An eighth season for the Yami Shibai (Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories) short horror anime series was announced by television station TV Tokyo on Friday. The new season—centered on the theme of "invisible fear"—will begin airing in January 2021. TV Tokyo's AniTele website will stream each episode a week ahead of the television broadcast.

Kanji Tsuda is reprising his roles as the storyteller from the previous seasons. Satoko Kishino (Yami Shibai 5 script), who appeared in the third and fourth season, is also returning as a cast member.

Former member of idol groups NGT48, SKE48, AKB48, and currently associated with the latter's sub-unit Not Yet, Rie Kitahara (Gakkou no Kowai Uwasa Shin: Hanako-san ga Kita!!), and idol group Niji no Conquistador's Akari Nakamura (Wooser no Sono Higurashi: Mugen-hen) are joining the voice cast.

New cast from the animation field include Miho Okasaki (Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken), MoeMi (Mangirl!), and Oolongta Yoshida (Hinomaruzumou).

Actors Toshimasa Niiro (Sore dake ga Neck), Yutaka Shimizu (Summer Wars), Masaki Sawai (Business Fish), Kou Ikeda (Grand Maison Tokyo live-action drama), Ryou Shinoda (Ore Monogatari!! live-action film), and Yuu Aoki (Sengoku Chaahan TV variety program) are serving as voice actors in the new season.

The new season also casts actress Mika Hijii (G-9), stage actress Yuka Adachi (Iryuu: Team Medical Dragon 4 live-action drama), and singer Tsubasa Kizu (Ojisan wa Kawaii Mono ga Osuki live-action drama).

3DCG production company ILCA is once again credited the animation studio, with production cooperation by Toho Interactive Animation (TIA) and DRAWIZ. Yoroshi Aka, Yukio Kanesada, and Saya Kanamura are returning as key animators from the latest season. Asano Tsubo (Ninja Collection) and illustrator Shouma Mutou are joining the staff as new key animators.

Hiromu Kumamoto is returning to write the script from the previous installments. Theatre director Mitsuhiro Sasaki (Ghost Scout live-action film), novice playwright Saki Kuniyoshi (Okaa-san wa Musume ni Naritai original drama), novelist Kanako Ishigami (Oretachi wa Abunakunai: Cool ni Saboru Keiji-tachi live-action drama), and screenwriter Norikatsu Kodama (Tiger & Bunny script) are joining Kumamoto as scriptwriters.

TV Tokyo and ILCA producers Norio Yamakawa (Aiura) and Takuya Iwasaki (Kowabon) are once again credited as series planner. Satoshi Umetsu (Wakaokami wa Shougakusei!) and Akira Funada (Sekai no Yami Zukan) are also returning as producers.

"Twilight feat.Pecori" by imai, composer of the now-disbanded electronic hip-hop duo group_inou, will be used as the ending theme.

The first Yami Shibai anime season aired in Summer 2013 and the seventh and latest season premiered in Summer 2019, with each season focusing on a specific theme. Crunchyroll streamed the seasons with subtitles as they aired in Japan. Sentai Filmworks licensed the first two seasons in December 2015 and released them on home video in April 2016.

Official site: https://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/yamishibai8/

Source: PR Times

Yami Shibai 8 on MAL