August Ragone’s
Rising Monsters
The Good, The Bad, And the Bloodthirsty
VAMPIRES JAPANESE STYLE:
for centuries in the folklore of cultures around the world, each with their own unique idiosyncrasies, a classic example being the Slavic origins of the Vampire myth. Today, the term “vampire” is almost exclusively attributed to the incarnation borne from the pages of Polidori and Stoker—which were steeped in the Eastern European folklore of the Undead. Even in Japan, when discussing “Kyuketsuki” (or Bloodsucking Demons), Dracula, above all others, is the the preeminent image of the Vampire in Japanese popular culture. In the last year alone, productions concerning the Unholy have included titles such as NIRVANA ISLAND (based on the manga by Koji Matsumoto and produced by Warner Brothers Japan), GOD’S BLOOD, FORBIDDEN MELODY, VAMPIRE GIRLS, and VAMPIRE STORIES (produced by Geneon and Universal Entertainment), as well as animated series such as BLADE: THE MARVEL ANIME. And that’s just the tip of the bloody stake. But what about more homegrown Japanese blood drinkers? In the vast pantheon of Japan’s supernatural things-that-go-bump-in-the-night, known as Yokai, there are several blood-drinking creatures, although few of them fit the familiar Eastern European archetype. Most of these Yokai are not necessarily spawned
L
egends of supernatural creatures who seek the blood of the living have persisted
from human death, and are rather sentient beings that exist alongside us in the twilight world before dawn. One such creature, the Kaibyo (or Werecat, discussed in my previous column, Issue 259) feeds upon the blood of its victims—which also allows this Yokai to take possession of said prey. The Kappa (River Imp), a reptilian water-dweller that can be either benign or malevolent, sports a bird-like beak and a turtle shell on its back, and also drinks human blood (and in some variations, the blood of children). Then there’s the pale-skinned beauty, Yuki Onna (Snow Woman), who literally takes the breath away from sleeping unfortunates trapped during heavy snows. Perhaps the Nukekubi (Disembodied
Head) best fits the more familiar conception of the Vampire. By day, these Yokai look and act as ordinary human beings, even living in groups that resemble nuclear family units. But at night, their heads detach from their bodies (which become inanimate), and the grotesque floating heads seek out victims to fulfill their desire for blood. Screaming in order to paralyze their prey, the creatures then sink their fangs into the victims’ necks to feast. Seemingly invincible, the Nukekubi must return to their bodies by sunrise, or they will cease to exist. They can also be
A pair of bloody shins: Shin Kishida in BLOODTHIRSTY ROSES (above) and BLOODTHIRSTY EYES (right).
18 FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND • MAR/APR 2012
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86