ability to sense and even channel spirits (a medium).  She apparently has a crush on Naru, but its unknown whether he returns her feelings.  Mai is instantly jealous of her.
• Lin Koujo is Naru's assistant and keeps to himself.  He is highly capable and even has some spiritual abilities.  Mai is convinced he hates her.  

I really hope, for Mai's sake, that's just a dream

Naru ends up hiring Mai to work with SPR to pay off the rest of the camera she busted.  The group investigates a wide variety of 'hauntings' with varying degrees of authenticity and danger.  Each member contributes in some unique and valuable way.  Mai feels a bit out of place among these seasoned hunters, especially Naru and Lin who are both very forthright in their dealings with others.  Over the course of the investigations Mai becomes a believer and she even begins to show some skill at solving cases.  When the group find a real haunting or possession is when the true danger begins.

The team have fun investigating a possible haunting in the park

Subsequent cases SPR takes on include:

• They visit a home where it's believed a poltergeist is at work.  The family includes a young girl who has a creepy doll.  Can the group uncover the tragic history of the house and the mystery of the doll before another accident happens?  
• The team is then called in to a school where many strange accidents have been happening to students.  It appears a desk is cursed, but also other places in the school.  A girl who exhibits psychokinetic abilities (spoon bending) has been blamed, but Mai is convinced she's innocent.  Is the girl lashing out at her enemies after they publicly ridiculed her?
• Something is purposefully interuppting young lovers at a local park.  Whenever someone tries to kiss they get splashed with cold water.  Is it the work of a jilted spirit?
• John brings the team to the aid of a local parrish where possessions have been happening more frequently.  A boy disappeared many years ago and it appears his spirit is becoming agitated.  Can the SPR team solve the mystery before another child goes missing?
• The team is called to another haunted high school where the principal and headmaster are both gruff unbelievers.  They meet a helpful young man named Osamu Yasuhara who explains the curses started happening after a first-year student named Sakauchi took his own life.  Add the fact the entire student body has been playing a strange game similar to a Ouija board and the school has become a hotbed of spiritual activity.  Mai has a horrible dream which spells disaster for the group.  Can Naru solve the case before anyone else gets hurt?
• Several groups of paranormal researchers are called in to solve the disappearance of a pair of young men in an old mansion owned by the former prime minister.  Not all of the investigators are what they appear to be and not all of them make it out alive.  The house has a macabre history and Mai seems particularly sensitive.  When a seance is held all hell breaks loose!  Can the group escape the horror hidden beneath the house?
• A family hires SPR to help them avert a curse which happens any time the head of the family changes.  The team faces their toughest challenge yet as they encounter possessions, malevolent spirits, and even Naru is caught unawares.  The death toll rises and Mai's dreams become increasingly dire as time runs out.  During the last change a team of ghost hunters were lost and SPR could suffer the same fate!

Keep your eyes on this creepy doll...or else!

Pros: Good cast of characters (with actual character development), nice blend of creepy horror sprinkled with a little lighthearted comedy, opening/ending sequences/music were decent and reminded me of those late night psychic/spiritual infomercials, I liked the multiple episode story arc format which allowed suspense to build up until the last episode of each case, a few genuinely scary moments, not many horror anime out there that do a good job

The SPR crew encounter this dangerous hell hound!

Cons: Some of the solutions to the cases can be far-fetched (like the first case, the one with the boy who disappeared, and the last case), the ending of the final case was too convenient for all of the story buildup, some goofy moments, not all questions are answered

What has Mai gotten herself into?

Mike Tells It Straight: I almost quit this series after the first three episodes, but am very glad to have stuck with it to the end.  The story was originally a light novel series, then a manga, then adapted into this anime series, and currently an ongoing manga again.  There are not many decent horror anime out there and I can say Ghost Hunt is one of them.  One of the best aspects of the show are the interactions of the SPR characters.  Mai is the main protagonist/narrator and she gives a good perspective on the other characters.  The characters grow over the course of the series (especially Mai's latent psychic abilities).

Performing a seance in the bowels of a haunted mansion

The series is split into multi-episode story arcs which I found to be very appropriate.  Each case takes a few episodes to solve and it allows a nice buildup of suspense before the finales.  I liked the characters which definitely grew on me over the course of the series.  There's some nice character development.  Some of the later stories were particularly scary (the Bloodstained Labyrinth and the Cursed House) and I enjoyed watching the series alone at night!  It's few and far between to find decent horror anime and Ghost Hunt does a good job.

Mai comes face to face with an unspeakable horror - is it just a dream?

Some things which bothered me about the series were the convenient ending to the final story arc.  We get a great buildup to the final episode and then it just ended with a convenient reveal of some hidden power.  Not how I would have liked it to end.  Everything up to that point was pretty good, but the ending was a letdown.  A few of the situations in the series were kinda lame and very far-fetched (even for an anime).  Okay, so it's way harder and more uncommon to have ghosts/poltergeists show up than what happened in the series (I've watched a few episodes of Ghost Hunters on SyFy network).

Some spirits can actually do harm to the living

Despite its flaws I still enjoyed the series and would recommend it if you are looking for a creepy anime to watch alone at night.  It's a good combination of humor (Mai's pining for the stoic Naru and her rivalry with Masako) and suspense while the group is confronted with difficult psychic phenomena.  The character interactions make the series along with a few scary moments.  It can be a little slow-paced at times, but I was surprised at how much I actually liked the series.  

The team visits Naru in the hospital after a particularly nasty case

TO BUY and Recommendations: