Gakkou no Kaidan (School Ghost Stories in English) is a 2000 paranormal anime series, based on the childrens' books of the same name by Toru Tsunemitsu. Produced by Aniplex, made by Studio Pierrot and airing on Fuji TV, the show was an initial success in Japan, albeit with little merchandising and lackluster reruns. Animax would produce an English-language dub entitled 'Ghost at School' in 2004 for airing in other Asian markets. ADV Films would gain the rights for its English dub in native English markets a year later, with Aniplex only listing three criteria for the dub to meet in its contract:
1. Do not change the names of any characters, including the ghosts. 2. Do not change the way any ghost is killed, as it is based on Japanese folklore. 3. Do not change the core meaning of any episode.
The resulting dub, known as Ghost Stories, would turn the series into a comedic self-parody, dramatically changing almost all of the characters' personalities, while otherwise roughly following the criteria listed. ADV's new, dark-comedy version turned out to be a hit, and the show took on a new international cult following, far overshadowing the original series and the first dub. Its success was such that it even led to misinformation surrounding the success of the series in Japan proper.
