The highly anticipated Mononoke 2, officially titled Mononoke the Movie Trilogy: Chapter 2: The Ashes of Rage (Gekijōban Mononoke Dai-Ni-Shō: Hinezumi), is set to make its Western debut at the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France. Scheduled to take place from June 8 to 14, the festival will screen this second installment of the acclaimed Mononoke trilogy under its “Midnight Specials” category.
Following its Japanese theatrical premiere on March 14, Mononoke part 2 continues the story arc introduced in Mononoke the Movie: Phantom in the Rain (Gekijōban Mononoke: Karakasa), which originally debuted in Japan in July 2024. Despite an initial delay from its planned 2023 release, the first film is now available for streaming on Netflix, reigniting global interest in the franchise. Fans of the series can look forward to the third and final entry, Gekijōban Mononoke Dai-San-Shō: Hebigami, expected to release in spring 2026.
Mononoke 2 is There, But Don’t Forget “All You Need Is Kill”
『#劇場版モノノ怪 第二章 火鼠』
撮影効果のビフォーアフター！届かないっ！#モノノ怪 #mononoke pic.twitter.com/nFJEvd4a6y
— EOTA撮影ユニット (@EOTA_comp) May 1, 2025
Mononoke 2nd part isn’t the only anime creating buzz at Annecy this year. The festival will also screen the upcoming anime adaptation of Hiroshi Sakurazaka and Yoshitoshi ABe’s science fiction novel All You Need Is Kill. Produced by STUDIO4°C, the anime is directed by Kenichiro Akimoto, known for his work on Children of the Sea and Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko. Unlike the novel or its Hollywood counterpart Edge of Tomorrow, the anime offers a fresh perspective on the story’s events.
All You Need Is Kill, first published in 2004 by Shueisha and later brought to English audiences by Viz Media in 2009, follows Keiji Kiriya, a soldier caught in a time loop during a brutal war against alien invaders called Mimics.
Midnight Specials: Horror, Sci-Fi, and Animation Mastery
Another highlight of Annecy’s Midnight Specials is Nightmare Bugs (Ghost Bugs), a newly edited compilation of Saku Sakamoto’s earlier works Aragne: Sign of Vermillion and The Feast of Amrita. The reworked version features over 60 revised scenes and has already been featured at prestigious venues such as Italy’s Animotion Film Festival and the Philip K. Dick Film Festival in the U.S. HIDIVE is currently streaming both films.
With such a diverse and exciting lineup, the Annecy 2025 Festival promises to be a major event for anime fans worldwide, especially for those eagerly awaiting the international release of Mononoke 2, the continuation of a visually haunting and thematically rich series that has spellbound audiences since the original release.
