It was another important week for Gegege no Kitarou 2018, off-screen as well as on. I’d always figured “The manga you love is getting an adaptation – starring Kaji Yuuki” was about the ultimate anime good news/bad news scenario. But this week’s announcement was a contender – Nurarihyon is the next big bad, and he’s going to be played the stupendous Ohtsuka Akio. Nurarihyon is a titanic figure in youkai mythology generally and Kitarou mythology specifically, and this promises to be the series’ most epic recurring plot.
So what was the bad news? Along with the above came the announcement that this would be the 2018’s final arc. That’s not a huge surprise, though I thought the show might run for two years even and if this is the last cour (that’s not 100% certain – I suppose the arc could run for two) it would only be seven cours. It’s been part of my weekend for so long now that I’m really going to miss this show – a stylish and smart update (in the very best sense) of a classic franchise. After it ends the long wait until the next incarnation – in 2029 I suppose, if history is any guide – begins. Maybe we’ll get a movie or two in the meantime to tide us over – that also has historical precedent, and as successful as this run has been I’d place better than even money odds on it happening.
In the meantime there’s the matter of Kyubi no Kitsune and Isurugi Rei to deal with – the femme fatale and the annoying punk, as t’were. And it was pretty much all hands on deck in dealing with this mid-boss, as a couple of old friends from a prior recurring plot (Agnes and Adele) and a personal favorite from this one (Ibukimaru) were brought in to bolster the cause. I was especially glad to see Ibukimaru after last week’s events, not just because Furuya Toru’s performance is God-tier but because he’s one of the most nuanced and difficult characters the series has introduced over 75 episodes.
In the end, I think this arc was framed as a test of Kitarou’s worldview, and that was ultimately Rei’s role in the story. Rei is all about black and white, good and evil – and for Kitarou that’s an affront to everything he believes in. Kitarou’s dedication to his philosophy is so reflexive that it comes off as something of a defense mechanism at this point, but that’s not to say he doesn’t truly believe it. It’s all about judging – and this is something Kitarou feels humans and youkai both are simply unfit to do. Rei himself pushes Kitarou to the limit, testing his resolve not to kill humans and blurring the lines between fighting for the right and wrong side. But Kitarou holds his ground in the end, both literally and figuratively.
It’s Rei who, in fact, is forced to give. His body is simply incapable of containing the power of all the youkai he’s absorbed (Ittan-momen is added to the mix this week). And he ultimately has to accept the help of Ibukimaru in order to merely survive, never mind allow the fight against Kyubi no Kitsune to continue. The latter is facilitated by Neko-musume and Mana, and it’s Mana’s idea to get into the underworld through the West entrance, undetected by Tamano-no-mae, to throw their support behind Kitarou. It’s also Mana who thinks to have Ibukimaru assist, and as cattywampus as things are in Hell, no one is in any position to refuse.
As Nezumi-otoko acts to stave off war between Principality A and Japan (his deep-seated loathing of war is one of the more interesting elements of his character) Kitarou – now having taken the souls of his friends (and the Nue) unto himself – makes a last stand against Kyubi no Kitsune as the witches endeavor to cut off the source of her power. Even so she’s a bit much him until Rei 2.0 – now with Ibukimaru – shows up. Their combined powers are enough to win the day – in the end Tamano-no-mae is a bit of a paper fox, really – which means Kitarou now has the souls he needs to conclude his deal with Enma-Daiou (coughed up like a furball by the defeated Kyubi). And Rei doesn’t fight him for them.
Rei officially teaming up with Ibukimaru (half of him, anyway) was definitely something I didn’t see coming. But the real headline here is Catchick full-on slapping Kitarou for doing what he did for her. This is about as direct an emotional reckoning as those two have had, but their relationship is probably in a better place (though not that place) as a result. And thus the “Four Treasonous Generals” arc closes – a good one, more compelling than “Western Youkai” even if lacking an antagonist as compelling as Nanashi (and there aren’t many). This arc worked best as a mirror held up to the major characters, and it revealed elements we hadn’t seen before. It also allowed Mana to be a real and meaningful part of the final victory, which was a monumental step forward for her development.
Zol
September 29, 2019 at 6:05 pmI’m not really looking forward to Nurarihyon that much. He came of as a pretty annoying and not menacing at all in the 2007 version, and so I was pleasantly surprised last year that this series didn’t have him as the recurring villain, but instead a really great antagonist in the form of Nanashi. Granted, I don’t know how they will present Nurarihyon this time, but I absolutely can’t see him being better than Nanashi…
Guardian Enzo
September 29, 2019 at 6:14 pmYeah, but this time he has the Nanashi of seiyuu voicing him.
Gracie
September 29, 2019 at 7:32 pmLoved the character development and was pleasantly surprised they had Ibukimaru back. Hope Kitarou will stay with us for the winter cour as well, if not, it was a wholesome ride either way. Also this arc had one of the loveliest episodes with the one about Neko Musume’s introspections
Aera
September 29, 2019 at 11:32 pmWhat an epic end to the Four Treasonous General Arc. I truly didn’t expect to like this arc a lot, and warming up to Rei as well. Still not the best antagonist, but he has his issues and everything is solved well for both sides. My opinion to Rei went from “meh” to “okay” and to “he’s a cool dude” as the episode ended. I also prefer this over Backbeard’s arc, the finale of this solved pretty much everything and left me with a very satisfied feeling.
Yes, just like what you said, perhaps the best part of this arc is that it gives the main characters a lot of development. Kitaro, Neko Musume, and Mana especially. The scene when Neko Musume slapped Kitaro immediately, her burst of emotion and Kitaro apologizing while asking both Neko Musume and Mana whether or not they want to be his friends again….that scene is really powerful. A great conclusion to the problems that the three of them have. Mana hugely participated in this battle along with Agnes and Adele, and again I could gush over and over how she is a great character honestly.
The battle between Kitaro and Rei, as well as Rei overcoming his issues as he accepted Ibukimaru’s guidance and power, somewhat reminded me of Jiro and Claude’s battle in Conrevo first season last episode. I suppose Rei is like the lesser version of Claude to Kitaro’s Jiro in this case. Two people who have different point of views, clashing without any real answer to their own problems… I just think that part is pretty epic.
Not gonna lie, I’m gonna miss this series, A LOT. This series is very dear to me since I was little, and 2029 is going to be a long, long time ahead. Not sure how long Nurarihyon’s arc is gonna last, but hopefully this series can accompany us through Winter 2020, but if it doesn’t then that’s just how it is. I’m gonna miss my Sunday morning routine to watch Gegege no Kitaro.
Also, I said at the comment several episodes ago that I liked Nanashi as a villain a lot and how relieved I was when 2018 didn’t have Nurarihyon, turns out I was wrong. I still think of him as an annoying villain who hates Kitaro’s guts just because, but since it’s THE Akio Ohtsuka who voiced him, I have high expectations. Hopefully he’s gonna be better than the ones I have watched (1985 and 2007).
Thanks a lot for the review. When this series ends, I’m going to miss reading Gegege no Kitaro review from you. I hope there’s a movie or two sometime, since it’s also part of the tradition.
Guardian Enzo
September 30, 2019 at 6:45 amYou’re welcome, nice comment. Surprised at all the negativity towards Nurarihyon but hopefully this version will turn the tables on it.
Jonathan
September 30, 2019 at 10:47 amEven though there are good yokai and “hopeless humans,” I can’t help but think that humans are worse than yokai.
Guardian Enzo
September 30, 2019 at 11:17 amI don’t know… I think the larger point of the series is that there are both, and it goes out of its way to show us that in pretty even-handed terms. I suspect if you did a tally-up you might be right, but there’s a sort of natural rooting interest in youkai that’s part of that.
Enamelthyst
September 30, 2019 at 11:49 pmI was most pleased that Mana, through her actions in Ibukimaru’s episode and here, turned out to be the key to defeating Tamano-no-mae—in effect, Kitarou had his butt saved by two human beings during this episode. But still, I’m not sure how Mana’s maintaining her psyche. The girl has literally been to Hell and found out what happens to dead people. Could you have handled that when you were 13 years old?
On a side note, I really love the admittedly-cruel-but-nonetheless-very-funny running joke of the hapless Japanese PM in this installment. All she wants to do is to avoid responsibility for anything, but no matter what she does, things always turn out so much worse than she could possibly have imagined…
FacelessGrunt
October 5, 2019 at 4:27 amI interpreted the announcement of the final arc that the series would finish after 2 more cours. Mostly because most iterations of Gegege no Kitaro seem to last around 100 episodes / 2 years. This series is often fun to watch, so I really hope this to be the case.