Welcome to Astral Animations, where we'll examine the imports of Japanese animation currently available in the United States.
This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the movie.
That said, on to the review!
Hokujo Haruto, son of a Christian minister, longs for a normal life: attending school, going to college, becoming a businessman, getting married, having kids, growing old. Unfortunately, he attends Saito High, where he is the president of the Holy Student Council. As a result, he routinely misses classes (although he gets credit for it) to attend to matters of spiritual nature or save the world (or just the student body) from demons and hostile spirits. So much for a normal life! On the other hand, at least he's not alone. Also serving on the council are Asahina Mutsuki and Ryudoh Kazumi, the one being a Shinto spiritualist and the other a Buddhist medium. Of course, with Mutsuki having a Shouta complex (obsessed with boys 12 years or younger) and Kazumi either chasing the attractive female spirits or being possessed by one of the many spirits that flock to the campus, they don't always help as much as they could. And why does he have to be president anyway? He doesn't have any spiritual powers as his friends do. On the other hand, he does have the seven crests (or badges) that summon the seven principal spirits of the campus: Miss Hanako, Nino-kun, Red Mantle, Bones Suzuki and Haruo Sato, Mirror Girl, the Giant Foot, and the Chairman of the school. And thus begin all of Haruto's adventures...which he would just as soon have missed!
Of course, while Haruto might be the president of the council and everyone turns to him for leadership, that doesn't mean his friends don't get into trouble on their own. After all, Kazumi can't help it if he keeps getting possessed by dog spirits and cat spirits and pool spirits and even a young girl who wants to use her body to spend the night with her boyfriend, which Kazumi would just as soon avoid! But despite his obsession with the extremely sexy and flirtatious Miss Hanako, Kazumi has a good heart and he's willing to do the right thing. Lucky for him he doesn't have to sacrifice his virginity yet! Then there's Mutsuki (usually called Asahina by one and all) whose obsession with little boys in shorts nearly gets her trapped by a school spirit (no, not the kind that's expressed with cheers at pep rallies) who manifests itself as a little boy. Or when a school filled with young boys sidetracks her from the mission at hand (investigating a spirit who holds out a sickle and scissors). Of course, being slightly stronger spiritually (and intellectually) than Kazumi, she doesn't get into quite the same predicaments as he does (although it's hard to tell if he's more powerful because he gets possessed so often).
And of course, Haruto has his own problems to deal with. Each time he threatens to resign as president, something occurs to distract him. And of course, he's the one who frequently has to bail everyone out of trouble, like calling everyone to task, or allowing himself to become a child spirit's idol, or just summoning the seven spirits to his aid. But he continues to yearn for a normal life. Now, if that chance should offer itself, will he take it or leave it? It's a question that he has to ask himself, because on the one hand it will mean a normal student life that will (hopefully) lead to a normal grown-up life. But on the other hand...will he ever laugh again?
Haunted Junction is an anime series that I bought on a whim. Of course, getting twelve episodes of one anime on two DVD discs for only about $32.00 is a bargain I just couldn't pass up. And the fact that I have a strong interest in ghosts and spirits helped a lot, too. And as far as I'm concerned, it was a terrific investment!
One of the chief attractions of this anime is the relationship between Haruto and the Chairman. Haruto wants desperately to resign as president, yet the Chairman always manages to throw some sort of obstacle (be it cold, hard truth or an emergency mission) into his path to freedom. Another interesting part is the Chairman's habit of popping up in the most interesting fashions, including emerging twice from Haruto's mouth like a huge free-floating bubble. The Chairman has some other strange quirks, such as his obsession with photographing the Holy Student Council in odd or serious situations (like when Kazumi's being possessed by a dog spirit or when Asahina's battling shikigami). Not to mention the Chairman's obsession with occult related materials and paraphernalia.
There's something else to be said about Haruto: he seems to be the one and only human male more or less immune to Miss Hanako's charms. There are a few occasions (one or two, I think) where he does get a nose bleed (as does Kazumi), but for the most part he treats her almost like a little sister or a fellow student. There is one episode where he does wind up on the receiving end of Miss Hanako's attentions--which he seems uncomfortable with receiving, though probably only because everybody's watching--but for the most part he can look at Miss Hanako without drooling all over the floor the way Kazumi does. Haruto's not immune to feeling love, though. In one episode he falls in love with Red Mantle, the handsome spirit who makes all the girls swoon. Don't think Haruto's strange, though: in that episode everyone fell in love with Red Mantle, including Kazumi! You'll just have to see to understand. Although Miss Hanako's reaction after that scene was quite touching and cute.
Well, I've got to say that this is probably going to be one of my most favorite anime for a while to come, and I'll probably be watching it over and over and over. Having it on DVD helps a lot, since I can watch my favorite episodes over and over and over. The characters are all interesting and enjoyable, and the stories are hilarious. Word to the wise, though: this is not an anime for children under 13. It involves a great deal of innuendo that will probably go over their heads and make adults uncomfortable (those without open minds, of course). There's also a great deal that requires at least some understanding and/or acceptance of Japanese culture that some viewers may not have. So just take care before you watch this!
I got the series on DVD and you can, too. Whether it's available on video cassette...well, you'll have to do your own searching. You might try the Bandai website and see what they say. In the meantime, just check at your local video store and see if they have the DVD available. I won't guarantee that price will be comparable to what I got it at, but I guarantee that you'll enjoy this anime series!
Interested in buying this video? You can! Just follow the links to order the DVD version. You can also visit the Stellar Video Store for other titles.
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