Yo-kai Watch Episode 1

At the start of the very first episode of Yo-kai Watch, Keita, the protagonist, is hunting for bugs with a large net. Keita is an average looking boy, thin, energetic, and full of determination. Keita finds a stag beetle and, impressed with himself, he rushes off to tell his friends, Kuma and Kanchi. One of his friends reveals that he's caught an even bigger beetled than Keita. Before Keita has time to get upset, a young girl, Fumi, arrives.

Fumi takes a look at the beetle that Keita has caught, and seems overjoyed. Fumi says that the bug Keita caught suits him, as it's very “normal”. Keita is upset, needless to say. After that, he vows he'll find a huge bug. This comedic bit is adorable, and endears us to Keita – it lets us know that he's desperate to prove himself to Fumi, and is willing to try his hardest to impress her and his friends. It's clear that he has a crush on Fumi!

Keita goes into a forbidden areas in search of a big bug, ignoring warning signs that caution him away. Chases rare bug into brush, crawling into a bush to go after it. When emerging, finds a giant tree. Having lost the bug, he heads for the large and ominous tree.

He finds a toy vending machine, with ominous-looking toy capsules inside. He approaches cautiously. A voice calls out to insert a coin into the machine, to which Keita initially hesitates. He insists that he doesn't even know why he should, he doesn't know what the capsules hold, but the voice insists until he finally puts in the coin.

Upon opening the capsule, Keita is surprised to find he releases a ghost! The ghost immediately (and enthusiastically) introduces itself as Whisper. He explains that he was trapped in the toy capsule because a monk decided that “all ghosts were evil”, and sealed him away. Whisper thanks Keita for releasing him, but Keita has already lost interest and goes to search for his bug again... but not before demanding back the 100 yen he used to buy the toy capsule from the machine, which he “needs for juice”.

Whisper won't leave Keita alone, however, and insists that he will now work as Keita's servant forever. Once Whisper realizes that Keita is searching for bugs, he summons a whole pile of them. Keita, buried in a pile of bugs, demands Whisper take them away, which he does... but releases a stinking cloud in order to fend them off, which disgusts poor Keita. Whisper is immediately recognizable as a comedic character, despite his slightly menacing smile. Audiences are clued-in that, while Whisper is hilarious, he is still a ghost and potentially unpredictable in natural... maybe even malicious.

Keita and Whisper head back to Keita's home, while Whisper explains that no one but Keita can see him. Keita explains that he's glad, since he's not allowed to have any pets. (Being referenced as a pet drives Whisper crazy, of course.)

When Keita gets home, his parents are in the middle of a vicious argument. Keita discovers the argument is about something incredibly ridiculous – his father ate his mother's food! Keita remarks how his parents never get into fights, and that he's worried. Whisper mentions that there's a ghost in the room causing the fight that Keita can't see.

This is where Keita is gifted the Ghost Watch – a magical device that allows humans to see ghosts they would otherwise be unable to perceive. Shining the light from the watch into the world will reveal ghosts that Keita couldn't otherwise see.

Using the watch, Keita shines the light between his parents, and uncovers a huge, hulking, pink creature who looks remarkably depressed. Whisper announces that this is Damperina, a ghost whose energy causes people to argue or even get divorces!

Keita is frightened that the ghost will cause a rift between his loving parents, so he concludes that he has to force Damperina to leave. Whisper tries to talk with the giant pink ghost, but she ignores him. When Keita approaches her, she reveals that she had a fight with her husband, and she's afraid that he no longer loves her.

Thankfully, right on cue, Damperina's husband arrives – Honobono, a brilliant, yellow ghost that exudes positive energy. Whisper explains that the two ghosts cancel out each other's energy, so they are often found together. Almost immediately, Keita's parents have their moods lifted, and they apologize to each other for the argument.

Whisper promises that Keita can keep the watch, and that he will work to protect Keita from any “spooky” disturbances from other ghosts. Whispers gets a bit creepy himself when he wonders how Keita will respond to seeing and knowing that ghosts truly exist. Keita starts to realize the responsibility that comes with wearing the Ghost Watch, but he continues to wear it all the same.

Next, the story branches off to a run-in with a new ghost. Keita and Whisper are walking along the road-side, when Keita explains that an intersection near them has had strange occurrences: cars nearly running over pedestrians on the crosswalk, but the pedestrian always makes it out alright just at the last moment.

Whisper insists that these strange occurrences are definitely the workings of a ghost. When Keita scans the area, he's incredibly surprised when they discover... not a frightening or terrifying ghost... but the ghost of a cat!

The ghost introduces itself as Jibanyan – the spirit of a kitty that died when it was hit by a car, in that very same intersection. The cat was owned by a young girl named Emi, who the cat loved very much. When the cat was hit by the car, Emi commented that the cat was a “loser” for having died from just a “tiny bump” from an oncoming car. Ever since then, Jibanyan has dedicated itself to “beating up” oncoming cars by possessing pedestrians in the crosswalk.

It's important to note here that Jibanyan is adorable – while he tells the story of his death and Emi's cruel response, he tears up and cries repeatedly, while staying determined to “win a battle” over the cars.

Things take a surprise turn when Keita offers to “adopt” the cat-spirit, because he admires it's determination. Keita asks Jibanyan to be his friend, and Jibanyan tearfully accepts, giving Keita a Ghost Medal – proof of a bond between a ghost and a human.

This episode is a fantastic introduction to the lighthearted fanciful nature of the series.