Ghost Stories (Japanese: 学校の怪談, Hepburn: Gakkō no Kaidan, lit. "School Ghost Stories"), also known as Ghosts at School, is a Japanese series of children's novels written by Tōru Tsunemitsu [ja]. It was published by Kodansha, starting in 1990.[4] The series is a collection of popular school ghost stories in Japan, rewritten specifically for a young demographic.[4][5] A four-part film series based on the books was produced from 1995 to 1999.[4][6] Additionally, it was adapted into a television series in 1994 and an anime produced by Studio Pierrot in 2000.[4][6] A video game was also produced.[6]
The books were received positively in Japan upon release.[6][4] The first film received a nomination for Best Screenplay at the 19th Japanese Academy Awards.[6] Sources conflict as to whether the anime's original run was successful or not,[6][5] though there is evidence of a relatively successful run.[6] Nevertheless, it received notoriety in the succeeding years with its official English dub, which mostly replaced the original script for the series with pop culture references and dark humor.[5]
Synopsis
Ghost Stories follows Satsuki Miyanoshita, who moves with her family to the hometown of her deceased mother. On her first day of school, Satsuki, her brother Keiichirou (a first-grader), Hajime Aoyama (their neighbor), Momoko Koigakubo (an older schoolmate), and Leo Kakinoki (a classmate and friend of Hajime's with a penchant for the paranormal) visit the abandoned school building adjacent the current school complex and discover that the building is haunted.
It is soon after revealed that Satsuki's mother was responsible for sealing several ghosts who haunted not only the school but also the town, which are now inadvertently being released due to urbanization taking place in the surrounding area. Satsuki's mother left behind a book detailing how to exorcise the ghosts once and for all. In her first confrontation, Satsuki faces a demon called Amanojaku, but in the process, he is sealed within Satsuki's pet cat, Kaya. Although Amanojaku does not want to help Satsuki at first, the danger soon threatens to envelop the town and it is left up to Satsuki, her friends, and Amanojaku to stop the ghosts. With Amanojaku's help, the friends finally are able to exorcise the ghosts.
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