The anime adaptation of the manga Donten ni Warau Gaiden is working through a trilogy of films with its Japanese release and we learned about a month ago that Eleven Arts is bringing them out theatrically in North America. With the third film coming up in Japan with a September 1st, 2018 debut, Eleven Arts has revealed an August 24th, 2018 premiere date for the first two films with the third to get scheduled later. To get people excited and pre-load into the theater side with trailers, they’ve put together a two-minute piece subtitled in English to draw attention to the project.
With Tetsuya Wakano directing, Eiji UImehara is handling the composition for the trilogy while Kie Tanaka is serving as the character designer and chief animation director. The new additions to the cast includes Fumiko Orikasa as Koyuki Kumou and Tooru Ookawa as Taiko Kumou.
The manga serves as side story material that takes place during and after the main series which saw simulcast from Funimation and a home video release as well. Check out our review of the original series.
The TV series was directed by Hiroshi Haraguchi based on the scripts by Yuuya Takahashi with Doga Kobo animating it. Takao Maki worked on the character designs for the series.
The series stars Yūichi Nakamura as Tenka Kumo, Yuuki Kaji as Soramaru Kumo, Tsubasa Yonaga as Chūtarō Kumo, Takahiro Sakurai as Shirasu Kinjō., Mamiko Noto as Nishiki, Shinichiro Miki as Naoto Kagami, Rina Satou as Botan, Kenichi Suzumura as Abe no Hirari, Hiro Shimono as Rakuchō Takeda, Hiroki Yasumoto as Seiichirou Takamine and Sayaka Ohara as Kiiko Sasaki.
Original plot concept: “Protect this country from behind the curtains of history.” In those days, we were dreaming seriously.
Eleven years before the resurrection of Orochi, the demon serpent that awakes every 300 years, there were those who aimed to protect the country behind the curtains of history. They are the Yamainu, the unit formed solely to contain Orochi. In that unit instructed by Kumou family head Taiko, its members include Tenka and his sworn friends Sousei Abeno, Kiiko Sasaki, and others.
However, as a result of a certain incident, Tenka parted ways with the other Yamainu who held the same ambitions. There was something that could not be protected if he remained affiliated with the unit.
In the twelfth year of the Meiji era, under the clear skies of Shiga where the serpent was destroyed, the Yamainu and the Kumou brothers discover Tenka’s hidden feelings.