When the Tanuki attempts a Camouflage with the Daruma

[Screen shot from the animation Pom Poko (1994)]

An animation with environmentalist messages about the effects of industrialisation on the tokyo landscape. Much of japanese traditional folklore creatures and spirits (tanuki, kitsune, the faceless woman by the street, the one-eyed monster etc) are all found here.

At times, the storyline in Pom Poko is so dark that the kawaii qualities of the tanuki makes it simply too distressing to watch *exasperated* ... Till dash realised that Pom Poko was by madhouse, the same production team which brought us Satoshi Kon's Paprika (2006) and Tokyo Godfathers (2003).

Ahah! Now dash sees the evolution of the ghost and monster parade in Pom Poko to the nightmarish doll and toy parade in Paprika!