You could describe 2007’s Mononoke as a horror anime about a mysterious demon slayer. That would be technically accurate. It would also conjure almost entirely the wrong image.
So would saying that it’s rooted in Japanese ghost stories, or that it’s set in the Edo period, or that it combines computer effects with traditional 2D animation. Mononoke, created and directed by Kenji Nakamura (Welcome to Irabu’s Office), is more than the sum of its parts. It’s a detective procedural about a tantalizingly mysterious investigator combating vengeful ghosts, as told through psychedelic, experimental visuals inspired by classical Japanese theater.
Mononoke has been a fascinating, one-off (two-off at best) gem for almost two decades, without expectation of continuation — until now. Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain, a feature-length movie continuing the adventures of the wandering demon-slaying detective known as Medicine Seller, hits Netflix on Nov. 28. Two more sequels
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