Onibi is a beautiful graphic novel about Japanese culture and its connection with the spirit world. The setup is quite simple, a young couple find a magic camera, the camera obscura, which is said to show ghosts, yokai, which apparently roam the lands but are invisible to the naked eye. The couple travel through the Japanese countryside, visiting places that have a reputation of paranormal activity and take pictures, hoping to glimpse the yokai.
The graphic novel is beautiful and the watercolours are lush!
Over the course of 8 short stories we see the couple explore different regions of Japan, trying to lay their eyes on the yokai prize. As a result the story is quite choppy and disjointed, with some stories being better than others, but it is a novel that requires thought and maybe a re-read after reaching the end.
That's not a knock as you get another chance to enjoy the stunning pencil and water-colour art. The considered palette and use of shading adds to the atmosphere of the story and there are a few larger panels where the majesty and artistry is on full display.
As a graphic novel, the premise appealed to me as I had seen this trope before in a video game series I like, Project Zero/ Fatal Frame, so to see a graphic novel take on this premise intrigued me. However, I feel that it wasn't executed as well as I'd have liked. I think the fact that the story kept changing locations and times so suddenly didn't give us a chance to understand the two protagonists and it felt a little like a walking simulator videogame, where you expect something to happen or a jump-scare but... It doesn't materialise.
It's a good graphic novel with a great premise but for me, it feels like a promise unfulfilled. Well worth a read but I’m not sure I’d have it in my graphic novel collection for posterity.