Ask John: Please Recommend Some Funny Ghostly Anime

Question:
I recently saw the series Ghost Hunt and was really pleased with it. My usual viewing habits are of harem/comedy shows, so I am quite unfamiliar with other types of shows. Is there any other shows similar to Ghost Hunt that involve ghosts, paranormal stuff, and mysteries and such that you could recommend? Preferably, though, none that are too overly serious or graphic. I have seen Boogiepop Phantom, Ghost Stories, Phantom Quest Corp, and Haunted Junction. Boogiepop Phantom is a bit closer to the serious side that I’m not quite interested in, if that helps in making a recommendation. Currently unlicensed shows are fine to recommend too, if you know of some that aren’t available in the US right now.

Answer:
I prefer to avoid making formal recommendations about particular anime, as much as possible. I think that reaction to anime is very personal and individual, so I like to see viewers explore their own interests and discover their own likes and dislikes rather than try shows with preconceived inclination to like or dislike. To that ends, rather than recommending certain supernatural themed anime, I’ll instead suggest a number of shows that you may want to investigate further. Since supernatural themes are so pervasive throughout anime, I’ll narrow my suggestions with the guidelines you’ve provided. Series including Ghost Hunt, Haunted Junction, and Gakkou no Kaiden (“Ghost Stories”) revolve primarily around normal humans interacting with ghosts. That loosely excludes psychic phenomena, various schools of monsters and demons, and alien abduction. Keeping that broad tone in mind, here are a few shows, in no particular order, that may possibly interest you.

In several respects, the Yugen Kaisha (Phantom Quest Corps) OVA series is Madhouse’s reinvention of Toei’s earlier Ghost Sweeper Mikami television series. If you enjoyed the former, you’ll probably also like the later. Manga Entertainment released the 1993 G.S. Mikami movie on American home video, but the 1991 TV series has never been officially distributed in the US.

The 2008 Yakushiji Ryouko no Kaiki Jikenbo television series has a tone and approach similar to the middle episodes of the Ghost Hunt TV series. The story about a female police detective who specializes in solving supernatural cases isn’t quite as sceptically objective as the first Ghost Hunt story arc, nor is it quite as shamelessly pulpy as Ghost Hunt’s final story arc. I think of Yakushiji Ryoko as an overlooked gem, but its poor reception by the fan community may suggest that my appreciation for the show is an exception.

Last year’s Bakemonogatari television series was a surprise cult hit. The series about an ordinary high school boy who routinely encounters unusual and troublesome supernatural entities, curses, and situations is not for all tastes because of its unusual visual and stylistic tone. Although not especially complex or challenging, the show does demand patience and a lot of conscious investment. The series is certain to alienate and frustrate some viewers. Others certainly find it fascinating.

The Chevalier, Chrno Crusade, First Squad, and Hanada Shonen Shi anime involve encounters with the supernatural in particular historical settings. Chevalier, commonly known by its extended title “Le Chevalier D’Eon,” depicts supernatural threats arising in pre-revolutionary France. The show features lush art design and gets a lot of credit from the fan community for its unconventional setting and dramatic approach. I personally found it a bit pretentious. The Chrono Crusade series pits the Catholic Church against demonic foes in 1920’s New York City. The First Squad motion picture is a faux-documentary detailing the Third Reich’s attempt to employ ghost soldiers during WWII. The charming 2002 television series Hanada Shonen Shi occurs in rural Japan during the late 1950s and tells the story of a young boy who gains the unwelcome ability to see and communicate with ghosts.

The 2007 Mokke television series revolves around a pair of sisters in rural Japan – the elder with the ability to see spirits and the younger with a vulnerability to being possessed by spirits.

The 2002 Asagiri no Miko (“Shrine of the Morning Mist”) anime series also stars sisters with the ability to see and interact with ghosts and spirits. Unlike the dramatic Mokke, Asagiri no Miko takes a more action-oriented approach as the sisters serve as Shinto maidens who battle evil spirits intent on world domination.

The 1990 Karula Mau OVA series also depicts high school girls who battle malicious spirits, although these girls seem slightly older and mature than the stars of Asagiri no Miko. Although quite popular in the early 90s, Karula Mau is now quite obscure and forgotten. It’s also a somewhat grim and grotesque series, possibly just a little bit darker than the rest of the anime discussed so far.

The early 80’s Dream Hunter Rem OVA series and the 2006 Yume Tsukai TV series share a similar concept. Both series revolve around young women who specialize in exorcising ghosts that invade people’s dreams.

The 1996 Jigoku Sensei Nube anime franchise was especially successful during the late 90s, spawning a TV series, OVAs, movies, and video games. This shounen adventure series tells the story of an elementary school teacher with a demonic left hand who uses his power and knowledge of the supernatural to defend his students and town from supernatural threats.

The Kekkaishi and Rental Magica anime series star young boys that battle evil supernatural forces. The complete Rental Magica series is available on domestic DVD. Kekkaishi hasn’t reached American DVD, but it is formally available to English speaking viewers through online streaming.

The relatively obscure 1988 OVA Gakuen Benriya Series: Antique Heart is a pleasant and memorable story about two schoolboys who discover and assist a trapped spirit in a decrepit, abandoned school building.

The engrossing and heartfelt 2008 Natsume Yuujinchou television series also depicts a school boy who interacts with and often assists spirits, even on occasions when the spirits don’t necessarily want help.

The 2007 Mononoke TV anime is a spin-off from the previous year’s Ayakashi ~Samurai Horror Tales~ television series. Considering the consistent tone of the anime I’m identifying, Ayakashi may be a bit too dark, literally, for present company. Mononoke, a historical fantasy about a traveling medicine merchant who also exorcises ghosts, is an unusual combination of bright and colorful art design with serious and grim story.

Probably because it consisted of short Flash animated episodes, the American fan community ignored last year’s goofy fun bizarre comedy series Uchurei. The series combined sci-fi and ghost story by telling the story of a young man who adopts the ghost of a visitor from outer space. The entire series, in Japanese, is available for free streaming viewing on its homepage.

The titles mentioned above are far from an exhaustive list of ghost-themed anime, or even relatively light-hearted, comical, romantic, or adventurous supernatural anime. But these aforementioned titles may provide direction for further investigation. I’d also like to briefly identify a similar selection of darker, more serious, horrific, and dramatic anime that also involve normal people encountering ghosts or similar supernatural entities. Such shows include: Tokko, Tokyo Majin Gakuen Kenpucho Tou, Garei Zero, Death Note, Hell Target, Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Story and Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation, Persona -Trinity Soul-, 11eyes, Kikoushi Enma, Kousetsu Hyaku Monogatari (“Requiem From The Darkness”), Shinreigari ~ Ghost Hound, and Umezu Kazuo no Noroi.