Noitamina: Hakaba Kitaro

[Andrew Cunningham]

Noitamina's winter show.
Based on a very old manga by Shigeru Mizuki; parts of it were recycled into his hugely successful kids series, Gegege no Kitaro.
This is based on the original series, which appears to have been a lot nastier.

I was not expecting them to use Mononoke animation techniques.
That alone kicks this to AWESOME and MUST SEE.

The story being wonderfully twisted and nasty helped.

[CorrosiveMeso]

You know, I wouldn't have checked this out without your post, so thanks. I don't find it as visually stunning as Mononoke, but I still really like the animation, and I've always liked Mizuki's works. I didn't understand much of it, but it is fun and twisted. I guess this season isn't as bad as I thought it would be.

[Andrew Cunningham]

Right, it looks like the manga art in motion. Same art director as Mononoke, but obviously working with a different art style.
Like Moyashimon, I checked it out purely because it was Noitamina. Once again, they have not failed me. I'm feeling like I should go back and watch all of the other shows in that slot...

[CorrosiveMeso]

You're absolutely right; I thought that they captured Mizuki's art style very well. I think that the Mononoke animation techniques really match the tone and art style. I especially liked the colorful skulls near the end. My first impression when I found out about this show was "Another Kitaro series?" but now, along with Spice and Wolf, it's one of the few series this season that I'm watching for sure.

The opening is pretty fun, too. I like how they took the manga panels and animated them slightly, and the music is pretty catchy.

Out of curiosity, which day does this air? And how many episodes will it be?

[Andrew Cunningham]

It airs Thursdays - looks like 11 episodes, but not sure. One cours, giving way to Library Wars in the Spring.

I dug the opening too, but the ending wins this season's award for least appropriate shitty pop song.

[Westlo]

Like I said on that bit torrent site, I'll watch this if it gets subbed which I'm hoping it does.

[HellKorn]

I was not expecting them to use Mononoke animation techniques.

DELICIOUS WIN YES.

Get me some subs and I'll be all over this bitch.

I'm feeling like I should go back and watch all of the other shows in that slot...

Even josei shows like Nodame Cantabile and Honey and Clover? I know you're not much into shoujo/josei, but they're both pretty accessible and avoid the frustrations that the demographics are known for. Honey and Clover is especially brilliant.

[Westlo]

Even josei shows like Nodame Cantabile and Honey and Clover? I know you're not much into shoujo/josei, but they're both pretty accessible and avoid the frustrations that the demographics are known for. Honey and Clover is especially brilliant.

I couldn't get into H&C (but I can see why people like it so much) but I loved Nodame Cantabile, if you like classical music Andrew check it out asap.

[Andrew Cunningham]

Oh, it probably won't happen until this current anime renaissance ends.
But it looks like a more reliable source of things to watch than my friends' increasingly dubious collections.

[roastedpekingduck]

Even josei shows like Nodame Cantabile and Honey and Clover? I know you're not much into shoujo/josei, but they're both pretty accessible and avoid the frustrations that the demographics are known for. Honey and Clover is especially brilliant.
I couldn't get into H&C
Is your heart made out of stone?! :P

Anyhow, Noitamina rules. I'm glad it wasn't entirely another version of GeGeGe no Kitaro as I had believed and closer to the kind of show I had hoped it to be.

[Busaiku]

Yeah, I'm another interested purely because of the block itself.
But I thought Mononoke was amazing, and hearing this to be similar in appearance really raised the hype for me.
Will wait for fansubs, but I may check it out if it takes too long.

[Andrew Cunningham]

Definitely keeping up the quality.
Yasha vs Dracula IV was definitely kooky; I particularly like how the focus was totally not on that conflict, which was entirely incidental to Kitaro fucking with more humans.

[Dagger]

Kitarou's laugh creeps me the hell out...

My favorite part was how eye-ball dad kept popping out of the vampire's orifices. :D

[Westlo]

Ep 1 fansubbed!

Is your heart made out of stone?! :P

Only seen the first 4 episodes and I couldn't get into Hagu's character, hard to believe the same voice actress voiced Noein's Haruka. I really liked Morita though and I've been told I should at the least watch the twister episode which is 8 IIRC.

[Pastachan]

Ep 1 fansubbed!
Thank goodness. I'm just surprised how quickly it came out. Just watched it and already started my third thread on ANN in three months (and that's a big deal).

Great stuff! I see the similarities to Mononoke, though Hakaba Kitaro is obviously darker. But it still shares some well-placed humor. Knowing nothing about the story, I guess this plays out in small arcs like Mononoke?

The "dark/old manga style" really works here and I like the music that goes with it. Laughed at the OP song. Like Kitaro a lot.

Really, this winter has just up and surprised me.

[Andrew Cunningham]

Apparently the OP is actually done by the Mononoke director and animator, and is obviously much closer to the manga art.

[HellKorn]

Really fun first episode. It does have the substance or experimental direction of Mononoke, but it's so aesthetically pleasing that I couldn't care less.

And it really is mean. The enjoyable kind of meanness that the comedic sadist in me appreciates.

Kitaro's voice specifically captures that ominous feeling that so many horror anime try to convey but fail.

Toei making two worthwhile series within the span of a half-year? Unbelievable.

Apparently the OP is actually done by the Mononoke director and animator, and is obviously much closer to the manga art.

It's apparently taken straight from panels of the manga.

[Dagger]

Okay, I just started watching it two seconds ago, but I have to bring up the fact that ep. 3 has the greatest episode title ever. XD

[Pastachan]

You mean episode three is already out? Aww, I just finished episode two. Hope the subs come out quickly. I've already said this over on ANN, but Kitaro is like my morbid humor of the week.

[Andrew Cunningham]

It airs Thursday nights, so it should have been out by now. It does not appear to be.
Grr.

[Andrew Cunningham]

A few weeks behind here, but starting to catch up.
Kitaro's crush was hilarious, although the girl is a bit weird; she kept sniffing the air and then vanished weirdly, with no explanation. Guessing we'll get more on her later...
And the vampire tree was just awesome.

[Andrew Cunningham]

This thing definitely has a knack for turning out more serious than I expect.
But there was basically no excuse for inflicting that awful song on us. It wasn't even the song that bothered me as much as the half-assed animation; why is it animators always fall back on totally unnatural cliche when someone starts singing?

[HellKorn]

Eh, ain't gelling with me, so I'm dropping it.

Maybe it's me making unfair comparisons to The Drifting Classroom and Mononoke, but I don't really find the show's content to be all that interesting now that the "novelty has worn off." I like the look of it, but don't find the direction or music (aside from the awesome opening theme) to be all that inspired.

[Andrew Cunningham]

I'd agree with that.
I'm generally enjoying it, but it's a low key enjoyment at best. I enjoy out mean spirited it is, but I'm never in a rush to watch it.