The film “Kitaro’s Birth: The Gegege Mystery” has been retaken with 327 cuts and the sound has been redubbed to make “Kitaro’s Birth: The Gegege Mystery – Real Version” which will be screened again in theaters nationwide from October 4, 2024. A pre-opening festival and a stage greeting to commemorate the release have been scheduled. In addition, a new buddy cut was unveiled to commemorate the reunion of Seki Toshihiko, who plays Kitaro’s father, and Kiuchi Hidenobu, who plays Mizuki.
“Kitaro Birth: The Mystery of Gegege” was released in 2023 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Shigeru Mizuki’s birth, and is a film that depicts the story of Kitaro’s fathers, told for the first time. When it was released in November 2023, the meeting between Kitaro’s father, the former Medama Oyaji, and Mizuki, the sadness of the fate the two faced, and the intensity of the battle scenes became a hot topic. The film attracted many audiences, grossing 2.79 billion yen and attracting a total of 1.95 million people, and in 2024 it won the Excellence in Animation Award at the 47th Japan Academy Awards.
The momentum was not limited to Japan, and the story spread all over the world, being screened overseas in Korea, Taiwan, and other countries, and was nominated in the Contrechamp category at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France in June.
The movie “Kitaro Birth: Gegege no Nazo (The Real Version)” is an R15+ version that adds 327 retakes to the original work and also re-dubs the sound. There are no new scenes added and the running time remains the same, but the improved quality of the images and sound will surely draw you even more into the world of this work.
It has been decided that a pre-release event will be held on October 3rd, the day before the film’s release, where fans can enjoy “The Birth of Kitaro: The Gegege Mystery – The Real Version.” After the screening, director Go Koga, screenwriter Hiroyuki Yoshino, and character designer Toru Yatabe will appear on stage to give a speech. The production team will talk about their thoughts on the “real version,” and celebrate the release with fans.
Furthermore, it was revealed that on October 5th, Toshihiko Seki, who plays Kitaro’s father, Hidenobu Kiuchi, who plays Mizuki, and Director Koga will appear on stage for the first time in about a year since the film’s release last year to commemorate the release. This will be the only day that the two cast members and the director will appear together as part of the “real version” event. They will talk about the film, which returns to the screen in its “true form,” and their passionate thoughts on the “Ge Nazo” phenomenon that continues to spread across Japan.
In addition, Kiuchi will be giving a speech on stage at MOVIX Hiyoshizu on October 6. Kiuchi also gave a speech on stage at the same theater in February this year, and this will be his second speech on stage to commemorate the release of “The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of Gegege – Real Version.”
In addition, to coincide with the announcement of the stage greeting, new cuts were also unveiled featuring the pair of Kitaro’s father and Mizuki. The stills show the pair’s backs against the striking backdrop of a lake as the sun sets and the glow of fireflies, and are the scene in which Kitaro’s father reveals his true identity and past to Mizuki for the first time. Other scenes include Kitaro’s father and Mizuki gazing at something with their backs to an island floating on the lake, and the pair standing in front of a barrier deep inside a sealed pit on an isolated island towards the end of the story. It’s becoming even more exciting to keep an eye on this pair that caused such a frenzy last year.
The film “Kitaro’s Birth: The Mystery of GeGeGe” has 327 retakes and the sound has been redubbed to create “Kitaro’s Birth: The Mystery of GeGeGe – Real Version,” which will be screened again in theaters nationwide from October 4th. In anticipation of the film’s release, social media is overflowing with excitement and excitement, and the film is once again gaining attention. Keep an eye out for further updates.
About the stage greeting for the film “The Birth of Kitaro: The GeGeGe Mystery – Real Version”
Venue: Marunouchi TOEI
■Stage greeting speakers (planned): Koga Go (director), Yoshino Hiroyuki (screenwriter), Yatabe Toko (character designer)
■Venue: Marunouchi TOEI
■Stage greeting speakers (planned): Seki Toshihiko, Kiuchi Hidenobu, Koga Go (director)
■Venue: Sunday, October 6th MOVIX Hiyoshizu
■Stage greeting speakers (planned): Kiuchi Hidenobu
[Film information]
“The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe – Real Version” Released on Friday, October 4th
[Original work] Shigeru Mizuki
[Cast]
Toshihiko Seki, Hidenobu Kiuchi, Atsumi Tanezaki (the kanji for “zaki” is “tatsusaki”), Yumiko Kobayashi, Satoshi Shiratori, Nobuo Tobita, Kazuya Nakai, Yoko Sawami, Kazuhiro Yamaji, Yuko Minaguchi, Rie Kugimiya, Akira Ishida, Toshio Furukawa, Miyuki Sawashiro, Umeka Shoji, Masaya Matsukaze, Masako Nozawa
[Staff]
Director: Go Koga, Screenplay: Hiroyuki Yoshino, Music: Kenji Kawai, Character Design: Toko Yatabe, Art Director: Mai Ichioka, Color Design: Sayoko Yokoyama, Director of Photography: Tomoyuki Ishiyama, Production Manager: Akira Sawamori, Yoshifumi Horikoshi
[Distribution] Toei
[Production] Toei Animation
(C) “The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of Gegege” Film Production Committee
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