They will work as standalones, but will be better if watched together.
Summary:
Kurayakaba and Kuramerukagari are a pair of movies that will premiere in Japanese theaters in April.
They are related to each other, which sounds novel — but we have actually seen such projects in anime before.
The concept behind the movies was created by Ryohgo Narita, the author of Durarara.
A peculiar pair of anime movies was announced back in 2023, but this announcement went under the radar for most fans. The movies, Kurayakaba and Kuramerukagari, will premiere on April 12 — and they are supposed to be watched together.
This is not the first time we get a project consisting of two related anime that add context to each other, but this might become the most successful one to date.
Not the first time we see such a project
This kind of “two anime as one” project has been done before. Just a few years ago, we got To Every You I've Loved Before (Boku ga Aishita Subete no Kimi e) and To Me, The One Who Loved You (Kimi wo Aishita Hitori no Boku e) — a pair of movies that take place in worlds parallel to each other.
That wasn’t even the first experiment like that. Pokemon released a couple of such movies in 2011 — Black – Victini and Reshiram and White – Victini and Zekrom. We even had a TV anime like that in 2016. Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School (Danganronpa 3: The End of Kibougamine Gakuen) aired in two arcs that were supposed to be watched one episode at a time.
Fans, however, don’t really like this format very often. If you don’t follow the promotional campaign closely, it’s easy to miss how the anime are related and how they are supposed to be watched, which results in confusion among viewers.
Created by a famous author
That said, this project seems to be slightly different. The movies aren’t necessarily directly related and can be watched as standalones, which might help in understanding them. The most important part, however, is the author behind the movies — he’s the reason why fans think this project shows a lot of promise.
The concept behind the movies was created by Ryohgo Narita — a popular author known for series such as Baccano!, Durarara!!, Dead Mount Death Play and Fate/strange Fake.
As such, fans have some ideas about what to expect: mystery, a huge cast of characters and a fast pace. And while these movies are supposed to be standalone, in the classic Narita style, they will probably combine into a bigger story if watched together.
The trailers look interesting
The director of the movies, Shigeyoshi Tsukahara, is collaborating with Narita on the story of the movies. He is known for his unique visual approach, which can be seen in the trailers.
While it’s currently unknown when fans will be able to watch the movies on streaming, the whole idea behind them sounds very exciting.
They will work as standalones, but will be better if watched together.
Summary:
Kurayakaba and Kuramerukagari are a pair of movies that will premiere in Japanese theaters in April.
They are related to each other, which sounds novel — but we have actually seen such projects in anime before.
The concept behind the movies was created by Ryohgo Narita, the author of Durarara.
A peculiar pair of anime movies was announced back in 2023, but this announcement went under the radar for most fans. The movies, Kurayakaba and Kuramerukagari, will premiere on April 12 — and they are supposed to be watched together.
This is not the first time we get a project consisting of two related anime that add context to each other, but this might become the most successful one to date.
Not the first time we see such a project
This kind of “two anime as one” project has been done before. Just a few years ago, we got To Every You I've Loved Before (Boku ga Aishita Subete no Kimi e) and To Me, The One Who Loved You (Kimi wo Aishita Hitori no Boku e) — a pair of movies that take place in worlds parallel to each other.
That wasn’t even the first experiment like that. Pokemon released a couple of such movies in 2011 — Black – Victini and Reshiram and White – Victini and Zekrom. We even had a TV anime like that in 2016. Danganronpa 3: The End of Hope's Peak High School (Danganronpa 3: The End of Kibougamine Gakuen) aired in two arcs that were supposed to be watched one episode at a time.
Fans, however, don’t really like this format very often. If you don’t follow the promotional campaign closely, it’s easy to miss how the anime are related and how they are supposed to be watched, which results in confusion among viewers.
Created by a famous author
That said, this project seems to be slightly different. The movies aren’t necessarily directly related and can be watched as standalones, which might help in understanding them. The most important part, however, is the author behind the movies — he’s the reason why fans think this project shows a lot of promise.
The concept behind the movies was created by Ryohgo Narita — a popular author known for series such as Baccano!, Durarara!!, Dead Mount Death Play and Fate/strange Fake.
As such, fans have some ideas about what to expect: mystery, a huge cast of characters and a fast pace. And while these movies are supposed to be standalone, in the classic Narita style, they will probably combine into a bigger story if watched together.
The trailers look interesting
The director of the movies, Shigeyoshi Tsukahara, is collaborating with Narita on the story of the movies. He is known for his unique visual approach, which can be seen in the trailers.
While it’s currently unknown when fans will be able to watch the movies on streaming, the whole idea behind them sounds very exciting.
