The Birth of Kitaro: 1

This collection of stories from Mizuki Shigeru's back-catalogue gives the reader a perfect introduction to the world of Kitaro. Starting with the original chapter from his first manga incarnation, Hakaba Kitaro, a creepy tone is set from the off before being tempered by the humour and lightheartedness of the GeGeGe no Kitaro chapters. Mizuki's artstyle is beautiful: filled with bold characters, detailed backgrounds, and his own spin on utterly bizarre Yokai designs. Every panel oozes emotion and comedy, and each short adventure is sure to elicit a laugh. Each chapter is short, self-contained, and filled with cultural references making the volume a perfect read for those seeking an introduction to Japanese monsters which is easy to swallow. For those interested in Yokai and Japanese myths, translator Zack Davisson's introduction and closing pages are filled with invaluable information. The amount of care and love that has been poured into the project by the Drawn & Quarterly team is evident, and this shows in the volume's presentation and acknowledgment of both old and new Kitaro audiences. As a long-time fan of the series and a lover of comic books in general, I highly recommend adding The Birth of Kitaro to your collection.

Having spotted the new Anime adaptation of Kitaro 2018 I went ahead and pretty much purchased all the Kitaro Manga available on here I have fallen in love with this character , He's so cute and It's Yokai are definitely a favourite subject of mine this has Kitaro's origin story in (not known in the Anime) Mizuki's art style and humor has made me a fan of his works.

Great anime/ manga comic

The character of Kitaro -- a "yokai" boy born to a dead mother in a grave -- dates back to Japanese storytellers in the early 1930s.Shigeru Miziku began his manga version of the strange boy and his supernatural adventures in 1966, and continued his tales for about fifty years, turning Kitaro into one of the most famous manga characters in Japan. This volume collects his first seven stories, which mostly appeared in Shonen Weekly in 1967-68 (for some reason they are not in chronological order, which seems odd). The term "yokai" apparently doesn't translate well, but is kind of an umbrella for all manner of supernatural monsters, spirits, beings, and phenomena. The first story details the birth of Kitaro and his early years with a human parent, and the other six all follow him as he wanders around, each story introducing a new yokai. The artwork is really interesting, a mix of cartoony grotesque for many of the characters, and then highly detailed realism for architecture and nature. It makes for an interesting, if sometimes confusing, contrast. The stories themselves are often quite humorous, with banter, bathroom humor, and visual jokes. Overall, while I quite enjoyed the introduction, I think I've gotten the flavor and don't feel compelled to seek out more. Readers who have an interest in Japanese folklore should definitely check this out, regardless of whether or not you are a manga reader.

Love learning about Yokai

Till quite recently, Shigeru Mizuki was the most famous manga author that English speakers didn't know about even if they were really into manga. Little or nothing had been translated into English, and if his name sounds familiar it's probably because his recent death was more covered in the English press than his work ever was. Finally, though, we're getting some of his work in translation thanks to Drawn and Quarterly and translator Zack Davisson. You should buy this if you're interested in Japanese folklore and pop culture (as I understand it, Mizuki is largely responsible for the modern interest in Japanese yokai, which is very much part of current manga and anime, and basically everyone in Japan is familiar with Kitaro so he's a fundamental part of that culture). But you should also buy it if you just like fun, fantastic, silly stories set in a Japanese context. Mizuki was a writer of great range, and most of the translations so far have been of his nonfiction historical manga about World War Two. This is not like that. Share it with your kids. Then you will want to go back and buy two previous volumes, a big fat Kitaro collection (none of the stories overlap with this book) and NonNonBa, a story of Mizuki's childhood and the woman who taught him about the folklore. Then preorder the forthcoming volumes in this series so the publisher knows it's worth it to keep them coming!

Best manga ever

Folkloric fun frolics on the comic book page with these Yokai adventures of Kitaro. Looking forward to reading more of Kitaro

I often wondered how Kitaro came into being and how his childhood was. This volume answered my questions, but his history was shocking and ineffable.