Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror

Okay, let me be very honest with all the review readers here.

I wasn't prepared for watching 3 differents stories because I watch mononoke first and I saw some recommendations from others by saying this series is the prequel that's why I drop by this series as well, if U ask me about the other first and second story I would say, it's definitely a good story but I am not really fancy over the arts and how they execute the story pace.

But when it comes to the last story in between ep9-11 which what I was waiting for I will tell you all it's da ... best!! I was first quite bias cuz the anime has been produced long time ago, but still the best execute in animation, storyline, paced and of course the ost and voice acting.

I didn't disappointed at all in fact it's a masterpiece even after so many years. Hail mononoke.

The show is broken into three acts. Oiwa is a youthful woman. She was betrayed by the person she loved and so hed become an Onryō – a vengeful spirit. Some scenes are disturbing, but the story is engaging because of its characters. It has the “feel” of a drama, it is almost like theatre play.it resembles some Greek tragedy as well . The second part of the anime is based on Tenshu monogatari . It is the tale of two star-crossed lovers. A princess from a castle of forgotten gods falls in love with an ordinary man. The story morphs into a Shakespearean tragedy. ... This is the least powerful of all three parts because it does not supply anything that could be interpreted as horror. It is the least original, even by Edo -period standards. However, it’s interesting in what ways. The feel of a theatre play is still present, but the characters are weaker than in the first part. The third segment is the first story by Nakamura Kenji and Yokote Michiko. It relates the story about an evil cat-demon who is haunting and killing a family for no known reason. A “medicine seller” tries to help them by learning the story of their spirit in order to get rid of it. This is arguably the best part of the series. It has elements that are disturbing and at the same time a “detective story” feel, lots of great action scenes to enjoy as well there is a compelling backstory of how bakeneko originated.

In all three stories, there is a common theme the real evil always comes from human heart. There are tragedies acting in each story which arise from the greed, jealousy and conceit of people. Oiwa’s spirit kills people, but it ultimately belongs to those who wronged her. Also in Tenshu monogatari , there is an element of tragedy caused by jealousy and pride; the woman’s envy had led to actions taken against a daimyo . to see how cruel humans can be is the scariest part of the mononoke’s origin in Bakeneko Story. There are flawed or outright evil characters in the stories like greedy samurai, selfish brat, lustful man , falconer who abandons his wife etc.There is also a princess whose behavior changed with time and she exploited her womanhood for personal motives hence an inconsistent personality. Although the characters lack depth, this character mix is balanced and well played giving an old-school tragedy that works.

The art style in the first two arcs of this series is good, but not great. The action sequences are a little stiffer and clumsy. But the art style in third arc is peculiar and unique. It has a constant “filter” on the picture and smooth CGI in some shots. The character design is more cartoon like, though overscale yet good enough. The action is good and the interior of the samurai family’s house is luxurious. However, the style may not be to everyone’s liking. For instance, the secondary characters design may appear to be too “parodic”.

The series also features a decent-but unsatisfying soundtrack. It is not bad and I like the fact that it sometimes uses instruments for Kabuki theatre in Japan. It punctuates the action scenes effectively during its third arc. But it doesn’t operate as smoothly during the other two arcs. For instance, it doesn’t make the most disturbing scenes a step from “horrifying” up. I would be fine if they used Kabuki orchestra for all music in first two arcs of this series and even more – an opening credits song has shamisen melody start out only to turn into samurai rap.

Ayakashi is about a collection of three stories that do not seem to be very frightening or impressive still are good enough to have some fun. The voice acting is terrific, and the third story has an interesting art design. It also makes you wonder about what is really scary. If you love reading about Japanese literature and theatre, then this is a must-try because it feels like being in the theater. Although you may not be a horror enthusiast if anything, I would still recommend this movie to watch because it will definitely spook the living day lights out of you. It’s just good and mediocre but at the same time it is not bad to watch, there will not be any strong impressions left.

This is an anthology of three stories. The first two, Yotsuya Kaidan and Tenshi Monogatari, each consisting of 4 episodes, are both adaptations, though I can't vouch for whether or not they are faithful. The final segment, Bakeneko, at only three episodes, appears to be an original story, though just as with the other two, it's influenced by Japanese folklore and pre-20th century Japanese art periods.

Although there might be some important distinctions between the terms, Ayakashi is similar to the word Yokai, which is a type of demon or spirit. Like most anime listed as horror, these are probably not stories a person into western, ... or even eastern, horror would seek out. Yes, they have demons, ghosts, violence and gore, and are rather grotesque, but they're really more discernible as supernatural tragedies.

To begin with, the opening for the series features the strange choice of a rap song with Japanese-styled background music. The Samurai Champloo creators were able to make the hip-hop tracks fit the show, despite the music style and time period being anachronistic. Here, it's just odd and the song doesn't mesh well at all. The ending theme and other music tracks are much more appropriate and fit the darker tone of the episodes.

Yotsuya Kaidan is a tragedy with very reprehensible characters. Most of them are highly immoral and cruel. Probably the only remotely sympathetic characters are the child and the two exploited women. This particular story bears somewhat of a resemblance to Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan anthology, with the rejected wife of the callous and ambitious samurai dying and becoming a vengeful spirit.

However, it manages to become fairly convoluted with its two intersecting stories and multiple plot twists. There are some loose threads, such as the grownup child appearing in one scene and never appearing again. But worst of all is that none of the characters are compelling, and whether they are wicked or sympathetic, they're all equally flat. As it is unlikely for most viewers to become invested in the plight of the characters, the tragedy that permeates the piece remains hollow, if not completely artificial.

The animation is generally as good as it needs to be for such a story, though it obviously never rises to the level of Hakkenden or Akira. The production design is striking in many scenes, most notably the dusk scenes where the male protagonist leaves everything behind. The contrast of the saturated red sky and the silhouetted surroundings, with some selective illumination upon a solitary grave, is very ominous. Lightning is also used to excellent effect. All of the scenes at the house surrounded by graves are also visually striking.

As enjoyable as I found the adaptation to be at times, it all feels rather pointless by the end. A very standard revenge story once you peel away all of the aesthetic flourishes. It seems the writer felt the same way—that the story didn't hold up on its own—for he employed metanarrative devices by the end. Each episode has a narrator, who enters into the story very directly after what should be the end sequence. Alongside live action footage, occasionally with bits of animation, he meditates on the nature of the story being told. Essentially, the ghost is to the characters as the story is to those who experience it. Yet this element doesn't mesh very well and seems more like a half-baked idea than anything profound.

Tenshi Monogatari is a tale of a human and a demon-like woman (referred to as a "forgotten god") falling in love. The woman is the head of a female clan responsible for devouring humans. The man is attempting to climb the ranks of society and also has a wife (or mistress). Both characters have something to lose that provides conflict throughout, and there is an exploration of the demonic becoming more human and vice versa.

It's a predictable story every step of the way, featuring saccharine music for the romantic parts, along with a happy end that had me snorting milk. The production design is rather solid, especially in the first episode. It's clear that by the end there's too much going on to be animated effectively.

The highlight is the third segment, a mystery about a botched wedding of two affluent families and a medicine seller who possesses magical means to vanquish a cat spirit that begins haunting the family, but before he can unlock his powers, he has to solve the mystery behind the spirit. This spawned a series called Mononoke the next year, featuring the medicine seller (as well as the maid, Kayo, in one arc) and the same distinct style, reminiscent of a luridly colored Ukiyo-e painting in motion. Similar to Gankutsuou, the animation is never distractingly bad, but it's the artwork that carries it. The story isn't anything terribly original, but it's a well-presented mystery. The pacing is also much tighter than the other stories because of its shorter length, though it may leave the piece feeling slightly rushed.

For fans of Mononoke or anyone who is intrigued by the art style and presentation of Bakeneko, the preceding segments can be skipped, as they're all independent stories. The previous two are worth a look as well, but if you've seen similar Japanese ghost stories, they may seem a bit humdrum.