Autumn Anime "GARO -Kouren no Tsuki-", Report from Kyoto Event Arrives!　Stage at Kyoto Mafu and Prayer Ceremony at Seimei Shrine

The TV anime "GARO - Kouren no Tsuki," which will start in October, has received an event report and some advance scene photos from the second episode.

GARO - Kouren no Tsuki" is the second TV anime following "GARO - GARO: Mark of Fire" in 2014 from the adult-oriented special effects series "GARO," which has a total of four series broadcast since 2005. This time, manga artist Masakazu Katsura, who is also well known as the character designer for "TIGER & BUNNY," will be the main character designer, and a new story will be depicted as a "Neo Heian Katsudo" set in the Heian period. Production will continue to be handled by MAPPA and TOHOKUSHINSHA. The series will run for two consecutive seasons.

Broadcasting began on October 9, and an event report and advance scene photos from the second episode have arrived. The events were a stage event and a prayer ceremony at Seimei Shrine at the Kyoto International Manga and Anime Fair 2015 (Kyo Mafu) held on September 19-20 in Kyoto, where the story takes place. Masakazu Katsura, who served as the main character designer, Masei Nakayama (as Raikou), and Akiko Yajima (as Kintoki) participated in the event. Below is the report.

The second episode will be broadcast from October 16.

GARO" was exhibited at "Kyo Mafu 2015," the largest manga and anime event in western Japan, held at Miyakomesse and other venues in Kyoto City. A rare exhibition was held where the original live design drawings by the main character designer Masakazu Katsura were shown for the first time.

On Saturday, September 19, a "Masakazu Katsura Talk Stage" was held in the booth. On September 20 (Sun.), a special talk stage was held with Masakazu Katsura, Masei Nakayama (who plays the role of Raikou), and Akiko Yajima (who plays the role of Kintoki). In addition to showing the latest video, they introduced the work and its characters.
The highlights of the work and episodes from the recording sessions were also discussed, and the many visitors who gathered at the stage listened to the talk.

On September 20, Masakazu Katsura, Masei Nakayama, Akiko Yajima, Masao Maruyama (president of MAPPA, the animation production company), Kentaro Yoshida (senior executive officer of Tohoku Shinsha), and other staff members participated in a prayer ceremony at Seimei Shrine in Kyoto, a shrine dedicated to the yin-yang master, Abe no Seimei. The staff members gathered in front of the main shrine.
The staff gathered in front of the main shrine to participate in the prayer ceremony. As a representative of the participants, Mr. Masei Nakayama offered a tamagushi (a small stick with a sacred object attached to it) and prayed. The ceremony ended with the dedication of an ema (votive votive tablet) with wishes on it in a solemn atmosphere.

Seimei Shrine is known as a shrine of "protection from evil," and the prayer ceremony was held to exorcise "horror," a monster that eats people's souls, which is also connected to the world of the work.

Comment by Masakazu Katsura
The setting is the Heian period (794-1192), but I designed the character freely without worrying too much about the setting. The live-action world of "GARO" is of course very interesting, and I think the anime will be very interesting and exciting as well, so I hope everyone will watch it.

Comment by Masei Nakayama
This time, "GARO -Koren no Tsuki-" will be a fusion of Director Amemiya's world view, Masakazu Katsura's character design, and a world view arranged in Kyoto and Heian-kyo, and I believe that a completely new and wonderful story will begin, so I hope that you will look forward to watching it. This will be my second time participating in this project, following my participation in the previous "GARO -Makai no Hana-", and I would like to tighten my grip and take responsibility until the very end.I hope that those who have not seen the previous "GARO" series and those who do not usually watch animation will take this opportunity to watch it.

Akiko Yajima comment
The most interesting part of the dubbing is the exchange between Hoshiaki and Raikau. Each episode is full of highlights, so I hope you will watch it. I think Kintoki is happy just to be between the two of them, so I am also playing the role of Kintoki while feeling that happiness. There are other fascinating characters in the show, and the cast is full of unique personalities, so I hope you will look forward to watching the show every week. I hope you will look forward to watching the show every week.