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Available at Amazon.com ^[1]

Looking for a creepy anime to watch this Halloween? Give “Kakurenbo” a try. “Kakurenbo”, or “Hide and Seek,” is short, visually stunning movie. And I mean short. It’s only 25 minutes long. Yeah, that is pretty short, but instead of a movie think of it as an episode of “Tales From the Crypt.” Short and sweet, well more like short and scary. And something you can definitely fit into your busy schedule.

The story begins when seven children gather before the gates of the Demon City in order to play a game of hide-and-seek. Unfortunately, fate is against them from the start as no child who’s played the game has ever returned. While outrunning strange demons through the twisting, neon streets, the children may find what happened to those that disappeared before them. While the plot revolves around all the children, the main character is really Hikora, a boy who entered the game to discover the fate of his sister, Sorincha.

Overall, I’d say the best thing about this anime, was the visuals. The animation was wonderful. The setting had a great feel to it, very dark and creepy with neon lighting all over the place. Think, something along the lines of “Spirited Away,” but creepier! The demons were impressive as well. Half-machine and half-organic, their designs were all unique and very detailed. The overall look of the movie had a traditional Japanese feel to it. I especially loved how all the children wear masks. Some may think that not being able to see the child’s face throughout the film would take away from it, because you aren’t able to fully see the child’s emotions and reactions. However, the masks, I felt, really added a whole other element to the film. It capped off the look “Kakurenbo” was trying to achieve. The music was also very intriguing. Traditional Japanese music, with a twist. Very chilling at all the right times.

While the overall plot really suffered from such a limited time frame, overall I really enjoyed this movie. I would love to see a longer version. It was somewhat predictable, and more creepy than scary, however, the visuals were great and it was fun to watch. Definitely a great way to spend 25 minutes of your life, especially around Halloween!

Reviewer: Sara Drapp