The staff for the Gekijōban Mononoke: Karakasa (Paper Umbrella) anime film revealed on Sunday that the Mononoke film project will consist of three films. The second film, titled Gekijōban Mononoke Second Chapter: Hinezumi (which can also be romanized as “Kaso,” meaning “fire rat”), is set to premiere in Japan on March 14, 2025.
Movie tickets for the second film will go on sale in Japan on August 2, and the film’s staff released the ticket design.
The film’s staff also announced that Gekijōban Mononoke: Karakasa won the Axis: Satoshi Kon Award for Excellence in Animation for the best animated feature film at the 28th annual Fantasia International Film Festival, taking place from July 18 to August 4 in Montreal.
The Axis: Satoshi Kon Award for Excellence in Animation recognizes outstanding achievement in animation in the animated feature category. This year’s jury includes jury president Johane Matte, Jonathan Alvarez, and Elizabeth E. Schuch. Last year, The First Slam Dunk anime film won the award.
Gekijōban Mononoke: Karakasa, which opened in Japan on Friday, teased before the credits “To be continued in second chapter Hinezumi.” Voice actor Hiroshi Kamiya, who voices the Medicine Seller in the film, mentioned during a stage greeting event for the film on Saturday that he will begin recording on Sunday for a “second chapter” titled “Hinezumi.”
Mononoke: Karakasa Film Returns with New Voice Actor But Delayed Release
Gekijōban Mononoke: Karakasa was initially slated to open last year but was delayed. Alongside the announcement of the delay in February 2023, the film’s staff also announced that Takahiro Sakurai would no longer reprise the role of the Medicine Seller as originally planned. Instead, Hiroshi Kamiya voices the protagonist, the Medicine Seller, in the film.
Kenji Nakamura returned to direct the Mononoke film, with production handled by Twin Engine. Kitsuneko Nagata served as the character designer, with Yūichi Takahashi adapting those designs for animation and acting as the chief animation director. Taku Iwasaki composed the music, and EOTA was responsible for the animation of the film.
Singer Aina The End performs the theme song “Love Sick.”
The Mononoke anime premiered in 2007 and aired for 12 episodes. The series is a spinoff of the Ayakashi – Samurai Horror Tales anime, specifically following the medicine seller from the “Bakeneko” (Goblin Cat) arc. The Mononoke anime consists of five arcs, with the last one titled “Bakeneko.”
Kenji Nakamura directed the television anime at Toei Animation, with Takashi Hashimoto as the character designer and chief animation director. Yasuharu Takanashi composed the music.
The anime was previously streamed on Crunchyroll, but it is currently available on other streaming services such as The Roku Channel and Netflix. New Video Group released the series on DVD in North America in 2014.
