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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oh My God !, September 1, 2000
This review is from: Haunted Junction (DVD)
To me the Haunted Junction collection seemed good value, which is why I initially bought it. I wasn't expecting a great deal due to this, but I was wrong! The story itself is in many ways different from what can be considered the mainstream anime seen today. It covers subjects whilst being totally at home in the Japanese culture, receive a mixed reception in the western world. The series is well constructed, and putting aside the animation which maybe is not as good as some of the other mainstream works, it's funny as hell, another series full of humour and one liners, a light tale of high school life (with ghosts and spirits.) If you like the Burn Up series or Tenchi Muyo, then this collection is probably for you. It may not be the best quality in the world, but really who cares about perfection, it's good enough in that department, but excels in the story and humour departments, which is where it really counts. Plus as mentioned earlier the collection is good value, containing the full 12 episodes on two disks, none of the dreaded 3 episodes per disk and wait three months for the next instalment here! This is a definite buy, if for nothing else, so you can own something different from the mainstream anime, something which is in the Japanese way of thinking.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Off-the-wall Supernatural Anime With a Twist, January 16, 2002
This review is from: Haunted Junction (DVD)
I have been away from Japanime for a long while and am not very knowledgeable on what is out there these days. Just after Christmas I was at the video store and decided to take a chance. I bought the 2 DVD "Haunted Junction" Collection. (I decided to purchase it after reading on the cover that the character design was done by an artist who worked on "Ranma 1/2".) I thought buying it was a major gamble, but it turned out that I was pleasantly surprised - this anime is a riot! First of all, I like the fact that the series is self-contained. You have 12 episodes in the 2 discs and that's it. Also, the storylines flow very well from the first to the final episode. Only the last two are parts of a single story - which acts as a "season finale" for the series. The ending leaves the viewer satisfied, yet it does make one wish that more "Haunted Junction" episodes were in production. The first episode serves to introduce one of the most fun and bizarre casts of characters I have ever seen in Japanime. At first I wasn't sure what to make of the three "Holy Student Council" members or of the seven spirits/ghosts who are summoned to their aid in times of "school emergencies." It soon struck me that this was the most non-PC, unpredictable, and zany ensemble I have come across. I laughed out loud many times, and with each episode I came to like the characters more and more. About the weirdest factor in the whole story is Asahina's "Shouta" complex (she likes/lusts after boys who are only 12 years of age or younger.) However, even that I considered a parody of the usual tendency for Japanime to portray young girls as sexual icons. The only thing I would have liked to see would have been a higher quality in the animation itself. Don't get me wrong - the animation is not substandard. It's about the same quality as you would get by watching "Pokemon" or Saturday morning cartoons. It's just not in the same league as, say "Giant Robo" or "Akira". Then again, maybe it isn't meant to be - which doesn't detract one bit from your enjoyment of the humor. I highly recommend Haruto, Asahina, and Kazumi's misadventures in "Haunted Junction" to the anime newcomer. You won't find giant robots or tentacled demon monsters (not a lot of them, anyway), but you are sure to laugh your head off viewing the insane antics at the most haunted high school in the world. There's definitely a little bit of everything for everyone, from Toilet Hanako (the sex-kitten ghost who haunts the boys' rest room) to a living anatomy model and his skeleton whose special power is..... Cossack dancing. Check it out! OH MY GHOD!
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Spooky Ghost Having a Cup of Tea and Toast, June 11, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Haunted Junction (DVD)
During the joy of conversation, should one bring up the subject of spirits or various hauntings; a wide variety of imagery is instantly resurrected to the mind's eye. Be it the ominous thoughts of thrilling tales such as William Shakespear's Macbeath to the whimsical childhood cartoons of Casper the friendly ghost, one can't help but be intrigued and maybe a litte frieghtened of the subject. However, with the exceptions of Harry Potter and Ghostbusters, there is very little middleground on the subject. Hollywood and literature has always depicted spirits and hauntings in either the extreme of the chilling macrabe or children's lighthearted fables. I am happy to annouce that Haunted Junction on DVD is neither. Treading on almost virgin territory, the plot is fresh and overflowing with offbeat energy. Centering around the life of Haruto Hojo, the president of his Highschool's Spiritual Student Council and son of the local minister. He is reluctantly forced into the task of maintaining the seven wonders of Saito High with the help of Mutsuki (the daughter of a Shinto Priest) and Kazuo (the son of a Budhist monk). Now, if you're thinking this is simply a different take on the formula behind Ghostbusters, you're so very wrong. The story is not meant for no one less than the age of teen, because it's so politically incorrect that it puts Howard Stern to a crying shame. Haunted Junction's main drive is to make one laugh until the cry in pain and this is what it accomplishes in honors. It is a comedy with an encompassing range from the deviously witty to the most riske of slapstick. Where else can one possible expect to find satiric allusions on the structure of religions and the insanity of one boy's scandelous quest to find a particular bathroom stall in the same episode. I greatly enjoyed the exploits of Haruto as he fights for his sanity in the crazy world that is Haunted Junction. If you love anime you surely will love this fresh series containing beautiful artwork and limitless energy. It's not for everyone, however, if you can keep an open mind you will find yourself succumbing to the contagious laughter of this lovable comedic work. I do apologize for being vague, but to give any detail would spoil the all the gags and jokes that are contained in this gem, because you simply can't tell one and not leave out telling the rest. It truly is a masterpiece in the art of humor for it is all tied together in this parlor of mad hurrahs.
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