The deluge proper begins with the first weekend of the fall season. We’re still in the “Modestly Interested” portion of the preview with Shabake, but perhaps a bit less modestly than the first two premieres of the season. It’s a novel adaptation, and as such was sort of an outside sleeper despite lacking notable names in the staff or a huge reputation. Could it be a candidate for “that niche” this season? It does check some boxes, absolutely, though it may be a little plot-heavy for that fit to be perfect.
Anime based on novels are usually pretty easy to spot, and I think Shabake falls under that umbrella. The story unspools differently from a manga adaptation, in ways that are sometimes hard to quantify. It’s quite a leisurely start, which is not uncommon for such shows, though things do pick up steam by the third act. Shabake is the story of an young Edo Period merchant’s son named Ichitarou, frail and sickly since birth. He had an older brother who died (though there are suggestions it isn’t that straightforward), and his mother is unlikely to bear another child. That makes the doubts about Ichitarou’s fitness to take over the (very successful) Nagasakiya especially acute (and painful for Ichitarou).
To wit, this is a youkai story. As in, it’s pretty much a compendium of the “Night Parade of One Hundred Demons”. Ichitarou (who seems to have been conceived as a result of prayers to Inari-sama) can see them for starters, and the little oni (Yanari) running about the place seem to be his only friends. His grandfather further prays to Inari and two messengers are sent to protect Ichitarou, an Inugami and a Hakutaku. When the teen Ichitarou wants to sneak out (it’s hinted that he’s visiting his brother somehow) he gets a Byoubo nozoki (mainly known for leering over folding screens at humans engaged in coitus) to stand in for him.
On one of these excursions – on a moonless night when Ichitarou is joined by a worried spirit messenger from the Inari shrine – he appears to stumble upon a murder scene. The culprit then appears, declares that something smells delicious and demands that it be handed over, and brandishes a bloody knife. Ichitarou bolts but obviously, intense physical exertion is not his strong suit. Eventually he’s forced to call for yet more spirit aid from the shrine – this time a Furaribi (traditionally a soul which has not passed to the other side), a fire spirit which flares to his defense. He escapes, but encounters a bloody corpse at the river’s edge.
Once more with Shabake, I’m compelled to declare that it’s too soon to tell. It’s pleasant enough, and the production itself is perfectly fine (if a pretty big departure for Bandai Namco Pictures, nee Sunrise). Anything with this much Shinto and general Japanese folklore in it has a leg up with me, and that side of things holds potential. The story itself and its protagonist aren’t particularly gripping, but there’s still time for that to change. I don’t know this series’ real identity yet – what compelled it to be written, and the point it’s trying to make. As such, it’s still wait-and-see at this stage.
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