The Medicine Seller from 2007’s Mononoke is set to return with a new anime movie titled Gekijouban Mononoke (Mononoke the Movie) in 2023.
An announcement trailer has been released for the supernatural film, which was announced at the 15th anniversary event for the original series. Series director Kenji Nakamura (Gatachman Crowds: Insight) and lead voice actor Takahiro Sakurai are returning for the Mononoke film, which Twin Engine is producing.
Aside from the movie, several other anniversary projects were announced. These include a series of visuals involving 15 artists, a crowdfunding campaign to support the movie’s production, and a stage play. The crowdfunding campaign will run from June 24 to August 14 with a goal of 10 million yen (~US$74,088) on Ubgoe (for those in Japan) and Kickstarter (for international fans). There will be nine tiers available, with the lowest being 5,000 yen (~US$37.04) and the highest being 150,000 yen (~US$1,111.32).
Furthermore, the series, as well as the three Bakeneko episodes from the 2006 Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales show that Mononoke spun-off from, will be livestreamed on the Noitamina YouTube channel on June 24.
The Mononoke series was produced by Toei Animation, with the main staff including Takashi Hashimoto (Gekijoban Revue Starlight co-main animator) as character designer and chief animation director and Michiko Yokote (The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn as a Typical Nobody), Chiaki J. Konaka (Ghost Hound), Ikuko Takahashi (Healin’ Good Precure), and Manabu Ishikawa (Your Voice -Kimiko-) as scriptwriters. The anime is a spin-off of 2006’s Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales.
Crunchyroll describes the original show as:
In feudal Japan, evil spirits known as mononoke plague the countryside, leaving a trail of fear in their wake. One mysterious person has the power to slay the mononoke where they stand; he is known as the Medicine Seller, and he vanquishes the spirits using the power of his Exorcism Sword. In order to draw his sword he must understand the Form, Truth and Reason of the mononoke. Armed with a sharp wit, the Medicine Seller wanders from place to place, striking down the evil spirits in his wake.
Sources: TWIN ENGINE YouTube channel, Mononoke 15th Anniversary website (1), (2)
