I first got interested in this anime when I was researching yokai (Japan's spirits and monsters) on the web. I had seen Shigeru Mizuki's pictures, and then I got curious and looked him up, as well as his famous work "Gegege no Kitaro."
Toei Animation adapted "Gegege no Kitaro," based on a 1959 manga, into an animated series in 1968 due to its success. Then other anime versions were made in 1971, 1985, 1996, and 2007. Then "Hakaba Kitaro," a 2008 miniseries, was adapted from the "rental" manga of the same name and served as one of the sources for Kitaro. I searched for Kitaro on YouTube, and I watched a "couple" of episodes there and also on Dailymotion. Now it is my latest anime obsession. The franchise is quite popular in Japan, yet it remains surprisingly unknown in North America.
The 1968 anime series is one of my favorite versions of Kitaro, and I have 27 favorite episodes. You know, in the five anime series, many episodes are adaptations of stories from the original manga, and for me, it is hard to choose which version I love. I love the rat man, Nezumi-Otoko. I know he's greedy, sneaky, conniving, lecherous, and really smelly. But to me, he's funny. And there are times when I would feel pity for him (like in episode #36 of the 1996 anime version) for being alone for centuries. No mother, no father, no siblings, or even a "mate" to bear him children and continue his bloodline.
Overall, Kitaro is a must-see anime for those who are interested in the supernatural and Japanese monster folklore.
