"Shabake" begins airing on October 3rd; second promotional video and key visual also released

 

Second key visual

(C)畠中恵・新潮社／アニメ「しゃばけ」製作委員会

It has been announced that "Shabake," a TV anime adaptation of Megumi Hatanaka's historical novel about monsters, will begin airing on October 3rd at 11:30pm on Fuji TV's "Noitamina" slot, and that Daisuke Namikawa, Seiichiro Yamashita, Shinba Tsuchiya, Shion Wakayama and others will appear, and that the ending theme song "Myakumyaku" will be performed by the music unit "KAFUNÉ." 

The second promotional video and second key visual have also been released.

The original "Shabake" series is a best-selling work that has won the Yoshikawa Eiji Bunko Award and the Excellence Award at the 13th Japan Fantasy Novel Awards, and has sold over 10 million copies in total. 

Set in the Edo period, the story follows Ichitaro (voiced by Yamashita Daiki), the young owner of Nagasakiya, one of Nihonbashi's largest stores, who has been physically weak since birth and has difficulty going out, as he solves bizarre murder cases with the help of spirits (ayakashi).

Byobu Nozoki (CV: Daisuke Namikawa)

(C)畠中恵・新潮社／アニメ「しゃばけ」製作委員会

Namikawa plays Byobu Nozoki, a spirit whose name has been transformed into an old folding screen. Yamashita Seiichiro plays Matsunosuke, a young man working as a servant at Azumaya, a barrel maker. Tsuchiya plays Eikichi, the heir to the Miharuya confectionery shop and a childhood friend of Ichitaro. 

Wakayama plays Eikichi's younger sister, Ohatsu. Sekine Akira plays Suzuhikohime, a bell-shaped tsukumogami. Takahashi Shinya plays Noderabou, who works to gather information on Ichitaro's behalf. Tomioka Misako plays the otter who accompanies Noderabou. Matsunaga Akane, Wakuno Aika, and Tanaka Takako play Yanari, a goblin who lives in Nagasakiya.

Matsunosuke (CV: Seiichiro Yamashita)

(C)畠中恵・新潮社／アニメ「しゃばけ」製作委員会

Eikichi (CV: Shinba Tsuchiya)

(C)畠中恵・新潮社／アニメ「しゃばけ」製作委員会

Ohatsu (CV: Shion Wakayama)

(C)畠中恵・新潮社／アニメ「しゃばけ」製作委員会

The second promotional video, featuring the ending theme song "Myakumyaku" and the opening theme song "Inochi no Pareido" sung by Kujira, also features the first appearance of the voices of the newly announced characters. 

It shows Ichitaro, who has encountered a murder case, setting out to find the culprit. 

The second key visual has the same composition as the first key visual, which depicts a daytime scene of Ichitaro, Nikichi (Okino Koji), and Sasuke (Yashiro Taku) inviting a guest into their room, but at night it depicts a gathering of spirits, including Byobu Nozoki, in the room.

(C)畠中恵・新潮社／アニメ「しゃばけ」製作委員会

(C)畠中恵・新潮社／アニメ「しゃばけ」製作委員会

The full statement from "KAFUNÉ" is as follows:

[KAFUNÉ (ending theme song)]

Within the world of "Shabake," which conveys the preciousness and kindness of caring for someone, there is a realism to the dark, hidden feelings and thoughts that we all have that are difficult to extract, and I felt a beauty in the strength of the characters that appear.

"Makumyaku" is a song that was written to evoke that complexity of the heart, and the feelings of Ichitaro and his friends who continue to look forward despite it all. 

I would be happy if this song could exist as a part of the beautiful yet sad world of "Shabake."