Spoiler alert: it's about adults.
Summary:
- Gegege no Kitarou is a story that focuses on supernatural cases and Japanese folklore.
- It has a long history of adaptations, the most popular among modern anime lovers is the 2018 anime.
- The movie Kitarou Tanjou: Gegege no Nazo focuses not on the kid, Kitarou, but on his father.
- It's a violent detective mystery that showcases power struggles in the close community and familial bonds.
- Also, Kitarou's father and Mizuki are hot.
- The show will be available to stream outside of Japan, so you'll be able to check that yourself.
Gegege no Kitarou is considered one of the most influential supernatural works in Japan. With its origins in 1960, the story follows the adventures of Kitarou, a kid whose birth is shrouded in mystery (because there are way too many versions in numerous types of media that adapt this story) and who can see and battle various supernatural beings — yokai. Battle is not always an option, as Kitarou's main goal is to do everything possible for people and yokai to live peacefully, and to keep the fragile balance between the world of magic and the world of humans.
The majority of modern anime fans know this story from the 2018 anime adaptation by Toei Animation, and it's an amazing series, especially for those who have an interest in supernatural stories and Japanese folklore. Sure, it's kid-oriented, but it still feels pretty brutal in its depiction of various things that yokai can do to humans and vice versa. The animation is smooth, the plot is solid, combining episodic nature with some sub-stories and overarching plot, and watching characters grow and meet new foes and friends is very entertaining.
But still, it's a kid's show. And the movie Kitarou Tanjou: Gegege no Nazo, which was released in November is nothing like that.
Upping the ante
This project is one of the few shows released to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the author of the original manga, Shigeru Mizuki. It was first announced in 2022 with not many details, but now they are starting to surface. The story follows not Kitarou himself but his father, Medama Oyaji, and the mystery surrounding Kitarou's birth which takes us back in time nearly 70 years, into the 1950s. In the story, Medama Oyaji, still in his human form, looks for his missing wife, and his search leads him to the Yagura Village. But he ends up taking part in a bloody fight for power between the members of the clan that rule the village.
And here's the reason for the movie's success: it's catered towards the adult audience. It's violent, filled with amazingly animated action scenes that also feature a lot of cleverly applied supernatural fighting methods. It's quite heavy on the gore side, akin to modern shounen series like Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba), Jujutsu Kaisen, or Chainsaw Man, has a compelling mysterious detective story filled with interesting rituals and rural customs, and allows you to peek into the past of the character that is considered mainly comedic in the main storyline.
Characters matter!
The thing that sells the show to the audience, however, is the dynamic between Kitarou's father and Mizuki, a worker at a local blood bank and a father himself. The story focuses not only on their relationship as they uncover the mystery of the village together, but on their relationship with their families and the people that surround them. The focus of the story is different from the one that you may be familiar with, and that's what makes it exciting.
The movie did pretty well in the two weeks since its release box office wise, and those who are hyped by the arts that they see in their timeline shouldn't worry and resolve to piracy: the popularity will probably bring it to the streaming services outside of Japan.