Kitaro le repoussant, tome 2

Kitaro: Cornélius edition #2

by Shigeru Mizuki

Kitaro tras la senda de Godzilla.
Inmensamente popular en Japón, donde no hay niño que crezca sin devorar sus aventuras, Kitaro es el héroe emblemático de una obra que se fija en los monstruos para hablar de los hombres. Pero Kitaro es, también, una serie rebosante de chispa. Las tribulaciones de este pilluelo que debe resolver los conflictos que enfrentan a humanos y yokais constituyen un auténtico placer que aúna, de forma sutil, la negrura y la ligereza.
En esta segunda incursión en el universo de Kitaro, encontramos cinco nuevas historias de todo un referente del manga japonés en las que el maestro Mizuki rinde homenaje a los monstruos del cine como Godzilla. Una creación que oscila constantemente entre lo fantástico, el humor y la poesía.

Genres: Bande Dessinée

214 pages, Broché

Published June 1, 2007

About the author

Shigeru Mizuki (水木しげる) was a Japanese manga cartoonist, most known for his horror manga GeGeGe no Kitaro. He was a specialist in stories of yōkai and was considered a master of the genre. Mizuki was a member of The Japanese Society of Cultural Anthropology, and had travelled to over 60 countries in the world to engage in fieldwork of the yōkai and spirits of different cultures. He has been published in Japan, South Korea, France, Spain, Taiwan, the United States and Italy. He is also known for his World War II memoirs and his work as a biographer.

Reviews

[Steve Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't find the Cornélius volume 1 in Goodreads, so I'm talking about volumes 1 and 2 here. First off, common criticism of Mizuki's Kitaro stories focuses on the weakness or predictability of the plots or the fact that the target audience is kids so adults need not bother. This criticism misses the point. It ignores the source of enjoyment these comics provide. Worrying that there are discontinuities in the narrative spoils the humor to be found in the absurd situation, and wondering if you really should be spending time reading something meant for children breaks the magical spell these charming characters create. But the most impressive accomplishment in Kitaro is the incredible art. Sure, his reanimation of old Japanese mythological figures at a time in the early 60's when so much of the culture was future- and technology-oriented is at the center of this completely unique work and allows Mizuki's wild inventiveness to come into play (in a way reminiscent of Moomins). But practically any rendering of nature in these stories is magnificent and will draw you in as surely as anything by Foster or Williamson. It's a huge shame that many of these stories can't be found in English. When Dracula and the Wolfman take Kitaro aside in a 1966 story where the Japanese monsters are fighting the Western ones, Dracula says 'Dear Kitaro, we don't want any more than you an unreasonable war like Vietnam.' I love little asides like this, and Kitaro is full of them.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tordu, bizarre, étrange... génial !

[Mendousse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suite des aventures de Kitaro.
Les histoires sont plus développées, dans le style classique de Mizuki, qui mélange loufoquerie et épouvante.
Magnifique !

[Shruti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miyazaki-esque cute folk monsters (yokai). Particularly loved the first story, in which Kitaro teaches a lesson to two guys scoffing at him for believing in ghosts; sending them on a phantom train filled with spooks with crumbly skulls. Between the Crematorium and Funerary Urn stations, the two begin to learn their lesson. Also brilliant: the transcriptions of Japanese onomatopoeia. Like "bram-bram" for the ghost train coming down the tracks.