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Birth of Kitarō:
The Mystery of GeGeGe
Kanji鬼太郎誕生 ゲゲゲの謎
Revised HepburnKitarō Tanjō: GeGeGe no Nazo
Directed byGō Koga
Screenplay byHiroyuki Yoshino
Based on GeGeGe no Kitarō
by Shigeru Mizuki
Produced byKeisuke Naito [1]
Starring
CinematographyTomoyuki Ishiyama
Music by Kenji Kawai
Production
company
Distributed by Toei Company, Ltd.
Release date
  • November 17, 2023 (2023-11-17)
Running time
104 minutes [2]
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Birth of Kitarō: The Mystery of GeGeGe ( Japanese: 鬼太郎誕生 ゲゲゲの謎, Hepburn: Kitarō Tanjō: GeGeGe no Nazo) is a 2023 Japanese animated supernatural dark fantasy film directed by Gō Koga and written by Hiroyuki Yoshino based on the GeGeGe no Kitarō manga by Shigeru Mizuki. Produced by Toei Animation and distributed by Toei Company, Birth of Kitarō commemorates Mizuki's 100th birthday, and the 4th film in the franchise. It is a prequel to the series, focusing on Kitarō's father and a salary man named Mizuki, who heads to a cursed village under secret orders. The film stars the voices of Toshihiko Seki, Hidenobu Kiuchi, Atsumi Tanezaki, Yumiko Kobayashi, and Toshio Furukawa, with Miyuki Sawashiro, Umeka Shōji, and Masako Nozawa reprising their roles from the 2018 anime series. Birth of Kitarō was released in Japan on November 17, 2023. [3]

Synopsis

Set in the 1950s, a salary man named Mizuki visits a cursed village under secret orders, while encountering a mysterious man.

Voice cast

Character Japanese voice cast [4]
Kitarō's father Toshihiko Seki (human form)
Masako Nozawa (Medama-oyaji)
Mizuki Hidenobu Kiuchi
Kitarō Miyuki Sawashiro
Neko Musume Umeka Shōji
Nezumi Otoko Toshio Furukawa
Sayo Ryūga Atsumi Tanezaki
Tokiya Yumiko Kobayashi
Tokisada Ryūga Tetsu Shiratori
Tokima Nobuo Tobita
Otome Yoko Soumi
Hinoe Yuko Minaguchi
Yamada Masaya Matsukaze
Kenji Nagata Akira Ishida
Kanako Nagata Rie Kugimiya
Katsunori Kazuhiro Yamaji
Kōzō Kazuya Nakai

Production

In March 2021, it was announced that Gegege no Kitaro manga series was to receive an anime film adaptation, [5] and in November of that year, it was announced that Gō Koga is directing the film at Toei Animation, with Hiroyuki Yoshino providing the screenplay, Tōko Yatabe designing the characters and music composed by Kenji Kawai. [6] In September 2023, it was announced that Toshihiko Seki was cast as Kitarō's father and Hidenobu Kiuchi as Mizuki, with Atsumi Tanezaki, Yumiko Kobayashi, and Toshio Furukawa joining the ensemble cast, while Miyuki Sawashiro, Umeka Shōji, and Masako Nozawa are reprising their respective roles as Kitarō, Neko Musume and Medama-oyaji from the 2018 anime series. [3] [7]

Release

The film was released in theaters in Japan on November 17, 2023. [3] It was also released via Neofilms in theaters in Hong Kong on March 7, 2024, [8] and is set to release in Malaysia and Indonesia. [9]

Reception

Box office

The film opened at number 2 out of top 10 in the Japanese box office in its opening weekend, [10] and dropped to number 4 in its second week, but rose to number 3 a week after. [11]

Accolades

The film was nominated for the 47th Japan Academy Film Prize for "Best Animation Film" category. [12] [13]

References

  1. ^ Cayanan, Joanna (February 19, 2024). "Godzilla Minus One Live-Action Film, Kitarō Tanjō: Gegege no Nazo Anime Film Producers Win Fujimoto Award". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  2. ^ 鬼太郎誕生 ゲゲゲの謎 [Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe]. eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Pineda, Rafael (April 26, 2023). "Kitarō Tanjō: Gegege no Nazo Film's Teaser Visual Reveals November 17 Opening". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  4. ^ Pineda, Rafael (September 6, 2023). "Kitarō Tanjō: Gegege no Nazo Anime Film's Trailer Reveals Cast". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  5. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (March 7, 2021). "2018 Gegege no Kitaro Anime Gets Kitarō Tanjō: Gegege no Nazo Film". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  6. ^ "「鬼太郎誕生 ゲゲゲの謎」メインスタッフ発表、古賀豪・吉野弘幸・谷田部透湖が参加". Comic Natalie (in Japanese). November 28, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  7. ^ Saabedra, Humberto (September 6, 2023). "Kitaro Tanjou - GeGeGe no Nazo Anime Film Reveals New Trailer, Cast". Crunchyroll. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  8. ^ Pineda, Rafael (February 9, 2024). "Kitarō Tanjō: Gegege no Nazo Anime Film Opens in Hong Kong on March 7". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  9. ^ Pineda, Rafael (February 9, 2024). "Kitarō Tanjō: Gegege no Nazo Anime Film to Open in Malaysia, Indonesia". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  10. ^ Pineda, Rafael (November 22, 2023). "Kitarō Tanjō: Gegege no Nazo Anime Film Opens at #2 With 160 Million Yen". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  11. ^ Pineda, Rafael (December 6, 2023). "Rascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid Anime Film Opens at #4". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  12. ^ Mateo, Rafael (January 24, 2024). "The Boy and the Heron, Godzilla Minus One, Detective Conan: Kurogane no Submarine, Blue Giant Nominated for Japan Academy Film Prizes". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  13. ^ "第47回日本アカデミー賞：優秀アニメーション作品賞に「鬼太郎誕生 ゲゲゲの謎」「君たちはどう生きるか」「窓ぎわのトットちゃん」「名探偵コナン 黒鉄の魚影」「BLUE GIANT」". Mantan Web (in Japanese). January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.

External links

Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Birth_of_Kitarō:_The_Mystery_of_GeGeGe&oldid=1220738445"