Yokai Attack!: The Japanese Monster Survival Guide

Jet_Jaguar · Post by **Jet_Jaguar** » Tue Aug 26, 2008 20:31 -0700

This sounds like it might be a fun book:

http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2008 ... val-guide/

"Now publisher Kodansha International is releasing the first English-language guide to yokai. Entitled Yokai Attack!: The Japanese Monster Survival Guide, the book is a fun and informative look at nearly 50 of these odd creatures by authors Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt (Hello Please! Very Helpful Super Kawaii Characters from Japan) and manga artist Tatsuya Morino (Kibakichi)."

oxthowe · Post by **oxthowe** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 12:10 -0700

Very cool! I'll have to add that to my Amazon wishlist (which never seems to shrink...only grows...)

khyron82 · Post by **khyron82** » Wed Sep 24, 2008 7:34 -0700

Looks like the official website has gone up:

http://www.yokaiattack.com/yokai_yokai.html

The Press Page icon confirms the presence of a female rokurokubi

,
but I thought they prefered drinking out of oil lamps instead eating snakes

Robert Wetherelt · Mon Oct 13, 2008 10:23 -0700

This looks like a really SUPER book!! I just hope that we can get it here!

khyron82 · Post by **khyron82** » Sun Oct 19, 2008 16:32 -0700

Picked up a copy today at my local Kinokuniya bookstore (in the English-language section). Very nice! It is a bit pricey for something the size of a Japanese manga, but you get a lot of information (makes a good guide to the yokai that popped up in 'The Great Yokai War' movie, since you get more indepth descriptions than what was on the DVD extras)

I'm a little disappointed that the Rokurokubi text section gets a bit truncated, due to having to share descriptions with the vicious flying head version (Nuke-kubi), but the "survival tips" are amusing... I know better now than to take a rokurokubi on a fishing trip with me (goodbye bait bucket, goodbye Colman lantern fuel, goodbye waking up all refreshed and energized for the new day's activities!).

Jet_Jaguar · Post by **Jet_Jaguar** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 12:18 -0700

I finally got around to buying a copy of this book after having it on my Amazon wishlist for about a year. It's a must-read for any Yokai fans. I also think that anyone who enjoys flipping through Jorge Luis Borges's Book of Imaginary Beings (which actually includes a couple of Yokai) whenever they have a spare moment will also enjoy this. It's not perfect, and I think the entries for some of the Yokai are a little bit thin, but it's still a very worthwhile book (The illustrations are a lot of fun too). I think the authors did a good job of including a good mix of really scary creatures with the goofy and relatively harmless ones.

It made me want to reread all of the UY stories featuring Yokai, which I think is pretty high praise. I really want to see a UY story with the flying Tengu sometime (IIRC, I think that Stan is planning to include them in a UY story at some point).

Stan Sakai · Post by **Stan Sakai** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 13:42 -0700

It is an excellent reference book, and a fun book overall. I'm supposed to meet up with Matt Alt, the author, when I am in Tokyo next month.

Incidentally, Matt is on a couple of episodes of Tokyo Eye in their search for yokai. You can see them on You Tube. They're fun little adventures about ghostly Japan.

Post by **Maka** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 16:53 -0700

FYI - Matt has a Yokai Attack! facebook group. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=45151654504

Matt will be up at San Francisco for a free talk on Halloween. http://www.newpeopleworld.com/upcoming- ... sf-campus/

Peace, maka

Usagi Yojimbo DojoBoard

Yokai Attack!: The Japanese Monster Survival Guide

Yokai Attack!: The Japanese Monster Survival Guide

There be monsters here!