GeGeGe no Kitarō, originally known as Kitarō of the Graveyard, is a Japanese 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 which all of the main characters belong to. 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" 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 ; Nezumi-Otoko ; Neko-Musume 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 horns with various malevolent Yōkai who threaten the balance between the Japanese creatures and humans. 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 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. 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 combined 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.
The Kitarō story began life as a kamishibai in 1933, written by Masami Itō and illustrated by Keiyō Tatsumi. Itō's version was called Kitarō of the Graveyard, 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 or Ame-Kai Yūrei In 1954, Mizuki was asked to continue the series by his publisher Katsumaru Suzuki.
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 and ran through 1970. The series was renamed GeGeGe no Kitarō in 1967 and continued on Weekly 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. Three bilingual volumes were released in 2002. Since 2013, compilation volumes of selected manga chapters from the 1960s, have been released by Drawn and Quarterly, with English translations by Zack Davisson and an introduction by Matt Alt in the first compilation volume.
Anime
Seven 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 six series is "Gegege no Kitarō", written by Mizuki himself. It has been sung by Kazuo Kumakura, Ikuzo Yoshi, Yūkadan, Shigeru Izumiya, The 50 Kaitenz and Kiyoshi Hikawa. 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, the 6th anime series 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 and ending theme song. A seventh 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. The series concluded on March 29, 2020 as it entered its final arc titled, "Nurarihyon Arc" on October 6, 2019. It streamed on Crunchyroll, marking the first Kitarō anime to be available in North America. An English dub aired as Spooky Kitaro on Animax Asia. The 2008 anime was released with English subtitles on DVD in Australia.
GeGeGe no Kitarō: Yokai Express! The Phantom Train
; 2007 series
GeGeGe no Kitarō: Japan Explodes!!
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, 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 CG 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
Gegege no Kitarō 2 for the Famicom
Gegege No Kitarō: Fukkatsu! Tenma Daiou for the Super Famicom
