"School Steps": A moving story depicting the brilliance and darkness of youth

All-round evaluation and recommendation of School Stairs - Gakkounokaidan

■ Public Media

OVA

■ Original Media

Picture books

■ Release date

July 15, 2009

• School of Terror (2009/07/15)
• The Horrifying Outside School Edition (2009/07/15)

■Release and sales

・Seller: Pony Canyon

■Frequencies

35 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 2

■Original Story

Poplar Publishing

■ Director

Hiroshi Kugimiya

■ Production

• Animation production: Studio Aimaru, WOW World
• Produced by: MooGoo
• Produced by Poplar Publishing

■Works

©2009 Poplar Publishing, Japanese Folktale Society, School Ghost Stories Editorial Committee, Ogawa Kyomi

■Explanation

Among the many works with the name "school ghost stories," Poplar Publishing's "School Ghost Stories" series, which is famous for its children's books, is a true "favorite brand" with the original story and supervision by the Japanese Folktale Society. Poplar Publishing's "School Ghost Stories" series is a popular series that has been running since the 1990s and has been widely loved by children. This series is a collection of ghost stories and urban legends set in schools, and has spread by word of mouth among children, creating many fans. The OVA version of "School Stairs" was also produced as part of this, faithfully recreating the atmosphere of the original work while enhancing the sense of fear with expressions unique to anime.

The OVA "School Stairs" was released on July 15, 2009, and is made up of two episodes: the scary school episode and the terrifying outside school episode. Each episode depicts strange phenomena that occur in or around a school, and can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. In particular, the scary experiences set in a familiar place like a school leave a strong impression on viewers.

This work is recommended not only for fans of Poplar Publishing's "Gakkou no Kaidan" series, but also for fans of horror anime and ghost stories. It has been praised for preserving the atmosphere of the original while enhancing the sense of fear with visual expressions unique to anime. Also, each episode depicts a different ghost story, so you won't get bored of watching it.

■Cast

• Matsuki Miyu
• Makoto Naruse
• Mie Sonozaki
• Yuuko Gibu
• Daisuke Kishio

The cast members realistically portray the characters in each episode, further enhancing the sense of horror. In particular, Miyu Matsuki's voice realistically expresses the fear and anxiety of the children, leaving a strong impression on the viewers. Additionally, Makoto Naruse and Daisuke Kishio's acting also enhance the atmosphere of the work by realistically depicting the mysterious phenomena.

■ Main staff

• Produced by Hiroaki Sakai (Poplar Publishing)
• Executive Producer: Yoshie Ishikawa (Poplar Publishing)
• Planning/Poplar Publishing, BunBun Editorial Department
• Producers: Masaki Kobayashi, Saburo Omiya
• Character design and chief animation director: Mineko Ueda
• Art Director: Osamu Honda
• Color design, color specification, inspection, special effects/Yukari Fujiki
• Director of photography: Hayashi Miyuki
• Sound Director: Koichi Iizuka
• Director, storyboard, direction: Hiroshi Kugimiya
• Animation Director: Takeuchi Kei
• Original illustrations: Hiroki Ikeshita, Chie Saito, Yoshikazu Sato, Yukiko Shimizu, Tamotsu Tomaru, Yusuke Nakamura, Eiji Fukuyama, Katsuyuki Yamazaki, Yoshihiro Yoshioka, Hiroko Yoshida
• Secondary animation/Minamimachi Magistrate's Office (Emi Tezuka, Kan Terada), Yuri Imura, Kenta Kyosu, Yukiko Shimizu, Masako Terada, Harako, Masato Hirai, Anime Romance
• Video inspection/Miyuki Goto
• Video: Kenta Kyosu, Masako Terada, Harako, Masato Hirai, Rakuoh, RIC
• Finishing/Namiko Kamei, Rakuo, RIC
• Background/Baku Productions (Yamaguchi Shinobu, Honda Rie, Kitamura Kouhei, Mayu Shunta)
• 3DCG/Hisayo Ida
• Photography: Susumu Inaba, Shinsuke Uemura, Naomi Nishijima, Yuki Shinagi
• Edited by Satoshi Aihara
• Video Editing/Good Job TOKYO
• Effects: Katsuhiro Nakano (Sound Box)
• Adjustment/Hiroyuki Shibue
• Recording studio/AMG Studio, HALF H・P ​​STUDIO
• Sound production/HALF H・P ​​STUDIO
• Production producers: Toshiro Sakuma, Masahiro Murakami
• Production Progress: Yoshiyuki Kaneko, Kyohei Takagi, Satoshi Yokota
• Animation production: Studio Aimaru, WOW World
• Produced by: MooGoo
• Produced by Poplar Publishing

While respecting the atmosphere of the original work, the staff has succeeded in enhancing the sense of horror with the unique expression of anime. In particular, director Kugimiya Hiroshi's direction has succeeded in bringing out the maximum sense of fear in each episode, leaving a strong impression on the viewer. In addition, character design by Ueda Mineko and art direction by Honda Osamu also play an important role in enhancing the atmosphere of the work.

■Subtitle

●Terrifying School Edition (2009/07/15)

• #1/Hanako, Taro and Yamiko (2009/07/15)
• #2/The Fourth Dimensional Granny (2009/07/15)
• #3/I saw it (2009/07/15)
• #4/Give me a god! (2009/07/15)
• #5/The Devil's Classroom (2009/07/15)
• #6/Hospital toilet in the middle of the night (2009/07/15)
• #7/The Sutra in the Nurse's Office (2009/07/15)
• #8/Heavy Rain (2009/07/15)
• #9/An old man appears in the study room (2009/07/15)

●Horrifying Outside School Edition (2009/07/15)

• #10/ Scary Stories at the Temple (2009/07/15)
• #11/Doll's Neck (2009/07/15)
• #12/Ushi no Koku Mairi (2009/07/15)
• #13/The Tree with a Neck (2009/07/15)
• #14/Mystery Tour Circle (2009/07/15)
• #15/Stain on the ceiling (2009/07/15)
• #16/Silent Phone Call (2009/07/15)
• #17/Come after me (2009/07/15)

Each episode depicts a mysterious phenomenon that occurs in or around a school, and is enjoyable for both children and adults. In particular, the scary experiences set in a familiar place like a school leave a strong impression on viewers. Also, each episode depicts a different ghost story, so you won't get bored of watching it.

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1

• Right next to me ~Another World~
• Lyrics: Takahashi Lisa
• Composer: Shogo Onishi
• Arrangement/Shogo Onishi
• Vocals: Takahashi Lisa

・ED1

• Good Luck!!
• Lyricist: Takashi Kamijo
• Composer: Takashi Kamijo
• Arrangement/Takashi Kamijo
• Song: Merry clover

The theme song and the ending song play an important role in enhancing the atmosphere of the work. In particular, Takahashi Lisa's "Sugu Soba ni ~Another World~" has a beautiful melody that further enhances the sense of fear, leaving a strong impression on the viewer. Also, Merry Clover's "Good Luck!!" expresses the sense of relief after being freed from fear, making it a fitting song to conclude the work.

■ Evaluation and recommendation

The OVA "School Stairs" is recommended not only for fans of Poplar Publishing's "School Ghost Stories" series, but also for fans of horror anime and ghost stories. It has been praised for preserving the atmosphere of the original work while enhancing the sense of fear with visual expressions unique to anime. Also, each episode depicts a different ghost story, so you won't get bored of watching it.

In particular, scary experiences set in a familiar place like a school leave a strong impression on viewers. As an OVA version of the "School Ghost Stories" series, which has spread by word of mouth among children and garnered many fans, this film faithfully reproduces the atmosphere of the original work while enhancing the sense of fear with expressions unique to anime.

The realistic acting of the cast and the careful production of the staff also play an important role in enhancing the atmosphere of the work. In particular, the direction of Director Hiroshi Kugimiya succeeds in maximizing the sense of fear in each episode, leaving a strong impression on the viewers. In addition, the character design of Mineko Ueda and the art direction of Osamu Honda also play an important role in enhancing the atmosphere of the work.

The theme song and the ending song also play an important role in enhancing the atmosphere of the work. In particular, Takahashi Lisa's "Sugu Soba ni ~Another World~" has a beautiful melody that further enhances the sense of fear, leaving a strong impression on the viewer. Also, Merry Clover's "Good Luck!!" expresses the sense of relief after being freed from fear, making it a fitting song to conclude the work.

The OVA "School Stairs" is recommended not only for fans of Poplar Publishing's "School Ghost Stories" series, but also for fans of horror anime and ghost stories. It has been praised for preserving the atmosphere of the original work while enhancing the sense of fear with visual expressions unique to anime. Also, each episode depicts a different ghost story, so you won't get bored and will enjoy it. Please give it a watch.