#FEATURE: Anime Academy Gets Medium Spooky with a Yokai Primer

“#FEATURE: Anime Academy Gets Medium Spooky with a Yokai Primer”

Nyanko-sensei scares off a rival spirit in his big, burly inugami form in a scene from the sixth season of the Natsume Yujin-Cho TV anime.

From tricky tanuki to curious kappa to coy kitsune, Japan has a rich tradition of myths and folklore which chronicle the exploits of yokai: strange spirits that sometimes pester and sometimes provide help to human beings. But what exactly are yokai, and where do they come from? Anime Academy, an educational YouTube series produced by Crunchyroll, has the answers to these questions and more.

In the video (above), host Reina Scully offers fans a crash course in yokai, noting their links to the animistic elements of the Shinto religion and their prevalence in Japanese folktales. Scully also observes that yokai aren't necessarily nasty by nature, and she points out two of the most famous types of yokai in Japanese pop culture: the aquatic goblins called kappa and the shape-shifting fox spirits known as kitsune.

Anime Academy cites examples of yokai appearances from series such as Inuyasha, Mononoke, and Natsume Yujin-cho. But the anime medium is filled to bursting with yokai both mischievous and malign, and some more recent examples include shows like In/Spectre, The Morose Mononokean, We Rent Tsukumogami, and Sarazanmai.

In his "beckoning cat" form, Nyanko-sensei flashes a smug expression and perches on top of Takashi Natsume's head in a scene from the sixth season of the Natsume Yujin-cho TV anime.

If you'd like to know more about aspects of Japanese culture and how they apply to anime, you can check out the entire Anime Academy playlist on YouTube. There are also additional seasons that cover a variety of topics: Anime Academy Season 2 explores the inner workings of specific animation studios, while Anime Academy Season 3 examines the production process of Japanese animation from initial concept to finished product.