Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales
| Ayakashi | |
| 怪 | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Horror |
| Anime | |
| Directed by | Tetsuo Imazawa (Yotsuya Kaidan) Hidehiko Kadota (Tenshu Monogatari) |
| Written by | Chiaki J. Konaka (Yotsuya Kaidan) Yuuji Sakamoto (Tenshu Monogatari) |
| Studio | Toei Animation |
| Released | January 13, 2006 – March 24, 2006 |
Ayakashi (怪) is a Japanese animated horror anthology television series produced by Toei Animation.
The series is made up of three stories: "Yotsuya Ghost Story", an adaptation of the classic Japanese ghost story; "Goddess of the Dark Tower", based on the play by Kyoka Izumi; and Goblin Cat, an original story by Kenji Nakamura and Michiko Yokote.
Story
Yotsuya Kaidan
- Episodes: 1-4
"Yotsuya Ghost Story" is a retelling of the classic Japanese ghost story, written by the 18th century kabuki playwright Tsuruya Nanboku.
In the anime, Nanboku himself becomes the narrator. Tamiya Iemon is a ronin samurai who marries a beautiful woman named Oiwa. Oiwa is happy with her married life and the birth of their child, but Iemon feels the burden of their poverty.
In return for the promise of a job by a rich man, Iemon promises to marry the man's daughter and conspires to murder his own wife. A servant is ordered by the rich man's daughter to poison Oiwa's food; the toxin permanently disfigures Oiwa's face.
Iemon then orders his servant to kill her after having his way with her. Oiwa commits suicide after coming to know of Iemon's treachery. Another of Iemon's servants is also killed, and along with the dead Oiwa, is nailed to a piece of wooden board and tossed into the river.
After Oiwa's death, Iemon marries the rich man's daughter, as promised. But Oiwa's vengeful spirit could not rest in peace, and she lays a curse on everyone involved with her demise. One by one, Oiwa's enemies die a horrible death, including the rich man and his daughter, and Iemon is plagued by visions of Oiwa's ghost.
- Cast
- Tamiya Iemon. Voiced by: Hiroaki Hirata (Japanese); Brian Dobson (English)
- Tamiya Oiwa. Voiced by: Mami Koyama (Japanese); Nicole Oliver (English)
- Yotsuya Osode. Voiced by: Yuko Nagashima (Japanese); Rebecca Shoichet (English)
- Gonbei Naosuke. Voiced by: Keiichi Sonobe (Japanese); Samuel Vincent (English)
- Itou Oume. Voiced by: Ryou Hirohashi (Japanese); Lalainia Lindbjerg (English)
- Satou Yomoshichi. Voiced by: Wataru Takagi (Japanese); Michael Adamthwaite (English)
Tenshu Monogatari
- Episodes: 5-8
"Goddess of the Dark Tower" is based on Tenshu Monogatari, a play by Kyoka Izumi. It tells the story of a forbidden love between a god and a human. In medieval Japan, Himekawa Zushonosuke is a falconer who is sent by his master Lord Harima to retrieve a precious falcon named Kojiro.
Zushonosuke's search is initially fruitless, though it leads him to a chance encounter with a beautiful woman bathing in a lake. Zushonosuke more or less falls in love with her at first sight.
When news reaches Lord Harima that the falcon has in fact fled to the castle keep of Shirasagi-jo, Zushonosuke is ordered there to bring the falcon back.
Accompanied by two friendly demons, Zushonosuke makes his way to Shirasagi-jo, which is rumored to be inhabited by beings called Wasuregami (Forgotten Gods). At the castle, Zushonosuke is surprised to find the same beautiful woman he encountered before, who introduces herself as Tomihime (Princess Tomi), beginning their forbidden romance.
- Cast
- Himekawa Zoshonosuke. Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa (Japanese); Kirby Morrow (English)
- Tomihime. Voiced by: Houko Kuwashima (Japanese); Willow Johnson (English)
- Oshizu. Voiced by: Saeko Chiba (Japanese); Tracey Power (English)
- Wominaheshi. Voiced by: Yui Kano
- Kaikaimaru. Voiced by: Kappei Yamaguchi (Japanese); Alec Willows (English)
- Kikimaru. Voiced by: Masaya Onosaka (Japanese); Samuel Vincent (English)
Bake Neko
- Episodes: 9-11
In the Edo period, a granddaughter of the master of a samurai family was planning to marry.
However, at the moment they were to celebrate the wedding, she was killed miserably. A traveling medicine-seller said it was the work of a bakeneko, or cat monster. As if prophesied by his words, the other members of the family began to be killed, one after another.
The medicine seller claims to have the means to destroy the bakeneko, but to do so, he must know not only the monster's form but the truth about what it wants and the reason for its appearance. That was when the family's dark secrets begin to surface.
- Cast
- The Medicine Seller. Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai (Japanese); Andrew Francis (English)
- Kayo. Voiced by: Yukana
- Odajima. Voiced by: Tetsu Inada
Production
Character design
The characters were designed by Yoshitaka Amano ("Yotsuya Kaidan"), Yasuhiro Nakura ("Tenshu Monogatari") and Takeshi Hashimoto ("Bakeneko")
Music
The opening theme song ("HEAT ISLAND") is performed by Rhymester, while the ending theme ("Haru no Katami") is performed by Chitose Hajime.
Broadcast
Ayakashi aired on Fuji TV as part of the noitamina lineup from January 13, 2006 to March 24 of the same year. The series also aired on On Animax.
A spin-off series based on the character of the medicine seller (Mononoke) aired in 2007.
External links
- Official website Template:Jp icon
- Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales (6202) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
