Forum - View topicHakaba Kitarō.
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Aromatic Grass
 Posts: 2424 Location: Raleigh, NC |
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Hakaba Kitarō
OK, maybe this winter isn't that bad. There seem to be a few gems to look forward to each week, on top of some ongoing series from last season. Hakaba Kitaro is just another title added to my list. (I'm just surprised that subs for episode one came out rather quickly!) It's apparent that the same animation technique used for Mononoke is also used here, but there is an obvious difference in the art style. I know nothing about the original manga, but it seems to be related to Gegege no Kitaro, which has five anime adaptions (four remakes). But those appear to be more kid-friendly than this... Like I said above, the art style is clearly different in that it has the appearance of an old manga. The darkness of the art matches the creepy yet humorous mood. And I enjoyed the OP, it made me laugh. spoiler[This world has its own explanation for the existence of ghosts. The Ghost Tribe's passion for living interests me because they seem to love death so much. The father's desire to protect Kitaro was adorable. Yet after he grew up just a little, Kitaro was already hated by society. He seems more like an adult than a kid to me. The closest thing to "child-like" that I observed was his love for troublemaking. At first he hated humans but is "interested" in them by the end of the episode.] I love the way smell was portrayed in funky purple clouds, which reminded me a lot of Mononoke's Japanese-style smoke and clouds. The BGM is also very dark and moody. Gross but humorous; a very good production. I was late to make a thread for Mononoke last time, but it won't happen again. And I surprised myself, this being my third thread within three months. (A new record!) Anyway, I'm going predict that Hakaba Kitaro will be one of the least viewed series -- or least discussed -- this season, but I guess it can't be helped. Hopefully at least five people will participate in this thread. If more come, then... Let's just say that I'll be extremely surprised. Thoughts? [EDIT: Added this to the All Discussions thread. -TK] |
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hentai4me
 Posts: 1313 Location: England. Robin is so Cute! |
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I wont be watching this...I absolutely cannot stand the artwork.
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CloverKuroba
 Posts: 506 |
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^ That's too bad...the art is actually pretty outstanding.
 I actually kind of wanted to watch this because I had to sing the original anime's theme song in Japanese class. We sing a lot of old anime songs, but I don't want to get offtopic...
Supposedly, Hakaba Kitaro is closer to the original manga than the other GeGeGe no Kitaro adaptations. I looked up some of the other anime and yeah, they do seem a lot cutesier in comparison. Even though I don't know a lot about GeGeGe no Kitaro, I'm more familiar with the "cuter" look of his character, so his appearance in this was new to me. Still, I find Kitaro a cute character, albeit he's very morbid. His laugh is pretty creepy too. Is Masako Nozawa doing his voice? I'm happy she's still voice acting, even in her old age. spoiler[I actually feel a bit bad for him, because like you said, he's hated by society at such a young age. It seems his contempt for humans is well-founded, since even adults don't like to be near him. It's very sad. And his grandma is such a witch. lol] The art style is really unique. I love the opening sequence especially, it's done in this comic book-looking style and it's really cool. The whole show itself is just visually engaging and I'm very impressed by it. I'm liking Hakaba Kitaro a lot so far, I'm looking forward to the next episode. And it's airing on the Noitamina block in Japan, which is unsuprising (and at the same time suprising), since I like a lot of the shows that aired on there. |
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ikky
Posts: 76 |
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I find the artwork really really appealing. I had to pause the video to take screencaps more times than I could count.
This show will most likely go ignored, but I will certainly keep watching it. The plot seems really out there, with the light hearted creepiness. |
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Skys
 Posts: 101 Location: Minnesota |
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Not really sure what to say. I saw the first episode, and the art style was most definitely unique, but I think it works well with the series. The art style is really able to enforce the "creepiness" which the show revolves around. When watching it, I didn't exactly think to myself, "Wow, this show is a masterpiece," but I did see it as an interesting variation from the norm.
I have a feeling this show might partly be an examination of human nature which is something I look forward to. We had some emphasis on this in the first episode which Aromatic Grass noted.
Really, I feel this show tells how if we fail to understand something, we seek to exclude it from our lives. Once again returning to the artwork, Kitaro as a character is reflected in the style in which he is drawn. Unique. This being one of the main reasons why this shown probably will not be that popular. Anyway, I find this show interesting at the very least, and I will give it a few more episode before I set my opinion on it into stone. |
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CloverKuroba
Posts: 506 |
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That's definitely true. spoiler[It seems as though Kitaro acts as something like a catalyst; he seems to bring out some of the worst traits that many humans share, judgemental-ness and fear of what's different (as you can see from the kids and Grandma's reaction, as well as the man's reaction when he first meets Kitaro in the graveyard.) Yet he seems more or less disaffected.] And that does go back to the artwork, as it seems that some people won't watch the show because of it, which I find unfortunate. Me personally, well, I've always been attracted to more unique looking art that some consider ugly (ex: Leiji Matsumoto works, Windy Tales, and even Honey and Clover). |
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Vortextk
 Posts: 892 Location: Orlando, Fl |
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I haven't seen this yet but anyone that likes the slightly "off" art may look into Hundred Stories if you haven't already. I was swaying back and forth on whether I liked the style at first but it won me over eventually.
I've seen few anime try to be really unique with it's visuals and I'm sure it can be costly or time consuming to stray from the norm, but it's very fun to see the results. As I don't follow anything weekly except long shounen series, I'll be waiting for this to finish. Any idea on how long it'll be? Nothing about length is listed in the encyclopedia link. |
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Aromatic Grass
Posts: 2424 Location: Raleigh, NC |
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I love the idea of experimentation with art and animation styles! I find it to be sad when people can't appreciate the fun expressiveness to non-generic designs. It obviously shows more thought and creativity as well as an interest in the viewers' experience, too.
Apparently, it's supposed to be 11 episodes. |
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TheAnimeJudge
 Posts: 85 Location: WORST TOPIC MAKER =D in Chicago! |
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Well, even though it would probably not be in the interest of most people who are into the more Breathtaking animation styles. You gotta say lol, some people actually watch this stuff, so i guess it depends on people who could tolerate the more maybe... awkward animation style...
Well, it looks sort of like Moyashimon, but i have to say lol, Moyashimon is pretty interesting, even tho it doesnt have a favoring appeal, its got a good fundamental storyline goin on xD |
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Monsieur Pink
Posts: 141 |
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You know, I'm already mighty tired of how generic a lot of anime look these days. This one seems pretty refreshing and it looks damn good in motion, killer style and killer opening, I'm giving it a try.
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HellKorn
Posts: 1669 Location: Columbus, OH |
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Whereas I'm watching it because I love the old school artwork and the fact that it does not resemble 99% of the generic tripe out there. While it's not as experimental or substantive as Mononoke, Hakaba Kitaro is a worthwhile horror successor for the Noitamina block. Really a lot of good, mean-spirited fun with amazing production values and fitting score. It'll probably take a couple episodes for me to really warm up to it, but I'm liking this a lot solely based on the first episode. |
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Westlo
 Posts: 1684 |
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The Noitamina block does it again and I'm in love with this animation technique. I just can't wrap my head around it that Toei of all studios is doing this.
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blind_assassin
 Posts: 755 |
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This show looks sort of like Requiem from the Darkness. I'm also constantly reminded of Lupin the Third when I watch it.
As to the content, it doesn't really jump at me. I'll keep watching it for a bit but I'm not exactly waiting every day for the next release. |
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Aromatic Grass
Posts: 2424 Location: Raleigh, NC |
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I know, really. But I'm going to have to check out everything from the Noitamina block from now on. Time for episode two! Ugh. All those rats in the opening scene made my skin crawl. But it was a good lead-in to the opening theme, which might I mention is sooo incredibly catchy. I feel like dancing now. Aromatic Grass no DANCE! Kitaro's vest is pretty cool. spoiler[It was woven from his ancestors and allows him passage into Hell and back. (He certainly seems to like leading people back and forth.)] I love the things Kitaro says. His sarcasm is great. And his father's existence itself is hilarious to me. Like I said before, Kitaro is pretty creepy, but it's not a scary kind of creepy; it's just made up of weird, morbid humor. So we have spoiler[Dracula in this episode -- two of them, actually. The Western version, and Yasha, the grassy vampire from China. Strange. Yasha certainly is animated in an interesting way. Both of them were trying to eat the president guy from episode one. He was like WTF?! Then he turned out to be a total jerk and died and went to Hell.] Great. We got to see spoiler[that Mizuki was still hanging around. And it seems he was allowed back into the human world. The episode pretty much ended there, but Kitaro's gonna be pissed with that strange whiskered guy.] Kitaro is like my morbid humor of the week, and I'm loving it. Looking forward to episode two. |
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CloverKuroba
Posts: 506 |
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I enjoyed episode two as well--
Kitaro's an interesting character. I like how he has a mix of cruelty and childish naivete in him.spoiler[ It seems as though he has no qualms with leading people into hell, yet he has problems understanding and coping with money. ] I kind of like that he has a meanstreak, in a way it's a bit refreshing, since a lot of the time in anime they tend to gloss over that kids can be, well, mean. spoiler[ I'm guessing Nezumi Otoko/ Ratman's going to be the comedy relief guy. He's pretty funny, and a bit gross too. The fight between the Eastern and Western draculas was cool. The Yasha was much creepier than Dracula though. ] I paid more attention to the ending theme, this time around. It doesn't really fit with the show, but it's still a pretty song. And it seems like Shoko Nakagawa is going to play a part in the show, so I guess they're trying to boost her career or something. |
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