Manga Review: The Trial of Kitaro by Shigeru Mizuki
This is the final volume in Drawn & Quarterly’s reprints of selected Gegege no Kitaro stories. The history section wraps up with Mizuki dealing with the pressures of fame by taking a long trip to Rabaul, where he had been stationed in World War Two, and reconnecting with the native folks he’d been befriended by during that time. He became less involved in the animated adaptations of his work, and did other things with the characters, like having Kitaro grow up and go to college, get involved in teen sports and sex comedy, and even fight in the Vietnam War alongside the Viet Cong. He returned to the classic version from time to time over the years as well.
This volume’s first story is the title one, “The Trial of Kitaro.” Nezumi-Otoko is up to his old tricks, trying to make a pile of cash by allowing a human film company get footage of a yokai party. To make it seem like he has the authority to do so, the rat-man claims he’s acting in Kitaro’s name. The first sign of trouble is when Momon Jiji (“Centuries-old man”) muscles in on the scam. Invitations go out in Kitaro’s name, and the party is a success. (No one seems to notice that the alleged host isn’t present.)
The film is also a success, but it turns out revealing the secret hiding places and rites of the yokai is against one of their few enforceable laws. Momon Jiji calls together a coalition of wicked yokai who Kitaro defeated in the past to accuse Kitaro of the breach. He makes sure favorable witnesses are unavailable for the trial before the Dai-Tengu (“great crow goblin”), and easily convinces Nezumi-Otoko to perjure himself to escape punishment.
Kitaro is sentenced to 500 years of being dissolved, but escapes before he can be executed, sans clothing. Now he must somehow prove that he’s been framed before the yokai police can capture him!
“Reverse Mochi Murder” involves a Kasha, a cat-like demon that partially devours corpses to turn them into more kasha. It can also swap bodies with other creatures, and does so to Kitaro. The possessed Kitaro then tries to pound Medama-Oyaji (“Eyeball Dad”) into rice mochi dough. Medama-Oyaji manages to turn the tables.
“Kamanari” has a Japanese-style squat toilet inexplicably out in a mountain meadow. Anyone who gets too close feels compelled to take a dump. While they are vulnerable, an animated rice pot (the “kamanari” of the title) comes along and sucks them inside itself. This kamanari is more powerful than you’d expect, as it has stolen Kitaro’s hair to boost its yokai energy.
“Kamaboko” is a type of fish jerky, cylindrical in shape. Kitaro interrupts a merman who’s been bullying a large turtle, so the merman traps Kitaro in a giant squid body and forces Kitaro to gather large quantities of fish for the merman to turn into kamaboko and sell. When Kitaro rebels against this, the merman turns Kitaro into hundreds of pieces of kamaboko himself.
Kitaro’s allies manage to gather enough of the pieces for Kitaro to regenerate, but this does involve a long hospital stay. In retaliation, Kitaro crossdresses as a maid to trick the now wealthy merman into accepting one of the cruelest punishments imaginable: being turned into a human! “From now on, you will have to have a day job and…pay taxes!” “NOOOOO!!”
“Onmoraki” concludes the volume with Nezumi-Otoko trying to turn Kitaro’s activities into a business once again. He manages to hook a wealthy client whose manor has been experiencing odd events, almost like a haunting. The police couldn’t find anything, and regular private eyes just laughed. The wealthy man’s fiancée dies off camera, but if she’s dead, why is she walking around just fine? As it turns out, the house is built on an onmoraki nest, and that yokai is possessing the corpse. Kitaro disguises himself as an artist to trick it into being revealed. Nezumi-Otoko goes through a lot of pain and hassle in this story, and once again vows never to let his greed guide his actions again. But we all know he won’t keep that promise.
There’s a Yokai Files section at the end that gives more details on several of the monsters seen in this volume.
Content note: male nudity.
Given the episodic nature of the series, there’s nothing in this volume that makes it especially strong as a finale. By now, you should be aware of whether you like Kitaro enough to invest! (I do.)
