'Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom in the Rain' Set to Stream on Netflix

The hotly anticipated Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom in the Rain will be available on Netflix. Ahead of the launch, its official exhibition and US premiere are set for the Animation Is Film Festival this coming October.

Set in the Ōoku, the women's quarters of Edo Castle, the film offers unprecedented visual beauty, illustrated like a painted handscroll. Through bold art, new animation techniques fusing computer graphics and Japanese paper textures, an abundance of distinctive shots, and unique use of color, it creates a stunning and immersive world. Along with the peculiar grace of the Medicine Seller, the film draws viewers in a rich and deep setting.

The story of the film revolves around the mononoke, an apparition created when intense human emotions merge with a supernatural spirit. When these entities start causing strange disturbances that harm people, a mysterious man called the Medicine Seller appears. Wielding the Sacred Sword - the only weapon in the world that can exorcise these specters - he stands against the mononoke who wreak havoc.

The Mononoke series originated from the Goblin Cat segment in the animated horror anthology Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales, which aired on Fuji TV's noitaminA block in 2006. It was later adapted into a TV anime series in 2007 and has attracted ardent fans since its release.

The empathetic story delves into universal themes that resonate even today, such as the struggle of being forced to suppress one's individuality to conform, while also exploring the desires and burdens that swirl within the mind. In this chaotic age where the seeds of a mononoke may take root in anyone's heart, this bittersweet story of salvation has arrived to stir the soul.

Crafted by an all-star cast and staff under the direction of series creator Kenji Nakamura, this original feature-length film will carve out a new legend.

Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom in the Rain streams soon on Netflix.

Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom in the Rain KA

©︎Twin Engine

About Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom in the Rain

STORY

The Ōoku -

A harem swirling with intense emotions.

The Ōoku is where beautiful and talented women are gathered from all across the land to bear the heir of His Majesty, the ruler. At the same time, it is an important place that plays a crucial bureaucratic function. Stepping into this unusual society with its own rules are young newcomers Asa (Tomoyo Kurosawa) and Kame (Aoi Yuki). Blessed with both intelligence and beauty, Asa aims to improve her standing, while Kame searches for a sense of belonging in this place she has always dreamed of. On the day of their induction, these two girls of opposite personalities are forced to participate in a ceremony to become part of the group by sacrificing their most cherished belongings to the Water Goddess, a deity worshiped within the Ōoku. As a result of this event, a bond forms between the two girls.

The elder Utayama (Mami Koyama) oversees the women while prioritizing the prosperity and continuation of the Ōoku, but she conceals something behind her stony facade. Slowly, over time, something uncanny begins to envelop the women. As their powerful emotions accumulate each night, the strange sound of a spinning paper umbrella echoes from the shadows and the maidservants begin to lose their minds, as though they are possessed.

Eventually, a pivotal tragedy occurs. The Medicine Seller (Hiroshi Kamiya) proceeds to the heart of the Ōoku, but he cannot draw the Sacred Sword to exorcise the mononoke unless he learns the being's "Form," "Truth" and "Reason." When the Medicine Seller uncovers the frightening and heartbreaking truth hidden in the Ōoku, the ceremony of exorcism and redemption begins.

STAFF
Director: Kenji Nakamura
Character Design: Kitsuneko Nagata
Animation Character Design/Chief Animation Director: Yuichi Takahashi
Art Setting: Yoichi Katoono
Art Directors: Akira Kuramoto, Yoko Saito
Art Supervisor: Takashi Kurahashi
Color Design: Kunio Tsujita
Visual Director: Yoichi Senzui
3D Director: Kenichi Shirai
Editor: Shigeru Nishiyama
Sound Director: Yukio Nagasaki
Music: Taku Iwasaki
Producers: Kimiaki Sato, Yuki Sudo
Content Producer: Koji Yamamoto
Production: Twin Engine, EOTA
Distribution: Twin Engine, Giggly Box

CAST
Hiroshi Kamiya (Medicine Seller)
Tomoyo Kurosawa (Asa)
Aoi Yuki (Kame)
Mami Koyama (Utayama)
Kana Hanazawa (Kitagawa)
Haruka Tomatsu (Botan Otomo)
Yuki Kaji (Saburomaru)
Jun Fukuyama (Hiramoto)
Yukana (Mugitani)
Yuhko Kaida (Awashima)

About ANIMATION IS FILM (AIF)
ANIMATION IS FILM (AIF) fills a gap in the U.S. market with an established world-class animation festival on par with major events in Europe and Asia, and based in the world capital of animated filmmaking - Los Angeles. By embracing the highest aspirations of animation as a cinematic art form akin to live action, AIF is an international advocate for filmmakers from around the world who push the boundaries of their work to the fullest range of the medium's artistic expression. Founded in 2017, AIF is produced by GKIDS in partnership with the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Tickets are currently on sale at AnimationIsFilm.com.