After getting out 97 episodes of the Gegege no Kitaro anime series, we learned last fall that a new project is in the works with the Kitaro Tanjou – GeGeGe no Naoz anime feature film. Its focus on Kitaro is being done to celebrate the 100th birthday of the late manga creator, Shigeru Mizuki.
That film saw a 2023 debut as part of the 100th-anniversary of Mizuki’s birth with a November 17th, 2023 premiere date. Happinet previously got things in order for the home video release by announcing, unsurprisingly, a November 17th, 2024 release date for it. While that’s a good bit away, they’ve now brought out the first promo for the releases to encourage preorders for it below.
There will be three editions released with:
– BD LE: 15000yen + tax
– BD Reg: 5000yen + tax
– DVD Reg: 4000yen + tax
With a bit to go yet for the set, we now have our first look at the Blu-ray cover artwork for it after getting the limited edition cover. The DVD edition is the same just with a different cut due to the packaging differences.
Go Koga directed it based on the screenplay by Hiroyuki Yoshino. Touko Yataba is handling the character designs with Toei Animation on board for the production.
The expanded cast for the film includes:
- Atsumi Tanezaki as Sayo, Otome and Katsunori’s daughter
- Yumiko Kobayashi as Tokiya, Kanoko and Kenji’s son
- Tetsu Shiratori as Tokisada Ryūga, the head of the Ryūga family that secretly manipulates politics
- Nobuo Tobita as Tokima, Tokisada’s eldest son
- Yoko Soumi as Otome, Tokisada’s third daughter
- Yuko Minaguchi as Hinoe, Tokisada’s second daughter
- Masaya Matsukaze as Yamada, a journalist that is chasing after Kitarō’s past
- Umeka Shouji as Neko Musume (returning from the TV anime)
- Akira Ishida as Kenji Nagata, Kanoko’s husband
- Rie Kugimiya as Kanoko Nagata, Tokisada’s third daughter
- Kazuhiro Yamaji as Katsunori, Otome’s husband
- Kazuya Nakai as Kōzō, Tokisada’s second son
The returning cast includes Miyuki Sawashiro as Kitarou and Masako Nozawa as Medama Oyaji.
The TV series was directed by Kouji Ogawa and based on the series composition by Hiroshi Oonogi. Sorato Shimizu is serving as the character designer and chief animation director with Toei Animation handling the production along with Fuji TV and Yomiuri Advertising.
The Japanese cast includes Miyuki Sawashiro as Kitarou, Masako Nozawa as Medama Oyaji, Toshio Furukawa as Nezumi Otoko, Umeka Shouji as Neko Musume, Yukiyo Fujii as Mana Inuyama, Mayumi Tanaka as Sunakake Babaa, Bin Shimada as Konaki Jijii & Nurikabe, and Kappei Yamaguchi as Ittan Momen.
The manga began in 1965 and ran for seventeen volumes through 1986 from Shigeru Mizuki, who passed away in 2015.
Plot Concept: Nearly twenty years into the 21st century, people have forgotten the existence of Yokai. When a number of unexplainable phenomena plague adults of the human world with confusion and chaos, thirteen-year-old Mana writes a letter to the Yokai Post in search of answers, only to be greeted by Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro…
Previous promos and visuals:
