A new visual, trailer, and three more cast members have been revealed for the upcoming The Keeper of the Camphor Tree anime film. The film is scheduled to begin screening in Japan on January 30, 2026.
The three new cast members (from left to right below) joining the film include Asuka Saito as Yumi Saji, Ryubi Miyase as Soki Oba, and Takao Osawa as Toshiaki Saji.
They join a main voice cast headlined by Fumiya Takahashi as Reito Naoi and Yuki Amami as Chifune Yanagisawa.
Tomohiko Ito (Sword Art Online seasons 1-2, Hello World) is directing the anime film, with Taku Kishimoto (Sakamoto Days series composer) as scriptwriter, Tsubasa Yamaguchi (Blue Period manga artist, SUNTORY Sui Gin “Midori to Utaeba” CM) and Akiko Itagaki (Lonely Castle in the Mirror character design cooperation) as character designers, Hiroshi Takiguchi (Weathering with You, ChaO) as background art director, and Yugo Kanno (Psycho-Pass, Sand Land) as music composer. A-1 Pictures and its Psyde Kick Studio label are in charge of the film’s animation production.
The original novel by Keigo Higashino (released in Japan under the title Kusunoki no Bannin) was published by Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha in March 2020 in hardcover format, before being released in paperback in 2023. An English translated version of the novel by Jordan Taylor will be released by Little, Brown Book Group’s Abacus imprint in June 2026.
Higashino has previously published several works in the mystery genre such as his Detective Galileo novel series that include The Devotion of Suspect X and Salvation of a Saint. He has also written the novels Naoko, Journey Under the Midnight Sun, and The Miracles of the Namiya General Store. All the books have been released and translated into English.
Higashino’s novels have also inspired several Japanese and foreign live-action adaptations, such as The Miracles of the Namiya General Store and Himitsu.
Abacus describes the main synopsis of The Keeper of the Camphor Tree novel, via Amazon, as:
When a run of bad luck lands Reito in prison, about to be sentenced, a distant aunt he has never met offers him a surprising way out: he must become the next keeper of the camphor tree.
In his strange new job, Reito welcomes the people coming by nightfall to commune with the tree, all of whom are lost and all in need of something. There is the stern, middle-aged man who hums to the tree for hours; and his glamorous daughter, who has been secretly following him. Then there is the rich, disaffected young man who seems to come grudgingly, with no faith that the tree will even help.
What is the secret of the camphor tree? Can its power be more than just a myth?
Reito begs his aunt Chifune to explain, but she assures him that when he is ready for them, the answers will come to him.
Sources: The Keeper of the Camphor Official Anime Film Twitter (2), Crunchyroll News, Official Anime Film Website