The official website for The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe (known as Kitaro Tanjou: GeGeGe no Nazo in Japan) announced today that its R15+ version, subtitled Shinsei-ban (“genuine edition”), is set to release in Japan on October 4, 2024. The Shinsei-ban will be screened with 327 scenes retaken and sound re-dubbed to express “the horror story as originally envisioned by the production team.” A trailer and a poster visual for the R15+ version have been released.
“Shinsei-ban” poster visual
Japan’s Film Classification and Rating Organization defines the “R15+” rating as: “Films in this category contain materials that are highly stimulating in its depiction of theme or subject matter and is not suitable for children under 15 years of age in terms of comprehension and judgment. Therefore, this rating is intended for audiences 15 years of age and older, with no one under 15 years of age allowed to see the film.”
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the original GeGeGe no Kitaro manga author Shigeru Mizuki’s birth, the original version of The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe was released in Japan on November 17, 2023, under the rating of “PG12” (Viewing by children under 12 years of age requires the advice and guidance of a parent or guardian). The 104-minute all-new film earned 2.79 billion yen (19.15 million USD) on 1.95 million admissions from its domestic run.The movie also won the Excellent Animation of the Year award at the 47th Japan Academy Film Prize and was nominated for the Feature Films Contrechamp section of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France.The film, set in the 1950s, tells the story of Kitaro’s birth and the hidden mystery of his father, Medama Oyaji. Go Koga (Digimon Universe: Appli Monsters, Gegege no Kitaro: Nihon Bakuretsu!!) served as director, alongside screenplay writer Hiroyuki Yoshino (Macross Frontier, World Trigger) and character Touko Yatabe (Evangelion Rebuild assistant director).The Annecy’s official website describes the film:
Mizuki, a bank employee, goes to Nagura village on a secret mission. Gegero also goes to the village searching for his wife. In the Ryuga clan, who are secretly manipulating Japan, there is a struggle for the successor’s position. Suddenly, a clan member is murdered. This is the beginning of a horrifying chain of supernatural events.
Source: “The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe” official website / X (formerly Twitter)©”The Birth of Kitaro: The Mystery of GeGeGe” Production Committee
