Anime @ Work : Anime scriptwriter Yamanobe Kazuki's Anime and Historical Drama Update - No.5

For this edition of the newsletter, I would like to touch on the revival of the yokai epic. In Japanese, certain types of monstrous creatures are known as "yokai." "Ge Ge Ge No Kitaro,! the seminal work created by Master Shigeru Mizuki, was instrumental in spreading the word yokai among children and has been adapted into an animation series for the fifth time. Produced by Toei Animation, the show will start broadcasting from April 1st.

The story is about Kitaro, who was born as a son to a yokai father and a human mother. Together with his yokai allies, he overcomes the bad yokais causing mischief in the human world. These yokais are not depicted as absolutely evil, but rather as victims of a highly mechanized civilization.
The story originally began life as Master Shigeru Mizuki's comic titled "Kitaro of the Graveyard," which was published as a series in the Shukan Shonen Magazine in 1965.

The first television broadcast of the work was aired in black and white from 1965 and covered a total of 65 episodes. The second telecast, which ran from 1971 through 1972, covered a total of 45 episodes and marked the first time the show was broadcast in color. The third run saw the airing of 115 episodes from 1985 through 1988, and the fourth run saw the airing of 114 episodes from 1996 through 1998. Evidently, the show is revived once every ten years, and for this reason, its recognition rate is high among the elderly as well.

Kitaro's friends, including Medama Oyaji (Eyeball Dad), Nezumi Otoko (Rat Man), Neko Musume (Cat Girl), Nurikabe (Plastered Wall), Konaki Jijii (Child-Crying Old Man), and Sunakake Babaa (Sand-Throwing Hag), are also distinctive and grotesque characters, owing to the fact that they are yokais. Guest characters vary by the episode and represent monsters from all times and places, ranging from ancient Japanese yokais, such as Makura Gaeshi (Pillow Mover), Nopera Bo (a ghost with no facial features), and Kasa Bake (Umbrella Ghost) to Western monsters, such as the Vampire and the Werewolf. I believe it is the grotesqueness of these characters that attracts the attention of children. After all, when the TV airs nothing but animation shows featuring cute and cuddly characters, children inevitably get tired of them and become attracted to grotesque ones.

Shochiku will release the live-action movie version of "Ge Ge Ge No Kitaro" on April 28th nationwide. The role of Kitaro will be performed by Eiji Wentz and Medama Oyaji, who is palmtop sized, will be a computer-graphic creation, as expected. Indeed, I am convinced that a sensational yokai attack is coming Japan's way this spring.


Profile of Yamanobe Kazuki
Scriptwriter
Member of the Writer's Guild of Japan
Representative Director of the scenario production company, Edgeworks

Official site of Edgeworks
http://www.edge-works.co.jp/