Ghost Hound - Focus 01: Lucid Dream

I stumbled upon this series browsing anime titles on Mininova by descending number of seeds--this episode was in the first dozen so I thought, "why not?"

The opening is real intriguing in an artsy, I don't know what's going on, kinda way. The music starts off with a short drum riff like the footsteps of a stalking animal but turns jazzy with bass-guitar accompaniment. Yellow eyes fade in an out and there's a Little Nemo flying kid soaring in skivvies. Little children make cameos and I feel like this will be some sort of school-drama and I mentally laugh when one of those children puts on a white phallus-top helmet like the Japanese fuzz wear.



It opens with a creepy shot of a girl or a corpse. I noticed the sound effects were accentuated and amplified--it's something no one would miss when a fly rested on her lips and rubbed its legs making a jarring, whirring sound like speaker feedback.



The scenes now oscillate between golden eyes and others, first the flow of water or universal inflation--galaxies rushing from a singularity, then a trippy bird-view or oracular seeing pond.

Finally a boy bathed in gold awakens--was it all his dream? Calmly, he speaks into his tape recorder, marking the date and time October 2nd, 5:25, "the usual dream."

Barusa, Guardian of the Sacred Spirit

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One of my favorite things about watching anime is it brings me back to a time before briefcases and business plans. Remember that feeling of sitting down to watch a cartoon, before you even noticed that the female sidekick was stacked? Seirei no Moriboto, Guardian of the Sacred Spirit, lifts you and gently reclines you back there, like the warm embrace of a LazyBoy.

The heroine of the story, Barusa, is not your typical anime dish! Oh no, no, no! Although she has curves to count and an adorable button nose, she wins your admiration by the strength of her will and level of her constitution. Barusa is your mother, the person who always protected you with grace and nobility. You'll appreciate how the anime doesn't cater to the echi audience by giving cheap T&A shots. In fact, this anime is probably target towards children and young adults--although I would recommend it for any anime lover.

The drawing style reminded me of Princess Mononoke, although it was not so fluid. Still, the renderings of fantastical mythical water creatures and pastoral vistas were a joy for the eyes.

The story is very Kenshin-esque, a warrior who swears not to kill attempts to do good to atone for past crimes. Some may balk at the rehash of this classic formula, but I, for one, loved Kenshin!



Barusa disabling a pursuer.

Seirei no Moriboto, Guardian of the Sacred Spirit

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One of my favorite anime series from 2007 is Seirei no Moriboto (Guardian of the Sacred Spirit). The graphic style is super smooth and is reminiscent of titles like Samurai Champloo or Princess Monoke. The jazzy-pop intro brings you back to the 80s but gets you in the mood for adventure, like a bird soaring in the skies.

The over-arching story is Kenshin-esque, with a heroine named Barusa (sounds like Balsa) trying to atone for past mistakes through bodyguarding. Like Kenshin, she has taken a vow against murder and dispatches foes through non-lethal attacks using a great staff. This series is great for teenagers and adults alike with fantastic mythical creatures and minimally violent battles.


Barusa laying out a pursuer.