Ghost Hound

“Ghost Hound” is a 2007-2008 anime created by the infamous Production I.G. as a 20th anniversary project. It follows three boys, all of which have had some type of traumatic experience earlier in their lives, that learn how to transfer their souls into a parallel world known as the “Unseen World”.

One thing that everyone has to give props to “Ghost Hound” is simple: the story. It’s so rare nowadays for anything to be completely and utterly enticing throughout its entirety, but the show keeps its intrigue level up to the maximum setting. Even when what was happening with the storyline didn’t fit well at all, it was always interesting. I simply couldn’t stop watching, and that’s a great feat for a 22 episode series.

Now, the following point I will bring up is both a negative and a positive: the tone. At times, “Ghost Hound” is a harrowing psychological horror anime, but when the tone is just about to reach its peak, the series decides to back out. This unfortunately leads to an overabundance of inconsistent tone, which is a real shame considering how well the horror aspects get at times.

The ending of a TV series is crucial. Most, if not all, plot points must be resolved, a climax should be present, and the final moments must blend completely. Dismally, “Ghost Hound” fails to meet these standards. At least 3 plot points that were brought up in the series were unresolved. Actually, what’s worse is that these points actually got a fair amount of screen time. How can the show make such points so prominent, but just drop them at the end?

As stated earlier, the climax of anything must be present. But, again, “Ghost Hound” fails to comply to these “rules”. There was buildup and tension, yes, but I was left hanging for nothing. Something pretty neat happens with Makoto, but it doesn’t fit and certainly doesn’t pay off; it just comes off as wholly unnecessary. After this so-called climax, a few closing scenes are shown. Like I said earlier, these final scenes must blend with the series completely. But, yet again, “Ghost Hound” doesn’t seem to like this requirement. The final scenes feel so rushed and imprecise, even so much so that I can only imagine how the ending was written: one hour before the deadline. It truly does feel like it was written in a rushed panic.

5.5/10- Overall, “Ghost Hound” is a prime example of wasted potential. It had an interesting story and characters that could have gotten complete arcs, but with its inconsistent tone, unfinished arcs, and the lack of a climax, the only good element was the taut story.