This one gets under your skin through sound before it ever gets you through images. The score is the real weapon here, a slow ceremonial dread that keeps working on you long after the tape stops, and the 1990 OVA grain only makes it worse in the best way. The Ougi sisters are the hook: Shoko is the eye, the one cursed to actually see what's standing in the room, and Maiko is the hand that throws it back out. Splitting the exorcist in two means neither girl is ever whole or safe alone, and the schoolgirl normalcy they perform between jobs reads as armor, not comedy. Then there is the title itself, Sendai kokeshi, those little wooden dolls turned into something you do not want facing your bed. Karura temple horror, played completely straight.

Shoko and Maiko Ougi look like two everyday schoolgirls who mainly want to graduate and enjoy themselves. Shii-chan is the serious one, while Mai-chan is more carefree. In truth, the sisters are strong exorcists from the Karura temple, and each holds only half of their power: Shii-chan can perceive spirits, and Mai-chan can drive them away. The six-episode horror OVA leans heavily on traditional Japanese occult themes.