GeGeGe no Kitaro
GeGeGe no Kitaro began life as a Manga written and drawn by the famous Shigeru Mizuki in 1959. Its story has been told as comic books, anime, feature films, and even video games. To say that the show and its characters are Japanese cultural icons is an understatement.
The series is so popular, in fact, that in the town of Sakaiminato, Japan there is a street named after Mizuki Shigeru that has bronze statues of 134 characters from his comics. In the same town, there is also museum dedicated to the artist and his works.
The story revolves around a ghost boy named Kitaro who is the last living member of the Ghost Tribe. In the series he fights for peace between Yokai (demons) and humans. The name GeGeGe is an onomatopoeia for the sound of someone cackling in a spooky voice, so it could be loosely translated as “Spooky Kitaro”. The series is light-hearted and silly, much like Scooby Doo in the US but more morbid.
The Revoltech release is part of the Takeya sub-line, meaning it was sculpted by Master Sculptor Takeuki Takeya – the mind behind the S.I.C. series.
GeGeGe no Kitaro is available at HobbyLink Japan
The box is nice, but it’s the same as the other releases from GeGeGe no Kitaro, just with a different sticker on front.
Included is a stand, figure, container and multiple accessory parts.
First off, the figure looks great. It looks JUST like the character in the manga. It’s got a ton of articulation, both subtle and obvious. All the joints are Revoltech joints except for the knees, elbows, and wrists.
Kitaro’s vest and hair are rubber, the rest is PVC plastic.
The stand is as much a figure as the figure itself. It has such personality. You need to attach the branch and the gravestone.
Kitaro attaches to the base by a peg into the foot. He stands securely if you make sure the peg is all the way in.
Two additional faces are included and are replaced by removing the hair and swapping the faceplates. The eyes are also removable and interchangable.
Various hands are included and easy to swap out. One hand has a hole in it so that you can plug in the included Medama-Oyaji figure.
You can also remove the bit of hair at the top and plug Medama-Oyaji in.
Kitaro puts on his sleepy face to rest.
Overall, I liked this figure a lot, despite being done with Revoltech. This was a fresh and interesting take for me, and it’s done by one of my favorite sculptors. If you like Showa-era characters, this is a good buy.