Anime producer Koji Yamamoto has announced his departure from the field of producing, saying that he was taking responsibility for the return of voice actor Takahiro Sakurai in the third installment of the Mononoke film trilogy. The production had originally booted out Sakurai following a scandal.
The context: in September 2022, the tabloid magazine Weekly Bunshun reported that Sakurai had engaged in a 10-year affair without the other party being aware that he was married (in 2018, Sakurai was reported to have let slip of his marriage on radio, but there was no confirmation until after the Bunshun story, which cited Sakurai’s affirmation of his married status, broke). The next month, talent agency Intention released an apology that mentioned that Sakurai was reflecting on his actions (Intention would later end its contract with Sakurai in March 2023). Sakurai was the star of the original Mononoke TV anime and its predecessor in the Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales anthology, and was to reprise his role as the enigmatic, spirit-vanquishing Medicine Seller in the movie trilogy. In February 2023, it was announced that the Medicine Seller role would be recast.
The statement from back then noted that the Mononoke trilogy was set “in Ōuku (historically the women’s quarters of Edo Castle) and tries to depict the suffering and remedy of women. Judging from the standpoint of the story, we decided to change the cast of the medicine seller.” Hiroshi Kamiya was later cast as the movies’ protagonist, although his Medicine Seller was not the same person as Sakurai’s.
Despite the initial move to remove Sakurai from the trilogy, moviegoers in Japan noted that the recently released Gekijoban Mononoke Daisansho: Hebigami (Mononoke the Movie: Chapter 3: Snake God) had a surprise appearance from Sakurai’s Medicine Seller (who was shown in a recent post-release trailer), with Sakurai once again voicing the character.
In a statement, Yamamoto said that the decision to bring back the previous Medicine Seller (referred to as Ri no Kusuriuri, versus Kamiya’s Kon no Kusuriuri) in a voiced manner, instead of utilizing another Medicine Seller or having only silent footage of Ri no Kusuriuri, was made to respond to viewers who wanted to see the character. He also mentioned that having Ri no Kusuriuri make a nice, crowd-pleasing appearance would be fitting for the final film.
Yamamoto said that the decision to not reveal Ri no Kusuriuri’s appearance for three days after the May 29, 2026 launch of Mononoke the Movie: Chapter 3: Snake God was made so as to make it a surprise, but ended up causing those who were against that Medicine Seller’s return to be unable to decide beforehand whether they would skip the new film or not. He apologized and said that he was keenly aware of his naivety.
“Until now, there have been many moments where things that I forcibly pushed through became a source of trouble,” Yamamoto wrote in a separate post on X/Twitter, in which he mentioned his intention to quit producing. He said that while he had chosen to not give up and push forward in those past moments, he felt that he should take responsibility for Mononoke. Yamamoto also commented that he increasingly felt a disconnect between himself and the present times, and also with the leanings of viewers.
Moving forward, Yamamoto, who is 51, says that he will move into management and the cultivation of young talent.
Yamamoto is the founder of Twin Engine, the anime planning and production company that was set up in 2014 and has animation studios like Studio Colorido, Studio Chromato, and NUT in its orbit. Before that, he was with Fuji TV’s noitaminA block.
Yamamoto’s recent works include Nippon Sangoku (executive producer), the surprise hit film Cosmic Princess Kaguya! (planning and produce), and Hell’s Paradise Season 2 (planning). In the past, he worked on titles like Aoi Hana, Eden of the East, and Paradise Kiss as a producer, He is credited with planning produce on the Mononoke film trilogy.
As for Sakurai, it was announced last month that he will be part of the cast for the upcoming Iron Wok Jan and The World is Dancing.
Source: @koji8782 (1), (2)