Ushiro no Hyakutaro

Ushiro no Hyakutaro (Hyakutaro Behind or Hyakutaro in Back) is a two-volume OVA from 1991. Based on a eight-volume manga by Tsunada Jirou, which has not been translated, it's an odd amalgam of supernatural stories and spiritualist bunkum. As one of the QCs said to me, it's scary ghost stories for the first 45 minutes of run time, and then it turns into Happy Science.

The protagonist, Ushiro Ichitaro, is a high-school student with some psychic abilities. His father, Ushiro Kentaro, works at a paranormal research institute, so Ichitaro is attuned to supernatural events. The first episode takes place at school. The teacher, Kobayakawa, is skeptical of psychic abilities in general and of Ichitaro's in particular. To convince the teacher, Ichitaro and his friends play a game of Kokkuri-san (ouji board). 

The board provides clear answers to some questions. When Kobayakawa interrupts the session, the fox spirit driving the board possesses the teacher and turns him into a murdering madman. Ichitaro is only saved by the intervention of his guardian spirit, Hyakutaro, which appears from behind him; hence, Hyakutaro Behind (in Back).

In the second episode, Ichitaro and his father investigate a poltergeist phenomenon. 

When the poltergeist possesses Ichitaro, Hyakutaro does not appear. Another psychic, Funakoshi, has to exorcise the ghost. Ichitaro is distraught and wants to get closer to his guardian spirit. Under the guidance of another mystic, the boy prays to his guardian spirit and promises to lead a virtuous life. Hyakutaro obligingly appears and takes Ichitaro on a guided tour of the afterlife, which is based on the writings and beliefs of "the greatest psychic in history," Emanuel Swedenborg. 

Up to that point, the show had been scary and dangerous spirits; after that, it's light and fluffy spiritualism. Well, to each his own.

Some translation notes: 

• The Hydesville, New York incident, cited by Ichitaro's father as proof of the poltergeist phenomenon, was in fact a famous hoax.
• Charles Richet, cited by Ichitaro's father as the "discoverer of ectoplasm," was a French physiologist who won the Nobel Prize for discovering anaphylaxis. His work as a spiritualist was speculative and a blight on his reputation. 
• Graham Smith, the fictional victim who became the poltergeist, was modeled on foreign victims of attacks from the sonnou joui faction during the late Bakumatsu.
  

The voice cast is quite distinguished:

• Nakahara Shigeru (Hyakutaro) played the title role in Arion, Trowa Barton in Gundam Wing, Fujiwara no Takamichi in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de: Hachyoushou, and Kurama in Kyousogiga. He also played Fujiwara no Yukitata in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 2, Arikawa Yuzuru in Haruka Naru Toki no Nake de 3, and had featured roles in Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, Ai no Kusabi, Dragon Fist, Dokushin Apartment Doukudami-sou, Chameleon, and Neko Neko Fantasia, all Orphan releases.
• Matsumoto Yasunori (Ushiro Ichitaro) starred as Akira in Mellow, Johnny in Starship Troopers, Kaname in Singles, and Tooru in Every Day Is Sunday, all Orphan releases. He was in numerous OVAs in the 1990s, including Houkago no Tinker Bell, Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, Seikimatsu: Humane Society, Fukuyama Gekijou: Natsu no Himitsu, and Al Caral no Isan, also Orphan releases. Among his other notable roles were Wataru Akiyama in Initial D, Jean Havoc in Fullmetal Alchemist, Gourry Gabriev in Slayers, Ryou in Sonic Soldier Borgman, and a personal favorite, Dick Saucer in Dragon Half.
• Sawaki Ikuya (Ushiro Kentaro, Ichitaro's father) played Gooley in the Dirty Pair franchise. He also played Samuel Hunter in Wolf Guy, Masayoshi Hotta in Hidamari no Ki, Barry in Joker: Marginal City, Alan in Mother: Saigo no Shoujo Eve, Itakura Shirouemon in Sanada 10, the Kaiser in Apfelland Monogatari, and Gonbei the cat in Satsujin Kippu wa Heart-iro, as well as bit parts in Dallos, Heart Cocktail, and Chameleon, all Orphan releases.
• Shibata Hidekatsu (Funakoshi) played Baron Ashura in Mazinger Z, Kenzou Kabuto in Great Mazinger, King Bradley in both versions of Fullmetal Alchemist, and the Third Hokage in Naruto. He played Sun Quon in the Sangokushi movies, the hero's father in Dragon Fist, and the voice of God in Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, all Orphan releases.
• Shimaka Yuu (Narrator) played Katagiri in Yawara! He appeared in Bagi, Kosuke-sama & Rikimaru-sama: Konpeitou no Ryuu, Kasei Yakyoku, Apfelland Monogatari, and Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, all Orphan releases.
• Hisakawa Aya (Yoshiko, a friend) played the title roles in Mamono Hunter Youko, Voogie's Angel, and Iria: Zeiram, Skuld in the Ah! My Goddess franchise, Cerberus in Card Captor Sakura, Sailor Mercury in the Sailor Moon franchise, Yuki in Fruits Basket, Haruka in RahXephon, Youko in The Twelve Kingdoms, and Storm in X-Men. She played Natsuki in Kimama ni Idol, Marine in Nana Toshi Monogatari, Shizuka in Sotsugyou: Graduation, Mishima Misako in Yume Tsukai, Shana in Al Caral no Isan, Sonia in Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, Tomoko in Sensou Douwa: Boku no Boukuugou, and Koneko in Ear of the Golden Dragon, all Orphan releases.
• Kawashima Chiyoko (Ichitaro's mother) played Fujiko in Yawara!, Clair in Galaxy Express 999, Sailor Pluto in the Sailor Moon franchise, Okiyo in Haguregumo, and Iko in Greed, an Orphan release.
• Umezu Hideyuki (Kobayakawa-sensei) played Akadama-sensei in Uchouten Kazoku and Uranos Corsica in Gangsta. He had featured roles in Asatte Dance, Star Dust, Apfelland Monogatari, Blue Sonnet, Hashire Melos, Hi-Speed Jecy, Hidamari no Ki, Nana Toshi Monogatari, Neko Neko Fantasia, Singles, the What's Michael? OVAs, Yamato 2520, Genji, Part 1, Mellow, and Ziggy Sore Yuke! R&R Band, all Orphan releases.

The director, Hara Seitarou, also directed the original Time Bokan series and Dash Kappei, among other shows.

This is another project that has been languishing for a long time. Macros74 did an initial encode from DVDs years ago, but nothing happened after that. Then, last year, another colleague did a new encode, and Perevodildo translated and timed the show. I edited and typeset. Topper3000 and Rezo QCed. There are two omake, featuring mangaka Tsunada Jirou as a talking head; they have not been translated.

As you can probably tell, I'm not enamored of Ushiro no Hyakutaro. The protagonist is weak and somewhat whiny. He always needs help to escape his paranormal predicaments. The feel-good spiritualism of the last 15 minutes seems totally at odds with the prior 45 minutes of psychic spookiness. But perhaps I missed a connection (or an exit) along the way. In any case, you can get the show from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.