The Great Yokai War (2005)

Daiei/Kadokawa yokai films
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The Great Yokai War See alternate titles Directed by Takashi Miike Producer Tsuguhiko Kadokawa et al. Written by Takashi Miike, Mitsuhiko Sawamura, Tsuyohiko Itakura, Hiroshi Aramata Music by Koji Endo Visual effects by Kaori Otagaki Funded by The Great Yokai War Production Committee Production company Kadokawa Pictures Distributor ShochikuJP, Tokyo ShockUS Rating PG-13US Budget $10 million Box office ¥2 billion Running time 124 minutes (2 hours, 4 minutes) Aspect ratio 1.85:1 Rate this film! 3.25 (4 votes)

The Great Yokai War (妖怪大戦争,   Yōkai Daisensō) is a 2005 yokai fantasy film directed and co-written (with Mitsuhiko Sawamura and Tsuyohiko Itakura) by Takashi Miike based on the novel of the same name by Hiroshi Aramata, with digital effects directed by Kaori Otagaki. Financed by the The Great Yokai War Production Committee—consisting of Kadokawa Pictures, the Japan Film Fund, and Nippon TV—and produced by Kadokawa Pictures, it stars Ryunosuke Kamiki, Hiroyuki Miyasako, Masaomi Kondo, Sadao Abe, Seiko Iwaido, Takashi Okamura, Chiaki Kuriyama, Bunta Sugawara, Etsushi Toyokawa, Naoto Takenaka, Kiyoshiro Imawano, Kenichi Endo, Hiromasa Taguchi, Kaho Minami, Shiro Sano, Renji Ishibashi, and Akira Emoto. Shochiku released the film to Japanese theaters on August 16, 2005.

A spiritual successor to Daiei's Yokai Monsters trilogy, the film is officially a remake of its second entry Spook Warfare (1968), with which it shares its Japanese title, though the two films' plots differ significantly. It was followed by a loose sequel, The Great Yokai War: Guardians, in 2021.

Plot

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To be added.

Staff

Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.

• Directed by   Takashi Miike
• Written by   Takashi Miike, Mitsuhiko Sawamura, Tsuyohiko Itakura
• Based on the novel by   Hiroshi Aramata
• Chief executive producer   Tsuguhiko Kadokawa
• Production team "Kwai"   Shigeru Mizuki, Hiroshi Aramata, Natsuhiko Kyogoku, Miyuki Miyabe
• Executive producer   Kazuo Kuroi
• Planned by   Naoki Sato
• Produced by   Fumio Inoue
• Line producer   Nobuhiro Izuka
• Associate producers   Daisuke Kadoya, Shun Shimizu
• CGI producer   Misako Saka
• Music by   Koji Endo
• Theme song "Ai o Utaou" and insert song "Oshiete Jiji"
  • Performed by   Kiyoshiro Imawano, Yosuei Inoue
  • Lyrics by   Takashi Miike
  • Composed by   Kiyoshiro Imawano
• Cinematography by   Hideo Yamamoto
• Edited b   Yasushi Shimamura
• Production design by   Takashi Sasaki
• First assistant director   Hideyuki Yamamoto
• CGI director   Kaori Otagaki

Cast

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right. Ryunosuke Kamiki   as   Tadashi Ino Hiroyuki Miyasako   as   Sata, editor for "KWAI" Kaho Minami   as   Yoko Ino, Tadashi's mother Riko Narumi   as   Tataru Ino, Tadashi's sister / Nopperabo Shiro Sano   as   Editor-in-chief of "KWAI" Miyuki Miyabe   as   Miyabe, teacher Arimasa Osawa Yu Tokui   as   Police officer in station Itsuji Itao Kon Hon   as   Old person at stand Yoji Tanaka   as   Yoichi's father Toshiya Nagasawa   as   Abe no Seimei Kanji Tsuda   as   Tadashi's father / adult Tadashi Akira Emoto   as   Farmer at cattle barn Bunta Sugawara   as   Shuntaro Ino, Tadashi's grandfather Masaomi Kondo   as   Shojo Sadao Abe   as   Kawataro Mai Takahashi   as   Kawahime Takashi Okamura   as   Azukiarai Junko Takeuchi   as   Sunekosuri Mao Sasaki   as   Sunekosuri (angry) Hiromasa Taguchi   as   Ippondatara Kenichi Endo   as   Daitengu Toshie Negishi   as   Sunakakebaba Asumi Miwa   as   Rokurokubi Rei Yoshi   as   Yukionna Toru Hotohara   as   Tofukozo Renji Ishibashi   as   Okubi Kiyoshiro Imawano   as   Nurarihyon Naoto Takenaka   as   Aburasumashi Tokitoshi Shioda   as   Moryo / Gozu NORIYASU   as   Itsukinokaminari Etsuko Mura   as   Yanagibaba Yoriko Matsukubo   as   Kajigababa Kumiko Imai   as   Ubume Minori Fujiku   as   Bakeneko / Kejoro Yamada Mame   as   Noderabo / Kooni

Mitsuru Akahoshi   as   Amefurikozo / Hyakume Hachiro Ika   as   Nandobaba / Kooni Koichi Funayama   as   Nurikabe Kenta Tamahashi   as   Sodehikikozo Takeru Hirono   as   Mitsumekozo / Hitotsumekozo Hiroyuki Otake   as   Kodama / Kamikiri NC Akahide   as   Karasutengu / Kamikiri Miho Harita   as   Buruburu Nobuo Fujiyama   as   Tenome So Shikata   as   Yamawaro Yuji Takatsuki   as   Namabake Eiji Morisaki   as   Dotabo Makoto Arakawa   as   Aobozu Yasuaki Sekita   as   Setotaisho Hiroshi Kobayashi   as   Otoshiro / Nuppeppo Takeko Shimizu   as   Ubagabi Katsuhiko Watanabe, Kiyoshi Hayashi, Kan Yamaguchi, Sensaku Sawada   as   Tateyamakaeru Noriko Konno   as   Oshiroibaba Masamichi Sakai   as   Mujina Satoshi Shimada   as   Kurokamikiri Shigehide Kajiyama   as   Aooni Makoto Tokizaki   as   Hossumori Junji Sanechika   as   Kurabokko Yuki Hasegawa   as   Ohagurobettari Salmon Sakeyama   as   Nuribotoke Masumi Shinbori   as   Honeonna Toshie Suzuki   as   Mikaribaba Tetsuta Yoshida   as   Tenjoname Hiroyuki Ishiga   as   Mikishinyudo Shohei Uno   as   Son Goku Junya Inoue   as   Momonji Karen Oshima   as   Hakononakanoshojo Hiroshi Aramata   as   Gorozaemon Sanmoto Natsuhiko Kyogoku   as   Shinoakugoro Shigeru Mizuki   as   Great yokai elder Chiaki Kuriyama   as   Agi, the bird-catching sprite Etsushi Toyokawa   as   Yasunori Kato

English dub

• Stephanie Sheh   as   Yoko Ino, Tadashi's mother

Appearances

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Monsters

Shojo Kappa Kawataro Kawahime Azukiarai Sunekosuri Kikai Sunekosuri Ippondatara Daitengu Karasutengu Koppatengu Aotengu Dotengu Isotengu Bakekasa Sunakakebaba Agi Yasunori Kato Kikai Yomotsumono Rokurokubi Yukionna Tofukozo Okubi Nurarihyon Aburasumashi Moryo Gozu Itsukinokaminari Hinoenma Yanagibaba Kajigababa Ubume Bakeneko Kejoro Noderabo Amefurikozo Hyakume Nandobaba Kooni Nopperabo Nurikabe Sodehikikozo Mitsumekozo Hitotsumekozo Kodama Kamikiri Buruburu Tenome Namahage Dorotabo Aobozu Seto Taisho Otoshiro Nuppeppo Ubagabi Tateyamakaeru Oshiroibaba Mujina Kurokamikiri Futakuchionna Kaburanotodo Koropokkuru Kameosa Akaoni Aooni Hososhi Mokugyodaruma Hossumori Hakuzosu Inugami Jorogumo Tesso Yobuko Tsuchikorobi Kurabokko Ohagurobettari Nozokibo Nuribotoke Honeonna Mikaribaba Tenjoname Mikoshinyudo Son Goku Momonjiji Hakononakanoshojo Gorozaemon Sanmoto Shinnoakugoro Great yokai elder Qilin Ittanmomen Takurobi Kudan Wanyudo Ungaikyo Tokkurikorogashi Mokumokuren Bakechochin

Sentakugitsune Bakedaneki Tetsudaoni Seimenoni Shibaten Zashikidono Iyaya Okinbo Aburashibori Atamayama Kidoko Akubozu Orabidako Ojimujimun Mehitotsugoro Omanagu Tsuntaro Mehitotsubozu Ikkakudon Namekujira Nunogarami Sarutenbanko Kamanari Ryumodoki Namera Akagami Yamahito Junibo Mitsumegumo Yanari Makizappo Kanibo Neneko Suitenbo Igusanokesabo Kyusenbo Shidaidaka Nishakubo Yumemakura Mintsuchi Nuribo Kobuji Sankakudon Gafu Onbonoyasu Pishayanamun Suitenokina Gamera (mentioned) Unnamed yokai

Gallery

Main article: The Great Yokai War/Gallery.

Alternate titles

• The Yokai War (La Guerre des Yokai; France)
• War of the Demons - The Great Yokai War (Krieg der Dämonen - The Great Yokai War; Germany)
• The War of Ghosts (La Guerra dei Fantasmi; Italy)
• The Great Goblin War (Великая Война Гоблинов; Russia)

Theatrical releases

• Japan - August 16, 2005
• United States - June 30, 2006 (New York City, New York)

Video releases

Universe DVD (2006)

• Region: 3
• Discs: 2
• Audio: Cantonese (Dolby Digital 5.1 EX), Japanese (Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, DTS ES 6.1)
• Subtitles: Chinese (Traditional), English, Chinese (Simplified)

Tokyo Shock DVD (2006)

• Region: 1
• Discs: 2
• Audio: Japanese, English
• Subtitles: English
• Special features: Making of documentary, cast interviews, World Yokai Conference documentary, yokai profiles, still gallery.

HK Video DVD/Blu-ray (2014)

• Region: B/2
• Discs: 3 (One Blu-ray disc, two DVDs)
• Audio: Japanese (DTS-HD 5.1), French (DTS-HD 5.1)
• Subtitles: French
• Notes: Packaged with Yokai Monsters: 100 Monsters, Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare, and Yokai Monsters: Along with Ghosts.

Sequel

Main article: The Great Yokai War: Guardians.

Videos

Trailers

Japanese The Great Yokai War trailer

Trivia

• Gamera is referenced in the film as the enemy's base flies over Tokyo.
• The manga series Gegege no Kitaro is referenced numerous times throughout the film.
  • Tadashi visits Sakaiminato, the town where series creator Shigeru Mizuki was born. Sakaiminato has been turned into a sort of tribute to the mangaka, Tadashi even visiting a museum dedicated to his work.
  • Bronze statues of yokai were constructed and distributed throughout Sakaiminato, all in the likeness of the designs Shigeru Mizuki made. One of the ones Tadashi passes is of Kitaro himself.
  • A costume character of Nekomusume helps guide Tadashi towards the Shigeru Mizuki museum.
  • When rallying the troops, Kuwantaro confronts an Ittan Momen, saying that it was so brave in the Gegege no Kitaro manga.
  • When flying to the enemies' base, Kawahime and Tadashi sit in wicker baskets carried by demon crows. This was a common way of transport for Kitaro in his own series.
  • Shigeru Mizuki himself appears as the yokai elder.
• Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare is referenced by Rokurokubi, stating that she "already stuck her neck out once".

External links

• Official site (archived)

References

This is a list of references for The Great Yokai War. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: ^[1]

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