Yo-kai Watch: The Movie

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Yo-kai Watch: The Movie
Theatrical release poster
Japanese name
Kanji映画 妖怪ウォッチ 誕生の秘密だニャン!
Transcriptions
Revised HepburnEiga Yōkai Wotchi Tanjō no Himitsu da Nyan!
Directed byShigeharu Takahashi [ja]
Shinji Ushiro [ja]
Screenplay byYoichi Kato
Story byAnimation Real Life
Based onYo-kai Watch
by Level-5
Produced byKiyofumi Kajiwara
Makoto Wada
Izumi Furusawa
Yukari Hayakawa
Junichi Yanagihara
StarringHaruka Tomatsu
Tomokazu Seki
Etsuko Kozakura
Romi Park
Yuki Kaji
CinematographyTatsumi Yukiwaki
Edited byEmi Onodera
Music byKenichiro Saigo
Production
company
Distributed byToho[1]
Release date
  • December 20, 2014 (2014-12-20) (Japan)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Box office$99.5 million[2]

Yo-kai Watch: The Movie, released in Japan under the name Yo-kai Watch: Tanjō no Himitsu da Nyan!,[a] is a 2014 Japanese animated fantasy adventure film directed by Shigeharu Takahashi and Shinji Ushiro as part of the Yo-kai Watch franchise.[3][4] The film was released on December 20, 2014 in Japan.[3] It was followed by Enma Daiō to Itsutsu no Monogatari da Nyan!, released on December 19, 2015.[5]

Plot[edit]

The Plot is the same as Yo-kai Watch 2, but with some changes. One night, the evil Yo-kai Kin and Gin steal the Yo-kai Watch from Nate Adams to help their master Dame Dedtime prevent humans and Yo-kai from being friends. He then encounters Meganyan, who tells him that Yo-Kai are real. He and the crew head to Nate's grandmother, encounter a shadow, and chase it, but to no avail. Meganyan returns, asking to pull out the cork in his body—the cork that suppresses his energy. Nate decides not to pull it out, and asks Jibanyan & Whisper to pull it out for him, but to no avail. Nate pulls it out, and he and the crew get covered in pink smoke. He finds help from the Yo-kai Hovernyan - and uses a time stone to take Nate, Whisper, and Jibanyan back in time 60 years to when the Yo-kai Watch was first invented by Nate's own grandfather Nathaniel while he was a kid. Dame Dedtime gets word of this, and tries a plan to push the human world farther from the Yo-kai world. Together, the two boys battle Dame Dedtime and her evil Wicked Yo-kai minions to save the world from her evil plans.

Voice cast[edit]

Character Japanese voice actor English voice actor
Nathan "Nate" Adams (Keita Amano) Haruka Tomatsu Johnny Yong Bosch
Whisper Tomokazu Seki Joey D'Auria
Jibanyan Etsuko Kozakura Alicyn Packard
Nathaniel Adams (Keizō Amano) Romi Park Meyer DeLeeuw
Hovernyan (Fuyunyan) Yūki Kaji Johnny Yong Bosch
Darknyan Brent Pendergrass
Meganyan (Dekanyan) Johnny Yong Bosch
Buchinyan Etsuko Kozakura
Tomokazu Seki
Alicyn Packard
Joey D'Auria
Dame Dedtime (Tokio Ubaune) Kataoka Ainosuke VI Alicyn Packard
Kin and Gin Vanilla Yamazaki
Mika Kanai
Melissa Hutchison
Jenn Wong
Lucy Loo Adams (Yukiko "Yukippe" Amano) Hisako Kyōda (old)
Haruka Shimazaki[6] (young)
Jenn Wong
Robonyan Naoki Bandō Joey D'Auria
Shogunyan (Bushinyan) Etsuko Kozakura Alicyn Packard
Komasan Aya Endō Melissa Hutchison
Walkappa (Nogappa) Masahito Yabe
Kyubi Ryoko Nagata
Tattletell (Bakuroba) Chie Sato
Blazion (Melamelion) Yuko Sasamoto Brent Pendergrass
Roughraff (Gurerurin) Naoki Bandō
Noway (Murikabe) Toru Nara
Manjimutt (Jinmenken) Naoki Bandō Paul Greenberg
Happierre (Honobono) Masahito Yabe
Dandoodle (Ikemenken)
Aaron Adams Tōru Nara Brent Pendergrass
Lily Adams Ryoko Nagata Alicyn Packard
Katie Forester (Fumika "Fumi-chan" Kodama) Aya Endō Melissa Hutchison
Edward "Eddie" Archer (Kanchi Imada) Chie Sato Brent Pendergrass
Barnaby "Bear" Bernstein (Gorota "Kuma" Kumashima) Toru Nara Paul Greenberg
Master Nyada Ken Shimura Joey D'Auria
Bronzlow (Do) Masahito Yabe Paul Greenberg

Production[edit]

Music[edit]

The film's score was written Kenichiro Saigo.

  • Opening Theme
    • "Gera Gera Po (Movie Version)" by King Cream Soda (Japan)
    • "Yo-kai Watch" by Basilio Fernando Ferreira (USA)
  • Ending Theme
    • "Yo-kai Medley" by Yo-kai King Dream Soda & "Kuwagata to Kabutomushi" by King Cream Soda (Japan & USA)

Release[edit]

Marketing[edit]

The film was announced in July 2014 on CoroCoro Comic.[4] The first trailer was released in August[7] and another trailer was released in October.[8] A second film was announced in November.[9] A story tie-in to the film was included in the video game Yo-kai Watch 2: Shinuchi, released on December 13.[10] A manga of the film, illustrated by Noriyuki Konishi, was released in December, reaching the 30th place on the weekly chart with 32,561 copies sold on its first week,[11] and selling 261,145 copies by its fifth week.[12]

Home media[edit]

The Blu-ray and DVD were released on July 8, 2015, with both reaching the number-one place on the animation rankings, with 14,090 and 84,932 copies sold, respectively.[13][14] By its 13th week, the DVD had sold 128,810 copies.[15]

Western release[edit]

In September 2016, it was revealed via the Fathom Events website that the movie would be screened one time only on October 15, in select cinemas across the United States. Attendees received an exclusive Hovernyan medal at the screening.[16] It was released on Netflix on December 1, 2016 in the United States before leaving the service on March 3, 2021.[17] Its DVD was released on May 19, 2020, nearly four years after its theatrical release. the film was distributed by Wild Bunch in France, 01 Distribution In Italy, Buena Vista International in Turkey, Selecta Vision in Spain and Universal Pictures in some countries.

Reception[edit]

Box office[edit]

The film set a new record for Toho for advance ticket sales, with 721,422 sold by October 26,[9] reaching 840,000 by late November[18] and more than 1 million by mid-December.[19]

The film was number-one on its opening weekend, with ¥1.629 billion,[20] a record for a Japanese film, previously held by Howl's Moving Castle.[21] reached ¥5 billion by its third weekend,[22] ¥6.54 billion by the fourth weekend[23] and ¥7 billion by the sixth weekend.[24] The film grossed ¥7.8 billion ($73,623,258) at the Japanese box office, where it was the highest-grossing domestic film of 2015.[25]

Overseas, the film grossed ₩1.98 billion ($1.69 million) upon its opening in South Korea,[26] and went on to gross ₩3,888,698,100 ($3,437,804) there.[27] The film also grossed $257,343 in the United States and Canada, and $1,715,393 in France, the United Arab Emirates, and Thailand.[2] The film grossed a total of $99.5 million worldwide.[2]

Critical reception[edit]

Kotaku's Mike Fahey described the movie as keeping the humor of the TV show even in its highest dramatic stakes.[28] Anime News Network reviewer James Beckett liked the humor, but was bothered by the pacing issues. He gave it a B grading.[29]

Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an 80% with average rating of 6.6/10 based on 5 critics reviews.[30]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Yo-kai Watch: Tanjō no Himitsu da Nyan! (映画 妖怪ウォッチ 誕生の秘密だニャン!, Eiga Yōkai Wotchi Tanjō no Himitsu da Nyan!, lit. Yo-kai Watch the Movie: Its the Secret of Birth, Meow!)

References[edit]

  1. ^ "映画 妖怪ウォッチ 誕生の秘密だニャン!". eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Yo-kai Watch Movie: It's the Secret of Birth, Meow!". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "映画 妖怪ウォッチ 誕生の秘密だニャン!(2014)". allcinema (in Japanese). Stingray. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Loo, Egan (June 10, 2014). "Level-5's Yo-kai Watch Games Get Film in December". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  5. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (June 14, 2014). "2nd Yo-kai Watch Film Opens in Japan on December 19". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  6. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (October 8, 2014). "AKB48's Haruka Shimazaki Guest Stars in Yo-kai Watch Film". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  7. ^ Nelkin, Sarah (August 28, 2014). "Yo-kai Watch Film's Trailer Teases Origin of Magical Watch". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  8. ^ Mahoney, Rachel (October 17, 2014). "Yo-kai Watch Anime Film's Trailer Reveals Time-Traveling Story". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Loo, Ego (November 2, 2014). "Yo-kai Watch Gets 2nd Film Next Winter". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  10. ^ Loo, Egan (October 10, 2014). "Yo-kai Watch 2 Game Gets 3rd Version on December 13". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  11. ^ Ressler, Karen (December 24, 2014). "Japanese Comic Ranking, December 15–21". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  12. ^ Ressler, Karen (January 21, 2014). "Japanese Comic Ranking, January 12–18". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  13. ^ Loo, Egan (July 14, 2015). "Japan's Animation Blu-ray Disc Ranking, July 6–12". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  14. ^ Loo, Egan (July 14, 2015). "Japan's Animation DVD Ranking, July 5–12". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  15. ^ Loo, Egan (October 6, 2015). "Japan's Animation DVD Ranking, September 28-October 4". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  16. ^ "YO-KAI WATCH: THE MOVIE EVENT | Fathom Events". Fathom Events. September 4, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  17. ^ Whritenour, Jacob (December 1, 2016). "Yo-Kai Watch: The Movie Now Streaming on Netflix". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  18. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (November 27, 2014). "Yokai Watch Film Sets Toho Record with 840,000 Advance Tickets Sold". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  19. ^ Nelkin, Sarah (December 14, 2014). "Yokai Watch Film Sets New Toho Record with 1 Million Advance Tickets". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  20. ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (December 22, 2014). "Yo-kai Watch Film Beats Out Disney's Big Hero 6 at Japanese Box Office". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  21. ^ Komatsu, Mikikazu (December 24, 2014). ""Yo-Kai Watch" Film Breaks Opening Weekend Record of "Howl's Moving Castle"". www.crunchyroll.com. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  22. ^ Ressler, Karen (January 5, 2015). "Yo-kai Watch Film Tops 5 Billion Yen, But Big Hero 6 Rises to #1". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  23. ^ Nelkin, Sarah (January 13, 2015). "Yo-kai Watch Film Tops 6.5 Billion Yen, Psycho-Pass Earns 248 Million". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  24. ^ Ressler, Karen (January 26, 2015). "Big Hero 6 Tops Yo-kai Watch for 4th Straight Weekend". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  25. ^ "2015". Eiren. Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  26. ^ Kevin Ma (July 27, 2015). "Assassination slays competition in South Korea". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on August 29, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  27. ^ "영화정보". KOFIC. Korean Film Council. Retrieved October 16, 2022. Yokai Watch
  28. ^ Fahey, Mark (October 14, 2016). "Yo-Kai Watch: The Movie Is As Whimsical As Saving The World From Evil Spirits Gets". Kotaku. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  29. ^ Beckett, James (October 14, 2016). "Yo-Kai Watch: The Movie". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  30. ^ "Yo-kai Watch: The Movie Event (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved October 16, 2022.

External links[edit]