Kitaro Paperback – August 6, 2013

If you're a fan of Mizuki's work or other old manga, Gegege no Kitaro is an absolutely essential work. This book reproduces some of the popular stories from Kitaro's history. These are more than just comics about monsters and ghosts; they're a part of Japanese culture, stories so popular that they've become the definitive mainstream interpretations of Japanese folklore.Physically, this is a thick, well-constructed book. The covers are both thick, glossy, and textured, and they have flaps that you could theoretically use to save a page (in reality, the book is much too thick to use them effectively). The pages are a little thin and spongy, but not so thin to be transparent. The manga is printed almost to the edges of each page, and the ink is a very opaque black.Each of the stories inside is complemented by a glossary in the back that provides information about the characters inside. This is a great addition to the book, considering these characters' place in Japanese folklore.Gegege no Kitaro is in many ways a landmark in manga history. It's one of the most popular shonen series ever written, and with good reason. If you typically enjoy stories about things that go bump in the night (especially those aimed at children), this is a great collection for you. If you're just interested in Japanese folklore, old-school manga, or Mizuki himself, this is a good place to start.

Gegege no Kitaro is one of Japan's most beloved anime/manga series, spawning television shows since the 1960's that to this day continue to be remade and has been passed down for generations as an iconic mascot of yokai folklore traditions.With that being said, Angouleme award winning artist (for Nonnonba in 2005) Shigeru Mizuki creates an engaging world of mythical, lovingly depicted creatures against beautiful highly detailed photorealistic landscapes.Kitaro is about a young yokai boy accompanied by his grandpa's eyeball as he tries to set a balance between the supernatural world and the human world. He comes equipped with special powers and cool gadgets like rocket-powered sandals and needle-like hair follicles on his head. It sounds simple on paper but it's a very special comic, much like Black Jack and Astro Boy, Kitaro faces a new challenge every episode maintaining a balance as both a peace keeper and being slightly mischievous himself.Due to the episodic nature of the series, the quality of the stories ranges. Some are weaker than others, but all are creative and fun with a spirited sense of humor akin to the Adams Family.All I can really say is: This is one of the manga greats, so read it!

This is a great read and a original manga that knows what it's trying to be and does it very successfully I love how the yokai mythology is explained in this book I love the idea of the main character kitaro to me in my opinion kitaro is better writing than Steven Universe but that's just my opinion and mine alone Anyway check this book out its really good if your into classic manga books this is a very unique manga

Ordered this because I'm fascinated by Yokai, but it was a disappointment. The stories are very obviously designed for children (5-14). Even though the stories are concerned with Yokai, and the hero and his allies *are* Yokai (as are the main villains), there's nothing mysterious or mature about either characters or story.And Shigeru's artwork? I do not like it. His style involves clumsy-looking, scrawly, almost caricatures of people and creatures. Some of his backgrounds are tremendous, but anything with a focal character - no. I realise now that the style I admired in some of Shigeru's earlier work wasn't *his* style at all, but copied - along with the image - from Sekien Toriyama.So in sum? A bit morbid, certainly. Rather odd, yes indeed. But overall? (Japanese) Kid's stuff. The collection was not what I wanted, and I intend to get rid of it.

I have always found it a great shame that there is very little available in English of Kitaro, particularly considering its massive popularity in Japan and Shigeru Mizuki's influence on Japanese popular culture. I was ecstatic to learn that Drawn and Quarterly had released this volume, and even more ecstatic to have it in my hands! It's a wonderful collection, and I am crossing my fingers that they release another one!

I totally missed the anime series. So glad to have come across this book to give me more great memories.

Lovely artwork, maybe suitable for a younger audience.

Hella scalped price but decent condition

Great classic selected manga collection, "the best manga you've never heard of'. Recommended to me by lead guitarist in Japanese band Taffy. Glad my dad's eye doesn't live in my head though.

Great book and I hope they translate more of mizuki work

I had first got interested in this manga when I was researching yōkai (Japan's spirits and monsters) on the web. I had seen Shigeru Mizuki's pictures and then I got curious and then looked him up as well as his famous "Gegege no Kitarō". Kitarō is about a ghostly boy who (beside his mostly-decayed father) is the last of his kind - The Ghost Tribe (yūrei zoku). His mother died when he was still in her, but he managed to be born and crawled out of the grave. His father, not wanting his son to be alone came back as one of his eyes and known as "Medama-Oyaji." He fights for peace between humans and yōkai, which generally involves protecting the former from the wiles of the latter. Kitarō and his father are accompanied by Nezumi-Otoko (Rat-Man) and Neko-Musume (Cat-Girl). The manga became so successful, that in 1968 an animated series was made by Toei Animation. Then other anime version were made - 1971, 1985, 1996, 2007 and in 2008 an 11-episode mini-series "Hakaba Kitarō" which was made based on the "rental" manga Gegege no Kitarō came from. I'd searched on YouTube and I watched a "couple" of episodes; also on Dailymotion too. Now it is my latest anime obsession. The anime franchise became really popular in Japan, but strangely not here in North America. I had been fortunate to have found out that some of the manga's stories had been translated into English and made into a compilation book. I do wish the other stories would be published in English as well. You know, I found it amazing that Shigeru had drawn his manga with one hand - he lost his other arm during WWII. Anyway, my favorite stories from this book are:· The Cat Master (Neko-Sennin),· Yōkai Castle (Yōkai jou), and...· Old Man in the Mirror (Kagami-Jijii). Overall, I really love Shigeru Mizuki's awesome manga.

Kitaro is a 350 year old yokai boy who hangs around the cemetery and helps humans by getting rid of evil yokai. with his father at his side who is a few inches tall and has an eyeball for a head, they together come across some of the strangest creatures to have been put in manga. Drawn and quarterly have brought a Japanese classic to western shores with the first English publication of the famous "gegege no Kitaro" and it was not a let down."Kitaro" is full of light hearted tales and introduces us to some of Japan's most famous yokai and other well known folklore creatures. This is Mizuki's third book published by Drawn and Quarterly and like the others it is a large book with 400+ pages and surprisingly light. His artwork is a blend of photorealism and traditional manga which works perfectly together.With this Classic created by a Manga titan with countless awards behind him, it's an one of a kind story that will not disappoint you and will open a door to the curious, strange and sometimes horrifying creatures of Japanese folklore.

At first glance, Kitaro is not cute and his father even less.Still, Kitaro is well-known in Japan, and he is the kid who does not wait for bad things to blow over. Enjoy the world of fantasy written by Mizuki.