250https://i.ur.com/2SDqvyt.png Gegege no Kitarou is one of those anomalies in anime where despite massive success in Japan and airing a new season ceremoniously every decade it is practically unheard of in the western community. However when you think of it in terms of marketability for the West it does make sense. The entire franchise is filled to the brim with Japanese social commentary and the very foundation of the series is based on Japanese Youkai and folktales which is why its so fascinating to see the most recent iteration in 2018 simulcast on Crunchyroll. Whats more fascinating is how it happens that this season is so radically different from its predecessors in representing its era. It makes perfect sense that this season is the first to be brought overseas as it not only signifies a new era for the franchise but also demonstrates just how much society has changed. 700https://i.ur.com/0DUD6uH.png This review contains minor spoilers Now I understand that that last sentence reads rather pompous but trust me it makes sense in the context of what this franchise is. As I mentioned before Gegege no Kitarou airs a new 50100 episode season every decade and with it commentary on the society each season encompasses. Today technology permeates our modernday society in a way that is nearly unavoidable. Im talking smartphones computers the internet and social media. The 2018 series which Ill refer to as GGG2018 from now on does not hesitate to utilise this and places a heavy focus on modern technology. Despite being aware of this before going into the show it was still surreal to see GGG2018 open up its first episode to a man recording himself with a selfie stick causing disruptions at Shibuya crossing only to be cursed and turned into a vampire tree. The people surrounding him all grab their phones and start recording and/or texting their friends about what just happened only for everyone on the street to be turned into vampire trees themselves. We find out this was caused by a certain Youkai called Nobiagari who plants seeds that suck blood and turn people into vampire trees. My favourite part about this opening scene is how GGG2018 immediately makes it very clear that weve entered a new era by putting a heavy emphasis on phone usage. As the episode progresses we learn the man causing the disruption at the start is named Charatomi who owns a YouTube channel and posts himself causing all sorts of problems around Japan. One of these videos involves him walking inside a random cave and ripping off a seal of the Youkai Nobiagari lol. Interestingly 5 months before the airing of this episode Logan Paul entered the country and made national news after causing a huge ruckus on the streets being disrespectful to the culture and well we all know what else happened. We may not fully realise the scale of it but YouTube is a massive phenomenon and issues like these are a real problem. Hell you still hear stories of idiots running around Japan and other countries with cameras in their faces causing problems today. This first episode does a great job showcasing what exactly this series is about and prepares us for what we can expect going forward and boy does it deliver. 350https://i.ur.com/5kTxyMS.png 350https://i.ur.com/T4wNrl9.png 350https://i.ur.com/3aDTdck.png 350https://i.ur.com/uWKmcnT.png From the opening scene of episode 1 A general idea explored throughout GGG2018 is how society is constantly changing over time and the effect that has on both humans and Youkai. Episode 6 for example features a cat Youkai who is unable to properly feed off of human life energy in a rural town as it lives off of the energy of humans simply by touching them since over time more and more youth started moving to the city for school or work opportunities. This has caused the cat to slowly but unintentionally kill off the elderly population over time by stealing their life energy. The Youkai never meant any harm but since the world is constantly changing and moving incidents like this occur. Within this general idea of the world changing one theme that particularly stood out to me was commentary on modern Japanese work ethic which is the main focus of episode 9. This episode was about the Youkai Isogashi who specifically possess lazy people and cause them to be restless to want to get things going or done. Yet despite this power he struggles to find anyone to possess because people are already overworking themselves with their jobs. 350https://i.ur.com/9f7vEPm.png 350https://i.ur.com/D1myNO5.png 350https://i.ur.com/gzsqWX3.png 350https://i.ur.com/0JkftTI.png 350https://i.ur.com/g71i8vk.png 350https://i.ur.com/tflxfGI.png 350https://i.ur.com/klar4Ol.png 350https://i.ur.com/gXDggI9.png From episode 9 but you should know that already. I sure hope youre paying attention The focus then shifts to the Kappa who get lured into working an office job with the promise of many more cucumbers than they were collecting on their own Kappa loves cucumbers. Before the Kappa were living a lazy life playing sumo and swimming in rivers yet theyre taken advantage of by the lure of something they love. However after being overworked to oblivion they find out that their salary of 3 cucumbers an hour is not nearly enough as the minimum wage when converted to yen and realise theyre being exploited. Enraged the Kappa go on a rampage making random people on the streets relaxed and lazy thats their ability and yes I know it sounds absurd but Youkai have all sorts of weird powers lol to the point where the Youkai Isogashi comes back and the usual Kitarou fighting shenanigans ensue. Afterwards the Kappa realise that the life they were living before is much better for their wellbeing. Even if they werent getting as many cucumbers they appreciate and value the time they spend doing stuff they enjoy together like swimming and sumo while growing their own cucumbers to enjoy. This is one of my favourite episodes as it encourages appreciating not only the little things in life but also the slow moments we have too. There are many more episodes that tackle the subject matter of work ethic like episode 14 but those episodes are worth watching yourself as theyre some of the best this season has to offer. 350https://i.ur.com/njmkcJ0.png 350https://i.ur.com/9SrccGR.png 350https://i.ur.com/BNIQQiO.png 350https://i.ur.com/0jZG2jy.png Also from episode 9 While GGG2018 defines its era through its themes and storytelling Id say an even more important aspect is this seasons artstyle. A fascinating upside of airing a new season every decade is seeing how the art and techniques change overtime. The 60s series is in blackandwhite the 70s is the first with colour the 90s is the last cel animated season the 2000s season is the first fully digitally animated and the 2018 season is the first that utilises modern digital effects and lighting which to me is the most defining part of this seasons art. Whatll stand out to anyone starting this season is the strong use of lightingan almost overexaggerated use. Lighting is often used to strategically build atmosphere by creating a stark contrast between the lighthearted and horror scenes. And it works The overexaggeration of the lighting lends itself to an almost overwhelming eerie and uncomfortable feeling. My favourite example of this is episode 25. It begins with a cold open inside a dark room all we can see is the illuminating light of a phone. Then it cuts eerily to a shot of a person hanging from the ceiling and while we dont see the noose its clear theyve hung themselves. This scene gave me goosebumps because its genuinely TERRIFYING. We learn later in the episode that a phone app was the cause of this suicide once again showcasing how this season uses technology as a main theme. This is an element Ive come to realise was missing from the 2007 series. From what Ive seen of it it has scary moments but they often werent accompanied by meaningful lighting that built up the atmosphere. There are a few exceptions like 2007s Youkai Train episode but those exceptions happen to be 2007s greatest episodes which were few and far between sorry to diss on the 2007 series but I have my gripes with it lmao. I really do believe that 2018s decision to utilise lighting in this way has done wonders for the tone and atmosphere. 350https://i.ur.com/JeQWkR2.png 350https://i.ur.com/fmMlYrL.png Examples of lighting from episode 25 350https://i.ur.com/huEUu8A.png 350https://i.ur.com/zJBaaQs.png 350https://i.ur.com/Urook85.png 350https://i.ur.com/ky6oy50.png More examples of lighting usage from various episodes In terms of smartphone usage one thing I want to mention is how Neko Musume has a phone she uses. Its not treated as this gimmick where its like Hey guys look Shes using a phone. No in reality the phone is shown countless times throughout the series as a useful tool. She uses it to communicate with Mana which then lets her relay information to Kitarou. She uses it to watch the news and stay caught up on anything related to Youkai. We even see Neko Musume discreetly take photos of Kitarou because she is in love with him and use them as her lock screen which plays an important thematic role in episode 93. Its not just phones there are moments of technology use like in episode 31 where Nezumi Otoko complains about how the cryptocurrency he invested in lost all value in a single day and this gag happens multiple times iirc lmfao. Social media addiction is often used as a theme like in episodes 31 and 67 where they feature both humans and Youkai striving for more clicks and views while simultaneously pushing aside the important things in their lives. Its amazing how theyve managed to fully integrate technology not as a gimmick but as a central theme of this entire season. 350https://i.ur.com/6V1p9By.png 350https://i.ur.com/2W9bNKl.png From episode 31 Gegege no Kitarou 2018 is by no means a perfect season. Like most seasons in the franchise its tainted by numerous fight scenes and episodes that focus entirely on battle shenanigans. I often found these episodes to be the least interesting part of the series which really bogged down the experience for me. Fortunately there are plenty of great episodic stories to watch and the social commentary on the problems we face in the modern era is fascinating to watch. Furthermore I would especially recommend this series if you have an interest in Youkai This review has been somewhat all over the place as its more like a thought dump of the aspects I liked. Thank you for reading and I hope Ive convinced you to check out this awesome franchise Special thanks to Laynehttps://anilist.co/user/Layne/ for helping me edit this review 700https://i.ur.com/k2nX6Wt.png