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Ghost Hound - Collection 2
Episodes 12 - 22
Psychologically pulsing drama
doesn’t get much better than the Ghost Hound series directed by Ryutaro
Nakamura (Kino’s Journey). Bending reality through a combination of
psychologically, scientifically and spiritually inclined modes of
expression, Ghost Hound – Part II continues the journey of three young
boys who have the ability to ‘soul-travel’ through different dimensions
that suggest a parallel universe of jarring optical and sonic
components.
With histories of traumatic experiences, Taro, Makoto and Masayuki have
developed friendships despite their distinctly different personalities.
As the three of them continue to traverse through landscapes of
psychological and metaphysical abstraction, they investigate the
linkages between their seemingly separate traumas and uncover the
mysteries that bind them together. Amidst this search for truth and
greater understanding, the three boys are faced with the task of helping
the priest’s daughter, Miyako, as she is increasingly possessed by
spirits and desired by a religious sect derived from Makoto’s family
history. In the course of digging up their dark past and facing the
dangers of both the real and abstract world, the trio gain new
perspectives, strengthen their friendship and come closer to reconciling
with the painful realisations of their childhood traumas.
As Ghost Hound amalgamates historical Japanese mythology, sci-fi ideas
and theories regarding the human psyche with alternate realities, the
dense and complex nature of the series’ plotline could very well confuse
audiences. But through the engaging visual direction and emotionally
powerful drama that sets Ghost Hound above the average anime, the highly
effective storytelling techniques of Nakamura enable audiences to enjoy
and follow such a theoretically charged story without too much trouble.
In the second collection of the Ghost Hound series, the boys evolve into
new forms that perfectly resemble their real-world selves (earlier
experiences include being foetus-like forms) so that their outer-body
experiences suggest a maturing process within their lives in reality,
confronting their fearful memories head on and bringing the surreal into
the lives of those around them. Light, motion and still, compelling
close up images are used throughout the second collection in a visceral
and exciting style that skilfully encompasses the extensive breadth and
depth that the plot has to offer.
In the same way that Ghost Hound immerses itself visually in
constructing alternate realities, the distorted sounds of an unfamiliar
dimension are scattered throughout the series with the power of
engrossing audiences. With a soundscape consisting of metallic clicks,
white noise and subtly electronic rings, the visuals are given an extra
dimension as dramatic tension is heightened and excitement can be
injected into images that are contrastingly still.
The only ostensible flaw, however, is the easily resolved ending that
presents a rather anticlimactic conclusion to the earlier episodes
charged with intensity and innovative visual/sound techniques. In their
fight to save Miyako from the grip of a religious order that appears
more like a cult, the heroism of the three boys doesn’t seem to
adequately bring all the earlier ideas and issues together and merely
simplifies the intellectually stimulating nature of the series as a
whole. Nevertheless, the second collection of the Ghost Hound series
extends what was established in the first collection with an intriguing
and psychologically engaging continuation of ‘soul-travelling’ that digs
deeper into mysteries of a disturbing and dark nature. |
