Kitaro's Strange Adventures
If you’re new the the madcap adventures of Kitaro the one-eyed yokai boy, there’s no better time to start! Celebrate this pagan holiday with folklore, demons, and yokai!
What makes these Kitaro books so unputdownable? Is it the increasingly unpredictable and absurd situations our hero finds himself in? We just can’t help cheering for the guy. Turned into a sheet, reduced to a puddle, or spirited away to the realm of the dead—Kitaro still manages to bounce back and save the day!
Like our determined hero, Shigeru Mizuki is also someone we just can’t help but cheer for. Each volume begins with “The History of Kitaro,” written by series translator Zack Davisson—who puts so much love into each book and is a joy to work with. He gives the readers a look into the life of Shigeru Mizuki—a struggling artist, with stalwart supporters and an uncompromising vision. Through the ups and downs of the kamishibai (paper theater) and rental manga markets; and, even after being fired from his own comic, Mizuki keeps true to his vision and never loses his sense of humor. There is pure joy in seeing a true master of the medium do what he loves.
And the result is one of the most beautiful manga series ever produced! Each volume is packed full of stunning background images and amazing character design. Each character is crazier than the last; but, with just the right amount of humanity to suspend disbelief. We don’t question the motives of a staunch defender of the mountains or the whimsy of a demon prince who has just regained his powers. We just don’t. And this ability to pull in readers in just a few pages is nothing short of astounding. I am constantly humbled by Mizuki’s ability.
Go get your copy. You won’t be disappointed.
