Just three releases this week. And two of them are the same thing.
Hell Girl Vol.1
Hell Girl: Limited Edition Starter Set
There’s been a definite popularity of paranormal anime over the last few years, to the extent it’s probably a trend that deserves a better look. I gave this a brief look when it first aired in Japan, but it didn’t grab me. The director Takahiro Omori was responsible for the recent Baccano! adaptation, the Gakuen Alice adaptation, and Geneon’s incest-a-thon Koi Kaze (like a lot of Koi Kaze staff he also worked on Haibane Renmai). There’s certainly better paranormal shows out there, indeed there’s one out the same day, from the same distributor (Revelation).
Mushishi Vol. 3
Mushishi is a solid adaptation of Yuki Urushibara’s manga, the most striking thing about it is how it uses fairly limited animation and sound to create a mood. It’s like a melancholy, sedate, rural Japanese Hellblazer and owes a certain amount to the work of Shigeru Mizuki. Until we get Mononoke released in English, this is best modern paranormal anime available.
However, is it worth the RRP of £16 for 4 episodes? No. It’s TV animation, and that’s a feature film price. Shop around and you might be able to get it under a tenner, which is wholly more agreeable, but bear in mind even at that price you are looking at £60 for 650 minutes of television. Which isn’t even what Paramount would charge you for a TV program.
The series is definitely worth a rental though.