''Yōkaiden'' is an original English-language manga written and illustrated by

Nina Matsumoto Nina Matsumoto (born 18 November 1984) is a Japanese-Canadian cartoonist, also known as "space coyote", and most known for creating the comic book series ''Yōkaiden'' for Del Rey Manga. She created the webcomic ''Saturnalia'', and has worked as ...

and published by Del Rey Manga. The story features Hamachi, a boy fascinated by the Japanese monsters called '' yokai''. When one of these monsters steals his grandmother's soul, he travels into their world to retrieve it. The first volume was published on November 18, 2008, and as of November 24, 2009, two volumes were released.

Plot

Although '' yōkai'' (a class of Japanese monsters) are feared and hunted, Hamachi believes that humans can peacefully coexist with the spirits. When Hamachi releases a ''

kappa Kappa (uppercase Κ, lowercase κ or cursive ; el, κάππα, ''káppa'') is the 10th letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the voiceless velar plosive sound in Ancient and Modern Greek. In the system of Greek numerals, has a value o ...

'' from one of his grandmother's traps, having to remove its leg to do so, it later returns for revenge against his grandmother and steals her soul. Hamachi then travels into the ''yokais world to retrieve her soul. However, he could end up trapped in the realm as well.

Production

had already received attention for her DeviantArt gallery. After a deal with Bongo Comics and an interview with ''

The Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', she caught the attention of Dallas Middaugh an associate publisher at Del Rey Manga. After reading her web comic ''

Saturnalia Saturnalia is an ancient Roman festival and holiday in honour of the god Saturn, held on 17 December of the Julian calendar and later expanded with festivities through to 23 December. The holiday was celebrated with a sacrifice at the Temple ...

'', he asked her for a proposal and she created the initial ''Yōkaiden'' concept. Middaugh comments that the concept "was pretty much ready to go" without much change. Middaugh mentions that the protagonist Hamachi reminds him of Son Goku as he was portrayed in the original ''

Dragon Ball is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 individual chapters colle ...

'' series.

Reception

''Yōkaiden'' has been well received by critics. About.com's Deb Aoki considered it to be the best original English language manga of 2008. She commended the series for having "well-developed characters that have interesting personalities and fun chemistry with each other." Coolstreak Cartoons' Leroy Douresseaux commends the artist for her artwork saying that it "has a lively, fluid feel similar to animation, while her character and creature design is quirky." Carlo Santos of

Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...

feels the series has "a bold sense of line, striking visual designs and clearly defined layouts" and says that Matsumoto's strength is in her dialogue. However, Santos believes that the series "falls short of a truly haunting atmosphere" due to the humor, which sometimes breaks the fourth wall. Erin Finnegan of PopCultureShock says that she "can't stop talking about how hilarious" ''Yōkaiden'' is; she also believes it is the best OEL/World manga of 2008. Brigid Alverson from GraphicNovelReporter.com comments that Matsumoto draws the characters with an exaggerated style, bringing out the characters' personalities and depicting the odd creatures with imagination and flair. Alverson also says that a great deal of information is delivered "rather painlessly." She believes that those who enjoy ''

Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...

'' or Hayao Miyazaki's '' Spirited Away'' will enjoy ''Yōkaiden''.

References

External links

Official ''Yōkaiden'' websiteVolume 2 Review
at

Best Manga of 2009
at About.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Yokaiden Del Rey Manga Original English-language manga Canadian graphic novels 2008 comics debuts Fantasy comics Works based on folklore Japanese mythology in anime and manga