Photon Genre: Comedy Shouryu's Overall Score:  8.0

Reviewer: Shouryu
Type of Review: General

When the need for some light hearted fun appears, Phantom Quest Corp is a perfect solution. Certainly nothing new, exciting, or innovative, this particular project by Pioneer/AIC has no grand delusions about what it is, or what it's supposed to be: a brief delightful romp filled with laughs. No major stories or epic sagas here - and perhaps what's better, no financially motivated sequels (Tenchi Muyo, El Hazard, anyone?). The result is two hours with a few lovable characters, and satisfaction whether one sees one episode or four episodes.

Spanning four half hour episodes on four cassettes or one DVD, Phantom Quest Corp is a series of adventures surrounding a ghost-busting operation in Japan. Unlike the Ghostbusters of big screen fame in the US, the Phantom Quest Corporation doesn't use science to deal with wayward hauntings, but instead, mystical methods and brute force. The head of the business is one Ayaka Kisiragi, possibly one of the most beautifully drawn redheads in anime history. Much of the comedy revolves around her heavy drinking and her inability to wake up without the help of her young assistant, Mamoru. Along for the ride is a representative from the government's U-Division (investigation of the paranormal, like X-Files), Lt. Karino. Good hearted, but bumbling, he seems to be in the way a lot, but Ayaka often benefits from his presence.

Each episode is essentially self sufficient, not really being tied to prior episodes. As a result, there is no real need for back story, or an interlinking plot. Each story is a brief adventure that starts quickly and wraps up neatly. The animation is very clean throughout, although even on the DVD, clarity suffers on rare occasion. Each episode has perhaps two frames of nudity (you actually need to pause and very SLOWLY work the DVD remote to catch them), and as such, it passes so quickly that you could get away with children watching. The music is not wholly innovative, but a mix of fun rock, blues, and jazz. People who really dig it can pick up the soundtrack, but it's not a must-buy. In the area of voice acting, the original Japanese is good as always, and the ZRO dub is a true gem (Wendee Day-Lee rarely does a bad job; she's exceptional in this performance).

Upon first gaze, PQC doesn't seem like it should register a blip on the radar of good anime, but it really does. More or less, it's the Subaru WRX of anime - small, easy to miss, yet with a horsepower per liter rating that rivals a Porsche Turbo 911 (except in anime, it's a fun per minute rating). If you need some distraction and have no desire for anything deep, Phantom Quest Corp can't be beaten.