Onibi

July 15, 2018
A couple of foreign travelers search for ghosts and spirits in the countryside of Japan.According to Japanese legend, onibi are ghost lights, rather like will-o'-the-wisps, and yokai are supernatural monsters, spirits, and demons. Originally written in French, this graphic novel follows two foreign children, Cécile and Olivier (presumably child avatars of the creative duo, Cécile Brun and Olivier Pichard, who work together as Atelier Sento), as they travel around Niigata Prefecture. While there, they purchase an old camera that's purported to capture the yokai on film. Using their camera, they explore this rural area, listening to eerie legends and visiting its haunted places. Unfortunately, the yokai like to play tricks and can sometimes be mischievous and dangerous. Each chapter centers on one of the pictures taken on the trip and tells the story of how it was captured. Overlaid with ghostly illustrations, these photos are real pictures printed using the cyanotype process, which gives them a mysterious blue color. (A three-page minicomic explains the process.) Basing their adventure on real people and places in Japan, the French duo creates a spooky yet intriguing spirit world overlaid on our reality. Using a combination of watercolor and colored pencil, the illustrations are done in a beautiful traditional Japanese style, and the device of the camera in the hands of white tourists is an artful one, given the theme of intersecting worlds.A must for anyone intrigued by the hidden spirit world and how it crosses over into ours. (maps, glossary) (Graphic fantasy. 10-14)

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August 13, 2018
When Cécile and Olivier find an old camera in a store in Saruwada, Japan, the shopkeeper insists that it will capture any ghost’s image. After purchasing the magic device, the kids travel all over Japan in search of yokai, or spirits. The chapters are largely formulaic (the two arrive, learn about a ghost, and take a picture of it), but they are woven together by the supernatural creatures, which reflect a variety of values. Brun and Pichard deploy watercolors in soft hues that often bleed into one another—a perfect visual metaphor for a story about the blurry separation between natural and supernatural. The kids’ photographs add a powerful visual element at the end of each chapter. Drawn in a realistic style, these “photos,” coupled with notes about when and where the image was taken, both incorporate glowing figures signifying the yokai and help to create a haunting experience for readers. Ages 10–18.

September 1, 2018

Gr 3-6-Like a love letter to traditional Japan, this graphic novel takes readers off the beaten path to explore the mountains, coast, and small towns of Niigata prefecture alongside a pair of adventure-seeking French tourists. Based on the authors' own travels, the delightfully quirky narrative begins when Olivier and Cécile stumble into a secondhand shop and buy a camera that's said to capture images of otherworldly creatures known as yokai. Intrigued by local legends and folktales, the travelers talk to townspeople and visit shrines, hoping to catch the supernatural on film. Each episodic chapter delves into the question of whether the natural and supernatural coexist side by side, and concludes with a yokai photo, revealing that Olivier and Cécile did indeed encounter spirits-though they may not have realized it at the time. Translated from French, the dialogue is appealingly straightforward, and beautiful, detailed watercolors of changing autumn leaves and steaming bowls of udon depict rural Japan. VERDICT Light on character development and plot but brimming with charm, this stunning volume will enchant ghost story enthusiasts and those interested in Japan.-Allison Tran, Mission Viejo Library, CA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2018
Grades 9-12 In fall 2014, C�cile Brun and Olivier Pichard (fictional versions of the artists who comprise Atelier Sento) traveled to Niigata Prefecture on Japan's west coast. To escape the rain, they duck into a dimly lit shop, where they discover a camera that can allegedly shoot supernatural creatures. It's a mere 2500, although the film is 210,000. Brun invests, and despite Pichard's protestations, the hunt for yokai?trickster spooks?and other ancient apparitions is on. Welcoming locals, mysterious strangers, toothsome meals, and spooky legends all lead the intrepid duo through otherworldly adventures in this fantasy travelogue. Their stopovers eventually yield eight curious blue-and-white photographs, each layered with stories and spirits. As artists in the story, the couple uses mostly traditional techniques that include watercolor, colored pencils, and printmaking. As creators, they imbue their youthful alter-egos with anime charm, from Brun's oversized opaque glasses to Pichard's stubborn cowlicks. Aided by Velde's smooth, succinct translation, the duo share a Japan that's uncommon in panels rich with cultural details and sensitive representation, with just enough chill-factor to ensure entertainment along the way.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)