Esta review también está en español.
Step right up and have a look… It's time for Theater of Darkness…
With this ominous presentation, a mysterious man wearing a golden mask invites us to enjoy Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories (Theater of darkness, and from now on, YS), an anthology of Japanese rumors and urban legends, full of spirits, ghost, curses, and all those creepy things we like so much. No gore or extreme violence here, only pure, clean terror.
Unlike creations like Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror or Kousetsu Hyaku Monogatari, which both had a more medieval setting (or at least, before the Meiji era), YS take place in
...
modern Japan. Personally, I think this is a plus, because, although it's true that there are some Japanese folk elements, it's not hard to understand what's going on: with minimum reasoning (and a couple of anime in your list... not that many, but enough to know that those papers with rare scribbles are actually talismans, for example), you can know what's going on (and that without the gazillion clarifications subbers usually add in historical anime).
One of the first things you'll notice in YS is its duration: less than five minutes, and that including the presentation and the ending song. How does this affect the story? Contrary to what one can expect, it's actually something good. When it comes to horror and suspense, keeping the tension is vital. The episodes in YS (all self conclusive, by the way) are often very direct, stating the situation/predicament of the protagonist almost immediately, and before you know it, the conclusion arrives. The stories may not be very original, but YS really knows how to use the shock factor: even when you know what is going to happen, in the end you'll be surprised.
The second thing that stands out in this anime is, of course, its animation. Still images… almost no animation (you're never going to see lips moving, or eyes blinking, for example)... low budget? No, for the visual aspect, creators decide to imitate the kamishibai, a traditional storytelling technique inspired by the artistic usage of paper figures and scrolls (thanks for the tip, MAL synopsis). It's similar to that seen in Midori: Shoujo Tsubaki but, in YS works a lot better. Even if the animation is a bit static (but don't worry, there are some movements... this is not Inferno Cop), both character and backgrounds are well done, and are occasionally replaced with photos, and even sometimes with live-action moments. A strange combination, yes, but it works well, and really contribute to produce some disturbing moments. Also, it worth mention the good coloring: after all, it helps the ambientation a lot that the palette used has a majority of opaque colors, and strong and violent red/violet/black tones for the... complicated moments. And the final detail: a lot of little black dots are present during the animation, simulating that we are watching something in an old projector. It's a nice touch.
When it comes to horror, sound is very important, since it sets the mood... and I must say that, here, YS is brilliant. The seiyuus (whoever they are) fulfill flawlessly with their work, showing the full range of emotions present in this kind of work: tranquility, confusion, and finally, fear. Bonus points for the narrator, that, even if he only have a few lines per episode (and only at the beginning), he remains constant throughout the series. The sound effects are deep, loud and clear, being the most predominant (of course) the footsteps, or the door openings/closing. These are particularly powerful in the sense that, for a long time, there's no music... only sound. But when the music finally hits... god damn. First, it starts quiet, ominous, almost imperceptibly... and then it starts to rise up, only to hit you in the face in the perfect moment, the one with more tension. As a final detail, it worth mentioning the ending: personally, I wouldn't even consider Hatsune Miku for a series like this, but the song Kaifuu Emaki works perfectly. Not only sounds fine, it has a kind of distorted tone that made the song slightly unsettling. Awesome job.
Final words: Yami Shibai is a fascinating product. The stories are interesting (with some cliché, of course), dynamic and gloomy, that can actually surprise you (or at least, scare you a few times). Visually is not spectacular, but it works fine, and its personality is undeniable. Sound's impeccable using silence and music at the right times to create the right mood. And most important, the episodes are very short, so the tension is high all the time. If you like horror animes, YS is practically mandatory.
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Acérquense y observen… es hora del Teatro de la Oscuridad
Con esta ominosa presentación, un misterioso sujeto de mascara dorada nos invita a disfrutar de Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories (Teatro de la oscuridad: Historias japonesas de fantasmas, a partir de ahora, YS), una antología de rumores y leyendas urbanas japonesas, llenas de espíritus, maldiciones, y todas esas cosas escabrosas que tanto nos gustan.
A diferencia de creaciones como Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror o Kousetsu Hyaku Monogatari, que tenían una ambientación más bien medieval (o al menos, anterior a la era Meiji), todas transcurren en el Japón (más o menos) contemporáneo. Personalmente, creo que esto es un plus, porque, si bien es cierto que hay elementos folclóricos japoneses, no presentan una dificultad a la hora de entender que es lo que está pasando: con un mínimo razonamiento (y un par de animes en la bolsa… no muchos, pero los suficientes como para saber que esos papeles con palabras raras son talismanes, por ejemplo), uno comprende (sin la necesidad de que los subers agreguen miles de aclaraciones).
Una de las primeras cosas que uno nota de YS es su duración: no más de cinco minutos, y con eso incluyo la presentación y el ending. Como afecta esto a la historia? Contrario a lo que uno podría esperar, juega a su favor. Cuando se habla de horror y suspenso, mantener la tensión es algo vital. Los capítulos de YS (todos auto conclusivos) suelen ser muy directos, planteando la situación/predicamento del protagonista casi de inmediato, y para cuando uno se quiere dar cuenta, la conclusión llega de golpe. Las historias no serán muy originales, pero YS juega muy bien con el shock: hasta cuando uno intuye como va a terminar el capitulo, al final se sorprende, por cómo se barajan las cosas.
Lo segundo que llama la atención en este anime es, por supuesto, su animación. Imágenes estáticas… animación casi nula (nunca van a ver ojos parpadeando labios moviéndose, por ejemplo)… bajo presupuesto? No, para el aspecto visual se decidió imitar el kamishibai, un estilo de contar historias en las que se usan figuras de papel y pergaminos (gracias por el tip, sinopsis de MAL). Es similar a lo visto en Midori: Shoujo Tsubaki, pero, la verdad sea dicha, en YS funciona mejor. Sacando el hecho de su no muy fluida animación (pero que se entienda, sí que hay movimiento en los personajes, esto no es como en Inferno Cop), tanto los personajes como los fondos están bien hechos, y ocasionalmente, son reemplazados con fotos, y a veces, hasta con momentos live-action. Una combinación extraña, si, pero funciona bien, y realmente produce momentos realmente perturbadores. También, cabe mencionar el buen trabajo en el coloreado: después de todo, ayuda mucho a la ambientación que se haya usado una variedad de colores opacos en general, y fuertes y violentos tonos rojos/violetas/negros para los momentos… complicados. Y a todo esto se suma el efecto en la animación de los constantes micro puntos negros, que simulan el efecto de que estamos viendo algo en un proyector antiguo. Es un buen detalle, y todo suma para que el producto final asuste más.
En una producción de terror, el sonido es muy importante, y hay que decir que, acá, YS es brillante. Los actores (sean quienes sean) cumplen impecablemente con su labor, mostrando toda la gama de emociones presentes en este tipo de situaciones: tranquilidad, confusión, y finalmente, miedo. Puntos extra para el narrador, que si bien solo tiene unas pocas líneas por capitulo (y solo al principio), se mantiene constante a lo largo de la serie. Los efectos de sonido son profundos, siendo el caso más evidente el de las pisadas, o cuando se abren la puertas. Estos son particularmente poderosos por que durante ratos largos no hay música… solo sonido. Pero cuando finalmente llega la música… agárrense. Primero arranca tranquila, ominosa, casi imperceptible, para ir subiendo, y golpear en el momento justo, en el de más tensión. Y como detalle final, cabe mencionar el ending: personalmente ni se me hubiera ocurrido usar a Hatsune Miku para este tipo de serie, pero la canción Kaifuu Emaki funciona muy bien. No solo suena bien, si no que tiene una especie de tono distorsionado que la hace ligeramente macabra. Muy buen trabajo.
Bueno, para redondear, Yami Shibai es un producto fascinante. Sus historias son interesantes (tal vez con algún cliché), dinámicas y tétricas, y realmente pueden sorprender, o al menos, hacer pegar algunos saltos. Visualmente no es espectacular, pero cumple de forma muy convincente, y su personalidad es innegable. El sonido es impecable, usando sonidos y música en los momentos justos para lograr crear malestar. Y lo más importante de todo, los capítulos son cortos, por lo que la tensión no se pierde en ningún momento. Si te gustan los animes de terror, YS es prácticamente obligatorio. Con cada capítulo que ves quedas con ganas de mas…
Alternative Titles
Synonyms: Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories
Japanese: 闇芝居
More titlesInformation
Type:
TV
Episodes:
13
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Jul 15, 2013 to Sep 30, 2013
Premiered:
Summer 2013
Broadcast:
Unknown
Producers:
TV Tokyo
Licensors:
Sentai Filmworks
Studios:
ILCA
Source:
Original
Duration:
4 min. per ep.
Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Statistics
Ranked:
#44042
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#1957
Members:
109,369
Favorites:
331
Available AtResourcesStreaming Platforms | Reviews
Filtered Results: 29 / 44
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Your Feelings Categories Aug 10, 2013
Esta review también está en español.
Step right up and have a look… It's time for Theater of Darkness… With this ominous presentation, a mysterious man wearing a golden mask invites us to enjoy Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories (Theater of darkness, and from now on, YS), an anthology of Japanese rumors and urban legends, full of spirits, ghost, curses, and all those creepy things we like so much. No gore or extreme violence here, only pure, clean terror. Unlike creations like Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror or Kousetsu Hyaku Monogatari, which both had a more medieval setting (or at least, before the Meiji era), YS take place in ... Oct 23, 2013
Sometimes the simplest of ideas work surprisingly well. Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories (or Theater of Darkness) is essentially the animated equivalence of telling spooky stories by the campfire. Of course, unlike campfire ghost stories, it has the advantage of telling its story through visuals and atmosphere setting sound design. This is as rudimentary as storytelling gets, short and quick to the point. Yet these tales of horror are plenty effective; distilling the tense atmosphere and shocks which make those short ghost stories so much fun.
Yamishibai wholly commits to creating a creepy atmosphere from beginning to end. The short opening for every episode has a man ... Aug 4, 2013
Yami Shibai actually is not bad. It may be rated G, but it can get insanely creepy at times. The stories are also well written, unique, and diverse. They are the type of short stories that stick with you. I also like how most of the ending mainly implied, but open to interpretation.
I don't care much for the artwork. It is very artistic. The animation mimics kamishibai well. It's just a little too different for my taste. It has a semi realist style too it. It kind of blurs the border as to what defines an anime at times. On the bright ... Dec 23, 2014
Theatre of Darkness will be the shortest hour of your life.
Allow me address the elephant in the room – the episode runtime. The problem here is I do not lean strongly either way because I cannot completely tear down nor defend it. I will say it is a big factor as to why I did not rate this a perfect 10, though. Visually, it is compelling. There are times when the quality falters, but because of the stylistic choices which fit in with the cutout 'theatre' image, I cannot complain. The sound and atmospheric design is very well done. And most importantly, the horror is ... Mar 29, 2015
Remember those ghost stories your uncle told you when your parents left you at his house for the night so they could have a good time? Well here are those very ghost stories in anime form.
I would like to start with the anime art style yes it is quirky but it fits the mood of the narrating and actual story as well as that when the characters do speak the actors who play the characters sound like they are actually very terrified so all due props to them for doing such an excellent job at acting. If you are looking for a short 5 minute ... Sep 11, 2016
Yami Shibai was an anime like I haven't seen before. I only anime that I could possibly slightly comapre it to is Pet Shop of Horrors due to the way that it is set out with new characters and storylines each episode. It was a quick watch of horror which I could fit in to watch anywhere and get a little creeped out everytime.
--STORY-- The story was ok. Considering each episode goes for a duration of 5 minutes with a new story each episode there was not much room for development of a story. But that was not the point of this anime. It was just ... Sep 22, 2013
Everyone who saw movies like “Ju-On the grudge” knows that the Japanese make the creepiest horror movies. What bothered me is the fact that I never saw a creepy anime though, till I saw Yami Shibai.
Yami Shibai is basically the best example for a pure horror anime. It doesn’t waste any screen time onto anything but horror, and very creepy one indeed. The episodes are very short, which normally annoy me about anime, but in this case it works perfectly, because it’s very different to normal anime. In this anime you don’t care about the plot or the characters, this is just a 4 min ... Aug 23, 2019
Ghost story's have been told for generations, since the dawn of man. It's one of the earliest forms of entertainment humankind engulfed themselves with. Before television electricity even before literature, people gathered around the fire to hear chilling tales. Humans like to be frightened and immersive themselves in a world full of ghost goblins and demons.So let's gather around and I will tell more of about some horrifying Ghost story's.. Welcome to my review of Yami Shibai!
Rather then one big story this is a collation of shorter ghost tales. And with only four minutes of time they are surprisingly well done, and being told in ... Sep 1, 2013
I personally find YamiShiBai a very well planned piece of art. YamiShiBai is based on the concept of KamiShiBai, an ancient storytelling technique based on paper in 12th century. Young viewers may not appreciate the artwork in YamiShiBai due to its dull and simplistic texture. In YamiShiBai, the artwork reflects reality and correct atmosphere. Moreover, the sound effect often creates huge tension and uneasiness. Although the ending is very predictable, I still get very scared by some of the grotesque images.
Although most of the episodes in YamiShiBai are scary,I feel that some of the episodes convey valuable insights. In episode 3, people smile in order ... Jan 19, 2015
When it comes to rating anime, I often wonder whether they should be rated differently depending on their differing goals and whether or not they fulfil those goals. For example, would it make sense to rate Madoka highly because it achieves its aim for shock value and exploring the "depth" behind the magical girl genre, regardless of the quality of its story or characters?
Yami Shibai is the perfect example of an anime which raises this conundrum for me. It isn't particularly representative of, or even relevant to, the standard structure and characteristics of anime; it is, however, a show that sets out with the ... Jan 12, 2021
Story:
Basically 13 short little stories based on Japanese urban legends or myths. All of them were interesting and in my opinion, done well. Every story is at the very least, creepy (some were downright scary), and it had me hooked from the first episode. Animation: At first this was a sticking point to me. The animation was extremely basic, but after a few episodes it grew on me and actually it fits very well with the asthetic of the show. The animation is based off of the Japanese paper theatre story tellers. It is done well for what it is trying to do. Sound: The sound is done very ... Oct 25, 2015
Please note: This will be a review of only the first season of Yami Shibai.
Horror is something that seems hard to truly do in anime. That’s not to say that there aren’t any good horror anime out there however I find that there are few horror anime that seem to be legitimately scary. When I say this, I mean anime that can successfully keep the viewer on edge when watching them through sound and atmosphere, instead of just dumping lots of gore and yanderes into the show and having the characters give psychotic smiles every now and then (looking at you Elfen Lied and Future ... Sep 5, 2016
-This is my first review so please bear with me-
Ah yes, Yami Shibai, I heard a bit about it before watching but finally decided to try it out because I thought "Hey, I could finish this in less than an hour, might as well give it a go." I have to say, this anime really surprised me, it exceeded my expectations and managed to hold my attention, I mean, it could get repetitive at times but the episodes are only, what, four minutes long? So I sat through it all and somehow ended up writing this review. STORY - 8 It's a very simple concept, ghost stories, ... Apr 15, 2015
"Tonk. Tonk. Tonk..."
An old man siddles up to you, saying in an eery voice, "Step right up and have a look. It's time for Yamishibai." Every episodes starts in that creepy, distinct way. An obvious introduction for a great horror series. Let me start by the usual gradings... Story: Now, in every episode, the story is different. Different characters, different plots, different moments in life. Since spoilers ruin the fun, I won't give any, but keep in mind this is a horror series, so expect to be sweating, clenching your teeth, widening your eyes, or having the hair on your spine stand on end....or will ... Mar 9, 2017
"Step right up and have a look..." are the words of the alluring storyteller fitted with a haunting Noh-like mask: "It's time for Yamishibai"
Collecting short ghost stories based on Japanese urban legends, Yamishibai is criminally short, yet beautifully animated. The animation gives a very bunraku feel, almost as though the characters are all puppets behind a screen. It was no surprise, then, to find out the animation is specifically designed to mimic kamishibai; visual storytelling from the post-war period in Japan. Fans of series like Another and Jigoku Shoujo or any supernatural anime designed to spook and terrify will most likely enjoy this series. Although ... Sep 30, 2016
Step right up and have a look...
It's time for Yamishibai --- Story: 8 Yamishibai is a series of folk tales, urban legends and ghost stories, meaning it doesn't really have an over-arching plot. Each episode is 4 minutes long, making this a really short series that you can probably finish in about 2 or 3 hours. However it doesn't really detract from the value of the show. Because each episode is so short, it sets up the premise and gets to the point pretty fast. The thing this anime does best is it's atmosphere. Because it gets to the point fast, the atmosphere is intense and fast-paced, and ... Aug 19, 2016
Story:
Detailed, intriguing, and consistently spooky. Each episode has a proper horror creep that steadies from a standard uncomfortable base up towards a satisfying, yet open-ended climax. As horrors should be, there isn't a lot of detail, and it's all within an understood realm of disturbing. What works in Yami Shibai is the idea that no object, action, or location is safe from horror. And, when those things are scary, there's almost an inconvenience to them at first, rather than a straight up terror factor. For instance, the Hair episode has the MC photocopy something and lines come out on the copy. That's not scary at first, ... Apr 17, 2016
As I watched the first episode, I really don't expect much from the anime but it's only 4 minutes per episode and I think I should just finish it and give it a try.
I'm not really used with the anime's art style but still it's pretty okay. All I can say is the SOUND EFFECTS were really GOOD. It got me jumping on my chair but the story always leave me hanging. I don't know the reason as to why the scary things happened. It always leave me wondering. Also, as you go further with the anime. The story gets creepier. It's a plus points. May 15, 2016
The Yami Shibai series is definitely something to watch if you are interested in the creepier style of anime.
Each episode is only that of a couple of minutes yet is able to give the viewer a new story related to that of urban legends within Japan. Despite each episode being so short, it does a very good job of getting the viewer on the edge of their seat and wanting to see more. The art style is totally unique and adds to the overall scariness of the anime (although at the same time it may be something that requires getting used to). Regardless, this ... Dec 27, 2015
The story is good if you like folklore, even if you lack any knowledge of the japanease one, but sometimes the closures can feel a little rushed because of the length of the episodes and the fact that each episode has it's own storyline, setting and characters.
The art of this anime is very unique but quite fitting for the topic and atmosphere, it feels fresh and dark, but it's not for everyone some people might find too motionless. The soundtrack is nothing special in my opinion it could have been better, the ending theme is an exception to this given the fact that I find ... |