ゲゲゲの鬼太郎 (GeGeGe no Kitarō) [soon to be moved to Beginners Book Club]
Summary
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.
Some storylines make overt reference to traditional Japanese tales, and others involve Kitarō facing off with myriad monsters from other countries.
The series was created in 1960 by Shigeru Mizuki. It is best known for its popularization of the folklore creatures known as yōkai.
(adapted from Wikipedia)
Availability
There seem to be two editions of the manga. The content is the same, but it’s grouped in a different number of volumes.
Amazon (Kodansha) ebook
Amazon (Chūōkōron) ebook and paperback
Bookwalker (Kodansha) ebook
Bookwalker (Chūōkōron) ebook
Personal Opinion
I think this is a fun way to learn about Yokai. This manga is a classic, and there have been lots of adaptations and other stories based on it. I read the sample and the text seemed relatively easy to me compared to other manga. It’s targeted to children and it’s classified as comedy horror, so I assume it doesn’t get too scary or gory, in case anyone worries about that. I really love the art too.
Pros and Cons for the Book Club
Pros
- It’s full of fun Yokai!
- Furigana throughout and language seems straightforward
- Fantastic art
- Plenty more to read if you like it
Cons
- It is an old manga so may feel old-fashioned?
- The subject matter may not appeal to everyone
Pictures
Difficulty Poll
How much effort would you need to read this book?
- No effort at all
- Minimal effort
- Just right
- Challenging
- Impossible, even with everyone’s help
- I don’t know (please click this if you’re not voting seriously)
0 voters