Ghost Hunt is a Japanese horror mystery novel series written by Ono Fuyumi, originally titled the Evil Spirits series. Ono Fuyumi also authored Shiki, Twelve Kingdoms, and The Inerasable. Due to its long-standing popularity, Ghost Hunt received manga, anime and radio drama adaptations. A live action movie was announced in 2013, but has not been heard of since.
In this tag you will find translations of:
Da Vinci December 2010 issue: “Ghost Hunt” Reprint Commemoration Special Feature.
The Historical Context and Significance of The Evil Spirits Series
The following table from the December 2010 issue of Da Vinci captures the chronology of the Ghost Hunt series and some real life events. I have translated this along with a short introduction which accompanied the chronological table.
Ghost Hunt Chronicle: Closing in on the Charms of the Series!
Since the publication of the series’ first volume Are there really lots of Evil Spirits!?, Ono Fuyumi’s horror masterpiece the Ghost Hunt series continued to captivate readers over a span of 20 years. First of all, let’s look back once again at its history along with the related chronology. The reason why the Ghost Hunt series is eternally loved across generations, should come to the surface from there.
Ten years have already passed since the Ghost Hunt anime aired on Japanese television. It marked the beginning of its popularity in the international anime scene. In celebration of this anniversary, Story Unlocker turns the spotlight on Ghost Hunt, also known as the Evil Spirits series.
An illustration by mangaka Inada Shiho of Mai and Naru, the main characters of the Ghost Hunt/Evil Spirits series.
The Ghost Hunt anime partially adapted the manga illustrated by Inada Shiho. Inada Shiho went on to adapt the entire Evil Spirits series by Ono Fuyumi. In 2016 she completed the manga adaptation of the sequel to the Evil Spirits series: Akumu no Sumu Ie. In the meanwhile, Ono Fuyumi took it upon herself to rewrite her debut novel series. Media Factory published the rewrite of the Evil Spirits series in 2010 and 2011.
In light of the rewrite, magazines like Da Vinci and Yuu featured several interviews and articles on Ghost Hunt. The December 2010 issue of Da Vinci celebrated the first rewritten volume of the Evil Spirit series with a special feature. The feature begins with a preface by Higashi Masao, an expert in horror and ghost stories criticism. In this short contribution, he highlights the historical context of the Evil Spirit series.
A movie adapting Ghost Hunt, otherwise known as the Evil Spirits series, was announced in late 2013. The Evil Spirits series is a popular girls’ horror mystery novel series by Ono Fuyumi, which was adapted into a manga and anime. Unfortunately, more than two years have passed since the announcement of the Ghost Hunt live action movie. And yet, there is still no sign or news of any further development. Could the movie be stuck in development hell?
Taniyama Mai and Shibuya Kazuya a.k.a. Naru
To put things into perspective I wrote a recap of all that has happened (or has not happened) until this point. I previously wrote about it on a personal blog, but I decided to turn it into a proper article on this blog for archival purposes.
On the same day two articles, respectively published by Screen Daily and Bloody Disgusting, confirmed the production of a Ghost Hunt live action movie directed by Yamaguchi Yoshitaka and “set to go into production next month” as announced by Twins Japan and Kadokawa Shoten. The screenplay was to be written by Shimoda Atsuyuki (Pulse, Cure and Séance) and Oikawa Shoutarou (Arcana). Shinichiro Inoue would serve as the executive producer with Adrian Chaw as the co-executive producer. In addition to Maya Fukuzawa in the role of Taniyama Mai, two other actors were confirmed to have roles. Namely, Yamamoto Mizuki as Hara Masako, and Kawamura Yousuke as Takigawa Houshou.
