Ghost Hound - Episode 12

Only Masamune Shirow could get away with calling an episode of anime 'Homeostasis Synchronization' without seeming overly pretentious, but anyway, I digress. Episode twelve of Ghost Hound continues with the series' tradition of very slowly building up to whatever revelations lay ahead, giving as little away as possible and, indeed, only serving to confuse the viewer yet further. But, despite all that, this show remains hugely fascinating and watchable.

This particular episode once again showcases the absolutely fantastic audio and soundtrack work that has been seen throughout this series, again strengthening the out-of-body and often surreal feel of the show. This particular episode also takes some particularly freaky turns, on one occasion delivering a sudden and eerily disturbing vision out of the blue in the best horror traditions. It takes a lot to make me flinch or provoke a sharp intake of breath while watching anything, but Ghost Hound managed it here, truly sending a shiver down my spine.

The juxtaposition of psychological chit-chat, unique soundtrack and slow-paced surreal storyline is probably one of those things you'll either love or loathe every minute of, and I have to confess to being aligned with the former of those two categories. Despite the fact that I don't feel like I know any more about what's going on in this series than I did at the end of episode one, somehow I really don't mind too much - I get the feeling I could watch another dozen episodes of this even if the plot barely moved on at all.