Ghost Hound

Synopsis:

When Taro Komori was young he and his sister Mizuka were kidnapped for reasons unknown to him. But, only Taro was found alive and since this tragic experience he has been having an out-of-body experience every time he sleeps being able to see every thing that is going on in his homewtown but no one can see him. However, during his out-of-body experiences Taro also has flashbacks that portray his own kidnapping with odd sybolism that he doesn't quite understand and therefore records his nightly other worldly travels on audio cassette. However due to one kid, Masayuki Nakajima, who can't keep to himself and tries to make friends by prying into everyone's personal life Taro finds out that he is not the only person experiencing these out-of-body phenomenons. Along with Makoto Ogami who has also been experiencing the same thing the 3 boys decide team up, despite their differences, to confront thier past and find out what their own subconscious is trying to show them while they sleep.


Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 22


Review:

Now here is one creepy little show that doesn't need buckets of blood or some demon from beyond to set the mood. Ghost Hound is all about atmosphere through it's unique use of audio effects that can occasionally since a chill up and down your spine. This not only makes the overall story even more intriguing but it also sets Ghost Hound apart from most anime currently out there. Oddly enough, sometimes the audio alone keeps the show from becoming predictable as you'll be wondering what's going to happen next even though in the back of your mind you already know but you still want to see it with your own eyes. Another thing that you will notice is that the main characters are somewhat soft spoken individuals that never really go to one emotional extreme or another. Sure, there is the occasional argument but the thing is that they all seem to let life push them in any direction it wants and everyone just follows along. Other than Masayuki Nakajima's curiosity to pry into everyone's past no one really displays any kind of individuality which I liked. This made me think of everyone as a whole and not single out any one character as more intriguing than the next.

Ghost Hound is one anime that makes excellent use of atmospheric tension through the use of a remarkable audio presentation combined with a cast that's practically asleep-at-the-wheel making for one hell of a unique presentation. Ghost Hound is going to appeal to you on one level or another and you'll find that once you start watching that you can't stop. Is it because you find it interesting? Or is it simply because you don't want the head-trip to end?

Ghost Hound (opening)

Recommendation: |High|

Media type: DVD
From: Sentai Filmworks
Spoken Languages: Japanese
Subtitles: English

Red Garden

Synopsis:

After a bizarre set of murders in New York City four girls, Kate, Rachel, Rose, and Claire, awake one morning to find themselves tired, dizzy, and no recollection of the previous night. Only related by attending the same class at school, they learn that one of their classmates, Lise Meyer's body was found in the woods but the authorities have deemed as a suicide. When school is cancelled for the day, instead of going home the four girls find themselves drawn to a park where they are approached by a strange man and woman. They explain to the girls that the reason they can't remember anything from the night before is because they were murdered. The girls are then given a choice, fight and kill monsters that appear in the dead of night to find out the truth and given a second chance at life, or do nothing and die... permanently. The choice is theirs.


Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 23


Review:

Fight and kill monsters in the afterlife or don't and die forever. Why does this sound really familiar? Oh yeah, it was called Gantz. Well, if you're not an anime junkie then that won't make any sense. Now, for Red Garden, this is one show that does just about everything wrong. To start with, the animation is horrid. Was this to give it some new look or try to present the show in a more realistic fashion? I couldn't tell you but it sure did give everyone a big-ass nose. But to make things worse is that this show starts out excruciatingly slow and it doesn't help that we have four very irritating girls that do nothing more than cry, whine, bitch, and complain for 3/4ths of the entire series. Every time these girls had to encounter a "monster" (which is really just some guy walking around on all fours and growling like a dog) they cry and get slapped around, then scream and get slapped around some more, then question the morality of what they are doing and get slapped around even more, then sort of fight back barely escaping a second death. This goes on for pretty much the entire series. At some point you're going to yell "Just shut the hell up and kill the damn thing!" at your screen. Oh but don't worry, our ladies aren't without the typical life-after-death superpowers. These girls have the mighty ability to jump... really high. No... I didn't get the point of it either.

Hideous animation, a plot as thin as tissue paper that plodded along for far too many episodes, and four main characters that do nothing more than grate on your nerves with their indecisiveness in the face of death, Red Garden is a horrendously bad anime. And in Gonzo's usual fashion, they try to tie up everything in the final episode that could have been presented and solved in parts throughout the show rather than trudging along then going for the final rush. Simply put, do not watch. FUNimation picked a real winner here folks.

Red Garden (closing)
*Note - The opening song blows

Recommendation: |None|

Online viewing: Available at FUNimation's website -

Red Garden (craptastic dub)

Media type: DVD
From: ADV/FAILimation
Spoken languages: English;Japanese
Subtitles: English