Kita ze Inbou! - キタぜ陰謀!

Series Information

ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Genres: Horror, Supernatural
OP: [Mononoke Dance] by Denki Groove
ED: [snow tears] by Shoko Nakagawa
Hakaba Kitaro

Episode 1: [Kitaro is Born]

Hakaba Kitaro is definitely one of the most trippy shows I had the honor of watching. Coming to the show, with no previous experience with the Kitaro shows that proceeded it, I was surprised by not only the quality of the art and animation, but the flow of the story a well.

A man named Mizuki was assigned to investigate the mysterious happenings in a hospital where patients have been turning into undead. His investigation leads him to an abandoned temple, in which he finds to his dismay, two married undead couple who call themselves the last survivors of the Ghost Tribe; the mummified husband and the pregnant wife. They tell him the story of their clan and how they had been persecuted by mankind as it evolved throughout the centuries. Because the two are ill, they hoped to be cured at the local hospital, wearing disguise to make sure their identity will not be revealed. They explain because they saw all the suffering patients, they wanted to “help” them by turning them into undead and end their sorrow. Mizuki, shocked after the begging of the decaying couple not to tell his supervisors what he has learned, runs away from the place and does as such. The night after Mizuki heard that the couple is not present and after he checked the abandoned place, he realized both of them are dead. He decided to give the two a proper burial for the last survivors, only to be surprised by the newly born son of the two, Kitaro, who he adopts as his son

Hakaba Kitaro is actually a very popular franchise in Japan that is known more as Gegege no Kitaro. Gegege is a much more lighthearted adventure\comedy show that involved young Kitaro exterminating ghosts. Hakaba Kitaro is the most faithful adaptation of the original manga by Mizuki Shigero, which is purely aiming for horror and atmosphere. This is conveyed by the grainy effect that is played through the entire episode in which the screen may seem a little grainy, which reminds old sepia colored movies back in the day, giving it an eerie that fits well with the time of the anime and the overall presentation. The animation is quite stellar as well, especially how the wind blows on the grass is a fascinating sight.

So far I must say I am happy with how the story is progressing. This episode is merely and exposition for the origin of Kitaro and his tribe. While the story can be abrupt sometimes, it is okay considering the norms of the genre. I am not a big horror fan myself so it fell a little disjointed to me, mainly the end of the episode when Mizuki’s mother are following Kitaro to hell and the chain of events that happen afterwards, but I am sure as the series will go on will know more about Kitaro and his ghostly abilities.

The cast involves some interesting faces. Nozawa Masako, better known as the oh-so popular Son Goku from Dragon Ball, reprised the role of the titular hero after the second Kitaro show that debuted in 1969. If there is a good way I can describe her voice is simply a creepy Gohan, with a lower toned voice. Others actors in the roster include Ootsuka Chikao (Known as Dr. Eggman from Sonic in Japan) reprising the role of Nezumi Otoko (Rat Man) and the rising star Nakagawa Shoko (Who sang the Opening theme for Gurren Lagann “Sorairo Days”) as Neko Musume (Cat Girl), both characters yet to be introduced.

Shoko also sings the ending theme “snow tears”, which leads us to probably one of the most addictive songs I have ever heard in an anime: “Mononoke Dance” by Denki Groove. While the idea of a techno song for a horror anime sounds as strange as a mech appearing in a romance anime, just the tempo of it gets your heart going and the words are really addictive, even though it’s mostly Japanese. If you thought this season lacked memorable OPs, Kitaro got you covered.

So far Kitaro is progressing well and I hope that despite the lack of insight on Kitaro itself, we are going to be intrigued to what happens to the little rascal next.

9/10