Jump to content

GeGeGe no Kitarō

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 2600:8807:4803:5900:40d2:6c24:c85:d2e0 (talk) at 07:48, 14 October 2018. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

GeGeGe no Kitarō
Kitarō and his yōkai friends.
ゲゲゲの鬼太郎
GenreDark fantasy, horror,[1] supernatural[2]
Manga
Written byShigeru Mizuki
Published byKodansha
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Magazine
DemographicShōnen
Original run1960 – 1969
Volumes9
Anime television series
1st series
Written byMasaki Tsuji
Music byTaku Izumi
StudioToei Animation
Original networkFuji TV
Original run January 3, 1968 – March 30, 1969
Episodes65 (List of episodes)
Anime television series
2nd series
Written byMasaki Tsuji
Music byTaku Izumi
StudioToei Animation
Original networkFuji TV
Original run October 7, 1971 – September 28, 1972
Episodes45 (List of episodes)
Anime television series
3rd series
Directed byOsamu Kasai (1-108)
Hiroki Shibata (109-115)[3]
Written byJunki Takegami
Music byMasahiro Kawasaki
StudioToei Animation
Original networkFuji TV
English network
Original run October 12, 1985 – March 21, 1988
Episodes115 (List of episodes)
Anime television series
4th series
Directed byDaisuke Nishio[4]
Written byShun'ichi Yukimuro
Music byKaoru Wada
StudioToei Animation
Original networkFuji TV
English network
Original run January 7, 1996 – March 29, 1998
Episodes114 (List of episodes)
Anime television series
5th series
Directed byYukio Kaizawa[5]
Written byKeiichi Hasegawa
Music byKatsumi Horii
StudioToei Animation
Original networkFuji TV
English network
Original run April 1, 2007 – March 29, 2009
Episodes100 (List of episodes)
Anime television series
Kitarō of the Graveyard
Directed byKimitoshi Chioki[6]
Written byYoshimi Narita
Music byKaoru Wada
StudioToei Animation
Licensed by
Original networkFuji TV (noitaminA)
Original run January 10, 2008 – March 20, 2008
Episodes11 (List of episodes)
Live-action film
Directed byKatsuhide Motoki
Produced byChihiro Kameyama
Written byKatsuhide Motoki
Daisuke Habara
Music byYūta Nakano
StudioShochiku
ReleasedApril 28, 2007 (2007-04-28)
Runtime105 minutes
Live-action film
Kitaro and the Millennium Curse
Directed byKatsuhide Motoki
Written byMitsuhiko Sawamura
StudioShochiku
ReleasedJuly 12, 2008 (2008-07-12)
Runtime115 minutes
Anime film
GeGeGe no Kitarō: Explosive Japan!!
Directed byGō Koga[citation needed]
Written byRiku Sanjo
Music bySeiji Yokoyama
StudioToei Animation
ReleasedDecember 13, 2008
Runtime85 minutes
Anime television series
6th series
Directed byKōji Ogawa
Written byHiroshi Ōnogi
Music by-yaiba-[7]
Yasuharu Takanashi
StudioToei Animation
Original networkFuji TV
Original run April 1, 2018 – present
Episodes29 (List of episodes)

GeGeGe no Kitarō (ゲゲゲの鬼太郎), originally known as Kitarō of the Graveyard (墓場鬼太郎, Hakaba Kitarō), is a manga series created in 1960 by Shigeru Mizuki. It is best known for its popularization of the folklore creatures known as yōkai, a class of spirit-monster to which all of the main characters belong. This story was an early 20th-century Japanese folk tale performed on kamishibai. It has been adapted for the screen several times, as anime, live action and video games. The word "Ge Ge Ge" (ゲゲゲ) in the title is a cackling noise in the Japanese language.

Plot

GeGeGe no Kitarō focuses on the young Kitarō—the last survivor of the Ghost Tribe—and his adventures with other ghouls and strange creatures of Japanese mythology. Along with: the remains of his father, Medama-Oyaji (a mummified Ghost tribesman reincarnated to inhabit his old eyeball); Nezumi-Otoko (the rat-man); Neko-Musume (the cat-girl); and a host of other folkloric creatures, Kitarō strives to unite the worlds of humans and Yōkai.

Many storylines involve Kitarō facing off with myriad monsters from other countries, such as the Chinese vampire Yasha, the Transylvanian Dracula IV, and other such non-Japanese creations. In addition to this, Kitarō also locks heads with various malevolent Yōkai who threaten the balance between the Japanese creatures and humans.[8]

Some storylines make overt reference to traditional Japanese tales, most notably the folk tale of Momotarō, in which the young hero defends a Japanese territory from demons with the help of the native animals. The Kitarō series The Great Yōkai War (Japanese: 妖怪大戦争, hepburn Yōkai Daisensō) draws a great deal of influence from this story, with Kitarō and his Yōkai friends driving a group of Western ghouls away from an island.[9][10]

While the character of Kitarō in GeGeGe no Kitarō is a friendly boy who genuinely wants the best outcome for humans and Yōkai alike, his earlier incarnation in Kitarō of the Graveyard portrays him as a much more darkly mischievous character. His apparent lack of empathy for humans combines with his general greed and desire for material wealth drives him to act in an unbecoming manner towards the human characters—often deceptively leading them into nightmarish situations or even to hell itself.[11]

Characters

Kitarō (鬼太郎, Kitarō)
Kitarō is a yōkai boy born in a cemetery and, aside from his mostly decayed father, the last living member of the Ghost Tribe (幽霊族, yūrei zoku). His name, rendered with the character Oni (Japanese: 鬼, literally "Demon") can be translate as "Demon Boy"—a name which reference both his human and Yōkai heritage.[12] He is missing his left eye, but his hair usually covers the empty socket. He fights for peace between humans and yōkai, which generally involves protecting the former from the wiles of the latter. When questioned in the 2007 movie, Kitarō responds that he is three hundred and fifty years old. As a member of the Ghost Tribe, Kitarō has an assortment of powers and weapons.
While his powers are featured prominently in the GeGeGe no Kitarō series, Hakaba Kitarō plays down Kitarō's supernatural abilities. Beyond having the power to travel through hell unharmed with the help of his Chanchanko, as well as the ability to regenerate from almost any injury (as evidenced when his body is recoverable after being dissolved by Johnny in the Fog[13]), his powers are more of deception than of fighting prowess: something much more in line with traditional Yōkai characters.
Medama-oyaji (目玉のおやじ, or 目玉親父, literally "Eyeball Father")
Medama-oyaji is Kitarō's father. Once a fully formed adult ghost, he perished of a disease, only to be reborn out of his decayed body as an anthropomorphic version of his own eyeball. He looks small and fragile, but has a strong spirit and a great love for his son. He is also extremely knowledgeable about ghosts and monsters. He enjoys staying clean, and is often seen bathing in a small bowl. He has a great love for sake.
In the 2002 Kodansha International Bilingual Comics edition, he is referred to as Daddy Eyeball.
Nezumi Otoko (ねずみ男, "Rat Man")
Nezumi Otoko is a rodent-like yōkai-human halfbreed. He has been alive for three hundred and sixty years, and in that time has almost never taken a bath, rendering him filthy, foul-smelling, and covered in welts and sores. While he is usually Kitarō's friend, Nezumi Otoko will waste no time cooking up vile schemes or betraying his companions if he thinks there's money to be had or a powerful enemy to side with. He claims to be a college graduate of the University of the Bizarre (怪奇大学, Kaiki Daigaku). He can immobilize even the strongest yokai that accost him with a pungent flatulence attack. And akin to cats and mice, he and Nekomusume cannot stand being around each other.
Nezumi-Otoko first appears in the story The Lodging House (Rental manga version) as Dracula IV's minion.
In the 2002 Kodansha International Bilingual Comics edition, he is referred to as Ratman.
Neko Musume (猫娘 or ねこ娘, "Cat Girl")
A normally quiet yōkai girl, who transforms into a frightening cat monster with fangs and feline eyes when she is angry or hungry for fish. Predictably, she does not get along well with Nezumi Otoko. She seems to harbor a slight crush on Kitarō, who sees her only as a friend. In recent iterations (possibly due to the recent anime phenomenon of fanservice), she is very fond of human fashion and is seen in different outfits and uniforms. She bears some resemblance to the bakeneko of Japanese folklore.
Neko-Musume first appears in the story Neko-Musume and Nezumi-Otoko (Weekly Shōnen Magazine version), however another cat-girl named Neko (猫) appears in the earlier stories The Vampire Tree and the Neko-Musume and A Walk to Hell (Rental version).
In the 2002 Kodansha International Bilingual Comics edition, she is referred to as Catchick.
Sunakake Babaa (砂かけ婆, "Sand-throwing hag")
Sunakake Babaa is an old yōkai woman who carries sand which she throws into the eyes of enemies to blind them. She serves as an advisor to Kitarō and his companions, and manages a yōkai apartment building. The original sunakake-baba is an invisible sand-throwing spirit from the folklore of Nara Prefecture.
Sunakake-babaa first appears in a cameo as one of many yōkai attending a sukiyaki party in the story A Walk to Hell (Rental version) before making a more prominent appearance in The Great Yōkai War (Shōnen Magazine version).
In the 2002 Kodansha International Bilingual Comics edition, she is referred to as The Sand Witch.
Konaki Jijii (子泣き爺, "Child-crying Old Man")
Konaki Jijii is a comic, absent-minded old yōkai man who attacks enemies by clinging to them and turning himself to stone, increasing his weight and mass immensely and pinning them down. He and Sunakake Babaa often work as a team. The original konaki jijii is a ghost which is said to appear in the woods of Tokushima Prefecture in the form of a crying infant. When it is picked up by some hapless traveller, it increases its weight until it crushes him.
Konaki-jijii first appears in a cameo as one of many yōkai attending a sukiyaki party in the story A Walk to Hell (Rental version) before making a more prominent appearance in The Great Yōkai War (Shōnen Magazine version).
In the 2002 Kodansha International Bilingual Comics edition, he is referred to as Old Man Crybaby.
Ittan Momen (一反木綿, "Roll of Cotton")
Ittan Momen is a flying yōkai resembling a strip of white cloth. Kitarō and friends often ride on him when traveling. The original ittan-momen is a spirit from Kagoshima Prefecture myth which wraps itself around the faces of humans in an attempt to smother them.
Ittan Momen first appears in the story The Great Yōkai War (Shōnen Magazine version).
In the 2002 Kodansha International Bilingual Comics edition, he is referred to as Rollo Cloth.
Nurikabe (ぬりかべ, "Plastered Wall")
Nurikabe is a large, sleepy-eyed wall-shaped yōkai, who uses his massive size to protect Kitarō and his friends. The original Nurikabe is a spirit which blocks the passage of people walking at night.
Nurikabe first appears in a cameo as one of many yōkai attending a sukiyaki party in the story A Walk to Hell (Rental version) before making a more prominent appearance in The Great Yōkai War (Shōnen Magazine version).
In the 2002 Kodansha International Bilingual Comics edition, he is referred to as Wally Wall.
Nurarihyon (ぬらりひょん)
Kitaro's old rival, he is depicted as an old man who comes at other people's houses and drink their tea. He is also a member of the Gazu Hyaki Yako, Nurarihyon has a member he always uses named Shu no Bon.
Back Beard (バックベアード)
Back Beard is the boss of the Western Yokai and Kitarō's second greatest foe after Nurarihyon. He is loosely based on the bugbear. He is a giant, round shadow with a single large eye in the center and several tentacles extending from his body. He appeared most prominently in the story The Great Yokai War, where he rallied all the Western Yokai into a war against the Japanese Yokai. He used his hypnotic powers to make Nezumi-Otoko betray Kitarō and later hypnotized Kitarō himself. He has since appeared semi-regularly throughout the franchise.

Media

An illustration from the original Hakaba no Kitarō kamishibai, printed in Koji Kada's 紙芝居昭和史 (Kamishibai Showa History).[14] This picture depicts the Kitarō character as significantly more frightening and threatening than Mizuki's version of the character.

Kamishibai

The 2013 translated compilation by Drawn and Quarterly

The Kitarō story began life as a kamishibai in 1933, written by Masami Itō (伊藤正美) and illustrated by Keiyō Tatsumi (辰巳恵洋). Itō's version was called Kitarō of the Graveyard (墓場奇太郎(ハカバキタロー), Hakaba Kitarō), and is generally written in katakana to distinguish it from Mizuki's version of the tale. It is said to be a loose reinterpretation of the similar Japanese folktale called the Kosodate Yūrei (子育て幽霊) or Ame-Kai Yūrei (飴買い幽霊 "The Candy-Buying Ghost.") In 1954, Mizuki was asked to continue the series by his publisher Katsumaru Suzuki.[15]

Manga

Kitarō of the Graveyard was published as a rental manga in 1960, but it was considered too scary for children. In 1965, renamed to Hakaba no Kitarō, it appeared in Shōnen Magazine (after one of the editors came across the kashibon and offered Mizuki a contract)[16] and ran through 1970. The series was renamed GeGeGe no Kitarō in 1967 and continued on Shōnen Sunday, Shōnen Action, Shukan Jitsuwa and many other magazines.

In 2002, GeGeGe no Kitarō was translated by Ralph F. McCarthy and compiled by Natsuhiko Kyogoku for Kodansha Bilingual Comics.[17] Three bilingual (Japanese-English) volumes were released in 2002.[18]

Since 2013, compilation volumes of selected manga chapters from the 1960s, have been released by Drawn and Quarterly, with English translations by Zack Davisson[19] and an introduction by Matt Alt in the first compilation volume.[20][21]

Anime

Six anime adaptations were made from the original GeGeGe no Kitarō manga series. They were broadcast on Fuji Television and animated by Toei Animation. The opening theme to all five series is "Gegege no Kitarō", written by Mizuki himself. It has been sung by Kazuo Kumakura (1st, 2nd), Ikuzo Yoshi (3rd), Yūkadan (4th), Shigeru Izumiya (5th) and The 50 Kaitenz (5th). The song was also used in the live action films starring Eiji Wentz. In the first film it was performed by Wentz' WaT partner Teppei Koike. In January 2008, an all new anime (also produced by Toei) premiered on Fuji TV during the late night hours in the Noitamina block. This anime uses the original manga title, and unlike the usual anime versions, it is closer to the original manga and is not part of the existing remake canon. It also features a completely different opening ("Mononoke Dance" by Denki Groove) and ending theme song ("Snow Tears" by Shoko Nakagawa). A sixth series, directed by Kouji Ogawa and written by Hiroshi Ohnogi started airing on Fuji TV on April 1, 2018 to celebrate the anime's 50th anniversary. It is currently streaming on Crunchyroll, marking the first Kitaro anime to be available in America. [22]

An English dub aired as Spooky Kitaro on Animax Asia. The 2008 anime was released with English subtitles on DVD in Australia.[23]

Films

1968 series
  • GeGeGe no Kitarō (July 21, 1968) (edited version of Eps. 5 & 6)
1971 series
  • GeGeGe no Kitarō: The Divining Eye (July 12, 1980) (edited version of Ep. 37)
1985 series
  • GeGeGe no Kitarō: The Yokai Army (December 21, 1985)
  • GeGeGe no Kitarō: The Great Yokai War (March 15, 1986)
  • GeGeGe no Kitarō: The Strongest Yokai Army!! Disembark for Japan! (July 12, 1986)
  • GeGeGe no Kitarō: Clash!! The Great Rebellion of the Dimensional Yokai (December 20, 1986)
1996 series
  • GeGeGe no Kitarō: The Great Sea Beast (July 6, 1996)
  • GeGeGe no Kitarō: Obake Nighter (March 8, 1997)
  • GeGeGe no Kitarō: Yokai Express! The Phantom Train (July 12, 1997)
2007 series
  • GeGeGe no Kitarō: Japan Explodes!! (December 20, 2008)

Live-action movies

In recent years, the franchise has seen the release of two live-action films. The first of these was released in 2007, simply titled Kitaro for its international release (the film retained the title of ゲゲゲの鬼太郎 in Japan), and is based on stories depicted in the original Kitarō manga. It stars Eiji Wentz as Kitarō and Yo Oizumi as Nezumi-Otoko. The film follows Kitarō as he tries to save a young high school girl, Mika Miura, while also trying to stop the powerful "spectre stone" from falling into the wrong hands. While previous media in the franchise depicted its characters and stories mostly through hand-drawn animation and illustration, the live-action film makes extensive use of practical costumes and CGI characters to depict the colourful cast of Yōkai. The second film, Kitarō and the Millennium Curse, was released in 2008 and sees Wentz returning to the role of Kitarō. It follows Kitarō and his friends as they try to solve a 1,000 year old curse that threatens the life of his human companion Kaede Hiramoto.

Video games

  • Gegege no Kitarō: Youkai Dai Makyou for the Famicom (1986, Bandai)
  • Gegege no Kitarō 2 for the Famicom (1987, Bandai)
  • Gegege No Kitarō: Fukkatsu! Tenma Daiou for the Super Famicom (1993, Bandai)
  • Gegege no Kitarō for the Game Boy (1996, Bandai)
  • Gegege No Kitarō: Gentōkaikitan for the Sega Saturn (1996, Sega)
  • Gegege No Kitarō: Youkai Donjara for the Super Famicom (1996, Bandai) (requires Sufami Turbo)
  • Gegege no Kitarō: Noroi no Nikuto Katachi Tachi for the PlayStation (1997, Bandai)
  • Hissatsu Pachinkostation now 5 Gegege No Kitarō for the PlayStation (2000, Sunsoft)
  • Gegege no Kitarō for Microsoft Windows (2003, Unbalance)
  • Gegege no Kitarō: Ibun Youkaitan for the PlayStation 2 (2003, Konami)
  • Gegege no Kitarō: Kiki Ippatsu! Youkai Rettou for the Game Boy Advance (2003, Konami)
  • Gegege no Kitarō: Gyakushuu! Youkai Daichisen for the PlayStation (2003, Konami)
  • Gegege no Kitarō: Youkai Daiundoukai for the Wii (2007, Namco Bandai)
  • Gegege no Kitarō Pachislo slot machine made by Sammy
  • Gegege no Kitarō: Youkai Daigekisen for the Nintendo DS (2008, Bandai)

Notes

  1. ^ Rebecca Silverman. "The Great Tanuki War GN". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  2. ^ "Drawn & Quarterly Offers 7 More Volumes of Shigeru Mizuki's Kitaro Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  3. ^ "ゲゲゲの鬼太郎" (in Japanese). Toei Animation. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  4. ^ "Ge-Ge-Ge No Kitaro 4" (in Japanese). Toei Animation. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  5. ^ "Ge-Ge-Ge No Kitaro 5" (in Japanese). Toei Animation. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  6. ^ "墓場鬼太郎" (in Japanese). Toei Animation. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  7. ^ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/daily-briefs/2018-02-16/new-gegege-no-kitaro-anime-visual-unveiled/.127862
  8. ^ Papp 2009, p. 225.
  9. ^ Mizuki 1995.
  10. ^ Papp 2009, p. 227.
  11. ^ Mizuki 2006a.
  12. ^ Foster 2009, p. 166.
  13. ^ Mizuki 2006b, p. 204-273.
  14. ^ Kada 2004.
  15. ^ Kure 2010, p. 66.
  16. ^ Brubaker, Charles (June 11, 2014). ""Kitaro" (1968)". Cartoon Research. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  17. ^ Mizuki 2002.
  18. ^ https://www.amazon.com/GEGEGE-NO-KITARO-BILINGUAL-COMIC-JAPANESE-ENGLISH-VOL-3/dp/4770028296/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1490634712&sr=1-4&keywords=GEGEGE-NO-KITARO
  19. ^ Davisson 2015.
  20. ^ Drawn & Quarterly 2013.
  21. ^ "The Birth of Kitaro". Drawn and Quarterly. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  22. ^ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-03-31/crunchyroll-adds-new-gegege-no-kitaro-anime/.129792
  23. ^ http://sirenvisual.com.au/index.php/shop/hakaba-kitaro-dvd.html

References

  • Davisson, Zack (2015). "About Me". Hyaku Monogatari. Retrieved 2015-12-12. {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Drawn & Quarterly (2013-08-20). "Kitaro". Drawn & Quarterly. Retrieved 2015-12-12. {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Foster, Michael Dylan (2009). Pandemonium and Parade: Japanese Demonology and the Culture of Yōkai. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520253629. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Kada, Koji (2004). 紙芝居昭和史. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 4006030967. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Kure, Tomohiro (2010-10-01). "Shigeru Mura, Before Shigeru Mizuki". Geijitsu Shincho Magazine. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Mizuki, Shigeru (1995). 妖怪大戦争：ゲゲゲの鬼太郎３ (5. satsu. ed.). Tōkyō: Chikuma Shobō. ISBN 4-480-02883-8. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Mizuki, Shigeru (2002). GeGeGe-no-Kitaro Vol.1. Translated by Zack Davisson. New York: Kodansha International. ISBN 477002827X. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Mizuki, Shigeru (2006a). Hakaba Kitarō : 1. Tōkyō: Kadokawa Shoten. ISBN 978-4-04-192913-1. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Mizuki, Shigeru (2006b). Hakaba kitarō : 4. Tōkyō: Kadokawa Shoten. ISBN 978-4-04-192916-2. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Papp, Zilia (2009-11-11). "Monsters at War: The Great Yōkai Wars, 1968-2005". Mechademia. 4 (War/Time): 225–239. JSTOR 41510938. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=GeGeGe_no_Kitarō&oldid=863968412"