Yokai Attack!: The Japanese Monster Survival Guide (Paperback)

~ (Author), (Author), Tatsuya Morino (Illustrator)
Key Phrases: female height, supernatural abilities, The Attack, Offensive Weapons, Distinctive Features (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Funny, scary and informative, Yokai Attack! is a must-have, must-read for anyone interested in Asian culture and MONSTERS. What a combo! It will have a place of honor on my shelf between Chariots of the Gods and The Zombie Survival Guide. Great stuff. Great fun!"Steve Niles, Creator, 30 Days of Night

Product Description

Yokai are Japan's traditional creepy-crawlies. Almost always encountered in the dark of night, they were once feared throughout the land. But they're more than just myth, more provocative than pop culture--references to yokai abound in Japanese idioms, and nearly every Japanese person has at least a passing knowledge of the most famous of these captivating creatures from times of old. Now, after collecting data and descriptions from a variety of sources, including first-hand accounts and microfilms of 18th-century publications stored in the National Diet Library in Tokyo, authors Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt have produced the first English-language guide to Japans yokai monsters. Original illustrations, created by the talented Tatsuya Morino, detail the potential visible appearance of each yokai. And alongside each and every one are data points allowing you to take in each yokai's characteristics at a glance.
Forget Godzilla. Forget the giant beasties karate-chopped into oblivion by endless incarnations of Ultraman, Kamen Rider, and the Power Rangers. Forget the Pocket Monsters. Forget Sadako from The Ring and that creepy all-white kid from The Grudge. Forget everything you know about Japanese tales of terror. Their roots may extend back to days of yore, but Yokai Attack! will convince any reader that Japan's bewitching tradition of yokai monsters is far from being history.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha International (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4770030703
• ISBN-13: 978-4770030702
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #88,758 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you ever wanted to know about Japanese monsters!, September 24, 2008

By	Laura I (Fairchild AFB, WA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This is a really fun book, even better than I would have expected. The book is about the size of a manga and is full color inside. The illustrations are excellent and is just so much fun to read, after reading a couple pages about one monster, you want to check out the next, as they just get more and more bizarre and entertaining!

I've been watching animes and reading mangas for many years now and I've noticed some of the same strange monsters showing up over and over again. I was intrigued and wanted to know more about them, since I'm interested in folklore in general and Japan seems to have a very rich monster mythology. If you've watched animes like Inuyasha, Devil Man or Blood Reign, then you've already seen a few of the yokai featured in this book already. But as familiar as I *thought* I was with Japanese monsters, probably 80% of these I've never heard of before and it was a delight to learn more!

Each yokai is given specifications such as: height, weight, attack and defense. Also includes a wonderfully drawn illustration and if available, traditional Japanese illustrations (such as a 19th century woodblock print). As well as the Japanese name, English translation, and (very helpful) pronunciation of the Japanese name.

So if you've ever wanted to learn more about Japanese monsters, here's the perfect guide! Everything you ever wanted to know, from the standard bakemono to the bizarre Tofu Boy.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Utilitarian yet detailed handbook - perfect for yokai fieldwork!, August 31, 2008

By	John Mcclain "suttonkyo na yatsu" (The Kingdom of Hawai'i) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When's the last time you asked yourself, "Gee, how do I keep my home safe from the Bathtub Licker?" Not recently, you say? And yet to a Japanese child, the mention of the name "Akaname" evokes the image of a large, red demonlike creature with a long tongue and glaring eyes, that hides in the bathroom at night. Aren't you glad you were warned? Then thank your lucky stars you're buying Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide.

Each of the more than 50 detailed descriptions provide everything you'll need when faced with one of these legendary Japanese monsters. The first page of each entry is the "Stats Sheet" page, containing vital information such as monster height, weight, mode of locomotion, and any special abilities, as well as a full page color image (by talented illustrator Tatsuya Morino) of the yokai in question. The pages following contain information on the type of threat each yokai represents (whether it be just a scare, or a definitely-to-be-avoided disembowelment), as well as any defensive measures that can be taken, origin stories, typical location where found, regional variants of the monster, in addition to stories, facts, and legends surrounding that creature and its habits. Truly, the amount of information contained for each yokai is substantial, and will undoubtedly prove crucial to the would-be yokai hunter (or as often as not, the "yokai hunted").

The authors have made on-the-go referencing easier as well (very important when you're not sure if you're facing a Kuchisaki Onna or a Futakuchi Onna!) by separating yokai into groupings by type, from the ferocious to the feeble. What's more, each grouping has its own tab for flip-through ease, very convenient when you're running away from a creature at close to a full-out sprint!

In my own time in Japan, I myself came across a number of the creatures described in this book, and can attest to the efficacy of at least a few of the defense techniques described therein. I can only say I wish I had had this handbook with me at the time, and that I will certainly be bringing it with me on any future excursions.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Night parade of 100 demons, September 24, 2008

By	Zack Davisson "All Good Things" (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Japan is a monster country. While other countries may have their vampires and wolfmen, their unseelie courts and ogres and giants, Japan is home to a traditional eight million different varieties of spooks and lurkers in the dark. Japanese children obsess on them and memorize them the way American children do dinosaurs, and you would be hard-pressed to find a child without at least one of the ubiquitous tomes detailing their haunting places and special attributes.

"Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide" (subtitled "A survival guide for foreigners", although this is only subtly written in Japanese), is one of the few books available on this traditional aspect of Japanese culture. Emulating such books as The Zombie Survival Guide, it takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to the bizarre menagerie. It acts like a video game guide, giving statistics such as height, weight, favorite food, method of attack, surviving an encounter, etc...A total of forty-six yokai get the treatment, from the famous beasties like the kappa and tengu, to the lesser-knowns like the dorotabo and the hashi hime.

This is very much a "flipping book", not to be read in one sitting but going through checking out the yokai who catch one's eye. Every entry is accompanied by an illustration, by Morino Tatsuya. Morino was an assistant to the yokai-master Mizuki Shigeru, and while his ability is not at Mizuki's level he does a good job with the style. All of the illustrations are in color, and are often accompanied by older artwork such as ukiyo-e prints and toys featuring the various yokai.

When reading this book, I was of two minds. One the one hand, it is pretty cool to have an English-language introduction to yokai in any form. One the other hand, I would have been so much better to simply translate any of Mizuki Shigeru's numerous beautiful and authentic books dealing with the subject. The idea of a "survival guide" works great when dealing with a familiar topic like zombies, but seeing as how most Westerners would be unfamiliar with yokai a more straight forward book might have been better.

People just looking for a fun and casual book will find this a treasure, however. Yokai appear quite often in Japanese video games and anime, and this kind of book would be a perfect resource to those who want to learn a little bit more about what they are seeing. It would also be a great guide book for role playing gamers who want to introduce a Japanese flavor to their campaigns.