Phantom Quest Corps

I'll decline to try to write the original title name right now (OK, so sue me!) but you could call this Ghostb*sters with attitude, but only if you wanted to get up someones' nose big time! Seriously, the Phantom Quest Corps is a small company that specialises in supernatural exorcism. Ayaka Kisaragi runs this (perpetually bankrupt) company which employs a number of unusual charas, but then the line of work wouldn't attract many others! The first is a story of vampires (plural, but it isn't what you might expect!) and the second shows what might happen if you go into hospital for a slight injury. You might just end up dead...

The styling isn't a million miles from Tenchi-Muyo (well, this is AIC we are talking about here, and the poor dears haven't had an original design idea since Tenchi!), and the stories have an element of the same sense of the absurd with some very humorous charas that wouldn't look out of place in Tomobiki-Cho! The dub is typical Pioneer and is fairly well done.

I liked it. OK, so I'm not known for my love of dubs because I've suffered too many bad ones but this isn't one of them. The running alarm clock gag has real potential (if you've ever seen me first thing in the morning you'd know why that one clicked!) and the various charas balance out well. The villians could be good too as long as they don't get too heavy but on the viewing of the first tape, I don't think I'll worry too much about that. If you like a laugh it isn't a bad title, and don't knock the dub out of hand; it is livable. (And if you don't want to, go import the sub!)

One day, perhaps Pioneer will put some subs out. Or LD's. At least I got my plush Ryo-Ohki!! :))

Additional: Volume two is now in my posession as well, and I am not displeased with it. Another two stories, with similar styling; the first being about the ghost of an explorer who died finding an art treasure that is now being put on by his sweetheart. The spirit is moved to help out with the arrangements and help protect her against some of the male elements that she is involved with who can only be described as less than good clean wholesome dudes! The last episode concerns the infiltration of a strange cult into the ghost chasing business which almost puts PQC out of business. That is until the source of the business is found out...

I have also now taken posession of the US DVD version, so I can now see the sub version. Not a bad release really, though I sympathise greatly with the folk that bemoan the fact that the series was never continued beyond the four episodes that we have here.

[4 stars]

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