The Empire of Corpses

Set in 19th-century Europe, the story takes place in a world where scientific breakthroughs allow human corpses to be reanimated with artificial souls. These beings serve as industrial laborers and soldiers. John Watson, a medical student, is recruited by the government to work as a secret agent. His missions take him across the globe, including to Afghanistan, as he navigates a society built on this corpse technology and searches for secrets related to the original creation by Victor Frankenstein.

The film was directed by Ryotaro Makihara, who previously directed Hal in 2013. The screenplay was written by Midori Goto, Hiroshi Seko, and Koji Yamamoto. The voice cast features Yoshimasa Hosoya as John H. Watson, Ayumu Murase as Friday, Akio Otsuka as M, Takayuki Sugo as The One, Taiten Kusunoki as Frederick Barnaby, and Kana Hanazawa as Hadaly Lilith.

Produced in Japan by companies including TOHO and Aniplex, the movie blends animation with elements of horror, mystery, and science fiction. Audience reception is moderate, with a rating of 6/10 based on 1,600 votes on IMDb and a score of 6.2/10 from 133 votes on TMDB.