Having received a letter saying "We are being attacked by the youkai Mannendake," Kitaro travels to a bamboo grove deep in the mountains. The owners of the bamboo grove, a married couple, Masahiko and Kiyomi, Kubota from the tourism association, and Ratman are waiting for him. They wanted to turn the bamboo grove into a tourist spot, but they say that the former owner of the grove, Daikichi, as well as others, have gone missing. As soon as Kitaro steps foot in the grove, he senses youkai energy. A warning to humans is written in blood in the grove, but the study in Daikichi's mansion within the grove is full of bamboo leaves... Suddenly, Masahiko falls silent. When they turn to look, Masahiko has been turned to bamboo...!?
I thought something was strange
from the start.
.ظننت أنّ هناك شيئًا غريبًا منذ البداية
Ich dachte mir gleich,
dass irgendwas komisch ist.
Sabía que sucedía algo raro.
Sabía que pasaba algo raro.
Quelque chose
me paraissait bizarre.
Continuavo a trovarlo strano.
Eu achei que tinha algo
estranho desde o começo.
Я с самого начала подозревал 
что-то странное.