Sunao Katabuchi’s The Mourning Children Gets a Haunting Trailer

Japan’s Heian period ran for nearly 400 years, between 794 and 1185, during which Japanese culture achieved new heights. Poetry and literature flourished — the world’s first novel, Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji, was written during this time — and Japan’s katakana and hiragana writing scripts were developed. But the Heian period was not without troubles; much of Japan lived in poverty due to an extremely unstable economy and robbers were a constant threat to travelers.

Sunao Katabuchi’s (In This Corner of the World, Black Lagoon) latest film, The Mourning Children: Nagiko and the Girls Wearing Tsurubami Black, explores this darker side of the Heian period. Here’s the official synopsis:

The elegant image of the Heian period has been shown in many literary and artistic works. However, Katabuchi’s new work takes us back to Kyoto a thousand years ago, when the city was shrouded in darkness due to repeated epidemics of plague.

If the film’s first trailer is any indication, The Mourning Children is going to be a pretty somber and melancholy film. But also a beautiful one, thanks to Contrail’s lovely and detailed animation. (Contrail has also contributed animation to acclaimed titles like Mamoru Hosoda’s Belle, Hideaki Anno’s Evangelion: 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon a Time, and Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume.)

No release date has been announced. Anime News Network has more info about the film’s storyline and production. Via Animation Obsessive.