Kaiki Taxi Manga Series Returns with a New Film: "To Those Who Do Not Know the Edict"
The Kaiki Taxi series, penned by Tatsuya Morino, one of the masters of the horror manga world, is returning to the big screen. The new film, titled "Kaiki Taxi: Fukoku o Shiranu Monotachi ni" (To Those Who Do Not Know the Edict), will be released across Japan on July 24, starting with Human Trust Cinema Shibuya in Tokyo. The production was announced with a trailer and poster that excited fans of the series.
This new adaptation is presented in an anthology format consisting of three different short stories rather than a single long narrative. The stories featured in the film include chilling themes such as "The Man-Eating Car at the Curve" (Curve no Hitokui Jidosha), "Black Portrait," and "Ghost Apartment." We will see Mizuki Sano returning to play the mysterious taxi driver in the lead role. The director's chair is occupied by Takahiro Ishihara, who is known for his work in the horror genre.
Tatsuya Morino is a name known in the manga world particularly for his supernatural and horror themes. Having served as the chief assistant to the legendary mangaka Shigeru Mizuki (creator of GeGeGe no Kitaro), his drawing style and storytelling bear deep traces of classic Japanese horror aesthetics. The Kaiki Taxi series was previously brought to the cinema in 2022 with a film titled "Kaze no Yomichi ni Ki wo Tsukero!". This new film continues to blend urban legends with a modern perspective while maintaining the series' anthology format.
Japanese horror cinema (J-Horror) has been gaining momentum in recent years with productions in the anthology format. While Kaiki Taxi tells the story of how an ordinary taxi ride can turn into a nightmare, it presents the hidden terror within everyday life to the audience. For fans of the series, this new film will be a cinematic reflection of Morino's detailed drawings and dark atmosphere. Whether the film will appear at international festivals or on digital platforms after its premiere on July 24 remains a subject of curiosity.
