Eiga Yôkai Wotchi Fôebâ Furenzu

This is a surprisingly dark and grim offering from the Yo-Kai Watch world, but in spite of the huge tone-shift it is far from unwelcome. Death is present and serious, and the darker aesthetics (the prominent greys and blacks of the human world) creates a grim atmosphere which contrasts sharply with the vibrancy of the Yo-Kai world. It is much more distinctly Japanese than the usual show, which is both a blessing and a curse. I loved it, but it would perhaps be off-putting for western audiences in general.

Nekomata (who is in actuality a bakeneko) in particular stood out among the new Yo-Kai as both an adorable figure of fun as well as a spiritual forerunner of jibanyan, but what perhaps surprised me most was the same-sex love story between Itsuki and Shin. I was NOT expecting that, and it was a welcome surprise.