The Great Yokai War

The Great Yokai War (妖怪大戦争, Yōkai Daisensō) is a 2005 Japanese fantasy children's film directed by Takashi Miike and produced by Kadokawa Pictures. It was released under the international English title The Great Yōkai War by Tokyo Shock. The film focuses largely on creatures from Japanese mythology known as Yōkai (妖怪, variously translated as "apparition", "goblin", "ghoul", "spirit", or "monster"), which came to prominence during the Edo period with the works of Toriyama Sekien. It also draws inspiration from Aramata Hiroshi's Teito Monogatari, with the novel's antagonist Katō Yasunori appearing as the main antagonist in the film. The film is considered a loose remake of a 1968 film of the same name, but also draws influence from Mizuki Shigeru's GeGeGe no Kitarō manga series of the same name. All three are retellings of the famous Japanese tale of Momotarō, which features the title character driving a group of demons away from Kikaigashima with the help of native animals. While these previous adaptations have been read mostly as nationalist narratives, with the native Yōkai driving out invading forces, The Great Yōkai War has been read instead for the clash between Japan's traditional landscape and its modern culture. This is largely due to the film's use of Kikai (機械, lit. "machine monsters"), created by Katō fusing the Yōkai with machines, and the absence of invading Western or otherwise foreign forces. Mizuki Shigeru, whose work is considered an important part of Yōkai discourse and culture due to his contributions in pop culture and academic study, acted as an advisor for the film and even made an appearance as the Great Elder Yōkai. The cameo is not only a nod to Mizuki's status as a Yōkai expert, but his closing words also resonate closely with the theme of his manga of the same name. Similarly, his role as a peace-keeper is one referenced throughout his work, and is born of his own experiences from real war.