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Ghost Stories Gakkō no Kaidan |
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Rose Faerie's Review Note: The dub and sub of this anime are completely different, since ADV was given free reign to do whatever they wanted with the dub. I have only seen the dub, but I will try to comment on the sub based on my knowledge. Violence: This area of the anime is pretty much the same in both dub and sub. There is some mild horror movie violence and blood. There is a bit of body horror too. Honestly, it seemed kinda creepy and violent for a kids show, but I know Japan has different standards regarding death and violence and what is appropriate for kids. The dub has a joke about child abuse, so there's that. Sex and Nudity: In the subbed version we have a few panty shots, three of which are taken notice of. It's really creepy since these are literal elementary school aged children. Satsuki and Mamiko are like ten and twelve. I'd give it a two or maybe a three for the creepiness. The dub is a completely different story. We have tons of sex jokes. I bumped it up to a six, despite there being no real nudity, just for how absolutely raunchy some of the jokes were. At one point one of the teachers literally explains how sex works to the children in the most blunt way possible. They make jokes about pretty much everything in this regard. I'm not even going to try listing things. I'm just going to say that these children do not seem to act like children and are very, very curious about this stuff. Theological Themes: In the subbed version, we have ghosts and rituals and the like. I don't think it's any worse than your run of the mill supernatural anime. If you are familiar with xxxHolic, Ghost Hunt, or Toilet Bound Hanako-kun it's on that level. The ghosts haunt places and Satsuki and the gang have to exorcise them with magic spells. Momoko has ESP and is sometimes possessed with the ghost of Satsuki and Keichiro's mother. I'd say a 5 or maybe a 6 to be safe. The dub portrays Momoko as every negative stereotype of Christians rolled into one. She's a right wing homophobe (kinda racist too) who spouts thinly veiled references to Christianity every time she opens her mouth. She also regularly disses other religions, and she is generally an intolerant person. Leo is a stereotyped Jew. I bumped it up to a 7, since Momoko is probably a deal breaker for a lot of people. Problematic Themes: I dunno what the sub would be rated. It might get a 1 or 2, depending on whether or not there is mild language in the sub. The dub gets a 10, because of how unbelievably offensive it is. No one is safe. No one. No religion, political party or race. Satsuki's brother is disabled, and they can get pretty mean. They say lots of slurs, too (slurs for trans, gay, and disabled people-- I don't rememver any racial slurs, but I could be wrong). There is racism. It is very, very inappropriate, and parents should take a second look before they let their children watch it. Overall: Is this show incredibly offensive and inappropriate? Yes. Is it absolute trash that I wouldn't recommend casually to anyone on this site? Yes. Did I actually enjoy it? Yes. I don't know if I could ever rewatch it, but it certainly was...something else. Yeah, I liked this show way more than I should have. I will mention that aside from the offensive humor a lot of the jokes were pretty outdated with a strong hold in pop-culture from the early 2000's and late 90's that I was too young to get. The plot is simple. Five children deal with supernatural happenings, most of them at their school. The characters really made the show. I have way too many quotes from this show living in my head rent free. That's probably not something that should be happening, but it's too late for me to un-hear them. Satsuki, our lead is a self-absorbed little jerk. Hajime is her dirty-minded neighbor, Leo a Jewish nerd, Momoko an offensive stereotype of Christianity, and her brother Kechiiro, Satsuki's "innocent" and mentally disabled little brother. The opening and ending are pretty catchy. The voice acting for the dub was beautiful. Hilary Haag, Chris Patton, Greg Ayres, and Monica Rial were exceptional as the lead characters. I also feel the need to for me to give a shout out to Brittney Karbowski. In episode 9 (my personal favorite) she transforms a quiet, animal loving girl into a psychopath in love with a rabbit. It was one of the best vocal performances I've seen in a while. Age wise, the dub is probably best for older teens and up for obvious reasons. I'll go with preteens and up for the sub. It would probably get lower if not for the out of place panty-shots, which do not belong in a kids' show. |
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| Added: April, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
