is an anime television series, created by Production I.G and Masamune Shirow, noted for being the creator of the Ghost in the Shell series. The original concept and design was first developed by Shirow in 1987. It is Production I.G's 20th anniversary project and was first announced at the 2007 Tokyo International Anime Fair.
The series is staffed by director Ryūtarō Nakamura, scriptwriter Chiaki J. Konaka, character designer and chief animation director Mariko Oka, and art director Hiromasa Ogura. It premiered on Thursday, October 18, 2007, in Japan on WOWOW at 23:30 JST. A manga adaptation, featuring art by Kanata Asahi, has also been serialized in Comic Blade.
Storyline and setting
In the small town of Suiten, located in a remote mountain region on the island of Kyūshū, reality and the spirit realm collide. Ghosts and paranormal occurrences appear in the real world, spreading through the town. Three high school boys, Tarō, Makoto and Masayuki, who have all had traumatic experiences in their childhood, observe the strange occurrences happening at Suiten. Together, they investigate by entering the spirit realm, or the Unseen World, although no human is supposed to be able to do so. The three boys are granted entrance, only to realize the key to their childhood traumas lies within this Unseen World. The local Shinto priest and his daughter, Miyako, also become involved in the occurrences.
Characters
A narcoleptic 14-year-old boy is the main protagonist. Tarō and his older sister, Mizuka, were kidnapped 11 years ago, on September 22, 1996. Only Tarō survived the incident. Since then, he has had recurring nightmares and vivid out-of-body experiences (OBEs). Tarō records these visions to try to make sense of it all. He seeks help from a psychiatrist to help him sort through the details and deal with the fallout of his childhood trauma. Tarō can not remember the face of his kidnapper and has flashbacks containing a black giant taking his sister away. Once in the Unseen world, Tarō hopes to meet his sister so that he can clarify the past and come to terms with her death. Tarō seems to have romantic feelings for Miyako. In the later episodes, he begins to believe that Miyako is the reincarnation of his dead sister, Mizuka. As a result, he thinks that to be the cause of his feelings for Miyako. However, that is later subverted as Tarō admits that Miyako is Miyako, and no one else, after all.