Ghost Hunt

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Ghost Hunt
ゴーストハント (Gōsuto Hanto)
Genre	Occult detective
Light novel: Akuryou Series (悪霊シリーズ, Akuryou Series?)
Author	Fuyumi Ono
Demographic	Female
Published	1989 – 1994
Volumes	8
Manga
Author	Shiho Inada
Publisher	Kodansha
Other publishers: Del Rey Manga Bongkoch Comics Tanoshimi
Demographic	Shōjo
Serialized in	Nakayoshi
Original run	7 July 1998 – Still Running
Volumes	10
TV anime
Director	Rei Mano
Studio	J.C. Staff
Licensor	FUNimation Entertainment Anima
Network	TV Aichi, TV Osaka, TV Tokyo, TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting Co., Ltd.
Other networks: Hero TV
Original run	3 October 2006 – 27 March 2007
Episodes	25

Ghost Hunt (ゴーストハント, Gōsuto Hanto^?) is a manga series based on a novel series called the Akuryou Series (悪霊シリーズ, Akuryou Series^?) created by Fuyumi Ono. A radio drama for Akuryou Series was made in 1997. It was then converted by mangaka Shiho Inada to a shōjo manga series.

Currently, the manga runs in the shōjo magazine Nakayoshi, published by Kodansha. An anime based on manga by J.C. Staff premiered on October 3rd, 2006. The anime series consists of 25 episodes (approximately 20 minutes each).

On October 31st, 2007 FUNimation Entertainment announced^[1] both their acquisition of the licensing rights to the anime, and the release date of the first DVD in the United States to be in the fall of 2008.

Contents 1 Story 2 Characters 3 Anime 3.1 Episodes 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Story

Ghost Hunt follows the adventures of Kazuya Shibuya, the president of the Shibuya Psychic Research Center (SPR) and Mai Taniyama, a first year high school student. The story begins during an exchange of ghost stories between Mai and her friends, who are interrupted twice: first by a mysterious "male student" and then by a fellow classmate, who warns them of how their ghost stories attract spirits.

While out walking, Mai sees the building that all the ghost stories surround and decides to go in. As she is about to touch a camera in the middle of the room, a man stops her and ends up injuring himself. Mai is then forced to work as a stand-in assistant for the man, an employee of the "male student," who was hired to study the "paranormal" events occurring at the school. Mai nicknames this "student" "Naru" for his narcissistic attitude. Naru owns a paranormal investigation company SPR and Mai eventually earns a part-time job at SPR after assisting with the first case. The more involved Mai becomes with Naru, the more she learns about herself and her feelings towards him.

Along with Shibuya's assistant, Lin, the SPR also finds itself assisted by various spirit mediums and exorcists.

The anime has already ended its run. Many fans have asked for a second season, but while there has been no firm confirmation, some fans believe there is a possibility of a return to be around this fall. The manga is still ongoing; hence beliefs that there could be a possibility of a second season. The author has been quoted as saying that she is currently working on a girl's horror story that she began years ago (which is assumed to be Ghost Hunt). There is also a possibility that the Ghost Hunt manga will finish after all the storylines in the novels have been finished since Fuyumi Ono stopped writing "Ghost Hunt," the novels, in 1994.

[edit] Characters

Mai Taniyama (谷山 麻衣, Taniyama Mai^?)

Voiced by: Kaori Nazuka

Mai Taniyama

A first year high school student who takes up a job at the SPR when she accidentally broke the camera that Naru was using for their investigation. Later on, she began to be a regular assistant of Naru after having interest in her job and also to get close to Naru. She openly dislikes Naru for his egotistical attitude, but she seems to be harboring romantic feelings for him which manifests in dreams with him smiling and supporting her. It should be noted that both her parents have died: her father when she was little, and her mother when she was in middle school. Mai was taken in by a teacher who helped her through those years, yet when she reveals this, she is living by herself.

Naru determines that she has ESP abilities through a test (although she does the complete opposite of what she is told to do: instead of predicting which light would light up, she predicts which wouldn't, and has a miss rate of 1000/1000). Naru refers to her abilities as "latent sensitivity", which include her dreams acting as a form of precognition and her seeming clairvoyance, akin to an animal's ability to instinctively detect danger. In recent episodes, Mai has also experienced "out of body" movement, when she gives the key to her old home to Masako while she is dreaming. Whenever she is having these dreams, it seems that Naru was always there to guide her.

In the novel, it was confirmed that it was actually Naru's dead twin brother who shows up in her dreams, smiling and always guides her. In the ending of the Evil Spirits series(wherein he found his dead twin brother's dead body), Naru was about to leave for England when she confessed her feelings for him. In this, he asked if he is the one she loves or his dead twin brother, Gene. At this, she only cried. After she finally stops crying, she was surprised that Naru was still there. He told her that whether she likes it or not, she will eventually see his brother again (after they found Gene's body, she stops dreaming about him). This concluded the Evil Spirits series. Two months after Gene's funeral, Naru and Lin came back to Japan since there are more supernatural activities going on in Japan. At this, Mai became his personal assistant once again.

Kazuya Shibuya (渋谷 一也, Shibuya Kazuya^?)

Voiced by: Yuuki Tai

A paranormal researcher and the handsome 17 year-old president of the SPR, Shibuya Psychic Research. His nickname "Naru" is short for "narcissist", given to him by Mai. Contrary to the other characters, he does not appear to possess any kind of spiritual power, and must count on his companions' abilities and his own intellect and knowledge to solve the cases they investigate. It is later revealed that Naru is an extremely powerful psychic, but using it takes a toll on his body because it is difficult to control and can only be used as raw power.

Though appearing cold and critical in front of his friends, he does care for them deeply and has earned their trust and respect. He and Mai apparently share a close relationship as she is the only girl he addresses by given name, unlike Ayako and Masako, who becomes jealous of Mai as a result. When Mai notices that Naru treats her differently from their friends, she becomes angry and confronts him; Naru only smiles to indicate she is special to him. It is uncertain if he likes Mai romantically.

In the novels, it is revealed that Naru is actually Oliver Davis in disguise and had a twin brother named Eugene Davis. They were nicknamed Gene (Naru's brother) and Noll (Naru). Both were orphans and were later adopted by the Davises. Naru actually went to Japan to search for his brother, who was run over by a car and later thrown into a lake to destroy any evidence of the accident by a woman whose identity is still unknown. It is later revealed that Naru cannot use his ability properly without the help of his brother. When he left for England in the end of the Evil Spirit series, Mai confessed to him. At this, he told her that the one she loves is Gene, who appears in her dreams and not him. Naru went back to Japan(together with Lin) two months after the funeral of Gene because more supernatural activity occurs there than in England.

Koujo Lin (林 興徐, Rin Kōjo^?)

Voiced by: Ken Narita

Originally from Hong Kong. He is Naru's calm and taciturn assistant who rarely speaks more than he needs to. He seems to get most of the unpleasant jobs, and works through the night. He appears to be an onmyoji and has a wide range of paranormal skills from exorcism to summoning spirit familiars. He acts as Naru's guardian to help him find his brother. It is revealed that the three are childhood friends. Lin says he dislikes Japanese people because of the past conflicts Japan has had with China. At one time, he told this to Mai and she told him that he should forget the past to move on and if he should hate her, it should be because he hates her as an individual. At this, he stated that a long time ago, someone told him the exact same words. It is revealed that this person was Naru.

Houshou Takigawa (滝川 法生, Takigawa Hōshō^?)

Voiced by: Kenji Hamada

A Buddhist monk from Mt. Koya, who is also a bass musician. He considers monk as a side job, while playing in a band is his real profession. He usually acts as a brotherly figure to Mai, but does ask Mai out on a date when she becomes jealous of Naru going on a date with Masako at the end of episode 11. He is one of the more powerful members of the group and usually with the most effective abilities against ghosts. The others refer to him as "Bou-san" (Monk-san).

It is revealed in the novels that he actually has a driver's licence but has never used it, not even once.

Ayako Matsuzaki (松崎 綾子, Matsuzaki Ayako^?)

Voiced by: Masami Suzuki

An outspoken self-styled Shinto miko priestess, given that she was not raised in a shrine and is actually the daughter of a wealthy doctor who owns a community hospital. She is confident and proud of her abilities, though her attempts to demonstrate them have almost always fallen short. To her credit, she did teach Mai some defensive sutras, particularly the standard Shinto exorcism incantation, "Rin pyou tou sha kai jin retsu sai zen". It is later revealed that she is actually just as strong as Bou-san, but apparently only works well under certain conditions and is capable of hearing the spirits of trees. A running joke is that at the beginning of a new case, Ayako usually claims the incident is caused by an elemental earth spirit. She has also shown an interest in Naru, though he frequently rebuffs her with dry remarks concerning her age. Later in the story, she develops somewhat of an 'older sister' relationship to Mai.

John Brown (ジョン・ブラウン, Jon Buraun^?)

Voiced by: Nobuhiko Okamoto

A nineteen year old Catholic exorcist priest from Australia who speaks Japanese with a Kansai accent, thus giving his sentences a rather odd structure. Good-natured and helpful, he helps Mai and Naru however he can. His means of exorcism is spraying holy water while reciting a prayer.

Masako Hara (原 真砂子, Hara Masako^?)

Voiced by: Rie Kugimiya

A spirit medium with a popular television show and the ability to speak to the dead, Masako is a young girl who resembles a Japanese doll because she is always wearing a kimono. She seem to have romantic feelings towards Naru and is jealous of how casual and free Naru is when dealing with Mai. In the novels, it is revealed that Masako knows of Naru's true identity and his psychic powers and has used that secret to extract favors out of Naru himself, despite his reticence to participate in social events.

Osamu Yasuhara (安原 修, Yasuhara Osamu^?)

Voiced by: Kousuke Okano

A 3rd year high school student and his president of his school's student council. Yasuhara first appears during an incident involving a curse at his school during "File 6". When the case is solved, he continues to help out the SPR in what ever ways he can, such as impersonating Kazuya Shibuya at the request of Naru and performing research when the others are occupied. He has no psychic powers of his own, but his sharp mind and work efficiency makes him a good supporter to the team. He is planning to attend university and has passed his entrance exams.

[edit] Anime

[edit] Episodes

#	Title	Original air date
01	"FILE 1: Filled With Evil Spirits!? #1" "FILE1 「Akuryou ga ippai!?」#1" (FILE1 「悪霊がいっぱい!?」#1)	October 3, 2006
Mai meets Naru while exchanging ghost stories with her friends, and learns her school principal has hired him to investigate an allegedly haunted school building. Mai later causes the injury of Naru's assistant and is forced to stand in as a temporary replacement. The principal also brings in several exorcists and mediums, and more help arrives in the form of a classmate of Mai's, who claims to have the ability to sense spirits.
02	"FILE 1: Filled With Evil Spirits!? #2" "FILE1 「Akuryou ga ippai!?」 #2" (FILE1 「悪霊がいっぱい!?」 #2)	October 10, 2006
Each member of the team proposes a different theory as to what is responsible for the odd occurrences. After collecting data overnight, Naru begins to doubt the presence of any spirits and instead theorises that land subsidence is the cause of all the ghostly activity. Mai's classmate, Kuroda, fiercely insists that a poltergeist is at work, and evidence appearing to support her idea soon arises.
03	"FILE 1: Filled With Evil Spirits!? #3" "FILE1 「Akuryou ga ippai!?」 #3" (FILE1 「悪霊がいっぱい!?」 #3)	October 17, 2006
After disappearing for a night, Naru conducts an experiment involving all those associated with the case. He implants a hypnotic suggestion in their minds regarding a chair in a sealed room moving overnight. His experiment proving successful, Naru reveals his explanation for the latest developments, correctly accusing one of the group of mimicking a poltergeist's acts. After the conclusion of the case, Naru offers Mai a part-time job at the SPR, which she accepts.
04	"FILE 2: Doll House #1" "FILE2 「Ningyou no ie」 #1" (FILE2 「人形の家」 #1)	October 24, 2006
The SPR team, joined by the exorcists and mediums from the previous case, are requested at a house where poltergeist-like activity has been taking place. Soon after their arrival, the ghostly occurrences escalate, leading Bou-san to conclude the house is haunted by something more than a mere poltergeist. A young girl in the family, Ayami, exhibits strange behavior, claiming her doll Minnie has been speaking to her. The SPR team observe Minnie closely, with disturbing results.
05	"FILE 2: Doll House #2" "FILE2 「Ningyou no ie」#2" (FILE2 「人形の家」 #2)	October 31, 2006
Ayami reveals Minnie has been exerting a strict control over her, punishing her whenever she breaks a promise to Minnie. The team believe the doll is being used as a vessel by a spirit. After Ayami is involved in a near-fatal accident, Naru discovers previous residents of the house have been plagued with frightening incidents, all resulting in the death of young children.
06	"FILE 2: Doll House #3" "FILE2 「Ningyou no ie」#3" (FILE2 「人形の家」 #3)	November 7, 2006
After a failed attempt to exorcise the spirits of the dead children, a well appears in the middle of the living room. Mai is pulled into the well by a malevolent spirit during a second exorcism. While unconscious, she sees the abduction of a little girl and the subsequent suicide of the child's distraught mother. With this new knowledge, the team is able to cleanse the spirits of the woman and children, restoring peace to the old house.
07	"FILE 3: The One Who Curses After School #1" "FILE3 「Houkago no jusha」 #1" (FILE 3 「放課後の呪者」 #1)	November 14, 2006
The SPR are asked to handle a case at the Yuasa High School, where a series of unusual events are seemingly related to a cursed desk and a haunted clubroom. Rumours circulating the school population implicate a girl with psychokinesis, who had previously vowed to 'curse to death' all the doubters of her gifts.
08	"FILE 3: The One Who Curses After School #2" "FILE3 「Houkago no jusha」 #2" (FILE 3 「放課後の呪者」 #2)	November 21, 2006
The team arrive at the conclusion that the sheer number of occurrences at the school would require a psychic power far greater than anyone could possibly possess. Coupled with Masako's insistence the school houses no spirits, Naru begins to believe someone is using a form of voodoo, calling on gods to carry out their desires. The discovery of human-like dolls under the desk and in the clubroom seem to confirm this.
09	"FILE 3: The One Who Curses After School #3" "FILE3 「Houkago no jusha」 #3" (FILE 3 「放課後の呪者」 #3)	November 28, 2006
Evidence against the psychokinetic girl, Kasai, begins to pile up. Mai refuses to believe Kasai is responsible, despite Bou-san and Ayako's beliefs to the contrary, saying she has a feeling within her that Kasai is innocent. While searching for more dolls, Mai is lured to an open manhole by the ghost of a crying child. Naru fails to save her from falling in and instead, they both find themselves inside the hole.
10	"FILE 3: The One Who Curses After School #4" "FILE3 「Houkago no jusha」 #4" (FILE 3 「放課後の呪者」 #4)	December 5, 2006
Bou-san, Ayako, and Mai destroy the dolls, effectively removing the 'curse' on the school. Naru is sent to the hospital as a result of the manhole accident, where he makes a startling revelation regarding the past of someone at the school. He clears Kasai's name, but is forced to accuse someone close to her in the process. After the case, the team return to the SPR, where Naru successfully tests Mai for psychic abilities.
11	"FILE 4: Ghost Story of the Park!" "FILE4 「Kouen no kaidan!?」" (FILE4 「公園の怪談！？」)	December 12, 2006
Masako requests Naru investigate a park where over six months, couples have had water dumped over them from thin air. The team, excluding Lin, split up at Masako's suggestion into pairs and they soon attract the spirit of a woman. Taking possession of Masako's body, the woman explains she died soon after being cheated on by her boyfriend. Mai convinces her to let go and move on to heaven, but not until they have forced the cheating partner to acknowledge the hurt he caused.
12	"FILE 5: Silent Christmas #1" "FILE5 「SILENT CHRISTMAS」#1" (FILE5 「サイレント・クリスマス」#1)	December 19, 2006
John brings the SPR their next case on Christmas Eve. Children at a local church are being possessed by the ghost of a mute boy who vanished one day during a game of Hide and Seek. The boy, Kenji, hides in the woods once he claims a body. While in control of a child, he mistakes Lin for his dead father and clings to him. John exorcises Kenji from the child he resides in, but Kenji then promptly possesses Mai.
13	"FILE 5: Silent Christmas #2" "FILE5 「SILENT CHRISTMAS」#2" (FILE5 「サイレント・クリスマス」#2)	December 26, 2006
While Naru searches for Kenji's body, Lin is ordered to play with Kenji. Lin snaps shortly after and Kenji, still in Mai's body, races into the woods. After John and Bou-san find Kenji, Naru tells him his father is waiting for him in heaven and asks him where he is. Kenji shows him the place he'd hid and died in and releases Mai, who sees Kenji's tragic death in a dream.
14	"FILE 6: A Prohibited Game #1" "FILE6 「Kinjirareta asobi」#1" (FILE6 「禁じられた遊び」#1)	January 9, 2007
The highly publicised Ryokuryou High School is brought to the SPR's attention when students report a series of terrifying events, including a ghostly dog attacking them. The SPR gathers information with the help of the school valedictorian, Yasuhara, and learn the incidents began after Sakauchi, a first year student, committed suicide. During the installation of cameras around the school, Mai encounters Sakauchi's ghost.
15	"FILE 6: A Prohibited Game #2" "FILE6 「Kinjirareta asobi」#2" (FILE6 「禁じられた遊び」#2)	January 16, 2007
Mai dreams about the school and notes that dozens of spirits, including will-o'-the-wisp, are devouring each other. Masako and Mai later see Saukichi's ghost being similarly absorbed. The team discover a popular spirit-summoning game, 'Orikiri-sama' may have been spread by Saukichi, possibly resulting in the many spirits inhabiting the school. While retrieving a video tape, Mai finds herself locked in a room with bottles crashing down around her, releasing the smell of formalin.
16	"FILE 6: A Prohibited Game #3" "FILE6 「Kinjirareta asobi」#3" (FILE6 「禁じられた遊び」#3)	January 23, 2007
Mai wakes up in the nurse's office, after several events nearly lead her to her death again. Mai's lamentation on learning the SPR have been asked to leave after the latest disasters prompts Naru to muse over a theory. He speculates that the spirits were deliberately called and expected to devour each other until the strongest remained. This spirit would possess the school, but require human sacrifices. Lin discovers the instructions for 'Orikiri-sama' have been designed to ensure participants unknowingly contribute to a death spell, the target of which is someone at the school.
17	"FILE 6: A Prohibited Game #4" "FILE6 「Kinjirareta asobi」#4" (FILE6 「禁じられた遊び」#4)	January 30, 2007
Naru and Lin begin a ritual to return the curse to its casters, thereby leaving leaving the curse's target unharmed. Mai learns that this ritual will affect most of the school's student population, as they, while unknowingly, contributed to the curse. Her attempt to stop it fails, but Naru and Lin are able to lift the curse with little harm to the students.
18	"FILE 7: Blood-soaked Labyrinth #1" "FILE7 「Chinurareta meikyuu」#1" (FILE7 「血ぬられた迷宮」#1)	February 6, 2007
Madoka, an associate of Naru's, requests the SPR take on a case for the former Prime Minister and investigate the mysterious disappearances of young people at one of his properties. Before the case, Naru asks Yasuhara to pretend to be SPR's director in his stead. The SPR team join two other teams of investigators, one of which requests they all participate in a séance which has an unexpected result.
19	"FILE 7: Blood-soaked Labyrinth #2" "FILE7 「Chinurareta meikyuu」#2" (FILE7 「血ぬられた迷宮」#2)	February 13, 2007
Members of the other teams begin disappearing. In a search of the house, John finds a secret room that enables the SPR team to add to the information they learned from Madoka of the estate's past owners. Shortly after, Mai has a dream in which she experiences first-hand the death of someone from the estate.
20	"FILE 7: Blood-soaked Labyrinth #3" "FILE7 「Chinurareta meikyuu」#3" (FILE7 「血ぬられた迷宮」#3)	February 20, 2007
The dream leaves Mai traumatised, but prompts new speculation by the team regarding the house's spirits. Lin carries out a ritual to summon the spirit of one of the missing people, who gives the SPR team a new lead. The discovery of one of the missing people's corpse induces Oliver Davis, one of the investigators on another team, to reveal himself as an impostor.
21	"FILE 7: Blood-soaked Labyrinth #4" "FILE7 「Chinurareta meikyuu」#4" (FILE7 「血ぬられた迷宮」#4)	February 27, 2007
Naru reveals Madoka's true motive behind requesting they take on the case was to expose the fake Oliver Davis. Naru informs the team their job is therefore finished, despite Mai's protests. While the group prepares to leave, Masako disappears, and Mai has a dream that allows her to lead the team straight to the missing girl. A malevolent spirit attacks the girls, but Lin is able to ward it off and the team escapes unharmed. With no other way of removing the spirits, the house is later purified by fire.
22	"FILE 8: Cursed House #1" "FILE8 「Noroi no ie」#1" (FILE8 「呪いの家」#1)	March 6, 2007
SPR is asked by a person who comes all the way out from the seaside to solve a dangerous case, of which three psychics have already attempted to solve and died as a result. Naru is possessed by a spirit when Ayako exorcises a strong spirit possessing a member of the family involved. Mai dreams of the history of the spirits, with her teammates assuming roles within the dream, and Naru guiding her to where the spirits have gone.
23	"FILE 8: Cursed House #2" "FILE8 「Noroi no ie」#2" (FILE8 「呪いの家」#2)	March 13, 2007
The remaining psychics tour around the area in order to verify Mai's dreams. A member of the family tries to commit suicide, fearing that others may be killed as a result of possession. Ayako provides each family member with protective charms, though the two children and another family member refuse to use them. Mai uses the Kuji to prevent Katsuki, one of the family members, from jumping off a cliff, but ends up affecting another family member, Wakako, and effectively wards off the spirits possessing Katsuki and Wakako.
24	"FILE 8: Cursed House #3" "FILE8 「Noroi no ie」#3" (FILE8 「呪いの家」#3)	March 20, 2007
Nao, a member of the family involved, is confirmed dead and Masako is sent to perform a ritual. Mai has another dream and is woken by Masako when a fire spreads in the main house. Another family member meets a tragic end after being possessed. An army of zombies soon enters the SPR's base to free the spirit that has possessed Naru.
25	"FILE 8: Cursed House #4" "FILE8 「Noroi no ie」#4" (FILE8 「呪いの家」#4)	March 27, 2007
Bou-san manages to banish the drowned corpses attacking the base, allowing the team some respite. When the sun rises, Ayako volunteers to purify the spirits and performs a successful exorcism, surprising Bou-san and the other members of the team, but notes another force is still at work. Naru wakes up and the team moves to finish off the unseen force causing the disasters. After the team struggles to exorcise with the spirits involved, Naru uses his own psychokinetic powers and finishes the job, only to collapse afterward. He reawakens in the hospital with the rest of the team, cheerfully visiting him in his room.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Site (anime) (Japanese)
• Ghost Hunt (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Official Funimation Site (anime) (English)