The Great Yokai War

The Great Yokai War is a Japanese fantasy adventure directed by Takashi Miike. It follows Tadashi, a ten-year-old boy with a difficult home life, who is chosen during a local festival to take on the role of the Kirin Rider, a legendary defender of peace. His task is to find a fabled sword hidden on a mountain guarded by goblins. As children across Japan begin to disappear and monstrous creatures attack the population, Tadashi sets out on the journey, joined by a group of friendly yokai, the spirits and mythological beings of Japanese folklore. Together they face a demon leading an army against humanity.

Miike directed the film from a screenplay he wrote with Hiroshi Aramata and Mitsuhiko Sawamura, with Fumio Inoue producing. It was Miike's fifteenth film as director, following Izo and preceding Imprint. The cast is led by Ryunosuke Kamiki as Tadashi, alongside Hiroyuki Miyasako, Kaho Minami, Riko Narumi, Shirō Sano and Yoji Tanaka. Released in Japan in August 2005, it runs 124 minutes and mixes action, comedy and fantasy.

Audience response has been moderate: on IMDb the film holds a rating of 6.3 from around 2,900 votes, and on TMDB it also stands at 6.3, from a smaller base of 78 votes.