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Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories

Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories also known in Japan as Yami Shibai (闇芝居, Yami Shibai, lit. Dark Play) and Theater of Darkness is a Japanese anime series. The first season was directed by Tomoya Takashima, with scripts written by Hiromu Kumamoto and produced by ILCA. Each episode was animated to mimic the kamishibai method of story-telling. The series is organized into a collection of shorts with each episode being only a few minutes in length. Each episode features a different tale based on myths and urban legends of Japanese origin.

The first season aired on TV Tokyo from July to September 2013, and ran for thirteen episodes, spawning a host of merchandise, a mobile game, while also receiving mixed reactions at the end of its broadcast. A second season aired from July to September 2014, and was directed by both Takashi Shimizu and Noboru Iguchi along with scripts written by Shōichirō Masumoto. The third season aired from January to April 2016. A fourth season aired from January to March 2017. A fifth season aired from July to October of the same year. A sixth season aired from July to September 2018. A seventh season aired from July to September 2019. An eighth season aired from January to April 2021. A ninth season aired from July to October of the same year, with the theme of the episodes being based on the Chinese Zodiac. A tenth season aired from January to April 2022. An eleventh season aired from July to October 2023. A twelfth season premiered in January 2024.

A spin-off titled Ninja Collection aired from July 13 to October 26, 2020. A live-action adaptation later aired.

Synopsis

Every week at 5 p.m. an old man in a yellow mask (the kamishibaiya or kamishibai narrator) shows up at a children's playground and tells them ghost stories based on myths and urban legends of Japanese origin. The man tells the stories on the back of his bicycle using a traditional kamishibai (紙芝居, Paper Drama) method and features a new tale each week. In the third season, instead of the old man in a yellow mask and his kamishibai stage, a boy (later revealed to be the kamishibaiya in the form of a child) sits on a playground slide and sings, "Friends on that side, come to this side... Friends on this side, go to that side..." as he draws illustrations of the creatures in the stories. At the end of each episode, the narrator's mask sings the closing song to him, multiplying in number as each episode ends with the final one being worn on the boy's face. As of Season 4, the kamishibaiya returns, telling the stories to children at a playground every 5 p.m., going back to the original format of Seasons 1 and 2 (voice actors are different every episode). In Season 5, the children are not seen playing on the swings. Instead, they gather to the call of the old man in silhouette. In Season 6, the old man tells his stories in a forest instead of a school. A shadow takes the form of the old man then puts on the mask as he introduces the story. In Season 7, the old man tells his stories in a creepy apartment. In Season 8, he tells his stories at a busy urban intersection, surrounded by vague shadowy passersby. In Season 9, he tells the stories to the animals from the Chinese Zodiac. The tenth season has the narrator slowly making his announcement in an empty playground only to stop halfway; the season finale is based on Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai.

Production

The first season of the series is produced by ILCA and directed by Tomoya Takashima along with script writing by Hiromu Kumamoto and narrated by Kanji Tsuda. The series is animated in such a way as to mimic a traditional Japanese method of storytelling known as Kamishibai.

The second season was directed by Takashi Shimizu and Noboru Iguchi while Shōichirō Masumoto wrote the script.

Release

The 13-episode first season aired from July 15 to September 30, 2013, on TV Tokyo, which was later aired on AT-X. Crunchyroll also acquired both seasons of the series for online simulcast streaming in select parts of the world with English subtitles. On April 4, 2014, All-Entertainment Co., Ltd. released the first season in its entirety on a single DVD volume in Japan. The first and second seasons have been licensed by Sentai Filmworks.

A second season aired from July 7 to September 29, 2014. A third season aired from January 11 to April 4, 2016. A fourth season aired from January 16 to March 27, 2017. A fifth season aired from July 3 to October 2 of the same year. A sixth season aired from July 7 to September 29, 2018. Sentai Filmworks will be re-releasing the series with an English dub which was slated to be released in 2019, but has currently been delayed. A seventh season aired from July 8 to September 30, 2019. A spin-off titled Ninja Collection aired on July 12, 2020. An eighth season aired from January 11 to April 5, 2021. A ninth season aired from July 12 to October 4 of the same year, with the theme of the episodes being based on the Chinese Zodiac. A tenth season aired from January 10 to April 4, 2022. An eleventh season aired from July 10 to October 2, 2023. A twelfth season premiered on January 15, 2024.