The Mononoke series begins to celebrate its 15th anniversary. Mononoke is a supernatural anime series released in 2007.
The Mononoke TV anime is a spin-off of the Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales TV anime. It was first broadcast in the Noitamina block on Fuji TV in July 2007.
Around the same time in 2008, a manga version of the series about the “Bakeneko” arc began. The remaining arcs of the anime were covered by another manga, which ended in 2019.
To commemorate the occasion, the original series kicks off with a 15th anniversary project. The project will be released on June 18, 2022 with a ceremony at Fuji TV’s headquarters in Odaiba, when further details are revealed.
Mononoke Series Begins 15th Anniversary Campaign
Part of the project is the release of Mononoke: Shu, a spin-off light novel written by Hideyuki Niki. It also includes Oku album covers. The medicine seller will have to face a princess who emerges at night in a castle tower near Lake Inawashiro, a fox ghost and a terrible yokai that appears on ancient battlefields throughout the plot.
Kadokawa Bunko publishing house will release the light novel on June 10, 2022.
Meanwhile, on June 18, director Kenji Nakamura (Gatachman Crowds: Insight), Medicine Seller voice actor Takahiro Sakurai, and producer Kouji Yamamoto will participate in an anniversary celebration. It takes place at the Fuji TV Multi Theater and is broadcast live on YouTube.
There is also a Twitter campaign where fans can tweet about their favorite “famous scene” from the movie (based on the alternatives offered on the campaign home page† Fans would be signed up to receive an exclusive 15th anniversary calendar. There will be 30 winners. The campaign will run until August 14.
Comments from the Director and VA and more
Takahiro Sakurai’s (Medicine Seller) 15th Anniversary comments are below:
The impressive scene I remember from my first shoot was when director Nakamura sat down on the studio floor and started a lecture. Frankly, I got confused with the orders he gave, which differed from the animation recording theory I was aware of. He asked me things like: in each line some emotions in each cut, sounding less interested, mumbling the words, and so on. All dots were connected after watching the broadcast, as I heard about the director’s creation. A torrent of bizarre and mysterious images that are both gruesome and beautiful. I call it the madness of vibrant colors. It was an intense experience. What is the 15th anniversary project? Stay tuned for more updates.
Takahiro Sakuraic
Director Nakamura also commented on the 15th anniversary:
Even though this was my debut as a director, I’m going to give it my all as if this is the last. I was instructed to make a clear distinction between the background and the cell (character), but I thought it would still look nice even if the two were indistinguishable and as a single illustration were organised. Usually when one character stops talking, the next character starts talking, but in real life people start talking at their own pace, so I kept it that way. I remember doubting all my sanity during production.
Kenji Nakamura
Princess Mononoke Staff, Synopsis & More
The animation technique is akin to Gankutsuou’s Unmoving Plaid (albeit to a lesser extent – there are some solid colors here and there), and while it may take some getting used to, the series’ use of it is both beautiful and disturbing.
The story follows our enigmatic, nameless medicine salesman as he travels and encounters various people and creatures. To kill any Mononoke, he must first figure out his shape (configuration). This is the truth (origin) and reasoning (motivation), which is often considerably more difficult than it seems. There are five arcs in the 12-episode series.
Toei Animation produced Mononoke, with Michiko Yokote (The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn as a Typical Nobody), Chiaki J. Konaka (Ghost Hound), Ikuko Takahashi (Healing Good Precure), and Manabu Ishikawa (Your Voice -Kimiko-) as screenwriters and Takashi Hashimoto (Gekijoban Revue Starlight co-lead animator) as character designer and lead animation director.
Are you excited about the 15th anniversary ceremony? Do you like how the Mononoke series kicks off its 15th anniversary? Have you seen the Monoke series? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
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