Ghost Stories (anime)

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Ghost Stories
学校の怪談 (School Ghost Stories)
Genre	horror, suspense, comedy, drama
TV anime
Directed by	Noriyuki Abe
Studio	Pierrot
Network	Fuji Television Animax A+ Cartoon Network Anime Network
Original run	22 October 2000 – 25 March 2001
No. of episodes	20

Ghost Stories, Ghosts at School or roughly Gakkô no Kaidan (学校の怪談, Gakkō no Kaidan^?, lit. School Ghost Stories) is a twenty episode anime series created in 2000 by animation studio Pierrot and Aniplex for Fuji Television, based on a book series by Toru Tsunemitsu.

The series is licensed for the North American market by ADV Films whose English dub replaces the original script with a comedic one. It was also aired in Latin America by Cartoon Network, who has broadcast the entire series unedited on October 1, 2005. The series was also translated and dubbed into English by the anime television network, Animax, who has broadcast the series unedited and uncensored under the title Ghosts at School within its respective networks across the world in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and other regions.

Contents 1 Storyline 2 Characters 3 Minor characters 4 English dubs 4.1 ADV dub 4.2 Animax dub 5 Episodes 6 Discontinued episodes 7 External links

[edit] Storyline

Ghost Stories tells the tale of Satsuki Miyanoshita (宮ノ下さつき, Miyanoshita Satsuki^?), who moves with her family to the hometown of her deceased mother. On her first day of school, Satsuki; her brother Keiichirou (敬一郎, Kei'ichirō^?), a first-grader; their neighbor Hajime Aoyama (青山ハジメ, Aoyama Hajime^?); Momoko Koigakubo (恋ヶ窪桃子, Koigakubo Momoko^?), an older schoolmate; and Reo Kakinoki (柿ノ木レオ, Kakinoki Reo^?), a classmate and friend of Hajime's with a penchant for the paranormal visit the abandoned school building adjacent the current school complex and discover that the building is haunted.

It is soon after revealed that Satsuki's mother was responsible for sealing several ghosts who haunted not only the school but also the town, and now they are released due to the urbanization taking place in the surrounding area. Satsuki's mother left behind a book detailing how to exorcize the ghosts once and for all. In her first confront, Satsuki faces a demon called Amanojaku, but in the process Amanojaku is sealed within Satsuki's pet cat, Kaya. Although Amanojaku does not want to help Satsuki at first, the danger soon threatens to envelop the town and it is left up to Satsuki, her friends and Amanojaku to stop the ghosts.

[edit] Characters

• Satsuki Miyanoshita: Satsuki is the main character of the show. She moves with her father and her young brother Keiichirou to the hometown of her deceased mother, where she finds that her mother confronted several evil entities that haunted the town, which included Amanojaku, and wrote all her supernatural experiences in a diary, which Satsuki entitles "The Ghost Journal". She is very determined and sometimes moody mostly, because of Hajime. In the Spanish Dub, she was named as "Claire". Voiced by: Tomoko Kawakami (Japanese), Hilary Haag (English)

• Momoko Koigakubo: Momoko is a 6th grader and Satsuki's best friend. She seems to fear nothing, even in very dangerous situations, and is very brave when it comes to helping Satsuki and the gang confront the ghosts. She also seems to have a psychic connection with Satsuki's mother. In the Spanish Dub, she was named as "Nicole". Voiced by: Kumi Sakuma (Japanese), Monica Rial (English)

• Hajime Aoyama: Hajime is Satsuki's neighbor. He is always determined to help defeat the ghosts, but though he says that this is very brave, he is actually a coward. Despite this, he is one of the most reliable of Satsuki's friends and has saved her on more than one occasion. Hajime also has a naughty habit of flipping girls' skirts, and his constant victim is no other than Satsuki. This results in frequent comic moments. Throughout the anime, it seems that Hajime and Satsuki develop mutual crushes on each other (not that they'd admit it). In the Spanish Dub, he was named as "Ned". Voiced by: Takako Honda (Japanese), Chris Patton (English)

• Reo Kakinoki: Reo is Hajime's friend and has a big obsession with paranormal themes, and proclaims himself as a respected paranormal researcher. However, whenever Reo finds a clue pertaining to the existence of supernatural entities, it seems that the clue turns against him. Like Hajime, he tries to be brave but is actually just a coward. In the English Dub, he was named as "Leo"; In the Spanish one, he was named as "Paul". Voiced by: Makoto Tsumura (Japanese), Greg Ayres (English)

• Keiichirou Miyanoshita: Keiichirou is Satsuki's young brother. He is easily frightened by many things and is seen crying sometimes, but he shows courage where it counts to help in defeating the ghosts. He creates a special friendship with the ghost Amanojaku. In the Spanish Dub, he was named as "Ben". Voiced by: Kurumi Mamiya (Japanese), Christine M. Auten (English)

• Amanojaku: Amanojaku is a powerful entity that, long ago, was sealed by Satsuki's mother in a tree in the mountains, but was finally released from his magic prison due to urbanization. However, he didn't have his freedom long, as Satsuki sealed him (by accident) in the body of Satsuki's cat, Kaya. At first, Amanojaku is hostile toward the kids and takes great pleasure in seeing them in trouble, but throughout the series he develops somewhat of a care for them, especially for Satsuki and Keiichirou. Voiced by: Ryuusei Nakao (Japanese), Rob Mungle (English)

• Kayako Miyanoshita: Kayako is Satsuki's deceased mother who often possesses Momoko to aid her children against the ghosts throughout the series. Her maiden name was Kamiyama. In the Spanish Dub, she was named as "Karen". Voiced by: Kotono Mitsuishi (Japanese), Marcy Bannor (English)

• Reiichirou Miyanoshita: Reiichirou is Satsuki's father. He has no clue about his daughter's supernatural issues and also doesn't believe in ghosts. In the Spanish Dub, he was named as "Richard". Voiced by: Takehiro Murozono (Japanese), Illich Guardiola (English)

[edit] Minor characters

• Hanako: Hanako is the ghost of a little girl that haunts the ladie's restroom of the old school building. Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi

• Mioh: Mioh is a character who appears on the ninth episode. She is the school pet keeper, and it is stated that is a shy kid who never made friends, yet developed a caring by a bunny called Shirotabi. When Shirotabi died, Mioh revives her with black magic, but with terrible results.

[edit] English dubs

[edit] ADV dub

On the weekend of August 19, 2005, at the 2005 Otakon anime convention, ADV Films announced an October 2005 release of Ghost Stories on DVD for North American distribution. The controversy stems from ADV's dubbed version, which completely dismisses the original script in favor a comedic one written by ADV scriptwriter Steven Foster. While the original show is still be available on the DVD release via subtitles, a few fans lashed out against the ADV dub, charging that the company made too many edits for the dub simply for the sake of potential successful sales. This in turn, was rebutted by the favorable reviews that ADV's preview at Otakon has received to date, and the news that the original Japanese licensor, Aniplex, approved the changes. Volume one of Ghost Stories went on sale on October 22, 2005.

Ultimately, response to the ADV dub has been overall positive, due to the addition of humor, mainly through multiple pop culture references. For example, in the first episode, when Hajime encounters Momoko for the first time, in the Japanese version, he says "She's beautiful"; however, in the ADV dub, he says "Giggidy giggidy!" (a reference to Glenn Quagmire from the animated sitcom Family Guy). The ADV dub also makes notes of Wal-Mart and Charmin toilet paper rather than the Japanese version's "store" and "toilet paper". There are also political swipes ranging from Republicans to Democrat politician and Christian preacher Al Sharpton. They also make references to older songs and many different references to pop-culture, making it seem more American than Japanese at times. The dub also pokes fun at not only certain Japanese customs, but also certain anime archetypes or animation flaws (e.g. running without actually moving, which the characters address). For example, when Hajime did not take his shoes off in Satsuki's house (he was rushing to save her) she immediately confronted him with, "Why do you have your shoes on in my house?", referencing the Japanese custom (since the show takes place in Japan) of taking one's shoes off before entering anyone's home.

Lastly, there are some character changes, such as Momoko being changed from a psychic to that of an evangelical Christian who slanders homosexuals, Jews, and Muslims in multiple episodes, Satsuki's mother portrayed as a lesbian and Reo changed from a mere researcher in the supernatural to that of a Jewish character with an inferiority complex, making even his name change for "Leo". Several minor characters' backgrounds are expanded slightly (mostly for comedic purposes), as well.

In addition, sexual humor not in the original version become more and more overt as the series goes on, eventually changing from sub-text to overtext. The final DVD volume contains overt profanity and sexual situations.

[edit] Animax dub

The series was translated and dubbed into English by the anime television network, Animax, under the title Ghosts at School. The Animax dub stayed true to the original, retained all of the original Japanese plot, character and dialogue details, broadcasting the series uncensored and unedited within its respective networks across the world, including Southeast Asia and South Asia.

[edit] Episodes

1. Tonight the Spirits Will Be Resurrected! Amanojaku
2. A Hand Reaches out of The Toilet...Akagami Aogami (Red Paper, Blue Paper)
3. Raise the Curtains! The Cursed School Arts Festival! Kutabe
4. Requiem of the Dead: Fur Elise
5. The Bloody Sports Festival: Datto!
6. The Demon's Hand Splits the Door: A Night of Tragedy
7. The Soul Stealing Mirror! Utsushimi
8. The Circuit Connects to Hell: Demon of the Underworld
9. The Corpse That Roams in the Night: Shirotabi
10. The Tunnel With No Exit: Anamnaneki
11. The Talking Mary Doll! Shadows of Death
12. The Nurse Who Tells Your Death: Mother's Feelings
13. The Picture That Swallows People: Da Vinci
14. The Life-Taking Psychotic Photo! The Railway Crossing to Evil
15. The Devil's Spell: Rites of Darkness
16. The Apartment That Eats People: Nest of Evil Spirits
17. Terror at Bloodstain Lake! The Snow Ghost
18. Akane-San of the Broadcasting Room: Voice of the Dead
19. The Headless Horseman! Curse of the Dead
20. Farewell, Amanojaku... The Arrival of Ohma

[edit] Discontinued episodes

• An episode based on the Kuchisake-onna (あたしきれい? 口裂け女) was initially scheduled to air on November 5, 2000 but was never broadcast as many people complained to Fuji TV, because they thought it looked like cleft palate. Information (Japanese)

[edit] External links

• Studio Pierrot's Gakkou no Kaidan website (Japanese)
• Animax South Asia's page for Ghosts at School
• Animax East Asia's page for Ghosts at School
• ADV Films' Ghost Stories website
• Ghost Stories at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Links to several reviews at the Meta Anime Review Project
• Review at The Black Moon