Mononoke

Mononoke: spirits in Japanese folklore that are said to be at unrest and can cause disease, injury and even death to the people it attaches to

Mononoke is actually a spin off to the last story Bakeneko in the anime series Ayakashi - Japanese Classic Horror. i would HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend that you watch the anime FIRST and then read the manga, especially if this if your first taste of the series. trust me, its SO worth it and you will enjoy the manga series a lot more.

STORY 8/10: Mononoke is about a man only known as the medicine seller, who wanders around from place to place looking for restless spirits and eliminates them. he needs the mononoke's truth, form and reason to unsheathe a sword used to eliminate the mononoke. this volume covers the Bakeneko arc in the Ayakashi anime series where there is a wedding that is about to take place but the bride died at the hands of the mononoke!! i love the concept of this anime. its different, its edgy, its new, its creepy, it has its funny moments, and even though at points the plot does become pretty disturbing, i never felt it SO disturbing that i had to stop reading/watching.

ART 9/10: gorgeous! Ninagawa Yaeko did a fantastic job with the attention to detail in the whole thing! the characters are diverse looking, the patterns on the clothes is detailed perfectly, the scenery was drawn meticulously and the facial expressions were excellent because they fit the personality of the characters and the expressions on their faces were easy to read. but like i said before WATCH THE ANIME!!!! ITS 10000X BETTER IN THE ANIME TRUST ME!

CHARACTERS 8/10: the medicine seller was really interesting. throughout the whole series all you know is that this mysterious man is a medicine seller that deals with eliminating mononoke and thats its. and tbh, that little information usually wouldnt satisfy me, but in this case it does. he tells you a lot about himself by not saying anything and i kinda like the mystery because it adds to the series. the other characters were good and helped enhance the series but besides for the maid, dont show up again.

ENJOYMENT 9/10 & OVERALL 8/10: i love this series. its really really good. i wouldnt watch/read it in the dark or before bed though. i found the series really addicting and i was connected to it in a weird way. it wasnt like i was happy watching it, i think i was just addicted to feeling anxious all the time that i just couldnt stop haha!! i would recommend this to anyone who:
-like psychology
-like quick and easy reads/short animes
-have a strong constitution and dont have a weak heart (the series is pretty graphic)
-like shonen i guess? i suppose its kinda shonen
-like historical anime/manga

This is a manga adaption of the last three episodes of the OVA 'Ayakashi - Japanese Classic Horror'. After Ayakashi aired, the 'Bakeneko' arc was so well received that it got a full series anime spin-off, along with a manga adaptation of the original three episodes. Sadly, the manga adaption falls short on being able to translate the incredibly unique visual style of the OVA and you are left with sort of a flat, busy-looking story without any of the charisma of the original.

If this is your first exposure to Mononoke, I cannot recommend enough that you put down the manga and instead watch the last three episodes of 'Ayakashi - Japanese Classic Horror'. The manga is nothing but a panel-by-panel remake of the anime without the gorgeous woodblock-painting effect.