Review of Ghost Sweeper Mikami

Introduction

Back in 1984, Ghostbusters was released to universal acclaim, the mix of the supernatural and comedy a sure fire hit with audiences. A sequel soon followed as well as animated adventures, much in the same vein. But what the US could do, so could Japan, and for 46 episodes, Ghost Sweeper Mikami brought a very Japanese sense of humour to the world of exorcism and ghostbusting. Reiko Mikami is an attractive woman whose attraction to exorcism is the large amount of money that it can earn her. Her faithful sidekick is the woefully underpaid Tadao Yokoshima who nurses a deep attraction for his abusive boss. Also in the team are priest Father Karasu, half vampire Peat and a reformed ghost Okinu, who is a whole lot easier on the eyes than the Ghostbusters` mascot Slimer. This disc contains the final episode in the Ghost Sweeper Mikami saga, a feature length episode that rounds off the series.

It`s a normal day for Mikami and her team, as she counts her earnings and reflects on how determined the spirit world seems to be getting. Suddenly a portal opens and a crystal lance appears. As Mikami calculates its worth, a spirit from the past appears warning of the imminent resurrection of the evil Nosferatu. He convinces Mikami to prevent the resurrection in return for the lance, as Nosferatu is the most terrible vampire ever to exist, capable of not only draining the blood, but the very life from his victims, creating an army of zombies to do his bidding. Unfortunately it`s a trap, as all Nosferatu needs is the blood of an exorcist to complete his resurrection, and Mikami walks right in to it. While Mikami`s team recuperates in hospital, Nosferatu is busy settling down in Tokyo, and soon hordes of zombies roam the streets. As Nosferatu is hunting down all the rival exorcists, it falls to Mikami to save the day, and the world`s economy while she`s at it.

Video

The picture is presented in a 1.85:1 (ish) letterbox ratio. You lose a couple of lines of information both top and bottom if you zoom in. The subtitles are legible, but again you lose the bottom of some letters. Obviously, an anamorphic transfer would have been preferable, but you don`t lose too much in the way of image quality. Made in 1993, this is obviously an older animation and there are moments when the image can appear static or animations are repeated. The resolution is a little soft and the colours don`t seem that vibrant. I was also surprised to see just how much some of the ghostly characters resembled those from the Real Ghostbusters.

Audio

You get a choice of DD 5.0 or DD 2.0 English, or the original DD 2.0 Japanese soundtrack if you prefer. The case blurb does say DD 5.1, but as in the most recent Ghost In The Shell release, the LFE seems to have gone walkabout, or at least the flag doesn`t come up on my player. I chose the Japanese soundtrack to listen to first, and the dialogue is clear with no problems with the sound in any respect. However it must be noted that you only get English dubtitles with this disc, which are subtitles that match the English dub. There are lines of Japanese dialogue that go past without translation.

I tried the English surround track out and found a fairly effective remix, with good separation of effects and some nice surround sound moments, although on occasion they did sound forced. However I was surprised to hear that this isn`t merely a dub, but a whole new soundtrack. New dialogue, new effects and new music come together to create a different viewing experience from the Japanese version. The original track is played solely for laughs, the music is lighter and more jovial, and there is a distinctive style to the comedy. Just before a punchline, everything stops, both motion and sound (I was worried that my player had froze the first time I saw this) and then the gag is delivered. Not so with the English track where the music keeps on playing. Also when the characters behave childishly in the Japanese version, they will assume childlike voices, again absent in the English version. The English version is played straighter, and the music conveys a sense of action with more of an eighties electronic feel.

Features

The disc comes packaged in a Scanavo case, placed in a cardboard slipcase. There`s also an A4 mini poster slipped inside.

The animated menus are very well accomplished and lead to a brief selection of extras. You can Meet Your Exorcists in a series of text biographies of the characters, there is a photo gallery with 20 pictures in, and there is a trailer for the feature.

Also on this disc are 15 minutes of trailers for other Manga releases, as well as a link to the Manga website

Conclusion

Ghost Sweeper Mikami is an enjoyable bit of fluff, although coming in at the conclusion of a series is certainly going to be a detriment to the experience. Characters briefly flashed by who obviously had histories in the show, and there were references to events and relationships that we just aren`t aware of. But this hour long feature does more than a decent enough job of re-introducing the main characters of Mikami and Yokoshima, and since the immediate story involves them mainly, you only really lose out on the subtle nuances of the story.

The comedy is broad and touches upon spoof, with various winks to the audience. After one spectacular fight scene one of the characters remarks on how amazing it looked, the other replies, "Imagine how it will look in widescreen!" It is definitely not a story to be taken seriously. The characters are interesting, although Nosferatu is as far from the Paul Whitehouse `Monster Monster!` creation s possible. The animation seems a little mundane, but when you consider it`s over ten years old now, and the conclusion of a regular television series, it actually seems quite impressive in terms of effects. It`s wisecracking fast paced comedy, with samurai swords.

The original Japanese dub is preferable, but if you are after the English surround track, watch out for that missing LFE channel. Also be mindful of the price, as you are only getting 60 minutes of entertainment for your buck.