Netflix’s Surreal Horror Anime Movie Gets a Spooky Sequel Trailer: Watch

After its successful Thanksgiving Day comeback, Netflix is wasting no time promoting the second film in the Mononoke trilogy. Originally a spin-off of the 2006 anime series Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales, Mononoke follows the Medicine Seller from an episode in the anthology series embarking on other adventures dealing with the supernatural. The 12-episode anime became something of a cult classic among anime fans, and during the 15th-anniversary event for the series, it was announced that the series would be receiving a feature film.

While the project was originally supposed to be released in 2023, it was delayed to 2024 and announced that it would be a trilogy. Now that the first film in the series is finally out, Netflix and EOTA aren’t wasting any time promoting the next installment in the Medicine Seller’s curious journey helping victims of nefarious paranormal entities. The film is officially titled Mononoke the Movie Chapter 2: Hinezumi (or Fire Rat) and promotes that it follows a rivalry among women. Based on the trailer, the film follows the exact same artistic style as the first entry in the series. The trailer also announced the official release date for the film, which will hit Japanese theaters on March 14, 2025.

[RELATED: Mononoke Film Trilogy Announced With Sequel Poster]

Mononoke Blends Horror and Style For a Truly Unique Experience

Horror anime, on average, tend to portray themselves with dark, gritty color palettes and over-the-top gore. Mononoke stands out because it instead chooses to pull its audience into a world filled with lush, vibrant colors and an almost watercolor-like texture overlayed on the characters and environments. The presentation makes the franchise look like an old-school pop-up book that’s truly come to life, and the body horror and violence the story throws in for extra scares is done in such an expressive way that it’s impossible not to be completely enthralled by everything happening. This unique style is one of the biggest selling points to Mononoke, and is a huge reason why the series has been able to build the cult following that it has now.

That isn’t to say that the writing isn’t phenomenal, but in a sea of dark, gritty horror anime, Mononoke has truly defined itself as a diamond in the rough in terms of its art direction and production. Mononoke isn’t just great to look at, either. Both the original television series and the first film in the new trilogy, Phantom Rain, offer incredible paranormal mysteries for audiences to get just as intrigued by as the Medicine Seller. Fans of the series get to watch as the elusive samurai figure pieces together what’s causing the misfortunes of those seeking his aid.