If you've been watching anime and reading manga for a while, you're probably familiar with the basic ayakashi, or spirits and supernatural beings, that crop up frequently. The kappa, the kitsune, the tanuki, the nopperabo…it'd be easy to assume that these and a few others make up the bulk of the yokai pantheon. Shabake is here to prove otherwise – while many of these familiar faces are present in the series, most of the ayakashi who play a role are far more unusual in the anime space, and even if the story itself wasn't good (which isn't a worry here; it's very good), it would be worth sitting down to meet some creatures we don't often get a chance to see.

The reason why so many unusual ayakashi populate this series is that the protagonist, Ichitaro, can see them. For most of the show's thirteen episodes, we're not entirely sure why; some people seem aware that his two companions/guardians, Nikichi and Sasuk,e are, respectively, a hakutaku (chimeric eight-eyed bull) and an inugami (dog god), but the majority of the ayakashi seem invisible to the human cast. Only Ichitaro seems aware of the byobu nozoki (folding screen peeper) or the yanari, little creatures responsible for creaks and strange movements around the house. Do they realize that yokai like the raggedy monk noderabo or snake-bearing jakotsubaba are coming to call?

Like many things in this exceptionally well put-together series, that's a question that becomes clear as time passes. While Shabake has many strengths, one of its standout features is that everything is in the story for a reason. Hansel and Gretel only wish they could have sown their breadcrumbs this effectively – almost no detail is random, and everything builds towards the resolution at the end. That does make it a bit difficult to review, as there's a risk of revealing plot-important details; suffice it to say that you need to pay attention to everything when watching. This is a series that would likely benefit from multiple viewings, not because everything is laid out in the first five minutes, as is the case with Another, but rather because knowing the outcome will allow you to pick up on different clues seeded throughout. It's why people reread Agatha Christie novels: knowing the who allows you to go back and spot the how.

It's also worth noting that the supernatural elements don't detract from the mystery. That's not always the case, and it has been said that mystery and fantasy are fundamentally incompatible genres, given that the existence of magic undermines the need for a detective's skills. Fortunately, this has been disproven, but even if it were true, it's not an issue for Shabake. Despite the presence of gods and ayakashi, Ichitaro is forced to rely on traditional investigative methods, including searching for witnesses, combing shops for stolen goods, and following the clues. As he isn't able to go by himself very often, these tasks are relegated to the ayakashi, although he also works with an official investigator. And ultimately, the supernatural play a role in the central mystery that's far more than just making things happen; the ayakashi are people in their own right with their own feelings and motives that affect the outcome, not just fancy aides to Ichitaro.

This helps to flesh out Ichitaro's Edo. It's not just a set for the actions to happen in, but rather a lived-in city filled with people and ayakashi of all stripes. The reasons why Ichitaro and Matsunosuke have been separated for their entire lives are built into the setting, and while it looks callous to modern eyes, it works in a historical sense, meaning that Ichitaro desires to connect with his brother, who is viewed as odd (and not a little awkward) in the context of time and place. The matters surrounding Ichitaro are built on cultural notions of propriety and heritage, and we see that take form in both his parents' worry about their heir's health and in the case of his friend Eikichi, the heir of a confectionery who is miserable at making anything involving sweet bean paste. Again, all of these grounds the setting in its time and place, giving the impression that this world existed before we showed up to watch Ichitaro's story and continues to exist after the last episode is done.

Visually, this isn't flashy. That's to its credit, really – most men wear their hair in a chonmage style, which can look odd to western viewers, and kimonos are in dull, staid colors, with byobu nozoki and a few ayakashi women being the exception, possibly as a means of showing their relatively higher social status. The ayakashi in general are the standouts in terms of design, but even then, they're more on the conservative side – jakotsubaba (snake bone granny) even only has one snake instead of the two she's supposed to according to the 1780 text Konjaku hyakki shūi by Sekien Toriyama. Again, this largely works to contribute to the lived-in feel of the show, and the animation is generally quite good, especially the fire scenes in episode twelve. Despite being a murder mystery, there isn't too much blood or gore, though animal lovers will want to take caution with episode eight, which involves very upsetting cat murders.

Shabake may have flown under a few radars as it was airing, but it's a solid show that deserves more attention. A solid mystery with well-sown clues and no throwaway plotlines, it's full of interesting characters and set in a lived-in world. Even if you come for the unusual ayakashi, you'll find something worth staying for.