 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | DEL REY | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | NINA MATSUMOTO | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | WESTERN / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 178 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | OT | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 11/18/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 11/27/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | HOLLY ELLINGWOOD |
It’s a magical adventure that plays with the classic folk tale genre in the Del Rey original manga series from debut artist Nina Matsumoto. Yokaiden offers an inside look at the world of Japanese mythological creatures, be they beasts, ghouls, or monsters. Yokai. It is the name given to the diverse creatures of myth and stories passed down through the generations in Japan. Be they turtle-like beings such as the kappa, or hungry ghosts or ogres, spirits, monsters, and magical beasts, they all fall under the name yokai. Most people fear them, but young Hamachi is a kind boy in the feudal era that has a love for the wondrous. He works tirelessly for his mean grandmother and suffers bullies and teasing from the village boys and all with a kind and tolerant smile. But when his grandmother dies, he goes into the realm of the Yokai to find her murderer. Ignoring the obvious dangers, with only his courage and kindness as his defense, he enters into a world of magic and will embark on an unforgettable adventure. Yokaiden is a wonderful opportunity to explore the world of yokai. The author provides all sorts of images and backgrounds to the various creatures Hamachi encounters including a kappa, an ogre, a living lantern, and a nue (a creature that eats lost people). The author even provides readers with a "Yokai Field Guide” throughout the manga to help educate readers on the various and many incredible supernatural beings that exist in Japanese legend and folktales. There is something unusual about the hero of the story. He’s rather simple. Whenever he meets strange or even dangerous creatures or humans for that matter, he only smiles and says whatever is on his mind. For example, when he meets an ogre that skins the bottoms of bad kids’ feet, Hamachi only smiles and says that he thinks that’s a good thing since it helps give bad kids a corrective lesson. That’s odd because a normal person would be horrified. He never is. He has a weird pragmatic view in his unusual approach to life. This is further seen with his reaction to the ‘yokai slayer’ Zaigo, a very dangerous looking ronin (masterless samurai). He heard that the wall between the human world and the yokai world treads thin near that village. When the ronin learns that Hamachi has ventured into the realm of the yokai, his path seems obvious. Danger is everywhere for the boy who has a mission. The art style is interesting and follows the exciting diversity of the story and its mystery well. The art tends to be busier than the average manga, putting many more images per page than a regular manga does. It can make it a touch too busy at times visually. The interesting designs of the various creatures portrayed so far in the series are intriguing. It will be interesting to see what Hamachi comes up against next in an adventure that will appeal to fans of fables and the incredible creatures myths reveal.
IN SUMMARY:
One young boy is about to begin the adventure of a lifetime in the supernatural world of myths and legends in Yokaiden. |
