Ranked #1221

Kakurenbo

Title: Kakurenbo

Anime: Kakurenbo is a half-hour OVA that was produced as a collaboration between CoMix Wave Inc (known for their work on 5 Centimeters per Second and Voices From a Distant Star), Dentsu Inc (known for their work on Antique Bakery and D.Gray-Man) and Yamatoworks/D.A.C (this was their debut production), and directed by Shuhei Morita (who also directed the Freedom OVA series). Kakurenbo was released on September 1st, 2004 in Japan, was licensed Stateside by the now defunct Central Park Media, who released it on October 30th, 2005.

Story: In a city that's now in ruins, children play the game of Otokoyo (a Japanese version of hide and seek), but seemingly disappear whenever it's played, supposedly spirited away by demons. A boy named Haraku enters the game hoping to find his sister, who went missing playing Otokoyo.

This OVA's really good at ramping up the creepy factor. You're thrown into this world with little to no background whatsoever, and truths unravel slowly as you watch these kids going through the game, which grows more and more scary as you go through. You don't know much about the kids initially, as they're all wearing fox demon masks, as required per the game, but you learn enough details about them as they go through the game. And there are some excellent and truly scary twists in this, though I would suggest some cultural background before going into this, as it'll make these make a lot more sense. And everything wraps up neatly in a half hour's time.

Art: Kakurenbo was made entirely using 3D CGI and cel-shaded animation, like in Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. The art for this in general is incredibly well done, and conveys the creepiness of the atmosphere perfectly, not to mention the designs of the creatures you find in here. 'm personally not that much of a fan of cel-shaded animation, though, as it does look a bit strange in places, especially with regards to the childrens' expressions, which are incredibly wooden. It is a fairly new technology, though, so it'll probably become better-used with time.

Music: I really like what they did here. Traditional instruments are used and orchestrated perfectly, as is the incredibly understated use of silence, to add to the tension in the entire thing. Excellently done.

Seiyuu: They didn't particularly stand out, but neither did they leave much of an impression on me. Overall, passable job here.

Length: The OVA does feel a bit constrained by it's half-hour run time, but it still manages to tell a good, creepy story, even if we aren't as invested as we could be in the kids. Overall, it does well with what time it has, even if it could be a bit better.

Overall: An amazingly creepy OVA with a pretty good story and music track, decent art and seiyuu, and a length that could've been longer for maximum effect. A good watch for Halloween.

Story: 8/10
Art: 7/10
Music: 9/10
Seiyuu: 7/10
Length: 8/10

Overall: 39/50; 78% (B-) read more

Kakurenbo - Hide and Seek is a dark, very creepy, and highly enjoyable short movie that uses every minute it is given to keep you on your toes and thrill you.

The story follows a group of children donned with fox masks as they play what is probably the deadliest game of hide and seek they will ever play. Childhood obviously isn't full of innocence. The game takes place in an abandoned underground city where who or what they are hiding from lurks. It is a scary premise, and it does its job of setting the mood where you're constantly watching over your shoulder in fear.

What impressed me right off the bat was the art and animation levels in this movie. Both are top-notch. The art is dull, filled with drab colours that truly reflect this underground, dead city that these kids are running around. The lighting is also some of the best work you can find in anime; the shadows cast, the lightbulbs, neon signs from the buildings, dark corners and even darker hallways. It really helped make this horror much scarier. The animation is excellent as well. There are sweeping scenes, and most notably, the scenes where the children are running in terror are some of the best in the movie, as their movements are animated fluidly.

The sounds as well really helped create the mood and atmosphere of the anime. Its score is filled with striking, powerful chords when there is action and creepy, effective silences that are all in the right places. I saw a 'horror' movie the other day and there were rock songs playing in the background--that isn't scary. An orchestra with wind instruments, drums and the addition of synths all melding together as they do in Kakurenbo--now THAT'S scary stuff.

Being so short, there isn't a lot of characterisation that took place. The children's faces are all blocked by masks, so we learn about them through their words and actions. There are a lot of archetypes, such as the preservering good guy, loudmouth bully-type and the stoic, silent twins, but I can't say I didn't enjoy the characters in this movie. They're fairly decent.

And enjoy this movie, I did. I loved every minute of it. I do watch a lot of horror movies, and I have seen my fair share of horror anime, but Kakurenbo is by far the best one I have seen so far. I loved that feeling of entrapment, of having to look out for every sound you hear in the distance, of trying not to breathe too loudly since you're hiding only feet away from who or what is searching for you.

This is an excellent, short film and I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to see a good horror anime. read more