The Birth of Kitaro

Till quite recently, Shigeru Mizuki was the most famous manga author that English speakers didn't know about even if they were really into manga. Little or nothing had been translated into English, and if his name sounds familiar it's probably because his recent death was more covered in the English press than his work ever was. Finally, though, we're getting some of his work in translation thanks to Drawn and Quarterly and translator Zack Davisson. You should buy this if you're interested in Japanese folklore and pop culture (as I understand it, Mizuki is largely responsible for the modern interest in Japanese yokai, which is very much part of current manga and anime, and basically everyone in Japan is familiar with Kitaro so he's a fundamental part of that culture). But you should also buy it if you just like fun, fantastic, silly stories set in a Japanese context. Mizuki was a writer of great range, and most of the translations so far have been of his nonfiction historical manga about World War Two. This is not like that. Share it with your kids. Then you will want to go back and buy two previous volumes, a big fat Kitaro collection (none of the stories overlap with this book) and NonNonBa, a story of Mizuki's childhood and the woman who taught him about the folklore. Then preorder the forthcoming volumes in this series so the publisher knows it's worth it to keep them coming!

Folkloric fun frolics on the comic book page with these Yokai adventures of Kitaro. Looking forward to reading more of Kitaro

First off I'm a big fan of yokai and this book shows a great comedic version of them. It centers around Kitaro the last of the ghost clan of yokai. It shows how his parents died and as a result he was born. His dad comes back to life an eyeball on a tiny body. He helps Kitaro fight bad yokai and meet new ones. The rat man yokai had me laughing quite a bit. If you're a fan of yokai I highly recommend it.

Originally titled GeGeGe No Kitaro, or Hakaba Kitaro, this manga is one of the longest running comics in Japanese publishing. Kitaro first saw print in 1960 by Akuma-kun creator Shigeru Mizuki. Long before Cat Eyed Boy, Kitaro was one of Japan's original monster kid titles. It was also one of the first manga to focus solely on yokai which are Japanese spirits. Comedy/horror at the time in America was limited to sitcoms like The Addams Family or The Munsters, but yokai are more mythological in nature, and Kitaro shows a lighter side of what are thought of as everyday spirits working in tandem with the living world. Where Pokemon and Yokai Watch turned the idea of capturing yokai to be part of cockfighting matches, Kitaro blazed the trail for the whole concept, but as a humorous dark comedy. Kitaro is the last remnant of a yokai clan called the Ghost Tribe. He was born in a graveyard from the shriveled bodies of his monster parents and was raised by a pair of humans. Kitaro looks like a withered young lad with a missing left eye, but his hair usually covers up the empty socket. He is followed by the still living eyeball of his deceased father acting as his Jiminy Cricket. Kitaro regularly acts as a liaison between yokai and humans solving problems and mending fences. His origin shifts from his initial upbringing to already being a supernatural go-between with established relationships with fellow yokai and troublesome spiritualists. Kitaro's earlier incarnation had him being more of pesky troublemaker than an emissary of the yokai but acts of aggression by invading Western demons shape him into more of a peacekeeper. Kitaro has a rich history which only got released officially into English within the last decade by Drawn And Quarterly. The publishing company does an admirable job translating the manga, although they made it a little difficult to decipher the standard readout of the earlier chapters. Kitaro has also had its 2018 anime adaptation released in English with moderate success, but the manga is the true buried treasure. Give the Silver Age comic a look and crack open a long reclusive title that deserves its day in the sun.

This is a nice edition of some of Shigeru Mizuki's Kitaro stroies. It's much shorter than the previous D&Q Kitaro book but the production value is very high (which is usually true for all of Drawn and Quarterly's releases) and the stories are a lot of fun. There are a TON of untranslated Kitaro stories so I'm looking forward to the other books in this series.

For the first time ever, Kitaro is finally available to be enjoyed by Western audiences, thanks to Drawn and Quarterly. I've been a fan of the character since the 80s, and am happy to finally be able to read the original stories, with art by the incredible Shigeru Mizuki.

This is translated but still printed to be read like the Japanese version.

It’s a gift to my husband and he loves it. He said it’s funny.