Birth of Kitarō: The Mystery of GeGeGe

Birth of Kitarō: The Mystery of GeGeGe (鬼太郎誕生 ゲゲゲの謎) is a 2023 Japanese animated supernatural dark fantasy film directed by Gō Koga and written by Hiroyuki Yoshino based on the GeGeGe no Kitarō manga by Shigeru Mizuki. Produced by Toei Animation and distributed by Toei Company, Birth of Kitarō commemorates Mizuki's 100th birthday, and the 4th film in the franchise. It is a prequel to the series, focusing on Kitarō's father and a salaryman named Mizuki, who heads to a cursed village under secret orders. The film stars the voices of Toshihiko Seki, Hidenobu Kiuchi, Atsumi Tanezaki, Yumiko Kobayashi, and Toshio Furukawa, with Miyuki Sawashiro, Umeka Shōji, and Masako Nozawa reprising their roles from the 2018 anime series. Birth of Kitarō was released in Japan on November 17, 2023.

Synopsis
Set in the 1950s, a salary man named Mizuki visits a cursed village under secret orders, while encountering a mysterious man.

Production
In March 2021, it was announced that Gegege no Kitaro manga series was to receive an anime film adaptation, and in November of that year, it was announced that Gō Koga is directing the film at Toei Animation, with Hiroyuki Yoshino providing the screenplay, Tōko Yatabe designing the characters and music composed by Kenji Kawai. In September 2023, it was announced that Toshihiko Seki was cast as Kitarō's father and Hidenobu Kiuchi as Mizuki, with Atsumi Tanezaki, Yumiko Kobayashi, and Toshio Furukawa joining the ensemble cast, while Miyuki Sawashiro, Umeka Shōji, and Masako Nozawa are reprising their respective roles as Kitarō, Neko Musume and Medama-oyaji from the 2018 anime series.

Release
The film was released in theaters in Japan on November 17, 2023. It was also released via Neofilms in theaters in Hong Kong on March 7, 2024, and is set to release in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Box office
The film opened at number 2 out of top 10 in the Japanese box office in its opening weekend, and dropped to number 4 in its second week, but rose to number 3 a week after.

Accolades
Birth of Kitarō: The Mystery of GeGeGe was nominated at the 47th Japan Academy Film Prize for "Best Animation Film" category. The film won the Animage's Anime Grand Prix poll, with Mizuki and Kitarō's father taking first and second best character awards.