GeGeGe no Kitaro (1968 TV Series)

Aired: 1968 - 1969

The first TV anime series produced by Toei Doga (now Toei Animation). Based on Shigeru Mizuki's manga serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine (originally titled 'Hakaba no Kitaro' / 'Kitaro of the Graveyard' and renamed 'GeGeGe no Kitaro' to coincide with the broadcast). Broadcast in 65 episodes on the Fuji TV network from January 3, 1968 to March 30, 1969. Kitaro (voiced by Masako Nozawa), born in a graveyard, together with his father Medama-Oyaji (voiced by Isamu Tanonaka) and Nezumi-Otoko (voiced by Chikao Otsuka), solves cases involving yokai who threaten humans and incidents that occur at the intersection of the yokai and human worlds. Despite being in monochrome, the theme song composed by Asei Izumi and sung by Kazuo Kumakura became an explosive hit among children, with record sales exceeding 300,000 copies. A monumental work that established the yokai anime genre in Japan, the franchise has since been remade six times. (C)Mizuki Pro / Fuji TV / Toei Animation