GeGeGe no Kitaro
I want to ask if you've seen a flower like this in the forest anywhere.
Help me!
Ever since we found that flower,
there have been terrifying sounds every night!
The world you see isn't all there is.
There are things you can't see.
See? In the darkness behind you...
Ge, ge, gegege no ge
ge ge gegege no ge
Slumbering in bed in the morning
asa wa nedoko de gu gu gu
It's so fun, it's so fun
tanoshiina tanoshiina
Ghosts don't have school
obakenya gakkou mo
Or tests or anything
shiken mo nannimo nai
Ge, ge, gegege no ge
ge ge gegege no ge
Let's all sing together, gegege no ge
minna de utaou gegege no ge
ge ge gegege no ge
Ge, ge, gegege no ge
yoru wa hakaba de undoukai
Sports festivals in the graveyard at night
tanoshiina tanoshiina
It's so fun, it's so fun
obake wa shinanai
Ghosts don't die
byouki mo nannimo nai
Or get sick or anything
ge ge gegege no ge
Ge, ge, gegege no ge
minnade utaou gegege no ge
Let's all sing together, gegege no ge
minnade utaou gegege no ge
Let's all sing together, gegege no ge
minnade utaou gegege no ge
Let's all sing together, gegege no ge
What are you doing?!
-Fire! Fire! -Somebody! Help me!
CHAPTER 20
MEMORIES OF THE YOKA
Yes?
Yes, this is.
What? Aunt Toshiko...?!
She collapsed outside?
That's pretty close. I'll go check up on her.
What is it?
Mana, you're free, right?
I have my summer homework!
I can't decide what to do for my research project.
Then you're free.
Aunt Toshiko in Chiba?
She's your grandmother's older sister, so she's actually your great-aunt.
She's a bit of a black sheep among our relatives,
but she took a liking to me for some reason, and was always good to me.
What are you here for?
Nobody asked you to come.
You seem well.
Shouldn't you be lying down?
You hit 90 and things start breaking down.
TOSHIKO SAWADA
It's a fact of life. Everyone should leave me alone.
Now, now.
Mana, was it?
Yes...
She's gotten big, hasn't she?
Are you studying hard?
Huh? Uh... Sort of.
"Sort of " what?
I hate it when people can't give a straight answer.
Give me a simple "yes" or "no"!
Uh, yes!
Very good.
I'll go get you a change of clothes.
I can do it myself, but no one listens.
Don't trouble your doctors too much.
I've lived this long by myself. I'm perfectly ready to kick the bucket.
Sure. But we'd miss you, so hold on a little longer.
Is there anything you want or need me to do?
It's almost obon season.
The flowers...
Will you check on the flowers?
How many years has it been? I've missed this.
I'd stopped coming here.
Plus, Aunt Toshiko isn't really a people person.
Hmm...
I can't find any relevant records.
Nanashi... If he really has no name, there's no way to research him...
Why don't you take a break?
Ah, some refreshments.
Thanks, Catchick.
It's nothing. Sand Witch asked me to bring these.
Have you been keeping touch with Mana-chan?
What's going on?
She seems to frequently get involved in Nanashi incidents.
We should probably keep tabs on her.
Speak of the devil.
Huh? What is this?
Hmm?
Huh?
Hmm...
Are these...?
Hmm...
Red flowers... Red flowers...
These are all different.
There's nothing on the internet.
I looked in an encyclopedia once, but I never found anything.
Huh?
Whenever obon season comes around, they always suddenly bloom.
But I've never seen so many before.
Oh really?
Oh?
A photo?
This is Aunt Toshiko.
Huh. Who's the guy with her?
WITH SOUJIRO-SAN 1942
It's probably Aunt Toshiko's sweetheart.
Her sweetheart?
I heard about him.
When Aunt Toshiko was young, she fell in love with a man from Tokyo.
They even promised to marry.
But...
One day, he suddenly disappeared.
He just said, "I promise I'll be back."
Aunt Toshiko waited, believing those words.
But he never showed up again.
Since then, she felt she couldn't love or be loved by anyone.
She's lived alone to this day believing that.
That guy just disappeared? That's horrible!
True.
But, this Soujiro-san might have had some reason why.
1942 means the war had already started.
The war?
You came all the way here?
These two were interested in these flowers.
Then, they're yokai related or something?
These are called yoka.
They're flowers that bloom from yokai activity or spirit power.
So why are they at Aunt Toshiko's house?
I don't sense any malicious presence.
It looks like these flowers came from the south.
Someplace very far away.
We should check it out.
The flowers...
Will you check on the flowers?
If we're traveling, we'll need to prepare.
Yes. We'll head out tomorrow morning.
Okay.
It's a clam boat.
And the ferryman is Kawauso.
It's much faster than it looks!
Are you really coming with us?
I want to know about those flowers.
As promised, I got permission from my parents.
I said it's for my research project.
Good grief...
She's a good kid. That's nice.
Why are you here?
I'm bored.
Don't get in our way, or else.
Okay, we're off!
It's this island. I'm sure of it.
It's hot. We've come pretty south.
We've just crossed the equator it looks like.
The red flowers came all the way from here?
Huh?
IN MEMORIAM
This is... Japanese?!
KITARO'S TREE HOUSE
SHIGERU MIZUKI'S PARADISE PAPUA NEW GUINEA
-"Scratch, scratch." -"Ge."
"Shake, shake."
Japanese...
Why in a place so far away?
This is a monument to fallen soldiers.
Huh?
Japanese soldiers fought on this island during the war.
And many died.
The war...
The Pacific War.
Didn't you learn about it at school?
I've heard about it. But why on an island so far south?
Long ago, Japan tried to expand.
Against America, England, France...
Japan fought with countries it considers friends now.
It's probably hard for someone of your generation to believe, Mana-chan.
Man, it really was a crummy time.
Namu namu...
I knew we went to war with America,
but, I thought it was like Japan just got invaded and lost.
No, Japan also invaded and fought in other countries.
Such an age really happened.
It's been over 70 years.
I suppose the memories of war are fading...
This is...
Whew! Walking should be easier here!
But, something's...
KARIMARU FORESTY CO., LTD
Japanese again.
Rare trees go for high prices.
So I hear some businesses go all the way overseas to cut them down.
We've got the proper permissions here.
We're not trying to disrupt your work or anything.
I want to ask if you've seen a flower like this in the forest anywhere.
It's not my fault! It's not my fault! I'm just doing my job!
This flower--
I don't know!
That look of terror...
Something’s cursed you, hasn’t it?
Talk to me.
The yokai consultant for any supernatural phenomenon, the BiBiBi no Rat Man,
and his merry companions are here to help.
Help me!
Ever since we found that flower,
there have been terrifying sounds in the forest every night!
Now we don't have to wander the jungle all night.
That was out of line.
Well, I'm curious about that so-called "sound."
Mana, what's wrong?
It just hasn't really sunk in...
Right now, I'm far away from Japan,
where long ago, lots of Japanese people came and fought...
And, even now...
They're doing it because there's a demand. It's the principle of capitalism.
That's not what I wanted to talk about.
Where are you going?
I thought I'd get some water.
I can do that.
It's fine! Don't follow! Got it?!
Can't he tell that I have to pee?
A-An air raid?!
Charge!
Hmm.
I can't see any flashes of explosions or gunfire anywhere.
There's no vibrations or blast waves. No smell of gunpowder either.
It's really just the sound.
Hmm...
But, these are definitely the sounds of war.
Please do something! Every night these terrifying noises...!
The Tubuan! It's a curse of the Tubuan!
The Tubuan?
It's because we cut the forest and tried to disturb the sacred tree!
The sacred tree?
You're hiding something shady.
Dad.
Hmm. The Tubuan...
Kitaro! I can't find Mana anywhere!
What are you doing?!
-Fire! Fire! -Hold on! Don't die!
What... What is this?!
It's not doing anything?
It's just following me?
Maybe it's not a bad yokai.
Oh, I know!
Betobeto-san, go ahead.
Was that it?
It's not disappearing. Maybe it's not Betobeto-san.
Does it want me to follow it somewhere?
Huh?
This is the source of the yoka.
Kitaro!
You never cease to worry us.
I'm sorry. I...
We know. It's all right.
These are...
Remains of soldiers...
From their clothes, they appear to be Japanese.
No one found them and they were left here. Namu namu...
When we dug up the roots, we found these.
We called the company and they said, "Exporting the tree is a must.
If they're in the way, just throw them away."
You'd throw away the remains of your ancestors who fought for your country?!
How could you?!
Forgive us! We'll forget the tree!
The Tubuan took pity and were protecting their remains.
The Tubuan?
They're ancient spirits that live in islands around here.
Normally, they won't harm people.
They must have been intimidating those who would disturb the remains.
They used their most terrifying experience, the sounds of war.
Um, I know it's strange for me to be saying this...
But, thank you very much!
Oh, what happened to those footprints?
Well?
Yes.
The power that's creating the yoka...
This is its center.
A letter?
It's sealed and doesn't look like it was ever sent.
That dead guy must've written it.
He got killed before he could send it.
Normally, paper should have rotted away long ago.
A strong spirit power...
TOSHIKO SAWADA
SOUJIRO
Or a powerful feeling must have taken root in it.
A feeling that he died before he could say something.
From there, the yoka were born, and rode the winds far away to Japan.
This year's blooming must have been a final message
because he sensed this place would be lost.
I finally understand...
Lots of people really fought here.
And died here...
In the letter,
Soujiro-san wrote of how his parents were strict about lineage
and wouldn't allow his marriage.
Soujiro-san didn't give up, angering them, and he was forced to enlist in the army.
Before he could send word, he was sent to a far-away battlefield.
He wrote of so many things that he hadn't been able to tell.
And...
"I promise I'll come home to you."
I see.
He came back, just like he promised...
Thank you...
War.
Long before we were born,
in a far-away place,
there was a time when many people killed and were killed.
We have to know about it.
We can't allow ourselves to forget about it.
ABOUT WAR ABOUT PEACE
aitsu no geta no oto ga shitanda
I heard the sound of his geta
aitsu no geta no oto ga shitanda
I heard the sound of his geta
ushiro ni iru aitsu wa dare darou
Who is that behind me?
furimuku koto nado dekinaiyo
I can't turn around
mienai chikara wo mieta to omoeba
If I believe I can see an invisible power
kesenai yami no sono mukou
Beyond that darkness that can't be erased
aitsu no geta no oto ga shitanda
I heard the sound of his geta
aitsu no geta no oto ga shitanda
I heard the sound of his geta
karan koron karan koron
Clop-clop, clop-clop
karan koron karan koron
Clop-clop, clop-clop
karan koron karan koron
Clop-clop, clop-clop
Dad, it looks like Rat Man is tricking yokai to make money.
Next time on GeGeGe no Kitaro
"Flame on! The Solitude of the Takuro-Bi"
The door to the unseen world opens...