meganbmoore | Entries tagged with anime: ayakashi

In the Edo period, the granddaughter of a samurai family is planning to wed into an important family, to great celebration. Tragedy befalls the house, however, when the bride is struck dead on her wedding day. Meanwhile, a travelling medicine seller has approached the house, sensing trouble, and is initially blamed for the murder. The medicine seller has no time for such nonsense, however. He is an exorcist of mononoke, and he tells the family that they have been cursed by a Bakeneko, a Monster Cat(or Goblin Cat, as my DVD case calls it.) He can free the house and banish the Bakeneko, but first he must know three things: "Katachi" (shape), "Makoto" (truth), and "Kotowari" (reasoning). Once he knows these three things, he can unsheathe his sword, assume his power, and get down to some serious monster killing. As he begins his investigations, the family members start dying off at the hands of the bakeneko, and the family' dark secrets begin to emerge.

While Yotsuya Kaidan and Tenshu Monogatari were adaptations of popular myths, Bakeneko creates a new setting and a new hero. The story seemlessly blends the noir detective murder mystery with some good old supernatural hauntings and monster slayings, not to mention a subtly badass hero. The art is absolutely amazing, liker a moving stylized painting. I actually spent the first 5 or so minutes going "They're moving and talking...THEY'RE ACTUALLY MOVING AND TALKING!" Observe:

Incidentally, I am firmly convinced that the medicine seller should have kept Kayo, the cute servant girl who rather blatantly had a crush on him(of course, even if he had kept her, said crush would have gone on unrequited for all eternity, but I just liked her.) The spinoff series based on this arc, Mononoke, needs to be licensed NOW, as I can only survive streaming and DLs for long in cases of extreme emergency(besides, why go through the hassle of willingly watching something on my itty computer screen with my slow computer when I plan to buy it and watch it on my TV screen, anyway?)

Also, I am told that there is a manga adaptation of Bakeneko. Someone with mighty googlefu(or at least isn't about to head off for work for some overtime and can't do it for herself for a few hours yet as she probably won't have the internet computer) should find it for me.

Overall Ayakashi thoughts? THIS ANIME IS AWESOME AND EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH IT UNLESS YOU JUST WANT YOUR ANIME TO BE MINDLESS MECHA AND CRACK AND EMO!(in which case, you'd really hate this, but anyway...)

(I'm sure everyone is surprised to hear I think this anime is awesome...)

Ages ago, a lone warrior surviced a battle and wandered lost before collapsing. A goddess saw him and took pity on him, sending rain to quench his thirst, a bend to ease his hunger, a flower to ease his loneliness, and many other gifts, and eventually fell in love with him. With her help, the warrior conquered the surrounding lands and became their lord and, once his goal was achieved, he abandoned the goddess. Because of her folly, the goddess and her people were exiled to Earth and became the Forgotten Gods. No longer of heaven, the Forgotten Gods must eat humans to survive, and settle into the castle of Shirasagi-jo, which soon acquires the reputation of being cursed. In her grief and guilt, the goddess becomes a falcon and leaves her people forever, and her people turn to her young daughter, Torihime, as their leader.

Should any of the Forgotten Gods fall in love with a human, they will lose their power and eventually die, but should Torihime fall in love with a mortal, all the Forgotten Gods will lose their powers. Years later, a young falconer, Zushonosuke, encounters Torihime at a river near the castle while looking for his lost falcon, Kojiro, who has been promised to the shogun. On a whim ~~because he's cute~~, Torihime spares Zushonosuke's life, and there is, of course, only one way the story can go from there, and only a few ways it can end.

If Yotsuya Kaidan is the Vengeful Spirit story of Ayakashi, then Tenshu Monogatari is the Angsty Epic Romance. Before long, the forces of both the Forgotten Gods and Zushonosuke's lord are arrayed against the lovers. There's running away together, abandoned mortal lovers, betrayals, murder, samurai armies, swordfights, ~~Zushonosuke getting manlier hair and clothing for the Big Battle~~, and many other wonderful things, including two rascally demons who may be trying to save Zushonosuke's life, or they may just be trying to get the castle's rumored treasure.

Unlike Yotsuya Kaidan, Tenshu Monogatari has no framing story or narrator, but instead just straight up tells it's story. It also has less stylized art. While the framing and designs(AMANO!) were a large part of the appeal of Yotsuya Kaidan, this approach is definately better suited for Tenshu Monogatari, which is a straightup romantic fable that allows for fun lines like:

"You do not fear me? but i eat human beings." *hand clasp* "But you've helped me in the past!"

or

"They entered our castle" "That's hardly a reason to eat them!"

and, naturally, the ever classic:

"If I must die, let it be by your hands."

(Personally, I think that one always shows up because it keeps the speaker from getting killed.)

I head off to bed with a pretty MV. I gain great amusement from a romantic Japanese myth having an MV set to what appears to be a Russian ballad(there are a few on the f-list who can confirm or deny this far better than I.) It works quite well, though.

Have I mentioned this anime is awesome and I am possibly in love with it? A pity more like this doesn't get licensed so I can know about it.

The opening story of Ayakashi, Yotsuya Kaidan, is a retelling of the kabuki play by the same name, which, in turn, is based on the most famous Japanese ghost story of all time. Lady Oiwa was a virtuous young woman, and the wife and daughter of samurai. When his lord died, her future husband, Iemon, turned thief and stole from his coffers, using the stolen money as a gift to persuade Oiwa's father to allow their marriage. When he learned the money was stolen, Oiwa's father took her back into his household, even though he was penniless by then, and oiwa with child. In vengeance, Iemon hunted down Oiwa's father and killed him, planning to blame bandits for the crime.

Meanwhile, Oiwa's adopted sister, Osode, was forced to sell herself to a high class brothel due to their father's poverty, and can only hope that her fiance will eventually be able to buy her back. However, a peasant, Naosuke, has always lusted after Osode and attempts to force her, but is stopped by Osode's fiance(who seems rather understanding aboutt he whole brothel thing, really.) In revenge, Naosuke kills a man wearing the fiance's clithes the same night Iemon kills Oiwa and Osode's father, and the two arrange it to look like the men were attacked by bandits, and promise the sister's they will get revenge for them if they return as their wives, and both couples settle into domestic poverty.

Iemon, however, loses patience with Oiwa, especially once their child is born, providing another mouth he can't provide for, especially given Oiwa's determination to retain her pride as a well bred samurai woman. In the meantime, Iemon has caught the eye of Oume, a rich young woman who decides she wants him as her own, and who sends Oiwa a poison, in the guise of a medicine, which horribly disfigures her. Iemon leaps at this excuse to cast her aside, and announces that he will marry Oume, and that Oiwa must remove herself and their child from his home. In despair, Oiwa kills herself, swearing vengeance on both Iemon and Oume, and alltheir families(except her son, of course.)

Anyone remotely familiar with ghost stories is familiar with some variation of what happens next, and for that matter, can probably guess what's ahead for Osode, too. The point with such a well known tale is not the what, but the how. Now, sometimes, this doesn't work for me, but here it does. Narrating Yotsuya Kaidan is Tsuruya Nanboku, the man who wrote the kabuki play in 1825. As he relates Lady Oiwa's sad and dark tale, he also relates the history surrounding it, as well as the legends surrounding the legend. It's not so much simply a new telling of the story as it is the myth of both Lady Oiwa, and her story. It's just as much history, culture and legend as it is ghost story, and that, as well as a near perfect blending of story and style, is what makes it work so well. There is also a Mysterious Narrator who allows Tsuruya Nanboku to relate the tale to us, even though, as he points out, he's been dead for over a hundred years.

And have I meantioned before that it has an awesome soundtrack, and the Yotsuya Kaidan was designed by Yoshitoka Amano? The opening credits are actually mostly composed of his illustrations. Observe:

Of course, they're converted into slightly more conventional animation, BUT STILL!

I am now torn between starting Avatar when I get home, and watching the second story, Tenshu Monogatari, which is one of those "Mortal falls into Very Very Forbidden Love with a goddess" stories.

Have watched the first story of Ayakashi, Yotsuya Kaidan.

Am possibly in love with the anime.

Especially the soundtrack.

Will give proper post later when at my inyernet computer at work.

For now: Imagine a samurai ghost/revenge story that's an hour and a half or Yoshitaka Amano's designs and that's interspersed with stories about the legend it's based on, and the history of the legend.

Did I mention possibly in love?

Also: Avatar S1 came in the mail today. Will start tonight.

I just watched the first episode of Ayakashi, a short anime that's a collection of 3 supernatural historical horror stories. It is, as

magicnoire put it, "kinda awesome." The anime Mononoke(no relation to Princess Mononoke) is a followup to it. I shall most definately get the DVDs.

I bring you the awesome openning credits which, IMO, are what Samurai Champloo would kill to do so well:

Watch on YouTube