Japan's Dark Fantasy Manga ‘Tougen Anki' Adapted into Anime; Descendants of ‘Momotaro,' Demons Clash in Evil vs. Evil Story

Yomiuri Shimbun

a day ago

Inspired by the famous Japanese folktale 'Momotaro,' the anime 'Tougen Anki,' currently airing on the Nippon TV network, tells the story of life-and-death combat between descendants of oni (demons) and Momotaro, the folktale hero.
'Tougen Anki' is a dark battle fantasy, rather than a fairy tale about good versus evil, with Shiki Ichinose, a young boy of oni lineage, as its protagonist. The Yomiuri Shimbun interviewed Kazuki Ura, Shiki's voice actor, and manga artist Yura Urushibara, who created 'Tougen Anki: Legend of the Cursed Blood,' on which the new show is based.
In the folktale 'Momotaro,' the title character is born from a giant peach and goes out to conquer oni with a dog, a monkey and a pheasant. In the world of 'Tougen Anki,' the descendants of oni and Momotaro have been locked in battle for thousands of years. They each have created their own organizations: the Oni Agency and the Momotaro Agency.Shiki lives as an ordinary human until one day he is attacked by the Momotaro Agency and learns his own true, fierce nature.
The Momotaro Agency hunts the oni, who flee and stay in seclusion, fearing for their lives. 'Since the oni are the lead characters, the [hero and villain] roles are reversed [from the folktale], making it a completely new story,' Ura said. 'And it develops in a classic, widely loved way of the weak standing up against the strong. I also live by helping the weak against the powerful.'
'He's a bad boy and a doofus — someone who acts on what he feels, not on what he thinks. He seems rough on the surface, but I hope I have been able to portray him in an engaging way, while maintaining his purity,' Ura said of Shiki and how he took on the role.
There are scenes in which Shiki takes control of the oni blood in his body and harnesses his powers to materialize weapons, such as firearms. To convincingly play out these scenes, Ura experimented with various ideas, such as holding a two-liter plastic bottle of water and feeling its weight before recording.'He's very pure,' Ura said of Shiki's personality. 'He takes and accepts things head-on. He even has no problem calling someone he hates 'amazing.' He inspires me to live that way, too.'
Shiki enrolls at Rasetsu Academy, a school that trains oni. His life at the academy, where we see him working hard alongside his cool teacher and eccentric classmates while throwing himself into battling the Momotaro, is one of the most gripping elements of the series.
Evil versus evil
Serialized in the Weekly Shonen Champion manga magazine published by Akita Publishing Co. since 2020, the original manga is very popular. It spans 25 tankobon volumes so far, with over 4 million copies printed.
The Momotaro descendants are by no means depicted as heroes. Tsubakiri Momomiya and other characters of the Momotaro Agency do not regard oni descendants as human beings, sometimes taking their lives in appallingly brutal ways.'Since they believe they stand on the side of justice, they have no sense of brutality,' Urushibara said.
However, not all the characters are cruel — there are those with their own views on both sides.
'I think of both the oni and Momotaro evil when depicting them, not as good against evil,' Urushibara said. 'In fact, they should've been able to get along, but have had no choice but to kill each other due to the circumstances around them, a situation that happens in real life, too.'
He said he wanted to make the protagonist, Shiki, 'an honest and completely pure person.''The first scene [from the story] I pictured in my mind was of the oni going out of control, and from there I decided what kind of powers they would have,' he said.
Shiki's classmates at Rasetsu Academy all have distinct personalities — eccentric, short-tempered and negative. The hustle and bustle at the academy adds color to what would otherwise be a serious drama.
'[With the scenes at the academy], I wanted to bring a comedic atmosphere that unwittingly relaxes you,' he said.Urushibara is happy that 'Tougen Anki' has been adapted into a TV anime.
'It's all thanks to the support of the readers,' he said. 'I think the characters come alive when the voice actors say their lines. I'm also looking forward to watching the battles play out, to see how they complement the original scenes.'
'Tougen Anki' is broadcast on the Nippon TV network from 11 p.m. on Fridays (the schedule is subject to changes) and on the BS Nippon TV satellite channel from 12:30 a.m. on Sundays. The anime can be watched on various streaming services as well.