Synopsis
Set modern-day Japan, the people have just about forgotten the existence of youkai or no longer believe in them. However, that doesn’t mean that strange phenomena aren’t happening. With people unable to explain them with science, many are left rushing around in confusion.
Amidst the confusion and panic, however, 13-year-old girl Mana Inuyama is informed by a neighbor of the “Yokai Post”, though not fully believing him she sends a letter and as a result ends up summoning Kitaro. Thus, begins Mana’s adventures as she enters into the world she had been unable to see before.
First Impression
For an old series that has rebooted itself to the modern times, it did a job well done. It held the classic supernatural elements that made it unique while placing in new elements to make things interesting. Outside of the solid blend between old and new, the art an animation held strong as well. The series is simply put, a classic work given a new coat of paint. From the people transforming into trees to Kitarou fighting against the youkai, the style of the anime really hooks you in.
As for the story and characters, the update to Kitarou’s personality and Neko’s design was a nice touch along with mystery revealed at the end. As a first episode, there aren’t any prominent issues to be found. The only thing that can be said against the episode is that the old film style intro to the episode seems a bit off and the dramatic ending was a clear play at having the viewer continue with the series.
General Impression
The story is interesting and the style is engaging but with the way that the series is going so far, it’s clear that the series is aimed towards a certain audience. It presents some amazing supernatural creatures and lore and the fight scenes are solid. However, the episodes do get repetitive after a while and the mystery build-up is not going at the pace that it should. What’s more, Mana is meant to be a main character of the series but there isn’t enough shown on her.
It’s understandable that Kitarou travels to help people with youkai problems. It would be nice though to see more from Mana’s perspective other than as a damsel in distress. Still, the classic elements of the series in terms of the supernatural makes the series worth a watch and there is some solid development with the characters.
Conclusion
It’s a great supernatural series that combines both classic and modern elements but it can get repetitive with how the majority of the episodes are basically Kitarou helping out a youkai problem and things ending in a fight or something that touches on the emotions. It’s a classic formula but a little mix-up would be nice. As for the mystery, the pacing could have been done better. Other than this, the series is worth checking out for how it features the supernatural.
Rating: 7.5/10