Ghost Hound - Episode 11

Considering how this series is approaching its half-way mark, it's either incredibly brave or stupid that Ghost Hound is still yet to really form a coherent storyline, moving things on slowly with little in the way of clues as to where things are headed. Yet, despite that, it still somehow manages to remain engaging with an intellectual air about it, even during an episode such as this where everything takes on an almost hallucinogenic quality. At times you find yourself completely unsure as to whether what you are watching is real, a dream, an out-of-body experience, or something else entirely, while the masterful audio production of this series continues with its disconcerting and disorienting theme to serve as a catalyst for those feelings of confused unease.

In all honesty, it's probably the soundtrack that has made this show for me thus far, pulling out a full range of audio trickery to give the whole endeavour a truly unique feel, while somehow holding together a story which regularly threatens to burst into chaos. Add to that some pretty decent animation and intriguing artwork and concepts, and you have a show that doesn't dazzle so much as it creeps into your sub-conscious, leaving you thinking about what you've just seen and heard long after the episode has ended. Most apt, considering much of the subject matter on show, and I for one look forward to seeing just if the unique feel of this anime can keep up a head of steam, while also offering the cogent storyline it perhaps needs to become more than simply an artistic curio.