You could describe the years 2007 Mononoke as a horror anime about a mysterious demon slayer. That would be technically correct. It would also almost entirely give the wrong impression.
That would also mean that it has its origins in Japanese ghost stories, or that it is set in the Edo period, or that it combines computer effects with traditional 2D animation. Mononokecreated 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 battling vengeful ghosts, told through psychedelic, experimental visuals inspired by classical Japanese theater.
Mononoke has been a fascinating, one-off (at best two) gem for almost twenty years, with no expectation of continuation – until now. Mononoke the movie: The Phantom in the Raina feature film that continues the adventures of the wandering demon-slaying detective known as Medicine Seller, hits Netflix on November 28. There are two more sequels coming in 2025. Before the films come out, though, it’s worth knowing where Medicine Seller came from.
The obvious appeal of the Mononoke series draws design inspiration from classic Japanese theater and printmaking: bright colors, chunky textures, and meticulously detailed patterns not usually seen in budget TV anime. But for all that organic, human work on screen, the series also makes incredibly impressive use (especially for the mid-’00s era) of 3D modeled backgrounds and computer-generated textures. Nakamura leans into the uncanny contrast between the two animation styles, with moody, tone-setting results.
But Mononoke is not all style and no substance: it asks the wonderful question: “What if a mysterious traveling demon slayer was also a somewhat catty Agatha Christie detective, who could only unsheath his mononoke slaughtersword if he first discovered the secret human sins could discover who summoned the mononoke in the first place?
The good news is that there are twelve episodes in 2007 Mononoke anime, which showcases four Medicine Seller stories, is currently available to stream on Netflix.
There’s another Medicine Seller story, though, and that technically comes first. Nakamura introduced Medicine Seller to the world Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Storiesa 2006 animated anthology series that isn’t licensed for streaming in the US, but isn’t hard to find online.
Nakamura’s ‘Bake Neko’, AyakashiThe three-episode final story features a bride who is mysteriously killed on her wedding day, her family’s dark secrets, a vengeful cat demon and the wandering medicine seller who turns out to be a secret demon slayer. As the Bakeneko devours the household one by one, this “Medicine Seller” (he gives no other name) convinces the elders of the family to reveal their crimes so that the truth of the matter can unlock his sword and save the innocents left by the ghosts have been captured. revenge.
If you can find a way to watch “Bake Neko,” I say go for it – the very first Medicine Seller story contains a more concise and complete explanation of his entire deal than the first few episodes of the series. Mononoke series. Plus, it’s a twisting supernatural mystery, with the demon’s horror surpassed only by the crime he sets out to avenge.
But it will also be fine if you want to open Netflix and just start watching Mononokebecause Medicine Seller’s cunning appearance and truth-demanding sword give the series the same hallmarks as the best episodic detective fiction. Crucially, no one ever wants to admit their crimes to a strange traveling peddler until absolutely necessary: Mononoke the same juicy rhythm of every good episode of Columbus, Poker faceor Murder she wrote. It just has much wilder visuals, swords, and a transformation sequence of all-time magical heroes.
The greatest mystery of Mononoke is perhaps who Medicine Seller is, and why his sole purpose (or job? or curse?) seems to appear right where vengeful mononoke business is about to happen. He doesn’t exactly seem human, but the show never explains what else he could be. Despite this, Nakamura still gives the distinct feeling that Medicine Seller doesn’t care about saving people from their supernatural punishments. It’s just that if they die without confessing to their crimes, he will never be able to unlock his sword and defeat the demon they killed. released. And so our hero’s frustration also becomes the wonderful tension of the detective procedure.
“So you kidnapped a bride fifty years ago and convinced yourself that she really wanted it?” You might find yourself yelling at the TV while Medicine Salesman catches another liar in a lie. “And then you locked her in your basement as your personal whipping post until she starved herself, and now the ghost of the kitten she secretly fed is back to avenge her! Just tell the Medicine Seller in front of everyone here is not accomplice dies horribly!”
The squirrely, condescending guilty parties of Mononoke But you never want to confess, which makes it easy to root for Medicine Seller as much as Hercule Poirot or Benoit Blanc, even if you know next to nothing about his history or motives.
The show offers a sure pace, images you can’t look away from and twisty plots: what kind of mononoke haunts the last visits to the local medicine seller? Who made them angry? How many people will they kill to get what they want? Nakamura does a great job of foreshadowing what is going to happen through motifs and symbolism, showing it before he tells it.
If any of this appeals to you, I highly recommend checking it out Mononoke before you start watching Mononoke the movie: The Phantom in the Rainwhich will be released on Netflix on November 28.