GeGeGe no Kitaro, one of Japan’s most beloved anime programs turns 40 this year and Philip Brasor has written a very nice feature at The Japan Times to commemorate the occasion.
The story of a one-eyed boy born of dead parents who helps keep peace between the world of humans and the world of yōkai (Japanese spirits) was originally created by Shigeru Mizuki in 1959. Mizuki came to drawing the Japanese spirit world honestly; as a child he was told folklore tales about the yōkai from an old woman in his neighbourhood who he called Nonoba. Later, while fighting for the Imperial Army in Papua New Guinea during WW2 he learned more about nature spirits from the local Tolai tribe, but the loss of his left arm in battle ended his stint as a soldier.
The manga was turned into an animated series by Toei in 1968 and it has continued intermittently to the present day. "Every Japanese person knows Kitaro and the other characters, even if they've never seen the TV show," says the shows producer Hiroyuki Sakurada.
Despite Kitaro’s popularity in Japan (including a GeGeGe no Kitaro film and sequel starring Eiji Wentz as the title character) the yōkai boy hasn’t had much success outside the dedicated manga and anime fans here in North America. A kid born in a cemetery with a floppy emo-style haircut and a bunch of monster friends? Makes me wonder why he hasn’t replaced “The Nightmare Before Christmas” as the animated character of choice for the goth kids on Queen Street West, but that’s just me.
Read the full article at the Japan Times Online: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ff20080417r1.html
The story of a one-eyed boy born of dead parents who helps keep peace between the world of humans and the world of yōkai (Japanese spirits) was originally created by Shigeru Mizuki in 1959. Mizuki came to drawing the Japanese spirit world honestly; as a child he was told folklore tales about the yōkai from an old woman in his neighbourhood who he called Nonoba. Later, while fighting for the Imperial Army in Papua New Guinea during WW2 he learned more about nature spirits from the local Tolai tribe, but the loss of his left arm in battle ended his stint as a soldier.
The manga was turned into an animated series by Toei in 1968 and it has continued intermittently to the present day. "Every Japanese person knows Kitaro and the other characters, even if they've never seen the TV show," says the shows producer Hiroyuki Sakurada.
Despite Kitaro’s popularity in Japan (including a GeGeGe no Kitaro film and sequel starring Eiji Wentz as the title character) the yōkai boy hasn’t had much success outside the dedicated manga and anime fans here in North America. A kid born in a cemetery with a floppy emo-style haircut and a bunch of monster friends? Makes me wonder why he hasn’t replaced “The Nightmare Before Christmas” as the animated character of choice for the goth kids on Queen Street West, but that’s just me.
Read the full article at the Japan Times Online: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ff20080417r1.html
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