Comic Book Review: Yokaiden 1 by Nina Matsumoto
Shamoji Village is way out in the boonies of Japan. It’s said that there is a portal to the yokai realm in the nearby forest, and certainly the area has more than the usual number of those mysterious creatures. Most of the villagers are afraid of the yokai, but not cheerful orphan Hamachi Uramaki. He knows that the vast majority of yokai are at worst mischievous, and some might even be friendly if humans let them.
He’s mocked for his naivete, but Hamachi may be on to something. When he meets a kappa in the woods that’s caught in a trap, Hamachi frees the water goblin. It’s not a deed that endears the child to the kappa (soon nicknamed “Madkap”) but it acknowledges the debt. When the child returns home, he’s shocked to find that his grandmother was the one who set the trap. She hates everyone (only barely tolerating Hamachi because of the blood relative thing), but especially yokai.
The next day, after encountering a would-be yokai slayer, ronin Kyumon Zaigo, Hamachi returns home again to find that his grandmother’s soul is gone. This is a power the kappa possess, and it seems all too likely that Madkap has avenged himself. Hamachi decides he must go to the yokai realm and retrieve his grandmother’s soul.
This children’s comic is what we in the fandom call Original English Language (OEL) manga. It’s done in a mangaesque art style and packaged like a manga, but was written in English for an American audience.
Hamachi is in the grand tradition of boy heroes, a plucky orphan lad who has a bit of a temper, but whose good nature and friendly attitude stand him in good stead on his adventures. He does have a habit of saying things out loud that he or the people he’s speaking to already know, but this is primarily a convention to fill in the young target audience.
The art is good, showing off the various monsters to good effect. Different kappa have different features, which makes it easy to tell them apart. All the humans are distinct as well. Several of the characters are rather flat, but it’s only the first volume so there is room to improve them. Much of Hamachi’s knowledge comes from a book written by yokai expert Inukai Mizuki, who’s a shout-out to Shigeru Mizuki, right down to the missing arm.
This volume comes with minibios of important village residents, some gag comics (there’s also quite a bit of humor in the story itself), and a message from the author in her “Spacecoyote” guise.
Content note: mutilation, the death of an adult guardian. The story is aimed at kids 9 and up, some sensitive youngsters may find it a bit too spooky.
Overall: This series ended after only two volumes, with the story still near its beginning. It has potential, but as it is, it’s mostly a curiosity. Might be best suited to creative young people who can imagine their own continuations.
