Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror - Reviews

Story
Oh boy... anything in the horror genre, let alone something that blatantly has "horror" in the title, is a must see for sothis. Luckily, with Ayakashi, it wasn’t a disappointment.

Ayakashi, in the same vein as Memories or Cockpit, is a collection of three unrelated stories that all fit into a certain genre; in this case, horror. Though the title boasts "traditional Japanese horror", only the first of the three tales is based on a real Japanese horror story. They are, however, told in a traditional narration style and draw thematic elements from Japanese horror stories. It’s hard to review something which has three very separate stories, so I’ll break down each section by story.

The first tale tells the story of Oiwa, a legend in Japan (and was a real person). Though virtuous and good-hearted, her husband Iemon is bored with her and ends up betraying her; but not until Oiwa is horrendously scarred due to malevolent interventions. The narration tells of her eventual death and cursing of anyone who treated her unkindly. Out of the three stories, this one was probably my least favorite; but, I still enjoyed it. It is four episodes long and the pacing is definitely a bit slow. Though the overall story ends up being dark and satisfying, it does take quite a long time (and quite a lot of patience) to see it through. People just starting out with Ayakashi might be bored and drop the series completely; in my opinion this would be a mistake. In general though, a nice dark tale of revenge, and I was glad to see historical elements (that are still based in legend in Japan) as well.

The second tale is about a young man and a forgotten god (well, goddess) who fall in love. I enjoyed this arc quite a bit, as it is a little (but not much) more upbeat, has a happier ending, and is gorgeous in the animation department. Though also four episodes in length, I thought the pacing was far more appropriate and kept my attention the whole way through. Like the first tale, this one ends up being quite dark and involves a great deal of death; but hey, what’s a good horror series without some good old fashioned death?

The third tale is definitely the clear winner of the "most messed up story this year" award. It tells of an evil spirit who is haunting a certain family, and only a medicine seller can help shield them from its wrath. In my opinion other sites spoil this arc in their basic descriptions of the series. So, just keep in mind that this arc is about an evil spirit, period. It was this arc that caused a friend to recommend me to watch the series. At first, I was very skeptical, as episode 9 (the first episode of this arc) is a little strange. Combine that with very odd animation and a very unusual way of telling the story, and you risk losing the viewer for a number of reasons. Luckily, episode 10 quickly turns from so-so to completely badass, and it’s all downhill from there. The story is shocking and dark, and has the most impact. I highly enjoyed this arc, and would recommend it for fans of Hundred Stories or Mermaid’s Forest (if you’ve seen this and agree, go on and make recommendations in the database!). A word of caution: if you are watching the fansubs, GG’s version, at the time of this review there is a major translation error in the third arc which in my opinion ruins the viewing of that arc (I was confused the whole time until the error was pointed out to me). For more information check out the FQC section in the forum.
Animation
As with the story, each story has its own animation style. The first story’s animation, like the plot, is probably the least impressive. Though gorgeous, especially in the scenery shots with falling snow or sunsets, the rough-looking character designs gave it an older feel which clashed a little with the gorgeous backdrops. The second arc is absolutely stunning with brilliant pastels and pretty (both male and female) characters. The depiction of the forgotten gods’ transformations was very well done. 100% satisfied with its animation. The third story has very... bizarre animation. Imagine Gankutsou, but a lot more abstract. The entire series of episodes is filled with odd camera angles and different ways of "filming" it. It really is an experience to watch, especially once the demon comes into play. Unique and interesting, just a little hard to get into at first.

One additional thing I wanted to point out is that in the first arc, real video footage is mixed with animation. This, for the most part, was only in the historical scenes where the narrator was explaining how the legend of Oiwa is still around in today’s society.
Sound
The music definitely lives up to the "classic" adjective in the series’ title. With the exception of the intro song (which is an odd mix of traditional sounds and rap), all of the music sounds very traditional and fits well with the stories. The outro, unlike the intro, also sounds very traditional. All of the seiyuu did a good job with their parts. Not much to complain about here.
Characters
In all three stories, the characters are wonderfully developed (especially the first two stories). We are truly shown the dark side of humanity, and the corrupt characters show off this point nicely. The third arc is the most marginal for character development, mostly because only a few of the characters are introduced in detail (and we are left with a lot of unknown information). My favorite characters were probably the forgotten gods with their transformations from beautiful women to scary demons.
Overall
Not quite an 8, Ayakashi overall delivers what it advertises: horror. If I was rating this score on story 3 alone, it would probably be higher. Nevertheless, each of these tales is dark and interesting, and will appeal to fans of horror. Folks who enjoy traditional music as well, or want to see a real life legend, will also enjoy Ayakashi. All I’d suggest is if you are bored with the first arc, fast forward to episode 5. Each story is completely separate so you won’t be missing out on anything special, and you might find the other two stories more up your alley. Why, then, did I rate this a 7.8 when all the above scores are over 8? Though it’s a good series, it definitely didn’t capture my attention enough (except story 3) to warrant a higher score. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but it’s no Mermaid’s Forest or Hundred Stories. Still, a nice and recent horror series that I enjoyed watching; maybe you will too.

Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror/Samurai Horror Tales is a horror anthology of three unrelated stories: Yotsuya Kaidan, Tenshu Monogatari, and Bakeneko, the third of which received a far more successful spinoff in the form of Mononoke. Each arc was done by a different, and then-unknown director, though the director of the third, Kenji Nakamura, went on to make the critically acclaimed series "Mononoke" and "Trapeze" (He also made [C], though that fails to fall into the previous category). This review will mostly be split up into the three arcs. (NOTE: The R1 release of this series switched the first and second arcs around. This will be listed in the original order).


Arc 1 - Yotsuya Kaidan (episodes 1-4)

Yotsuya Kaidan (Yotsuya Ghost Story) is a story based on someone who died in horrific circumstances, due to being wronged by pretty much everybody around her, and manifests as a vengeful spirit, laying a curse on all those responsible. This tale is actually told as a story within a story, as narrated by a scriptwriter adapting it into a play.

This arc happens to be the only one based on an actual Japanese tale, but that doesn't lend it many favours. It begins on very bad footing, the key reason for it being this: The characters actions make insanely little sense. Every character is a stunningly terrible person with absolutely no train. of reasoning to follow. They could not be more one-dimensional if they tried. This was obviously an attempt to make us hate them more, and make the inevitable ramifications of the curse more cathartic, but it's done so ham-fistedly that it simply becomes stupid rather than cathartic.

Unfortunately, the horror elements that could have made this halfway entertaining are botched as well, as a result of a limited animation budget and some really bad directing causing major corners to be cut, making large chunks of the arc funny instead of horrific. The art isn't terrible, but it's not impressive either, and it makes itself quite clear on how low-budget it was. There are also frequent live-action sequences as well, which would probably have seemed more impressive if it wasn't so obviously yet another corner-cutting method. At the end of it all, we have a poor-quality story with poor quality directing and terrible characters, giving Ayakashi a very bad start. The only redeeming feature of this arc is an excellent monologue in the final episode, detailing the aspects of this as a story in the real world, and how it transcends its existence as a story to be something much more real.

Story: 4/10.
Characters: 1/10.
Production: 3/10.
Overall: 3/10.


Arc 2 - Tenshu Monogatari (episodes 5-8)

Tenshu Monogatari (Goddess of the Castle), in spite of being in a horror anthology, is less a horror story and more a tale of forbidden love. While there are horror elements, courtesy of the Forgotten Gods the arc focuses on, it mainly focuses on one of the Forgotten Gods falling in love with a human rather than, say, the Forgotten Gods eating people as the arc starts off with. However, this change of style is somewhat welcomed after the overblown style of the previous arc.

But unfortunately it's not very good either.

While this arc does fare better than the first, it succumbs to a major pitfall quite common of romance series: We have to actually give a crap about the main characters for it to work. And in the course of a mere four episodes, which are far more plot-focused than they are on characters, this becomes an impossible task. This is a shame, because unlike the last arc, there is actually a halfway decent story to be told here.

However, just like the previous arc, this story is damaged by blatant directing issues, corner-cutting, and a low animation budget. And wow, the animation budget really doesn't get much lower than this. The animation is amazingly cheap. While this doesn't make it funny like it did in the previous arc, it completely nullifies anything the action in this had going for it. Which is sad, because there were obviously some good ideas at hand here. With a decent budget and more episodes to develop the characters in, this could have been good, but sadly this isn't the case. So while Tenshu Monogatari manages to be better than the first arc, it still produces nothing of worth and is generally a waste of time.

Story: 6/10.
Characters: 4/10.
Production: 1/10.
Overall: 4/10.


Arc 3 - Bakeneko (episodes 9-11)

Wow. Talk about saving the best for last.

The Bakeneko (Goblin Cat) arc is an enourmous departure from the last two arcs in every sense. The first, and most obvious, is that everything in it looks beautiful. Corner-cutting is obviously at hand here, but it is used to the arc's benefit in every single way. Its method of corner-cutting is to use an unmoving plaid style similar to that of Gankutsuou. However, it far out-performs Gankutsuou in that sense. The way that the Bakeneko arc is animated makes everything look as though it is a moving Edo-period painting, and is executed flawlessly. But the budget they saved on animation, rather than simply going unspent, is used to create absolutely mind-blowing action sequences.

That isn't the only aspect of the production that is leaps and bounds ahead of the previous two arcs, however. The directing in the Bakeneko arc is absolutely mind-blowing. The transition in directing quality from one arc to the next is effectively the difference between Tommy Wiseau and Stanley Kubrick. Toei probably weren't even trying with the first two, and merely saving their resources for this arc. The amazing directing in this is responsible for the key factor in this arc: It's the only one in this horror anthology that is genuinely scary. This is as a direct result of Nakamura handling the tension in this arc amazingly. Every moment of fending off the titular monster is incredibly intense. This is also probably the best example of Monster Delay (not revealing your monster's appearance for a long time) that I've ever seen. And as mentioned before, every action sequence is brilliant. This includes what is easily the most beautifully-animated rendition of people being torn to shreds and having their remains splattered across a wall that I've ever seen, to name just one moment.

Another aspect of this arc's excellence is our main character, The Medicine Peddler/Kusuri-Uri. This arc has taken a lesson from the previous arc in not trying to develop characters in too short a space of time. Instead, Kusuriuri relies on how little we know about him to be an interesting character. His otherworldly appearance, his strange mannerisms, and his charisma all make Kusuriuri an excellent character. But moreso, it is the method with which he needs to slay demons that makes him stand out. For him to be able to unsheathe his sword, he must know three things: The form the demon takes, the truth of how it came into existence, and the reasoning behind the demon's actions. Only once he truly understands the demon is he able to exorcise it. This, I believe, adds an excellent layer of depth to this arc.

But while the directing behind this arc is certainly its most stunning aspect, it is carried by an excellent story as well. The aforementioned requirements behind unsheathing the sword cause the backstory behind the demon to unfurl, creating a stunning, tragic tale that I daren't spoil the details of.

Story: 8/10.
Characters: 8/10.
Production: 10/10.
Overall: 9/10.


General:

The music in Ayakashi is shared between the arcs, and is the only aspect that is consistently excellent between them. The background music is always fitting, is rather excellent, and in the Bakeneko arc's case, the absence of outside noise is used to more amazing effect than any of the music is. The only letdown in the case of the music is the opening theme, and even that is only hit and miss. The melody and beat to it is actually extremely good, and is a disturbingly apt mixture of classical Shamisen music and hip-hop, but is unfortunately let down by a terrible vocalist.

The acting in the original Japanese is adequate, but mostly unmemorable. But it is still significantly preferable to the dub, which you may recognize as sharing the entire cast of Vision of Escaflowne. And if you ever saw the Escaflowne dub, you should know to stay away. The only character whose performance really matters is that of Kusuriuri, who is given an excellent, otherworldly charm by Takahiro Sakurai in the original track, and is given a terribly normal-sounding performance by Andrew Francis in the dub. In case you didn't get the point already, don't go anywhere near the dub.

Overall, Ayakashi is two thirds poor quality and one third stunning. However, the last third is told in different format in the spinoff series Mononoke, and while I don't yet know which version of this arc is preferable, it's probably not worth watching the first two arcs of Ayakashi just for this arc as a result.

Final Words: The first two arcs are very bad, but the third is amazing. If all of Mononoke is as good as the third arc it may well be one of the best anime ever made.

Also Recommended: Aoi Bungaku, Mononoke

Music: 9/10.
Japanese track: 6/10.
Dub track: 2/10.
Overall: 6/10.

Japanese folklore and Shintō beliefs have always been populated with the most various multitude of spirits, which in turn populated Japanese horror tales. This anime series is an anthology of three such stories set in Edo-period Japan: two adapted from classical Kabuki theatre plays, and an original one.

STORY: 6.5/10
The first, adapted from the influential Yotsuya Kaidan play, is the tale of a young woman named Oiwa, who, abandoned and betrayed by the one she loved, becomes an Onryō (vengeful spirit) and casts an everlasting course on all who wronged her. This part of the anime was written by Konaka Chiaki of Digimon Tamers and Lain fame, so it’s not surprising that, while never terrifying, this story manages to be very disturbing in some scenes, and quite involving throughout thanks to its characters. The plot is never complex, but some of its developments and the way it’s told actually have the “feel” of a theatre play, of a Greek tragedy even, so it can be enjoyable and interesting as such. A through-the-fourth-wall finale adds another touch by explaining real-life folk tales about Oiwa’s story, for example that it’s "Japan’s Macbeth" (the play itself is considered cursed as many people died during the production of stage performances and film adaptations of it and….well, I think it’s interesting!).

The second, an adaptation of the Tenshu monogatari, is the story of two star-crossed lovers (a human and the princess of a castle of forgotten gods) which evolves into something of a Shakespearean tragedy. I consider this one to be the weakest of the lot, because it provides nothing that could be considered horror and is the most unoriginal and seen-it-all-before, even for Edo-period standards. Still, I'm not saying it’s BAD: it’s actually decently interesting for what it has to offer, and the feel of a theatre play I described before is still there, but lacking as strong characters as the first it doesn’t manage to move the viewer, and being quite predictable it fails to leave a strong impression. I don’t deny that I might be saying this also out of my deep-rooted dislike for star-crossed lovers stories à la Romeo and Juliet, though.

The third, an original written for this anime by Nakamura Kenji and Yokote Michiko, is the tale of a malicious cat-demon (Bakeneko) who is haunting and murdering a family for unknown reasons, while a “medicine seller” tries to help them by discovering the spirit's story to exorcise it. This part is arguably the best of the series: the disturbing elements are present and mixed with a “detective story” feel, a lot of exciting action scenes, and a well-crafted and emotionally involving backstory for the origin of the bakeneko.

CHARACTERS: 7.5/10
One recurring aspect of all three stories is that the real evil always comes from the human heart: it’s Oiwa’s spirit that causes all those terrifying deaths, but the horrible way she’s been betrayed by absurdly hateful people for nothing but greed makes the viewer actually feel sympathetic and even root for her; in Tenshu monogatari, it’s the jealousy of a woman and the arrogance of a daimyō that cause the tragedy; similarly, the most disturbing part of the Bakeneko story is actually the origin of the mononoke, to the point where such cruelty could make you think “Screw it, let it kill those bastards.” What must be really feared are men and their evil ways dictated by greed. As you can probably guess from this, most of the characters here are either flawed (in the Shakespearean sense of the term, yes I want to make people think I’m learned thank you very much) or plain evil.

We get characters like a greedy and arrogant samurai, a selfish and spoiled brat, a filthy lustful man, a falconer who abandons his wife (who’s gentle and good-spirited, but flawed by her jealousy), a princess with barely any consistent personality, the spiteful daimyō I described earlier, comedy relief characters, a varied family of samurai with a dark secret, and the medicine seller/demon hunter who’s simply plain freaking awesome and even quite original. As you can see, there’s no character of particular depth or originality, each is kind of “stock”, but the mix is well-balanced and well-orchestrated and genuinely “old-school tragedy" enough to work.

ANIMATION: 7.5/10
The first two arcs sport a standard but still decent art style, not shining in any aspect but a bit stiff and sloppy during the action sequences; in the third arc, though, it shifts to a very original style, characterised by a constant “filter” on the picture, seamless CGI in some shots, a more “cartoonish” and over-the-top character design, good action scenes and, I’ll add, beautifully designed interiors for the house of the samurai family. I realise, though, that this style can be disliked (I, for one, found the design of the secondary characters to be too “parodic”), but still its originality must be recognised and praised.

SOUNDTRACK: 5/10
The soundtrack is the most lacking aspect of the series: it’s not bad mind you, I liked the fact that it sometimes uses Japanese instruments used in Kabuki theatre, and during the third arc it punctuates effectively the action scenes, but it doesn’t work as well during the other two arcs, failing, for example, to push the most disturbing scenes up the last step to “horrifying”. I wouldn’t have minded if the entire soundtrack to the first two arcs was made by a Kabuki orchestra! Plus it loses point for the opening credits song: it starts with shamisen melodies, only to turn into a freakin’ samurai rap. Now, I hate rap music, but even if I loved gansta stuff I would have found this song terribly out of place in a Edo-period ghost story, especially with such random lyrics. The ending song is a lot better, with a nice “folk” and almost Disney-ish atmosphere to it and a beautifully melancholic melody.

CAST: 8/10
The voice acting, on the other hand, is really good. Each of the large cast of characters is portrayed pretty solidly; only a few of them, though, really stand out. The first one to name would be Sakurai Takahiro (of Code Geass, Final Fantasy, Digimon Adventure and others fame) as the medicine seller, pulling off a calm, cool, witty and intense hero, and actually playing a big part in the character's charm; I was also surprised by the stunning performance of Koyama Mami as Oiwa, especially during the scene right before her death where she seriously gave me the creeps; Onosaka Masaya proves once more after his work in “Baccano!” as Isaac that he’s got what it takes to be a perfectly funny but never annoying comedy relief character; Shioya Kōzō’s voice as the daimyō Harima-no-kami Takeda is as disgustingly obnoxious as his character is (this means that he's good, of course!); finally, I’d give special mention also to Hirata Hiroaki (of One Piece fame) as the resident asshole of the first story, Iemon.

OVERALL: 6.9/10
While never truly scare-me-shitless terrifying or blow-me-off-my-chair awesome, Ayakashi provides a trio of decently fun stories, backed up by great voice acting, an interesting art style during the third arc, and the trigger of some reflection on what we should really consider “horrifying”. If you’re into Japanese literature and theatre I suggest you have a go at this, as the feeling of an actual theatre play is nicely kept; if you’re into the horror genre, again I suggest you watch this, even if you’re not going to need a spare pair of pants. Otherwise, it’s your call: it’s quite standard, but competently so, and even if it doesn’t leave a very strong impression it is in no way bad.

DObre anime inne niz wszystkie polecam Bardzo milo się ogląda dzieki kresce.

Genuinely creepy and entertaining. A very beautiful anime with interesting stories and themes, I especially anjoyed the story of the forgotten gods and Oiwa. I find the last one lost its touch a tiny wenie bit with the comdy bits put in, but still was very entertaining, I would recommend it to anyone. Lovin it

Thumbs up!