Japan Embraces Halloween with New Anime Haunted House
Universal Studios in the West is currently celebrating the spooky season with its Halloween Horror Nights, creating several haunted attractions that make use of some of the biggest scary properties around, including the likes of Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Haunting on Hill House, and The Exorcist to name a few. Not to be left out, Universal Studios Japan is creating a haunted attraction of its own that dives into the world of anime with Gegege no Kitaro, one of the most beloved franchises in the East that follows quite a spooky story.
Gegege no Kitaro was created in 1960 by mangaka Shigeru Mizuki, which focuses on a young man dealing with a number of specters while trying to come to grips with the history of his clan, the Ghost Tribe. Spawning a large number of anime series, movies, and live-action feature-length films, the horror-comedy certainly makes for a worthy addition to Universal Studios Japan when it comes to the Halloween season. While this might be the latest anime addition to the theme park, Universal Studios in the East has unleashed various takes on the world of anime within its walls, including the likes of Attack On Titan, Sailor Moon, One Piece, Detective Conan, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and more.
If you're unfamiliar with the world of Gegege no Kitaro, the official description of the series reads as such:
"Meet Kitaro. He's just like any other boy, except for a few small differences: he only has one eye, his hair is an antenna that senses paranormal activity, his geta sandals are jet-powered, and he can blend into his surroundings like a chameleon. Oh, and he's a yokai (spirit monster)! With all the offbeat humor of an Addams Family story, Kitaro is a lighthearted romp in which the bad guys always get what's coming to them."
Though the last anime series for this uniquely terrifying tale came to an end in 2020, we're sure that this is far from the last time that we'll see Kitaro brought to the small screen, especially considering the ghoulish adventures are managing to find their way outside of both the anime and manga series.
What spooky anime would you love to see appear at Universal Studios Japan? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of horror.