Mononoke's first movie coming to Netflix

Netflix Anime's YouTube channel has shared the first trailer for the first feature-length anime movie based on the supernatural mystery series Mononoke. Netflix will be streaming the movie under the title Mononoke The Movie: Phantom in the Rain. Released in Japanese theaters back in July under the title Mononoke: Karakasa, it has since been confirmed that the movie will be the first in a planned trilogy.

The first Mononoke movie was originally annonuced in 2022 scheduled for a 2023 release. However, the release was delayed for the better part of the year and the role of the Medicine Vendor protagonist was recast after the original actor, Takahiro Sakurai, was removed from the role after news of an extramarital affair with a coworker broke. He was replaced in the role by Hiroshi Kamiya (One Piece, Attack on Titan). The trailer posted by Netflix provides the follow quick summary of the plot of Mononoke The Movie: Phantom in the Rain:

"In the chambers of the Edo harem, two newcomers uncover political intrigue, rivalry and a vengeful spirit only one traveling medicine seller can vanquish."

- Netflix.

Shortly after the first movie's release in Japanese theaters, the production team announced a 2025 release date for the second entry in the trilogy on social media:

The second entry in the Mononoke trilogy currently titled Hinezumi is scheduled for a March 14, 2025 release. Hinezumi translates to "fire rat", presumably referring to the type of supernatural spirit that will feature in the movie. Longtime anime fans may be familiar with the word, since Inuyasha's signature red robe was made from the fur of a fire rat in that series.

Mononoke is a viewing experience unlike any other

Mononoke originated as a spin-off of the 2006 horror anthology series Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales, which featured a three-episode story arc featuring a mysterious Medicine Vendor investigating a noble family's manor as it deals with a haunting by a malevolent phantom cat. Unfortunately, the original Ayakashi series is not currently available to stream as of this writing. The Mononoke anime series ran for twelve episodes in the summer of 2007, continuing the Medicine Vendor's investigations.

Mononoke The Movie: Phantom in the Rain is produced by anime studio Twin Engine (Golden Kamuy, Hell's Paradise), taking over from Toei Animation (Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon). Despite the change in production team, the movie's visual flair matches the unique style and use of colors and patterns that helped make the original anime series a cult classic. This striking visual style, combined with tense psychological horror and mindbending storytelling that demands multiple rewatches makes Mononoke an utterly unique series unlike any other.

You can stream Mononoke now

In addition to streaming Phantom in the Rain in the near future, the original Mononoke series is also available to stream on Netflix, in both the original Japanese and English and Latin American Spanish dubs. On Netflix, the anime series is available subtitled in English, Japanese closed captioning, European and Latin American Spanish, French, Italian, German and Brazilian Portuguese. The series is also streaming on Crunchyroll in Japanese and English with English subtitles. Crunchyroll provides the following summary of the series:

"In feudal Japan, evil spirits known as mononoke plague both households and the countryside. Only one person has the power to kill them where they stand: the Medicine Seller. But in order to draw his spirit-slaying sword he must first understand the Form, Truth, and Reason of the mononoke. Armed with sharp wit, he wanders from place to place striking down the evil spirits in his wake."

- Crunchyroll

As of this writing, the streaming debut of Mononoke The Movie: Phantom in the Rain on Netflix is not yet known, but keep following us here on Anime Away for more details as they become available.