The background art for the second chapter of the completely new movie version of the popular TV anime "Mononoke " , " Mononoke the Movie Chapter 2: Fire Rat", has been released. The gorgeous and dazzling background art supports the film's dense worldview, and the background art for the rooms of the court lady Tokita Fuki, Otomo Botan, and the elders, who are central to the story of the second chapter, as well as the great hall that frequently appears in memorable scenes in the film, have been released.
The keyword in creating the images is "Ukiyo-e," and art director Akira Kuramoto said, "If you use vivid colors, even if you draw it flatly, it won't look like Ukiyo-e. I tried to find the right balance when I drew it." Each room is decorated to match the character. The attention to detail can be seen in the decorations, such as roses in Fuki's room and plum blossoms in Boton's room.
" Mononoke the Movie" has more cuts than a normal anime, and every cut has a different texture pattern. To suit the large screen format, various approaches were tried in terms of how to express the texture and feel of Japanese paper. For example, the textures were made using real Japanese paper photographed under a light, with five pieces of paper for the background, three for the characters, and one texture layered over the entire screen to create the screen. The reason for changing the number of pieces is to make the screen easier to see and to prevent the characters from being lost in the background. Even though different textures are applied to the background and characters, the position of the noticeable unevenness of the paper fibers is kept unchanged to make the picture on the paper look like it is moving.
"Mononoke" is an anime produced by a reunion of staff from the popular episode "Bakeneko" of "Ayakashi", which was broadcast on Fuji TV's late-night anime slot "Noitamina" in 2006, and was broadcast in 2007. It depicts the supernatural tale of a medicine seller who appeared in "Bakeneko" facing off against a Mononoke.
"Mononoke the Movie" is set in the inner palace, where the passions of women swirl, and follows a medicine seller as he pursues the true identity of the "Mononoke." There are three chapters in total, with the first, "Mononoke ," being released in July 2024, and the second, "Mononoke the Movie Chapter 2: Fire Rat," being released on March 14th. Nakamura Kenji, who worked on the TV series and the first movie, will be the general director of Chapter 2, and Suzuki Kiyotaka will be the director. It has also been announced that the third chapter, "Mononoke the Movie Chapter 3: Snake God," will be released in spring 2026.
