Ghosts, And Demons, And Homunculi - Oh My!

It seems as of late, my Anime choices have been following a similar theme - Ghosts, Demons, and all other things that go bump in the night. I have never been a fan of horror, even the really light horror that is more about suspense than anything. The "BOO" factor is what scares me. When you know something is around the corner but you don't know what it is, then suddenly . . . a person appears behind you and scares the living daylights out of you. But I've found myself slowing starting to get into horror, nothing like Saw but more like Edgar Allan Poe. From books to games, comics to Anime - I've found myself slowing starting to like looking for the monster hiding inside the closet or under the bed.

Ghost Hunt was my first foray into Anime horror. Following the adventures of ghost hunting group of Shibuya Psychic Research Team as they try to solve and exorcise any unwanted spirits they come across. One thing I really enjoyed about Ghost Hunt is the various backgrounds of all the members of Shibuya. There's the leader, Naru, which uses a lot of high-tech equipment similar to TAPS from Syfy's Ghost Hunters series. You have a traditional Miko, an Onmyouji, a psychic, and a Catholic priest. All of the lore of the occult and the various ways to deal with them are thoroughly explored as each story arc (consisting of around 3-4 episodes) highlights one of the member's specific talents and skills. In all honesty, there are some scary story lines in this series, with one of them really hitting home for me since it closely resembles one of my worst reoccurring nightmares. Even with all the frights - the stories, characters, and action never get dull. With a high profile revealing of a certain character's latent powers at the end of the 26 episode series leaves you wanting more.

Going back to feudal Japan has never been so exciting now that oni are roaming everywhere and it's up to Masahiro, a newly trained Onmyouji and grandson of the greatest Onmyouji in all of Japan. I have always loved Anime set in feudal Japan but most of my Anime has always dealt with the Meiji Revolution. This is the first series that really showcases some of Japan's traditional religious beliefs as well as superstitions. Unlike Ghost Hunt, Shonen Onmyouji deals a lot of high-octane action with a lot of laughs as well. While there were no real scares in this series, it was well worth watching. If you want to be entertained while learning a bit of historic Japan, Shonen Onmyouji is definitely worth checking out.

Last but not least is Rental Magica which follows Astral, an agency that rents out mages to the public. These mages for hire come in all disciplines with a Celtic Witch, a Miko, a Onmyouji, a descendant of King Solomon, a ghost, and a guy with a really cool looking eye. While the list of characters might look a little familiar, Rental Magica definitely sets itself apart from Ghost Hunt and other series like it. The day time scenes are filled with Shojo styles (a classic love triangle going on), school, and everyday high school life. But once the sun sets, the members of Astral adorn their capes and robes to fight all the slimy things that appear when magic has gone awry. Rental Magica is the only series I haven't finished, with season two expected to hit in April. But with the jaw-dropping events that closed out season one, I can only expect to see a lot of magic monsters, glowing red eyes, and "hail mistletoe" as the series ramps up one of the more interesting story arcs I've seen in a while.