Anime featuring spirits and other cultural supernatural concepts are becoming increasingly common, allowing viewers in Japan and around the world to explore the world of yokai. The latest show to do so is the upcoming Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari. Though its name might suggest an unrelated franchise entirely, Mononogatari showcases the good and bad side of its titular spirits in a slightly different way.
Mononogatari challenges a person tasked with keeping mystical spirits sealed away to reevaluate his feelings toward them by debating the morality of such spirits in the human world. The show is expected to make a splash in the already crowded early 2023 anime season and is eagerly awaited by fans of spooky seinen. Here are some important details about Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari for both manga fans and newcomers.
The Scheme of the Evil Spirits: Mononogatari
Many different spirits, known as tsukumogami or marebito collectively, inhabit the world of Mononogatari. Due to their capacity to control inanimate objects, these creatures have the potential to be both good and bad. The main character is Hyouma Kunato, a Saenome clan member tasked with returning these spirits to their own realm. Despite the fact that he intends to do so in a way that is largely peaceful, he is not at all kind to the tsukumogami because of his history with them.
Hyouma’s hostility toward the spirits worries his grandfather because he sees potential disaster in it. As a result, he sends him to live in Kyoto with Nagatsuki Botan. She cohabitates with them as if they were family, whereas her new acquaintance harbors animosity toward Marebito. Hyouma’s perception of the tsukumogami may or may not completely change now that he has met her six “friendly” ones.
Teaser for Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari
While the Mononogatari synopsis might imply a setting appropriate for a fantasy slice-of-life series, the anime’s trailer demonstrates how it will be a much more action-packed affair. The basic premise is established: Hyouma is sent to live with Botan and her tsukumogami, who resemble humans very much. Naturally, none of them seem to get along with Hyouma, which is why Botan threatens to expel him. The series fits in with the likes of Bleach and many of the darker shonen titles of today thanks to the action sequences and magic used.
News about the Production of Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari
Onigunsou created the manga that would become Mononogatari, which debuted in Miracle Jump in 2015 before moving to Ultra Jump in 2016. Many seinen manga can be found on the latter, most notably Crazy Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreak, which is a chapter of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Despite only recently being localized in the West to coincide with the release of the anime, the series is still ongoing with 14 volumes collected to date. Bandai Namco Pictures will produce the anime series, which was announced in November 2021. The Japanese media juggernaut’s subsidiary animation studio has worked on a number of noteworthy projects, including Welcome to Demon School! and their largest to date are the adaptations of the comedic Gintama.
Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari is helmed by Ryuichi Kimura, with Keiichiro Ochi penning the scripts, Shiori Fujisawa creating the character designs, and John Kanda and XELIK handling the score. The opening and closing themes, “Koigoromo” and “Rebind,” are performed by Arcana Project and True, respectively. The tsukumogami Nagi, Yu, Kagami, Suzuri, Haori, Kai, and Itsuki are voiced by Chikahiro Kobayashi, Reina Ueda, Aimi Tanaka, Yoshiki Nakajima, Miyuki Sawashiro, Taiten Kusunoki, and Azusa Tadokoro. Takeo Otsuka and Yuki Takada provide the voices for Hyouma Tsubaki Kadomori (Saori Onishi), Taiju Kadomori (Nobuaki Kanemitsu), Shota Kadomori (Shohei Tabuchi), and Umekichi Kadomori are additional characters (Shinya Takahashi).
Malevolent Spirits’ Scheduled Release Date: Mononogatari
For those eager to witness the taming of evil spirits, Mononogatari is soon to be released in anime form. On January 10th, 2023, the program will be broadcast on Tokyo MX, BS11, and other channels in Japan. Although the series has been licensed by the streaming platform Crunchyroll for audiences outside of Asia, it appears that only the subtitled version will initially be accessible given the absence of an announced English cast. The anime will be broadcast at the following times:
- Pacific Standard Time: 7.00 am (Sunday, Jan. 9)
- Central Standard Time: 9.00 am (Sunday, Jan. 9)
- Eastern Standard Time: 10.00 am (Sunday, Jan. 9)
- Greenwich Mean Time: 3.00 pm (Sunday, Jan. 9)
- Indian Standard Time: 8:30 pm (Sunday, Jan. 9)
- Central European Time: 4.00 pm (Sunday, Jan. 9)
- Australian Central Daylight Time: 1:30 am (Sunday, Jan. 10)
- Philippines Standard Time: 11.00 pm (Sunday, Jan. 9)
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