By now, almost everyone’s heard of the famous prophet Nostradamus in some way or another, and your thoughts on him are either: a) he’s a quack or b) there might be some truth in what he foresaw. Although most people would side with Team A (even though nearly twenty-five of his predictions have actually come true!) almost anything he’s written can be twisted in some way or form to fit an event. His next big prediction? That our world will enter the Age of Aquarius after December 21 2012m – a period in which major wars will escalate for resources. Which coincidentally is when the Mayan calendar ‘ends.’

Aniplex’s newest thirteen-episode series, Occult Academy, directed by Tomohiko Oto attempts to use this idea and turn it into a horror/comedy series that while entertaining in its own right, falls second shortly behind Studio Madhouse’s Highschool of the Dead as the best piece of the summer. Although that isn’t necessarily a bad thing given how highly I think of that series.

Fresh off the heels of producing Jun Maeda’s Angel Beats, Aniplex’s newest series thirteen-episode series is the third part of TV Tokyo’s and Aniplex’s Anime no Chikara project that has produced the slice of drama hit So Ra No Wo To and Senko no Night Raid.

Telling the story of a girl named Maya, whose father was the principal at an occult school before he passed away, she inherits the school initially only with want to destroy it. Eventually, towards the end of episode one in a very awesome yet awkward introduction, she meets a time traveler named Abe Minoru who is trying to save the world after one of Nostradamus’ predictions came true.

What do the folks at Aniplex think will happen in 2012? Think James Cameron’s Terminator meets Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds. At the end of episode two, this becomes the center-focus of the story and the entire thing begins to revolve around finding out who killed Maya’s father and destroying Nostradamus’ key.

While most of the voice acting is generally solid, voice actress Hikasa Yoko (Mio, K-On) who voices Maya steals the show. So much that she overshadows everyone, making them seem paltry in comparison. Voicing the cold/brash tsundere, one minute you’ll have her awkward attempt to calm everyone down after an incidental possession takes over at the school, the next she’s making buddies with everyone in the audience. Her facial gestures are incredibly awesome, and totally deserving of a second-look while watching.

So I’m sure you’re asking by now…the series sounds awesome, the occult plus Mio? I’m totally down! Well, the main problem to me is that the first two episodes are largely comedy bits and if you’re into the paranormal, like I am, you may be disappointed. Nothing is exceptionally shocking or suspenseful.

Animation-wise, it’s about the same as Angel Beats, so expect something solid but nothing ground-breaking. The main feature of the series is Maya, and her facial gestures are incredibly entertaining and full of win. So what’s my verdict? It’s a solid and welcomed entry into the paranormal genre, and it will definitely be interesting to see which direction this anime heads in. Whether or not it’ll remain consistent throughout, on the other hand is what I’m worried about. After all, that’s something that even Nostradamus can’t predict.

The series can currently be seen streaming legally on Crunchyroll’s website in glorious 720p, with English subs, immediately after it is aired in Japan: http://www.crunchyroll.com/?src=ytpv_occul

Tags: Occult Academy, review