Folk Remedy
Book 1
A girl encounters Yokai, creatures from Japanese folklore, in Jem Yoshioka’s spirited graphic novel Folk Remedy.
Maple works with her mother at the family’s apothecary in a remote town in Japan. Influenced by her friend Kunio, Maple stopped believing in Yokai, but her mother still thinks they exist. Her mother gifts Maple the family Yokai book, wherein generations of ancestors recorded their interactions with Yokai. Maple tests their existence by removing the seal on a lantern; out of it emerges Ember, a Yokai trapped inside for 300 years.
Maple gives Ember’s Magatama, an enchanted carved stone, to Kunio, who’s headed out of town. Soon Maple and Ember set off to get it back. Along the way, they encounter other Yokai, some hostile, some helpful. Maple and her Yokai friends escape from “Sky Jail” in a Tengu castle and from dangerous Oni territory, only to see Maple undergo a strange transformation herself.
Elements from folklore and mythology appear alongside “a few new inventions,” though little guidance is given for separating the imagined from the traditional. Some Yokai, like Kasa-obake “umbrella Yokai” and “Tofu boy Yokai,” have humorous qualities, contributing liveliness to the rollicking adventure, wherein mysteries and hidden agendas propel personal relationships. The art is cute and colorful, featuring imaginative depictions of Yokai alongside realistic details of Japanese garb, buildings, and food.
Folk Remedy is a fantastical graphic novel about a girl’s immersion in a world of strange supernatural creatures.
Reviewed by
Peter Dabbene
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
