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Occult Academy
I Wanted to Believe
The Series in a Sentence
Kumashiro Maya and her companion Uchida Fumiaki investigate various mysterious happenings occurring at Maya’s father’s school, the Waldstein Academy, and the surrounding town.
What I liked
To start things off, the series’ opening theme, performed by Shoko Nakagawa of Gurren Lagann fame, is full of energy and fits well with the animation, especially during the buildup to the chorus. Character-wise, Maya is a strong lead throughout the series and her interactions with Fumiaki, at times, came across as really genuine. Likewise, I was oddly attached to the side characters. Even though some of the supporting cast, like the teachers, didn’t show up too often, I enjoyed the weird humor I saw. Plot-wise, since this is at first blush a mystery/monster-of-the-day show, the sequences dedicated to the occult were a fun watch and occasionally really emotional. When the series was focusing on monsters and the general reactions of the cast of characters, it was at its strongest and a joy to watch.
What I Didn’t Like
While this show intrigued me for the potential to be a true monster-of-the-day/mystery series a-la the X-Files or Scooby Doo, there were some significant deviations in storytelling that kind of caught me off guard. Make no mistake, this show is steeped in occult aspects but there are a few more “grounded-in-humanity” and “caused by human choice” events than I wanted there to be and that kind of took away from the mystery of everything. Some episodes delivered on my expectation, some disappointed, and some left me with mixed feelings. Such inconsistency in execution really showed towards the end, with plot points materializing based on the barest of setups. I enjoyed the show for the more disconnected aspects of it, but the larger plot only served to make the series feel rushed.
Overall Feelings
Occult Academy was a show that I wanted to like way more than I actually did. There were things that I loved about the show, from some blood-boiling action sequences, an amazing opening theme, and some interesting characters/occult themes but there were also things that really held it back, like an overemphasis on some characters and inconsistent storytelling, not to mention the time it took for some characters and plotlines to fully develop. Too many times I found myself invested in one episode only to not care about the next, and in a shorter series that can be a killer. Despite its shortcomings, I still can recommend this series but as one to watch on a rainy day rather than one to decide to get extremely invested in. Pacing issues and inconsistencies aside, there is some beauty to be found here in strong leads characters, interesting episodes, and some awe-inspiring moments. The truth is out there my friends.