The official website for the Kitarō Tanjō: Gegege no Nazo anime film just dropped some major news: the film is getting a brand new screening in Japanese theaters starting October 4! And it’s not just any screening – it’s a True Birth Version, featuring approximately 327 retaken cuts and some redubbed lines. The new version will be rated R15+, so buckle up, fans!

The original screening had a PG12 rating, but this new version promises to be even more thrilling. And with its R15+ rating, it’s sure to deliver some serious scares.

The film opened in Japan in November 2023 and was a huge success, selling 111,500 tickets and earning 160,106,620 yen (about US$1.07 million) in its first three days. And as of January 28, it had earned a cumulative total of 2,472,410,610 yen (about US$16.79 million).

Gō Koga, the director of the film, and Hiroyuki Yoshino, the screenwriter, have done an amazing job bringing this spooky tale to life. And with Tōko Yatabe‘s character designs, it’s sure to be a visual treat.

The film is part of four “big projects” commemorating the 100-year anniversary of Shigeru Mizuki‘s birth. Mizuki was a renowned manga artist and the creator of the GeGeGe no Kitarō series.

The latest GeGeGe no Kitarō anime series premiered in April 2018 and ran for 97 episodes. The show starred Miyuki Sawashiro as Kitarō and Masako Nozawa as Medama Oyaji. Both reprised their roles for the film, although Nozawa is credited as “Kitarō’s Father” instead of Medama Oyaji.

Mizuki’s manga, which began in 1959 under the name Hakaba Kitarō, has spawned seven television series (including one Hakaba Kitarō anime), several animated movies, and two live-action films. The stories center on an inhuman boy who straddles the line between the human and supernatural worlds.

Source: Kitarō Tanjō: Gegege no Nazo film’s website via My Game News Flash