Kitarō Tanjō: Gegege no Nazo climbs Japan’s box office chart
IMDBShigeru Mizuki’s Kitarō Tanjō: Gegege no Nazo debuted in Japan last week – and it’s already a box office hit.
As one of four commemoration projects, for what would be Shigeru Mizuki’s 100th birthday, Toei Animation produced the franchise’s first anime film adaptation in 15 years, Kitarō Tanjō: Gegege no Nazo.
Based on the 1960 manga series created by industry titan Shigeru Mizuki, the story is a retelling of an early 20th-century Japanese folktale that features mysterious creatures known as yōkai. The plot revolves around the last survivor of the “Ghost Tribe” called Kitarō. Kitarō lives on the border between the human and supernatural world, and the dark fantasy film follows his adventures with ghost-like beings in Japanese mythology.
Directed by Go Koga, known for Digimon Universe: Appli Monsters, the fantasy-horror film opened in Japan last Friday. And it’s already raking in the ticket sales!
Kitarō Tanjō: Gegege no Nazo reaches number two in Japan
Kitarō Tanjō: Gegege no Nazo opened on November 17, 2023. And, by the end of its opening weekend, has already climbed to number two in the Japanese box office charts.
Ranking behind Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One (which has retained its dominating position for its third weekend running), Kitarō Tanjō: Gegege no Nazo sold 111,500 tickets and earned 160,160,620¥ – equivalent to $1.07m – over its opening weekend.
While it doesn’t look like it’ll catch up to Godzilla Minus One any time soon, it stands ahead of number three on Japan’s box office charts: Eiga Sumikko Gurashi: Tsugihagi Kōjo no Fushigi na Ko. Over the weekend, this anime film earned the equivalent of $637,600.
Will Kitarō Tanjō: Gegege no Nazo debut in the US?
The film hasn’t yet announced the official US premiere date. Although, it will be available for streaming on Crunchyroll sometime in the near future.
Kitarō Tanjō: Gegege no Nazo trailer
On November 15, 2023, the film released its final trailer.
The new film is adapted from the 2018-2022 anime series. Set in the 1950s, it delves deeper into the mystery of Kitarō’s family and his father, Medama Oyaji and is the anime franchise’s first film since GeGeGe no Kitarō: Nippon Bakuretsu!! was released in 2008.
While you wait for the film to debut in the west, why not check out Netflix’s Akuma Kun series – another commemoration project for Shigeru Mizuki?
How to watch Crunchyroll from outside your location in 2023
Crunchyroll is the world’s best hub for streaming anime, whether it’s One Piece, Attack on Titan, or Jujutsu Kaisen. And thanks to ExpressVPN, you can access the platform’s full library even if you’re outside the US.
If you’re abroad, here’s what you need to do to access Crunchyroll’s full selection – and it really is this simple:
- Sign up for ExpressVPN, which has ultra-fast servers and offers a secure, private connection wherever you are in the world
- Connect to a location anywhere in the US. Express VPN allows you to choose from 24 different spots, from New Jersey to Santa Monica
- Visit Crunchyroll online and start streaming all of your favorite animes – and perhaps some you’ve never watched
Accessing Crunchyroll’s US roster makes a difference. For example, Hong Kong users only have access to less than 100 titles, while the US has nearly 1,000 movies and TV shows.
You can also stream anime on Crunchyroll for free with an ad-supported plan. Or you can pay for a subscription. There’s even a 14-day free trial if you can’t quite make up your mind.
Check out our other anime coverage here, including our hubs for Akuma Kun and Kitarō Tanjō: Gegege no Nazo.
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