It has been revealed that Kitaro's father and Mizuki, who appear in the sixth season of the Gegege no Kitaro TV anime, based on the manga by the late Shigeru Mizuki, "Kitaro's Birth: The Mystery of Gegege," will grace the cover of the special edition of the women's magazine "anan" (Magazine House), issue 2422, which goes on sale on November 13th. The cover was drawn by Toru Yatabe, who was in charge of character design for the film, and is based on the idea of "what if Kitaro's father and Mizuki were doing a still photo shoot that is unique to anan?" It depicts Kitaro's father and Mizuki wearing kimonos of different colors and holding cigarettes. The costumes were designed to give them a star-like feel, befitting the leading roles in the film, and are based on the kimonos worn by actors in the Edo period when they were off work.
The issue features a "Trend Awards" section that covers this year's trends. It includes a conversation between Toshihiko Seki, who plays Kitaro's father, and Hidenobu Kiuchi, who plays Mizuki, as well as interviews with staff members including Yatabe and Director Koga. The magazine will also introduce Shigeru Mizuki's works and related events. A pin-up using the cover illustration will be included as an appendix.
"Kitaro Birth: The Mystery of Gegege" was released to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Mizuki's birth. This is the first time in 15 years that a movie version of "Gegege no Kitaro" has been released since "Gegege no Kitaro: Japan Explodes!!," which was released in December 2008 as the movie version of the fifth season of the TV anime. Kitaro's father (formerly Medama Oyaji) and Mizuki are the main characters, and this is the first time that the "story of Kitaro's fathers" has been told. It was also a hot topic when it was selected for the Best Animation Award at the 47th Japan Academy Awards.
The "real version" was made by retaking and re-dubbing 327 cuts from "Kitaro Birth: The Mystery of Gegege." It is "a scary story that the production team originally envisioned," and the "horror effects" envisioned in the storyboard have been restored. "The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe" was rated PG12 (those under 12 years of age require parental or guardian guidance), but the live version is rated R15+ (no viewing for those under 15 years of age). It was released on October 4th.
