The Day Yōkai Awoke is the first episode of the 2018 GeGeGe no Kitarō anime.
Cast
- Main
- Recurring
- Guest
- Kōta Nemoto as Charatomi
- Kazumasa Fukugawa as Announcer A
- Reimi as Announcer B
- Yasunao Sakai as Expert
Synopsis
A forest suddenly appeared in Shibuya. There was a mysterious phenomenon... people going to the city were suddenly transforming into trees! Meanwhile, Mana, a junior high school student, dubiously wrote a letter and put it in the Yōkai Mailbox. Soon after, Kitarō came with a "clip, clop." After hearing Mana's story, Kitarō and his father, Medama-Oyaji, were convinced that this was the work of a yōkai that should have been sealed hundreds of years ago. To find the cause, they traveled to the city's underground facility. The one that was awaiting them is...!?
Plot
Charatomi recording a video at the Shibuya Scramble Crosswalk.
In the middle of the Shibuya scramble crosswalk, Charatomi, a U-Tuber, decides to make a video about what would happen if he ignored the traffic signals. Of course, it causes a mess and drivers grow furious. He doesn't stop, calling everyone side characters. Soon after, he begins to suddenly transform into a tree, much to the people's horror, and bystanders immediately pull out their smartphones to share the incident online. Not long after, some of the onlookers turn into trees themselves.
Mana walking toward the Yōkai Post with a letter.
Adults are thrown into confusion and scramble to come up with an explanation, many blaming aliens, chemical weapons, or genetic abnormalities caused by toxins. However, Yūta, an elementary school student, proclaims that the recent phenomenon was caused by a yōkai. His classmate Hiroto tells him to stop lying and Sōma, Hiroto's brother, insists that yōkai do not exist. A girl named Mana arrives and punishes Sōma for his younger brother's insult. She comforts Yūta, who then informs them that his grandmother told him of a yōkai capable of turning people into trees was sealed many years ago, and that it must have returned. The brothers still do not believe him and wants to see proof. Yūta tells them that if they send a letter through the Yōkai Post, "he" will come. They ask who, and he replies that it is Kitarō. They laugh, asking if he knows where it is, but he does not know. Mana then tries to find it on the internet, but doubts that anyone would reply, but is surprised when someone did. They find the Post in a dark alley and Mana decides to write the letter and goes to put it in the Yōkai Post. She slowly walks to it, becoming nervous due to her eerie surroundings as she gets closer. After she puts it in, Sōma teases her that she is going to be cursed. Angered, she tries to go and hit him, but slips on a bottle. She storms out of the alley, wanting to know where he and his brother went. Yūta thanks her for believing in him and runs off, though she presumes that no one would come as she thinks yōkai do not exist in the 21st century. A rat carrying the letter comes out of the Yōkai Post, where it is eventually delivered by a Bake-Garasu, as more people are being turned into trees.
Mana, surprised after seeing Kitarō's father, Medama-Oyaji.
The next afternoon, Mana scolds Sōma, angrily asking if his brother had been bullying Yūta again. Crows suddenly start flying out of a tree and the street lights start to flicker. They hear a "clop-clop" sound, remembering that Yūta had told them that Kitarō would appear with this sound. They slowly turn around, but see nothing. They are relieved at first, but a boy appears in front of them as they turn back around. The two are frightened, causing Sōma to run off in the opposite direction. Mana asks who he is, and he introduces himself as GeGeGe no Kitarō. He asks if her name is "Mami." This irritates her, so she corrects him and pulls on his cheeks. A talking eyeball pops out of his hair, asking if she is the one who sent the letter. Horrified from what she just saw, she jumps back and convinces herself that a father who is just an eyeball cannot exist. The eyeball tells her to not to be so surprised, introducing himself as Medama-Oyaji. Although she pokes him, she still cannot believe he is real, and wonders if he is a special effect or if she is dreaming. He tells her that what she sees is not all there is, as the world is filled with things she cannot see. He then asks if people are really turning into trees, which Mana shows him on her smartphone, surprising him with the advancements the current age has. He identifies the trees as vampires, and Mana confusingly mistakes them as the kind Dracula is, but Kitarō corrects her and states that they are of the tree variety. Medama-Oyaji explains what they are in detail. After Mana saw how much they knew about the trees, she took them to Shibuya.
Mana pointing to the flower blooming on a branch.
They arrive at Shibuya and see the Vampire Trees. Kitarō notes that the yōkai that causes this was sealed centuries ago. Medama-Oyaji distracts himself and tells Mana that her smartphone looks rather useful. She lets him give it a try, and he is amazed at how it works and even manages to find a video of how this incident started. The video shows Charatomi breaking the seal of the Nobiagari. They explain to her what it is and tells her to go home, but she wants to come as well since she sent the letter to them in the first place. Kitarō warns her that it will be dangerous, but she still comes anyway. They go to an underground reservoir where the seal was broken. Kitarō senses the Nobiagari approaching, and stays quiet as it has not noticed them. However, Mana cannot see it and speaks, causing it to notice them and fires a beam out of its eye. Kitarō pushes Mana out of the way and intercepts it. The Nobiagari restrains him and plants a vampire tree seed in him and escapes. Mana brings them to her house, but Kitarō transforms into a Vampire Tree in her yard, causing her and Medama-Oyaji to watch in horror. Medama-Oyaji sobs, but when Mana points out a flower blooming on a branch, Medama-Oyaji exclaims that he is alive. Mana asks if Kitarō had sacrificed himself for her, which Medama-Oyaji tells her that he did. She could not see it at the time, but believes that the Nobiagari was there. Medama-Oyaji enlightens her and says humans think their world is all there is, but what they see is not everything. Although invisible, they are there; including bad ones that are drawn to the darkness within people's hearts. She does not understand this, but proclaims that she wants to. As she says this, she spots Tofu-Kozō sitting on a branch, but he quickly disappears, making Medama-Oyaji chuckle.
Kitarō defeating the Nobiagari with his Finger Gun.
Hours go by, and Kitarō's flower blossoms into a fruit that grows bigger, all while more people are being turned into Vampire Trees. Mana asks Medama-Oyaji why they help humans, which he tells her that a man named Mizuki cared for Kitarō when he was a baby. So in a way, Kitarō saves humans in order to repay the debt. They hear something drop outside, and find Kitarō coming out of a giant fruit naked. He apologizes to his father for making him worry, but Medama-Oyaji forgives him as he was confident that his son was alright. Kitarō assumed that more people turned into trees while he could not move, and his father confirms this. As they walk off to resume their fight with the Nobiagari, Mana begins to follow them. Kitarō stops Mana from coming again, but is still unable to change her mind. They go back to the underground reservoir, finding that the construction had stopped likely because of the Nobiagari. It returns while they hide and Mana is finally able to see it. Medama-Oyaji claims that this is because she is beginning to believe in yōkai. Kitarō attacks the Nobiagari with his geta followed by his hair needles, but it isn't effective. It manages to grab Kitarō's leg and drags him towards itself. Mana tries to save him, but slips on a bottle that causes a chain reaction that ends with a hook hitting the Nobiagari in the eye, causing it pain and making it escape. With this, Kitarō realizes that its eye is its weakness. He cuts the Nobiagari off and hits its eye with his Spirit Hair Chanchanko, making it escape again. It approaches Mana just outside of the construction site, but Kitarō arrives and fires his Hair Needles at the eye, following it up with another geta attack. Kitarō fires a Finger Gun to finish it off, causing it to explode. Since the Nobiagari has been defeated, the people who turned into Vampire Trees return to normal. Mana hugs Kitarō for defeating it. A mysterious figure from afar shoots Kitarō in the back with an arrow and causes him to collapse, prompting Mana screams.
Characters in order of appearance
- Charatomi (First appearance)
- Yūta (First appearance)
- Sōma (First appearance)
- Hiroto (First appearance)
- Mana Inuyama (First appearance)
- Neko-Musume (First appearance)
- Bake-Garasu (First appearance)
- Kitarō (First appearance)
- Medama-Oyaji (First appearance)
- Nobiagari (First appearance)
- Kemedama (First appearance)
- Tofu-Kozō (First appearance)
- Mizuki (First appearance)
- Nanashi (First appearance)
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