In modern day Japan, a colossal culmination of evil called the Yokaiju is planning on laying waste to Tokyo. The local spirits known as yokai want to prevent this disaster, so they take their case to the World Yokai Conference to get the help of monsters from other countries, but they decide that Japanese yokai are seen nowadays as cute mascots instead of monsters, so they leave Japan's yokai to deal with this threat on their own. The only hope they have is in young Ken Watanabe who is the descendent of infamous yokai slayer. Ken turns the yokai down, so they talk his younger brother Dai into becoming their savior, but Ken knows this will lead to Dai's demise, so he heads off to the spirit world to find him. With the help of Koko the kitsune, Ken embarks on a crusade to save his brother and possibly help the yoaki with their impending threat.
The Great Yokai War: Guardians is a feasibly likable manga that a reader can check out without having to see the motion picture to like it. Sanami Suzuki is a great artist, although it's hard to say if his writing is up to specs, or if the English translation by Titan Manga wasn't Americanized a step too much. There's plenty of laughs and sight gags to find enjoyable, although nothing as dark as some of Takashi Miike's prior movies. For a lighter view of natural spirits trying to defend their homeland, then this is one spooky army you'll want to sign up for.
