Audience reviews
18 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
xpoisontree
As you should expect from an OVA/mini movie, you shouldnt expect any character development. It is surely focused on showing the story and the plot. And to be fair the theme was dark and pretty cool. It clearly had such potential its sad to see that its left like this. The animation style didnt attract me. Actually i think an another style could have been usen like the plot would have got an addition as aesthetic. But its okay too. It wasnt scary or creepy yet it could hold you interested in for sure. Welp you wont lose anything considering how short it was.
Read at the sourceYuniVT
There really isn't a whole lot to this 30 minute "movie" but what's there is decent enough. If you're into spooky horror you may even get a little more mileage out of this. I rated this an 7 because it does all you could ask it to do in its runtime: Set up its premise, give a chunk of the characters a bit of personality, and create a good atmosphere. The art is something I can't rate to be honest because the copy of this I watched was presented in glorious 144p Potatocam. I do think it could have been nice to look at though if it had higher video quality, there seemed to be a bunch of CGI though. The sound was...there...nothing crazy but it did the job. Honestly, go into this expecting an episode of some spooky tv show and you should be decently satisfied.
Read at the sourceGlassPufferfish
Looking back onto Kakurenbo I can see exactly why it scared by younger self. The creepy and unsettling movement of the demons as well as the use of lighting are vital in creating an unnerving atmosphere that sets your stomach with dread. I won't rip on the characters, they aren't exactly given enough time to develop, however their age is exemplified by their size and the fear found in watching these young children run around the ruins. The concept isn't original, however the presentation and the attention make it a lovely film for Halloween that I know will make it into my October playlist
Read at the sourcektulu007
The time has come to start horror anime month in earnest. First up we have Kakurenbo, a short film from 2005. It was done by Yamato Works, written & directed by Morita Shuuhei.
Story:
There's a mysterious game of hide and seek played by seven children in fox masks. There's just one problem. Every child who plays the game vanishes. Rumour says that they're spirited away by demons or possibly creepy old guys with worn down ice cream vans. We see various groups. A pair of twin brothers, a trio, a pair of friends and a girl on her own. Giving us eight players for the game.
The biggest problem with the film is a very simple one. There's a real lack of investment. The film isn't long enough for us to get to know or care about the characters or what happens with them. The trio seem to be the…
Read at the sourceOminousWrex
Children being thrust into horror stories isn't a very comfortable idea for many mainstream filmmakers. Not for Japan.
Kakurenbo is a short film mixing the classic hide & seek children's game with the Japanese folklore of demons by Yamatoworks. It works pretty well as watching innocent children fight against nightmares and terrors can be an inspiring experience... if they do emerge with victory anyway. But instead of being something akin to the likes of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, where we witness the unimaginable horror of children being slaughtered in a bloody fashion, Kakurenbo is more subtle, utilizing an intense mix of background sounds and tight framing to produce a suspenseful atmosphere.
Within the 25 minutes runtime, the movie still manages to incorporate information about the ch…
Read at the sourceSidewinder51
Rate a 7
English Dubbed
Story
A terrifying spin on an old classic kid's game. While i may be haunted in my dreams for a bit i did enjoy the message. Be careful for what you seek. You may get what you did not expect. An equaling terrifying concept much like signing an agreement only to find there some hidden fees. As for the introduction in what confusing to what time period it was stationed in:past or future?
Art
-while i think the story was centered deep an abyss it was confusing to what was down and what was up.
-I applaud the artist/writer(s) that created this to demonstrate some fear without the use of blood and gore.
- The idea of the masks was a perfect camouflage but lead to some confusing in groups on who is talking.
-introduction was too stretched out.
-not all aspects of the a…
Read at the sourceCiel_Orihara
Kakurenbo should have been a full-length film, honestly. The worldbuilding leaves something to be desired but they did a wonderful job for the 25 minutes that they had. I really wish there was more in this world because I was absolutely entranced for its short duration.
The art was absolutely beautiful. Though I know CGI isn't everyone's cup of tea, this OVA is stunning. The combination of hand-drawn animation and cell shading blew me away, honestly. Obviously it isn't perfect, it was released in 2004 (and even now a lot of CGI is sorta glitchy) but I loved how it looked.
I think this short really captured what psychological thrillers are supposed to be about. Yes, the story is a little "predictable", but it isn't supposed to be a surprise. The "twists" aren't supposed to be twists. The…
Read at the sourcetuva
Hide & Seek + Supernatural + Horror = Amazing combination ( but a disappointing result ) = Kakurenbo
A waste. Thats all I really can say about this movie.
Story: 7 - Among the ruins of the city, there is a game only children can play. It is called “Otokoyo”; a game of hide-and-seek. But whenever children play this game, one by one they would disappear into the blinds of the buildings… The story begins when a boy named Hikora enters the world of Otokoyo, to find his sister Sorincha who disappeared afer playing this game. At the beginning I found it promising and I thought after watching this movie I'd reconsider playing hide & seek ( even if you're not a kid ) but I really was disappointed with the results.
Art: 6 - The art wasn't anything memorable or beautiful but it wasn't shabby so I…
Read at the sourceangelsreview
This starts out really creepy, talking about a game where children wear fox masks to play a hide and seek game and when children will go missing from it. We have a strange band of characters that are brought together by the fight to survive a game that they know they could be killed in. There really isn’t much I can say about the show since I really don’t want to spoil if for you. It’s one I say you should watch. Also would like to note, very rarely does a Writer also become the director of his own show but in this case, it happened. Shuuhei Morita actually not only wrote the show, he was the director and producer of it. I think that is part of why this was done so well. Because he had a point to put across and it wasn’t diluted by anyone else in the way.
Now for the psychological part of…
Read at the sourceKuandohan
"Kakurenbo" is a very unique horror tale of Hide and Seek.
Story:
The story of a game of Hide and Seek in a special part of a desolate Tokyo (I assume it's Tokyo).
There must be seven (or more) kids that show up to an area after following the signs that spell out each individual syllable of O-To-Ko-Yo, that's a neat idea.
But whoever plays the game, never comes back.
Art:
The art is cel-shaded, and done very well, it's actually better in here than in Coicent, amazingly for Kakurenbo being done 6 years earlier.
The show does feel creepy the way should, they did a great job.
I especially think the scaling down the city with the kids whispering about the "game" was very well done.
The cinematography is nothing special, it gets the job done.
I think it would have been better if the show was…
Read at the sourceAwesomeFantastic
This anime has a very slow pace, it feels like an hour going through the first 10 minutes. If you haven't exhausted your list already I would recommend putting this one off for a while.
Read at the sourceshinnlorankira
There are 2 reasons to write a review.
1. Is this anime for you?
A: If you are easy to trick and get lost in atmosphere quite often, or don't watch horror much or are frightened easily then yes.
Now part 2 is justify why you hate something to the people who love it. (Fair enough since you should at least provide good reasoning for liking or hating something.) Past this part has SPOILERS.
It is a game of 7 children. There are 8 children. This is the start. Gee, WONDER WHO THE 8TH IS!? Also, she looks exactly like the one kids sister (despite wearing a mask), and they all wear fox masks. Now they spend 16 minutes running around the city looking for the girl (8th child) as well as being chased by monsters. During which period, they find a poster with 4 monsters and a fox in the middle.…
Read at the sourceInjection
I love this anime I remember watching it when I was little though could never remember the name till I found this.
"Otokayo is a secret game they play in that town. Its a game of hide and seek"
This anime is only about 25 mins long and easy to find. The rules are when 7 kids arrive the games begin, 7 of the kids that arrive must wear masks and play the game. The old city becomes a maze for them and there are 4 demons that play along with them.
The young girl that is playing the game seems like his sister so they follow her and wind up losing her. As that happens they find a piece of old paper that depicts 4 demons of the town.
The child taker, the blood taker, the oil taker , and the liver taker. Once they take children they never come back and the last person left is the winner becomi…
Read at the sourceNilvius
Kakurenbo is a short flick involving an urban legend that tells of how those playing a specific game of hide-and-seek at a certain forbidden, deserted neighborhood all goes missing without a single trace. This being of the horror genre can mean only one thing: a group of kids got curious and were lured into the game, with obvious disastrous consequences, as they found out just why the game is a taboo.
I'm not expecting much from the characters, since this is such a short film (and a horror one at that). You have the bully/ jerk jock archetype and his cronies, followed by the stoic and quiet characters, the obligatory mysterious creepy child and so on. The cast may not be outstanding, but they suit the show just fine, though it would be nice if the movie were somewhat longer so as to allow…
Read at the sourceMikariStar
Overall this is a fun little movie that I recommend everyone should watch. It's so short that it's not really a question of "why watch it?" but "why not?" If you still want to know why, then read on.
There is an urban legend that tells about kids disappearing in a strange abandoned city, the protagonist is there to search for his sister while other children have their own reasons to venture into that desolated place reminiscent of the Midgar slums from Final Fantasy VII, such as proving they are not afraid or simply exploring.
The children all wear fox masks as part of their game so we don't get to see their expressions as they explore the city and unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of several children rumored to have been spirited away.
The art is a mix between the computer…
Read at the sourceVenneh
Title: Kakurenbo
Anime: Kakurenbo is a half-hour OVA that was produced as a collaboration between CoMix Wave Inc (known for their work on 5 Centimeters per Second and Voices From a Distant Star), Dentsu Inc (known for their work on Antique Bakery and D.Gray-Man) and Yamatoworks/D.A.C (this was their debut production), and directed by Shuhei Morita (who also directed the Freedom OVA series). Kakurenbo was released on September 1st, 2004 in Japan, was licensed Stateside by the now defunct Central Park Media, who released it on October 30th, 2005.
Story: In a city that's now in ruins, children play the game of Otokoyo (a Japanese version of hide and seek), but seemingly disappear whenever it's played, supposedly spirited away by demons. A boy named Haraku enters the game hoping to find his…
Read at the sourceRanivus
Kakurenbo is a one-shot ova and is Yamatoworks first attempt at an anime. And as the title suggests, its an OVA about hide and seek. But like any good anime out there theres a lot of rules and twists to this 30 minute show. Thirty minutes isn't enough time to flesh out character backgrounds and a deep story but it gives out the rules and punishments of the game all in the beginning of the show. And that gives this show a lot of points from me considering how confusing and crazy the show gets right away. For example one of the rules gets broken even before the game begins. But it all will start to make sense toward the end.
As for the characters, they're all grade school children but they all have their own unique style and look. For instance, one kid has earrings big enough to have a kanj…
Read at the sourceangelfan16
This was an extremly well done movie! One of my favorites in fact. The feel of the movie itself was freaky as hell! (watched it with my friend at 2:00 in the morning!) The animation was top notch as the creatures were quite horrific. The plot was very interesting and gave you just enough information to keep you interested. Though at times it was a little confusing. The sound was ok as the silence added to the chill, but the characters themselves were given very little depth. The overall feel of this movie was great (in a scare the crap out of you sense) as it blended perfectly to the genre. It left you to decide for yourself. The ending was great!
this really is a spoiler:
All those lights on the tower were kids! Not to mention the fact they were screaming as the things plugged into them!…
Read at the source