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Yokai: The Art of Shigeru Mizuki. Published 10/31/2023 by Drawn & Quarterly.

Shigeru Mizuki is no stranger to the supernatural and its portents. Kitaro and Tono Monogatari reimagined the obscure folktales of his youth, bringing them to life with whimsy. Mizuki the cartoonist certainly left an indelible mark on comics as world literature. Mizuki the fine artist, on the other hand, rounds out the full scope of his fascination with the otherworldly and fantastic, bringing these worlds to life in robust color.

Yokai: The Art of Shigeru Mizuki showcases his expertise of not only folklore, but celebrates him as a naturalist. Elements of Mizuki’s lush compositions—flora, fauna, and everything in between—showcase his mastery of form and love for nature. These popular renderings of a disappearing, rural Japan are his contribution to the preservation of a cultural heritage that would have otherwise been forgotten. The grotesque realism central to his body of work is offset by the ingenuity of his fancy for the macabre. Pieces in this deluxe, full-color edition call to mind the playful pop-sensibility of Maurice Sendak informed by the technical prowess of traditionalists like Dürer and Doré. And like any other Mizuki classic, each oeuvre is a unique snapshot of spirit, human or otherwise, in constant transition.

Yokai: The Art of Shigeru Mizuki includes supplementary writing by acclaimed Mizuki scholar and translator Zack Davisson.

I'm sure Gus and Nate would become friends through their ability to see ghosts (ran out of will power to finish the second one)

Reverse version of my Koma Nita and Koma Leon I did a while back and three more brawlers combined with yokai. Previous parts: Part 1, Part 2

Plus some extra doodles that I've accumulated

Here we are, the native habitat of Hungramps, they're overall harmless, however they can and will eat any Slicenrice they come across, it's not Slicenrice's fault that his head is a rice ball, it just is

I'm pretty sure this is the only time it's touched upon that certain Yo-Kai species will EAT certain other species, in this case I guess it reminds me of the Mechon from Xenoblade (I don't even play that game, I'm just in the middle of watching a Let's Play of it and I'm actually invested in the story), where the eater can be clearly humanized but all they think when they see their prey is "food"

Sidenote, can we just talk about the deeper logic behind Slicenrice's head being a rice ball, he also canonically likes offering people rice balls, and in the Anime, he becomes friends with Swelton because the sweat makes the rice balls more salty, don't ask, but the fact they at the same time address the fact that Hungramps WILL eat him at any moment's notice BECAUSE his head is a rice ball... Slicenrice is canonically a CANNIBAL, I mean, so are Mochismo and Minochi, but still!

also im not pulling up the manga to check this, but iirc in the manga slicenrice very explicitly wants rice balls to be eaten and gets upset when they're wasted? and i think specifically in the manga he's a yo-kai born from a wasted rice ball (the person who was going to eat it was killed by an oni, so i guess they also wanted an explanation for his whole oni-slaying thing even though it's really only because of a pun they couldn't really translate)

speaking of oni and speaking of yo-kai that eat other species it is worth mentioning that demuncher exists but i dunno if you've seen him yet

*Note: It's been quite a long time(almost 20 years) since the last installment of the MS franchise; he might not remember some details of the series. I actually had to send him a playlist of all the episodes of the TV show so he could get a refresher.

Also, the Q&A is currently still ongoing! Gaps between answers can take a long time, and I have many more questions to ask.

Q1. What are some of the characters' ages?

This was the first question I asked him. The answer is quite vague, since it was sent before I had to refresh him on the franchise. I asked for 11 characters that I would've liked to know the ages of: Miss Spider, Holley, Spiderus, Betty Beetle, Uncle Gus, Mr. Mantis, Stinky and Whiffy Stinkbug, Ned, Ted, and Felix. He seemed to confirm that Miss Spider, Holley, and Spiderus are in their 20s in Miss Spider's Wedding, which takes place before the TV show. He also kinda confirmed that the older folk, Grandma Betty and Mr. Mantis are in their 40s, presumably in the TV show, since he mentions it after. This was the question I asked before I had to refresh him; hence his low memory on Felix and Gus. Also, he added a bonus fact that Bounce was originally designed as a logo for his toys!

After that I sent him some pictures of the characters that he had forgotten about, and I also shared my personal age headcanons for them.

He seemed to have approved my assessments! (Although this does NOT MEAN THAT THESE SPECIFIC AGES ARE CANON even with his approval these are just my personal takes and not his.) But his response does seem to imply that most of the adult characters in the TV series (Miss Spider, Holley, Spiderus, Beatrice, Gus, Stinky, etc.) are somewhere in their 30s. Again, their ages are still ambiguous and up to our interpretation, but their ranges are set.

Q2. Where is Sunny Patch located and where does the series take place?

To resume, the series takes place during the 90s and the early 2000s and Sunny Patch is situated close to his house.

Here's the picture of Miss Spider's Wedding with his house:

Q3-4. If humans were ever implemented in the series, what would their role be? Why were Ike and May(The beetles from the first volumes of the books) not present in the TV show?

I asked the first question since the last one's answer basically confirmed that he canonically exists in the series. Also I think him and the show's writers simply forgot to add them, which is a bit dissapointing.

I had posted this on my previous blog before I deleted it, I think? Yokai Watch OC, go

The snobbiest of snobby art critics to ever art critic, the one and only Criticasso

Rank A, part of the eerie tribe, he causes people to become nitpicky and judgemental of what others make (usually to boost their own egos)