I am glad they translated this book. I got one course on youkai by Komatsu Kazuhiko back in 2011 (translated by my professor) and I always wanted to read more of his stuff.
That's where I first noticed him but his name sounded familiar. Then when I looked at my book collection I realized I had one of his books: Yokai Attack!.
Since you mentioned the contrast between western horror villains like Freddy and eastern horror villains like Sadako, I'm surprised neither of you picked up on was how Jason Voorhees, possibly the most iconic western horror villain of the modern era, very nearly mirrors the themes of Eastern horror you expressed. Although obviously a physical being rather than a spirit/yurei, Jason comes back as a vengeful entity due to how he was mistreated in his childhood. And likewise this vengeance is not a personal one against those who directly affected him, it's more like a curse that indiscriminately strikes anyone who visit Camp Crystal Lake.
I should say that we were definitely speaking about Japanese and western horror in a very broad, general way. I sort of put Matt on the spot with that question because I'm interested in what separtates one style from another, but I'm aware there are always exceptions. There are definitely indiscriminate killers in western horror, although in the first Friday the 13th (SPOILERS) it's actually Jason's mom who blames the camp and everyone in it for killing her son and then Jason, the undead monster, starts exacting his vengeance in the sequels. I think Japan is definitely more of a collectivist society and western counties, specifically America, are more individualistic, so this probably does show up in their story sensibilities, but It's not always a hard rule.
Youkai is a blanket term for spirits/ demons/ goblins, from the Chinese term yaoguai 妖怪 (yao means "transform/ change/mutate" & guai means "weird/ bizarre/ grotesque.") An English equivalent would be mutant/ monsters. Youkai/ Yaoguai usually denotes any kind of living creature (foxes, snakes, weasels, spiders, hedgehogs, trees) or inanimate objects (lutes, candelabras. old jade, combs) that has acquired metaphysical powers & longevity via absorption of qi (primordial energy/ ether) & cultivation of the Dao. Supernatural non-human entities & creatures that live in forests, mountains, rivers & lakes are also called youkai/ yaoguai. These ideas were transmitted to Japan via Buddhism & Daoism bit by bit at least 2000 years ago, but 2 centuries ago during the Edo period they started to be drawn by artists & sort of became codified. Yurei 幽霊 (dark spirits/ souls) are just dead human beings, but with a dark personality (wronged in life or just angry, stubborn people). The normal or upstanding dead can be deified, reach Buddhahood, sainthood, or Daoist immortality, or just go join the clan in the land of the ancestors in another dimension.
Love the interview!! I also love things about yokai.. their stories and origins peak my interest! im just wondering how on earth are you gonna drink on that cup? And i love how matt just holds on the goblet and not drinking🤣
Matt Alt, displaying his Yokai Otaku skillz. The way that he talks, the way that he waves his hands, the way that he constantly corrects the interviewer shows that he thinks himself as some kind of great guardian of Japanese Yokai. lol
I think that as Matt has said the boundaries between western and eastern Kwaidan are blurring or non existent but it goes beyond that, it goes until that the manifestation of the supernatural nowadays has begin to blend with fictional depictions of the same in a somehow fusion of the old and the new, maybe even taking a more archetypical form in some cases. A brief search in the internet will show an stagering amount of material of "strange encounters" many will be forgeries yes, but by the sheer size of it a good chunk can be rule as genuine. And there are some of those "ghostly aparitions" that look a lot like Sadako. An in the same troope, the origin of the restless spirits of the dead had the same fundational mythos as japanesse Yurei were grievances can make deceased people to come back as a ghost or as a physical undead or even both in some legends. I would say that there were never such thing as a difference between oriental and western kwaidan because the rules regarding this folklores are more or less the same no matter where you are in the world, what I would say is that lense through this is understood is the one that is different. Here in the west we have sacrifice the animistic and more natural, as in part of nature, explanation of all this phenomena mainly because of christianity and the "ransom of the soul" and how the early church had to assimilate or destroy Pagan beliefs and mythos. But in the times of european paganism there were more paralels in how to understand the supernatural between east and west, specially by observing these things as part of life and nature, some are good some are bad, some are fun some scary but not essentialy evil that is what Christianity has took from us in the west because under the christian point of view all of that comes from the devil so it is inherently evil. It seems to me that Japan old ways had blend in a more healthy way with more modern views of current japanesse culture than here in europe.
Excellent interview. I thought your interviewing skills were great. I also liked the visuals that complemented each new aspect of the conversation. I seriously knew nothing about the Yokai....or that they were called Yokai before. I've seen those creepy images in various Japanese movies and animation but never knew it had a name. Very interesting. Great video!
@@kaelang12 I've heard from a few experts that there is a clear distinctions between Kami and Yokai, but honestly it is kind of complicated and confusing. The word "Kami" can mean many things, and doesn't directly translate to "God" in English. As someone who doesn't speak Japanese I can only do my best to figure it out. Thanks for the comment!
Wow, I can honestly say that I watch anime (all my life and I ain't young) because I just cannot get the characters anywhere else. The Japanese are without a doubt the master of characters of all kinds!
it would have been interesting if you also talked about the grudge series and about onryo sadako and samara are actually onryo which are angry vengeful yurei that don't stay at one place but can travel to different places just like kayako and toshio from the grudge movies
I feel he was really dismissive of the Celtics fae folk, or the Dena Sidhe in Gaelic, faeries are a range of creatures as well, which can include the leprechaun. Very rude tbh I just can't finish the video with this guy's attitude.
I'm surprised you're the first person to mention this. When I cut this together I thought to myself "Why am I saying right and nodding constantly? What the hell is wrong with me?". Honestly, I'm just a nervous nellie and I'm not conscious of most of the stuff I do.
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I am glad they translated this book. I got one course on youkai by Komatsu Kazuhiko back in 2011 (translated by my professor) and I always wanted to read more of his stuff.
Wow! Matt Alt is a legend! Begin Japanology Plus!
That's where I first noticed him but his name sounded familiar. Then when I looked at my book collection I realized I had one of his books: Yokai Attack!.
Since you mentioned the contrast between western horror villains like Freddy and eastern horror villains like Sadako, I'm surprised neither of you picked up on was how Jason Voorhees, possibly the most iconic western horror villain of the modern era, very nearly mirrors the themes of Eastern horror you expressed.
Although obviously a physical being rather than a spirit/yurei, Jason comes back as a vengeful entity due to how he was mistreated in his childhood. And likewise this vengeance is not a personal one against those who directly affected him, it's more like a curse that indiscriminately strikes anyone who visit Camp Crystal Lake.
I should say that we were definitely speaking about Japanese and western horror in a very broad, general way. I sort of put Matt on the spot with that question because I'm interested in what separtates one style from another, but I'm aware there are always exceptions. There are definitely indiscriminate killers in western horror, although in the first Friday the 13th (SPOILERS) it's actually Jason's mom who blames the camp and everyone in it for killing her son and then Jason, the undead monster, starts exacting his vengeance in the sequels.
I think Japan is definitely more of a collectivist society and western counties, specifically America, are more individualistic, so this probably does show up in their story sensibilities, but It's not always a hard rule.
Xenunnaki whoa
Xenunnaki d
Youkai is a blanket term for spirits/ demons/ goblins, from the Chinese term yaoguai 妖怪 (yao means "transform/ change/mutate" & guai means "weird/ bizarre/ grotesque.") An English equivalent would be mutant/ monsters.
Youkai/ Yaoguai usually denotes any kind of living creature (foxes, snakes, weasels, spiders, hedgehogs, trees) or inanimate objects (lutes, candelabras. old jade, combs) that has acquired metaphysical powers & longevity via absorption of qi (primordial energy/ ether) & cultivation of the Dao. Supernatural non-human entities & creatures that live in forests, mountains, rivers & lakes are also called youkai/ yaoguai.
These ideas were transmitted to Japan via Buddhism & Daoism bit by bit at least 2000 years ago, but 2 centuries ago during the Edo period they started to be drawn by artists & sort of became codified.
Yurei 幽霊 (dark spirits/ souls) are just dead human beings, but with a dark personality (wronged in life or just angry, stubborn people). The normal or upstanding dead can be deified, reach Buddhahood, sainthood, or Daoist immortality, or just go join the clan in the land of the ancestors in another dimension.
Excellent, excellent video! Bravo! I can’t thank you enough for sharing this interview
Love the interview!! I also love things about yokai.. their stories and origins peak my interest! im just wondering how on earth are you gonna drink on that cup? And i love how matt just holds on the goblet and not drinking🤣
music incidentally playing in the restaurant at 7:27 is very cool and fitting for that moment in the conversation :)
Matt Alt, displaying his Yokai Otaku skillz. The way that he talks, the way that he waves his hands, the way that he constantly corrects the interviewer shows that he thinks himself as some kind of great guardian of Japanese Yokai. lol
I think that as Matt has said the boundaries between western and eastern Kwaidan are blurring or non existent but it goes beyond that, it goes until that the manifestation of the supernatural nowadays has begin to blend with fictional depictions of the same in a somehow fusion of the old and the new, maybe even taking a more archetypical form in some cases. A brief search in the internet will show an stagering amount of material of "strange encounters" many will be forgeries yes, but by the sheer size of it a good chunk can be rule as genuine. And there are some of those "ghostly aparitions" that look a lot like Sadako. An in the same troope, the origin of the restless spirits of the dead had the same fundational mythos as japanesse Yurei were grievances can make deceased people to come back as a ghost or as a physical undead or even both in some legends.
I would say that there were never such thing as a difference between oriental and western kwaidan because the rules regarding this folklores are more or less the same no matter where you are in the world, what I would say is that lense through this is understood is the one that is different. Here in the west we have sacrifice the animistic and more natural, as in part of nature, explanation of all this phenomena mainly because of christianity and the "ransom of the soul" and how the early church had to assimilate or destroy Pagan beliefs and mythos. But in the times of european paganism there were more paralels in how to understand the supernatural between east and west, specially by observing these things as part of life and nature, some are good some are bad, some are fun some scary but not essentialy evil that is what Christianity has took from us in the west because under the christian point of view all of that comes from the devil so it is inherently evil. It seems to me that Japan old ways had blend in a more healthy way with more modern views of current japanesse culture than here in europe.
I would have loved to have long yokai convos and Beers in Japan! Awesome experience 😁
Wow, awesome interview! This channel deserves more subscribers, I can't wait to watch every future video you make! :)
Excellent interview. I thought your interviewing skills were great. I also liked the visuals that complemented each new aspect of the conversation. I seriously knew nothing about the Yokai....or that they were called Yokai before. I've seen those creepy images in various Japanese movies and animation but never knew it had a name. Very interesting. Great video!
wow , this was aMAZING !!
Loved this!!!
Thank you for this video, I was trying to find any connection between Yokai and Kami if there was one.
The relationship between Kami, Yokai & Yūrei is still something I'm trying to understand fully, but Matt helped me out a lot.
i think yokai technically ARE kami; kami are the manifestations of nature, animals, appliances, etc., and is that not what yokai are?
@@kaelang12 I've heard from a few experts that there is a clear distinctions between Kami and Yokai, but honestly it is kind of complicated and confusing. The word "Kami" can mean many things, and doesn't directly translate to "God" in English. As someone who doesn't speak Japanese I can only do my best to figure it out. Thanks for the comment!
great interviewing this guy, :)
Matt Alt was a great guest, he was highly informative! :)
I'm surprised they didn't bring up anything about The grudge movies.
Wow, I can honestly say that I watch anime (all my life and I ain't young) because I just cannot get the characters anywhere else. The Japanese are without a doubt the master of characters of all kinds!
Matt is really knowledgeable in his craft.
Great interview 👹👍
excellent
Are you going to make more videos?
Yes I'm working one now. Sorry for taking such a long hiatus. I will post an update video soon.
it would have been interesting if you also talked about the grudge series
and about onryo
sadako and samara are actually onryo which are angry vengeful yurei that don't stay at one place but can travel to different places just like kayako and toshio from the grudge movies
Matt Alt! Wow
The Man, the Myth, the Legend.
really enjoyd listening to you guys. you should make a list of all the yokai and yurei movies u recommend watching! cheers
There are yokai in the RUclips horror film NIGHTMARE IN ZOMBIE CITY!!! A little weird,creepy film!!!
for me I firs heard of Yokai in 2015 the release of Yokai watch, then after a few years realized it was based on Japanese folklore
so the toys in toy story are yokai
Still here?
Yep
YAY!!!
I have a taco terrier called Yoaki
Good work ending the video with gegege no kitaro's theme.
#MattAlt is hilarious
Some of this stuff is scary not very scary but scary
The background noise is too obtrusive
Trust me I know. I should have interviewed him somewhere quiet even if it didn't look good.
@@StoryDive Maybe try to do a lip sync voice over? (Ask if he'd be up for it)
Ah yes, ahneemei
I feel he was really dismissive of the Celtics fae folk, or the Dena Sidhe in Gaelic, faeries are a range of creatures as well, which can include the leprechaun. Very rude tbh I just can't finish the video with this guy's attitude.
NANI×3
Stop saying right, nodding is fine so he knows you’re listening. You keep cutting him off by doing that
I'm surprised you're the first person to mention this. When I cut this together I thought to myself "Why am I saying right and nodding constantly? What the hell is wrong with me?". Honestly, I'm just a nervous nellie and I'm not conscious of most of the stuff I do.
Man you look like what Jesse Eisenberg should have looked liked right now
Yeah, I get that a lot actually.