A 14th season has been announced for the long-running short anime series Theatre of Darkness: Yamishibai, which begins broadcasting in Japan on January 4, 2025. The new season’s main theme will be “greed.”
ﾃﾚ東ﾆﾃ 二〇二五年 一月五日 日曜 深夜二時五十分ｶﾗ 十四期ｦ 放送ｽﾙﾖ…。#闇芝居 pic.twitter.com/sGJTc6EB2N
— 闇芝居【公式】 (@yamishibai_TX) November 29, 2024
Kanji Tsuda reprises his role as the Storyteller for the new season, after voicing the role in previous seasons. Other cast members cast in undisclosed roles include:
- • Yutaka Shimizu
- • Ponzu
- • Takya Yamaguchi
- • Yuta Hoshino
- • Seiyu Yoshida
- • Tomoko Oishi
- • Ruri Shiraishi
- • Yo Koizumi
- • Riko Momonoi
- • Momoko Miyashiro
Akira Funada is directing the 14th season of Theatre of Darkness: Yamishibai after working on the last three seasons. Scriptwriters for the series include Hiromu Kumamoto (Kowabon, Ninja Collection), Mitsuhiro Sasaki (KJ File), Choji Yoshikawa (Pokémon anime producer), and Saori Aoki. ILCA is in charge of the animation production, with production cooperation by ILCASHIPS LEON STUDIO.
Animators involved with season fourteen will include Kazuma Taketani, jimmy, Naoki Konno, Akayoroshi, Momoka Higurashi, nishiyama&rie, Yu Ebihara, Makoto Okada, and Norio Yamakawa. The storyboarders will include Shoma Muto, Yoshikawa, Taketani, and Naoki Konno.
The most recent 13th season aired in Japan for 13 episodes from July 15, 2024 to October 7, 2024.
The long-running series first premiered in July 2013, and has also inspired two spinoff series titled The World Yamizukan in April 2017 and Ninja Collection in July 2020. A live-action series adaptation premiered in Japan in September 2020.
Crunchyroll streamed all previous seasons of Theatre of Darkness: Yamishibai, The World Yamizukan, and Ninja Collection as they aired in Japan. The company also streamed the live-action series.
Crunchyroll describes the main synopsis of Theatre of Darkness: Yamishibai as:
Akin to TV Tokyo’s Folktales from Japan, Theatre of Darkness: Yamishibai takes a narrative format to explore the rich occult history from Japan, moreover, the storytelling techniques in this brand new series will mimic kamishibai – a traditional storytelling technique inspired by the artistic usage of paper figures and scrolls.
Yamishibai is a picture-story style of animation whose motif is surrounded and based off the rumors, and urban legends throughout the history of Japan.
Source: Yamishibai Official Anime Twitter, Anime News Network, Official Anime Website
