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Shigeru Mizuki's Ghost Stories Get Live-Action Drama Special

A live-action drama adaptation special of four of Shigeru Mizuki's ghost stories will air on Fuji TV on August 31. The two-hour special, called Shigeru Mizuki no Gegege no Kaidan (Shigeru Mizuki's Gegege Ghost Stories), will feature a catgirl (played by Aoi Morikawa) and Mizuki's Medama Oyaji character (voiced by Bin Shimada) who will navigate and tie together the different stories.

The stories include:

• "Sunakake Babaa" (Sand-throwing Hag) is based off of the Sand-throwing Hag character found in Mizuki's GeGeGe no Kitarō manga, as well as in Japanese folklore. The live-action version is based on Mizuki's short story that features the character, which follows an ugly man (comedian Hiroki Konno) who visits the Sand-throwing Hag (LiLiCo, pictured above) and is born again as a handsome man (Kento Hayashi).
• "Yōkai Makuragaeshi" (Pillow-returning Creature!) is based on Mizuki's short manga from 1969 about a makuragaeshi, a supernatural being that takes your pillow out from under your head and puts it under your feet. The live-action story follows an unselfish employee who is dragged into a company dispute and whose life completely changes after he meets the titular Creature!. Gaku Hamada and Reina Triendle will star.
• "Fushichō o Kau Otoko" (The Man who Kept a Phoenix as a Pet) is based on a short manga from 1964. The story revolves around a mysterious birdcage that no one is allowed to look inside. Naoki Matayoshi will play a little-known mystery author, and Shirō Sano plays the author's house guest, who carries the bird cage.
• "Einin no Tsubo" is based on a short story from 1961 about a mother (Kana Kurashina) who goes looking for a jar that will cure her dying son's illness.

Comic Natalie has more screenshots posted at its website.

Mizuki is best known for his long-running manga series Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro, which he began in 1959 under the name Hakaba Kitarō. The manga has spawned seven television series (including one Hakaba Kitarō anime), several animated movies, and two live-action films. North American publisher Drawn & Quaterly released the first volume of the series earlier this month, and also published Mizuki's NonNonBâ and Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths manga.

Image © Fuji TV

Source: Comic Natalie