Ask John: Why is There a Sudden Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro Revival?

Question:
Why the sudden revival of Gegege no Kitarou in Japan? About a year or two ago, Toei released the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s TV series on collector’s DVD boxsets. Then a new Gegege anime TV came out and there’s an upcoming live action film coming out shortly. Is there any particular reason or event that triggered this all?

Answer:
A discussion of Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro seems especially fitting for a Friday the 13th.

I don’t know, and haven’t heard rumor or report of any of the executive decisions that went into the 2007 revival of the Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro franchise, so I can only speculate. The Japanese entertainment industry’s sudden interest in Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro seems to be part of a larger currently ongoing revival of many vintage manga and anime franchises. Perhaps it’s motivated by a sense of nostalgia. Perhaps the Japanese entertainment industry is currently resurrecting older titles to appeal to new viewers.

The revival of Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro as a 2007 live action motion picture and a new anime television series don’t coincide with any anniversaries. The 50th anniversary of the creation of Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro (as “Hakaba Kitaro”) is still two years away, and the 40th anniversary of the debut of the formal Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro manga was last year. The 40th anniversary of the debut of the Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro anime will occur next year. However, some interest in the franchise may have been generated by the 2005 Japanese live action film Yokai Daisenso (“Great Yokai War”) that referred to Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro and included a cameo appearance by Kitaro creator Shigeru Mizuki. It may also be said that a new Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro anime was due this year. There was an 11 year gap between the premier of the third and fourth anime television series. Now there has also been an 11 year gap between the premier of the fourth and fifth television series.

Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro has always been popular in Japan, although it remains little known in America. The Japanese town of Sakaiminato, where creator Shigeru Mizuki was born, has named a street “Shigeru Mizuki Road,” and lined the street with 100 bronze statues of characters from the Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro manga. Sakaiminato is also home to the Shigeru Mizuki museum. Last February, a Japan Rail train in the Tottori prefecture was given a “Medama Oyaji” theme. So the sudden production of a new anime and live action feature haven’t exactly come without context or warning.

But the revival of interest in Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro mirrors an apparent current Japanese trend. The Nikkatsu film studio has announced tentative plans to develop live action films based on the 1972 Gatchaman and 1977 Yatterman anime. Osamu Tezuka’s Dororo (1967 manga, 1969 anime) was recreated as a hit live action film earlier this year. Keiko Takemiya’s 1977 manga Toward the Terra, adapted into an anime film in 1980, has just premiered as an anime television series. The new live action television series Bishoujo Celeb Panchanne is reportedly a revival of live action female masked heroine shows from the late 1980s and early 90s including “Maho Shojo Chukana PaiPai,” “Bishojo Senshi Powatorin,” and “Fushigi Shojo Nail na Totomesu.” And the classic Kyojin no Hoshi (1966 manga, 1968 anime) has had its latest television series revival, “Kyojin no Hoshi Tokubetsu-hen Chichi Ittetsu” premier on Japanese television this month.

So the revival of Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro itself isn’t entirely surprising, especially considering that new anime television versions of the series seem to turn up every 11-14 years, and it’s logical for the premier of the new anime to coincide with the release of a live action film version. But within context, the revival of Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro actually seems to be one of many examples of a current trend in Japanese entertainment of reviving vintage classics. Unfortunately, I’m not sure what the motivation behind this sudden interest in reviving classics happens to be.