Big in Japan: Youkai Watch (Yo-Kai Watch or 妖怪ウォッチ)

[greg]

Kids here in Japan are infatuated with Youkai Watch, which may be the next big fad in the West if/when it reaches there. The only way I can describe this show is that it is like Pokemon with ghosts instead of "pocket monsters." I have seen a bit of the anime and I've DVR'd it for my daughter to watch. Heck, anything involving ghosts and she goes NUTS over it. There's also a 3DS game that is popular. Apparently the game came out first, then the anime. The main character is a boy who instead of using a Pokeball uses a wristwatch instead that he releases youkai (ghost/phantom) to defeat evil spirits.

While I can't stop comparing Youkai Watch to Pokemon, I must say that it is far more entertaining and less insipid than Pokemon. The main character boy is far more interesting, and the main mascot for the show is a red ghost cat with two tails who is pretty cool. Plus, the show doesn't seem focused on "We must collect them all!" like Pokemon is (the "Chimpokomon" episode of South Park has forever tainted my view on Pokemon, as that craze came out while I was in college and it was not aimed at my demographic at all).

Bandai has made plastic models for the characters on the show, and I will buy that red cat model to build with my daughter this weekend. I don't know the name of the cat, but he's pretty cool.