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Bakemono
Bakemono is the Japanese word for monster. Usually it'll be seen used as a general term, and to encompass anything from a
supernatural creature to a spirit which one might lump under the label of monster. A bakemono could be a bakeneko (monster, ghost,
or spirit cat), mononoke, or a tengu to name a few examples.
In Shang-ch'ing belief there are good spirits and energies within the body, but also monsters. These monsters live on both human desires and grains.
"In the Shang-ch'ing scriptures, the monsters are sometimes depicted as attractive and good-looking, sometimes as misshapen and ugly. When an individual does
not realize that the monsters are harmful, worldy things and even unethical deeds can appear attractive; however, when the individual realizes that the monsters can
shorten life, the entities will become repulsive and ugly. In visualizing the internal universe, the first step to eradicating the monsters is to see them in their undesirable
shape, or what is called their "true form." When Shang-ch'ing Taoists speak of "seeing the True Forms," they are referring to the brilliant and radiant form of the
guardians and the ugly and repulsive forms of the monsters." (Wong, 57).
Bakemono also appear as Monsters of the Day in some anime and manga series. This means a new creature or spirit
appears each episode and the protagonist must deal with them. Examples of these include the aragami in Blue Seed or the varied
enemies in Sailor Moon. In some cases these bakemono may be used as a reflection of what is inside or what is happening inside of
a person's heart. The shinma (god/demon) of Vampire Princess Miyu enter the hearts of their host or use the repressed emotions or
desires of humans to live. The shinma act as a catalyst to bring out the darker corners of the human heart to the audience. The bakeneko
in the TV series taps into a wife's unsaid wish to have a child, and into her unspoken loneliness. In the end this quiet desire turns into
an obsession under the shinma's influence and the once-loving couple end their life tragically, destroyed by it. In some ways, the shinma are similar to the
internal monsters described above. Other demons similar to the shinma are those found in the series Night Walker. For example, in ep. 2 a female demon
moves within someone's shadow, in exchange for giving sparks of extraordinary talent to a human, the person must feed on human flesh, specifically
hearts (a kind of metaphorical hunger and mirror to the gradual eating away of the person possessed by the invited demon). Another example
comes from the first episodes of Wedding Peach. Here the akuma (devil), Jamapi, enters the heart of his victim and the heroine
Momoko/Wedding Peach must use a magic mirror to see inside their heart and then drive the devil out with love waves.