Half a Moon: 14 Days of Celebrating Women

Well, I'm a bit on the late side here, but it's still Valentine's day, so!

I'd like to shine a bit of spotlight onto an oft-looked-over anime by the name of Mononoke. This series is a spin-off of Ayakashi - Classic Japanese Horror, which was an anthology of classical-style horror stories. The last story in this anthology was called Bakeneko (or, roughly, "Goblin Cat"); set in the Edo period, it surrounded a mysterious man known only as the Medicine Seller and his attempt to rid a samurai household of a cat-demon. Mononoke continues to follow this man as he attempts to rid different locales of different demons.

"Well," you're probably thinking, "that's a pretty standard premise, right? What's so special about that? And what does it have to do with celebrating female characters?" Well, I'll tell you - it's all in the execution. Something of a blend of mystery and horror, this series is full of some of the most brilliant storytelling and gorgeous visuals I've ever seen.



( Interested? Click for more screecaps and frothing! )

I can't recommend this series enough. If you're looking for something out of the ordinary, and if, like me, you have a love for a good mind-fscking, you'd probably really enjoy this series.

If you're interested, the Ayakashi-Bakeneko arc has been released States-side along with the rest of Ayakashi, though it may not be available for long, since Geneon has ceased distribution. Mononoke, as far as I know, has not even been licensed, though it is available fansubbed - Shinsen has a megatorrent of the whole series for download. (I'd link, but I'm not sure if that's against the rules. Mods?)

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Here are icons of some of the women of Mononoke. Credit is appreciated, but not required. (Couple of the screencaps in these were courtesy of grendelity.)

   

   

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Aaand lastly some fic links, some of my own and some by others, all focusing on Kayo, a recurring female character in the series:

( By yours truly: )

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( By nekokoban: )

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( By frackin-sweet: )