There are autumn leaves changing, the weather is getting colder, and Halloween is nearly here, which means it’s the perfect time to watch Halloween anime. From horror to thrillers to feel-good episodes, here are the best anime you should watch this Halloween.
5. “Ghost Stories”
As the title suggests, this show is all about ghosts, specifically exorcising them. The show centers around Satsuki and her younger brother Keiichirou and their friends Leo, Momoko, and Hajime, who seek to exorcise all the ghosts that have been locked inside a tree by Satsuki and Keiichirou’s late mother. When it was sent to the United States, the show wasn’t doing well in Japan, so its English dub was allowed to be altered however they wanted. This turned what once was horrible to hilarious, making all the characters say outlandish things and even making Keiichirou a crybaby who says almost nothing during the whole series. It’s the perfect show to watch this Halloween when you need a good laugh amongst all the fright and horror the season brings.
It’s available on Amazon prime with a subscription, which students can get a free trial that lasts them six months.
4. Blue Exorcist
The series centers around two brothers, Rin and Yukio Okumura, who have been raised by exorcist and priest, Shiro Fujimoto. On a special day, Rin learns that he and his brother are sons of Satan and soon after he bears witness to Shiro’s death, who became possessed and stabbed himself. He aspires to become a strong enough exorcist in order to defeat Satan and avenge the death of Shiro Fujimoto. The involvement of exorcism and the main plot of wanting to kill Satan makes “Blue Exorcist” the ideal show to watch for the Halloween season.
It’s available to watch on Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max with a paid subscription.
3. “Erased”
“Erased” is a story about a man with the power to go back in time to stop events from happening, however he has no control over when he can go back. Initially, he could only travel back five minutes to prevent accidents, but after walking in on his mother’s murder, he travelled back to his elementary school days, right before a string of kidnappings occurred. He believes that kidnappings were connected to his mother’s death and must discover how to prevent their occurrence so that his mother can be saved in the future. This drama and thriller makes you wonder who the kidnapper is as the pacing gives off a sinister undertone.
It’s available on Hulu and Netflix and has a live-action version only available on Netflix.
2. “Ghost Hunt”
Mai Taniyama’s favorite thing to do is to recite ghost stories with her friends but one day she meets a paranormal investigator, Kazuya Shibuya, who was sent by the Shibuya Psychic Research Center to look into reports of paranormal activity at a haunted school. Each arc explores a new paranormal phenomenon and has plenty of jumpscares to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
It has a total of 25 episodes and is available on Funimation Now to watch for free with ads.
1. “Paranoia Agent”
Categorized as a psychological thriller, “Paranoia Agent” centers around two detectives who are assigned to an assault case where their first report came from popular character designer, Tsukiko Sagi, who became famous with her drawing a pink cartoon dog. At first, they think she is lying until another victim comes forward and eventually the attacker gets the name Lil’ Slugger and is blamed for multiple attacks that have happened in Tokyo. As the show goes forward, each character affected by Lil’ Slugger becomes a focus of the story and their secret lives and relationship with the assailant are revealed. During Halloween season, it makes for an excellent show to watch since it is incredibly gory and will keep viewers beside themselves.
It’s available to watch exclusively on Funimation Now, which is free with ads.