Epic Trailer For Takashi Miike’s New Fantasy Monster Movie THE GREAT YOKAI WAR: GUARDIANS
Anyone with an interest in cult cinema will be familiar with the films of Takashi Miike. The Japanese director has helmed countless movies throughout his long career, with some of his most notable projects being Audition, Ichi the Killer, Zebraman, One Missed Call, 13 Assassins, and Blade of the Immortal. He also directed the controversial Imprint episode of Masters of Horror, which was originally pulled from broadcast due to concerns over its content.
Related Article: Interview: Takashi Miike on Blade of the Immortal, Directing 100 Films, and More; New Clips!
One of Miike’s more obscure films was a 2005 fantasy adventure called The Great Yokai War, which was about a young boy who learns that he is destined to protect the world from evil monsters known as Yokai. While the film did not receive much attention overseas, it still did well in Japan, and so Miike has now returned to direct the sequel, The Great Yokai War: Guardians. Set to open in Japan on August 13, 2021, the sequel focuses on another young Japanese boy named Watanabe Kei (played by (Terada Kokoro), who also sets out on a quest to stop an invading force of monsters. Yûsuke Watanabe provided the screenplay, and the supporting cast includes Nanako Matsushima, Kazuki Kitamura, Hana Sugisaki, Takao Osawa, and Sakura Andô.
The trailer for the film has been released online by distributor Toho, and it will probably be the most bizarre thing you’ll see all day. It even contains a shot of an army of fully clothed racoons on the march at 0:37, which was such a strange sight to behold that it will almost leave you lost for words. On the other hand, the trailer also shows off some of the hideous creature designs which will be featured throughout the movie, including a huge spider monster, a flying skeletal dragon, a giant stone warrior, and an enormous serpentine beast. While The Great Yokai War: Guardians is clearly targeted towards a family audience, it will still include some truly horrific monster designs which will no doubt impress horror fans. This will also clearly be one of Miike’s most expensive films to date, as you can see from the extravagant action set-pieces.
While it does not yet have an international release date, we imagine Miike’s cult popularity will probably help The Great Yokai War: Guardians to appeal to overseas distributors. With any luck, we won’t have to wait long before we can experience this epic adventure for ourselves.
