Kitaro

Introduction

In these challenging economic times, it's wise to diversify and become more robust as a company to weather this financial storm. That's why we've seen a lot more live action features from companies like MVM and Manga Entertainment. It's also a welcome addition to the diet of many an anime fan, for just as in the West, there has been a long tradition of transferring the manga page to live-action features, but those movies have been scarce in the West, the odd title like Tetsujin 28, and Azumi notwithstanding. Since the Death Note phenomenon though, it's as if this whole niche has exploded, and I have seen more live action anime adaptations in the past year than I have in the previous 5 put together. Last month, I took a look at Dororo from MVM, a modern updating of a classic Osamu Tezuka tale. Now it's Manga Entertainment's turn to bring a venerable property to the present day, with their release of Kitaro, the first of two live action Kitaro features that they are releasing this year. Kitaro is based on Gegege no Kitaro, a manga by Shigeru Mizuki that is nearing the half century mark, and has seen several anime adaptations and spin-offs over the years. This 2007 feature film brought the story into the present day.


Kitaro once again delves into the rich world of supernatural Japanese folklore. It's a mythological world replete with spirits, demons, small gods and natural magic. It's also a richly mined resource, and there are countless stories, anime, manga, and movies that delve into this varied and wonderful world. Kitaro will have to be something special indeed to stand out from the rest.


Kitaro is a handsome young man of a ghost, who unlike his peers is fond of humans, and often chooses to help them when they are plagued by ghosts and spirits, giving the mischievous sprites a harsh talking down to, and making them see the error of their ways. Of course some spirits are incorrigible, like his flatulent and greedy friend Ratman, who is currently helping a property developer scare off some tenants on a price bit of land. When the young son of one of the tenants, Kenta Miura sends a letter to Kitaro asking for help, it's the start of a fantastic adventure. Kitaro meets, and is fascinated by Kenta's touchy older sister Mika, and he quickly becomes friends with Kenta. But Ratman has had his nose put out of joint, and he's still scheming, which is when he happens to steal the Fox Spirits' Evil Stone. He doesn't get anything when he tries to pawn it, but when it falls into the hands of Kenta's father, things take a turn for the worse. The police arrest him, while in the spirit world, the Tengu Police blame Kitaro for the stone's theft. With the cunning fox spirits willing to do anything to get their stone back, time's running out, and now Kitaro will have to find the stone lest he be sentenced to 500 years in a boiling pot. And he should really listen to his father's advice about not falling in love with humans.

Picture

Kitaro gets a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer, and once again I am pleased to report that it is a native Film to PAL transfer, complete with 4% speedup, clear and sharp images, and a distinct and welcome absence of ghosting, judder or lack of resolution. It's a bright vibrant film, with just a hint of grain. There are the occasional moments of softness, but all in all, it's a solid and very acceptable transfer.

Of course, this being a film about spirits and bizarre supernatural creatures, you can expect a plethora of effects shots, and the film is full of practical effects, costumes and make up, as well as copious CGI creations. It's for a family audience first and foremost, so excessive realism isn't the immediate aim. In fact most of the effects look cheap and cheerful, and the major issue here is that there hasn't been enough work done in marrying the CG effects to the live action sequences. It looks slapped together in a hurry.

Sound

You just get the standard 2.0 Stereo Japanese with Kitaro, which is a shame given all the action and excitement that occurs. Still, give it a little Prologic magic and you do find yourself in a fairly vibrant and encompassing sound stage. The dialogue is clear and the subtitles are legible and error free.

Extras

The disc autoplays with a trailer for the sequel, Kitaro: The 1000 Year Curse Song, and that leads to a simple static menu, where the sole extra is the Yo Tube Featurette. This lasts a full 60 minutes and collects the viral adverts that showcased the film on the web. These are 5 minute long featurettes, 10 in all, which introduce a particular yokai, or spirit, and follow it on a short silent movie adventure in Tokyo (followed by the movie trailer). This featurette concludes with a 10 minute long making of. That's the making of the Monsters in Tokyo episodes, not the making of the film.

Conclusion

Somewhere in the past, the definition of a 'family movie' changed. There was a time when a family movie meant that a film, regardless of genre, was suitable for all members of the family to watch together. There would be something for everyone in it, regardless of whether it was a Western, or a sci-fi, or even something spooky and supernatural. Not anymore. Nowadays it seems that a family movie, is really just for the kids, and that if you're past a certain age, then you'll find that the juvenile antics occurring within really only insult your intelligence. I had though that it was a re-definition confined to Hollywood alone, but alas I watched Kitaro last night, and found it to be a family movie in the modern sense of the word. It's better to stick your young-uns in front of it and go do something more rewarding instead, if it weren't for that pesky PG rating ensuring that you have to be on hand to provide guidance when required.


Kitaro is bright, and superficially entertaining at least. It's energetic, pacy, and just the sort of adventure story that would keep young children entertained. It's full of weird and wonderful supernatural characters and critters, Kitaro's father is an eyeball on legs, and his best friend is a cute catgirl, while Ratman is a constant thorn in his side. There are all manner of spirits and demons to boot, all manifested in a profusion of CGI, or some wildly inventive make-up or indeed a combination of both. It's all done in as bright, shiny and unthreatening a manner as possible, to keep that family friendly ethos at its heart. It's enjoyable just to see the explosion of imagination, whether it's a living umbrella demon, a wall that plasters its victims inside itself, or a literal Wheel Monk.


The problems with Kitaro are twofold. First is the uneven nature of the storytelling. It moves from vignette to vignette, and the narrative seems loosely strung together, rather than anything particularly solid. It's also a little aimless and unfulfilling. The film starts with a plot about a property developer looking to evict a bunch of tenants so that he can build a theme park. He's hired the devious and avaricious Ratman to use his bad breath, and his spooky friends to nudge the tenants on their way, but as soon as Kitaro deals with Ratman, the plot disappears. I'm left wondering what happened to the property developer, as surely losing the services of Ratman wouldn't have put him off his scheming. Unfortunately that plot remains unresolved by the end of the film. The bigger problem, to me anyway, was the rather poor performances by the two main leads. Eiji Wentz as Kitaro, and Mao Inoue as Mika are both pretty wooden. If there is a suitable descriptive for their attempts to emote beyond 'awkward fumble', I am yet to thing of one. Given that they are supposed to fall in love in this film, it's pretty much a nail in the coffin. I'd say that they lack chemistry, but there is barely enough of a chemical reaction for themselves, let alone any sparks flying between the two. Fortunately the supporting cast have a voluble energy and vibrancy that they lack, otherwise this film could have been a snooze-fest.


Kitaro is the sort of family film that is best appreciated by the youngest members of the family, while anyone who can see beyond the primary colours will probably want more substance from their DVD entertainment.