Browse all episodes of Theatre of Darkness: Yamishibai

This is the story of a man who had just moved into a particular apartment.

The Talisman Woman

This is the story of a man who went to a particular village in the country on a business trip...

Zanbai

This is the story of a boy named Toshiharu who moved back to the country with his parents.

The Family Rule

This is the story of a teacher at a particular elementary school who had to work a bit late one day...

Hair

This is the story of a particular family that went shopping for their young son's birthday present at a department store...

The Next Floor

This is the story of a particular man who did nothing but work, work, work, day in and day out...

The Overhead Rack

This story begins with a phone call that was received at a particular young woman's home, in the middle of the night...

Contradiction

This is the story of a particular boy who went to visit his friend, who had just moved out to the country...

The Umbrella Goddess

This is the story of a particular mother and daughter who were inflicted with a terrible curse...

Cursed

This is a story about the members of a particular high school baseball team staying in a lodge for training camp...

The Moon

This is a story that three middle school students experienced on the last day of summer vacation...

Video

This is the story of a high school girl and some young boys who lived in a particular housing complex...

Tomonari-kun

This is the story of a particular group of boys attending an elementary school in the country...

Tormentor

This is the story of a particular rookie police officer who displayed his ventriloquism ability at a traffic safety meeting...

Taro-chan

This is the story of a female college student who was invited to visit the home of her friend from high school...

The Kitchen

This is the story of a particular boy who found a worn-out old doll, and his family...

Inside

This is the story of a particular college student who fell in love with a woman living in the housing complex across the street...

The Wall Woman

This is the story of a girl in high school who had a crush on a boy...

The Locker

This is a story that happened to a particular boy and his family...

Nao-chan

This is the story of a businessman who was distressed because his work wasn't going well...

The Capsule Toy Machine

This is the story of a particular man who came to visit the village where his relatives lived...

Farewells

This is the story of a new teacher who moved from Tokyo to teach at a middle school in the countryside...

Ominie-san

This is the story of a man who faithfully wrote in his journal every day...

Bugged

This is the story of a particular college student who picked up something forgotten on a train's overhead rack...

Picking Up

This is the story of a particular female college student who came to help at her grandmother's store...

Netsuke

This is the story of a particular married couple that moved to a village in the countryside...

Bringer Drums

A young man visits a bathhouse. A woman on the other side continually asks him for things, which he finds strange since no one else is in the bathhouse.

Lend It to Me

Two men are travelling and run out of gas in a tunnel.

Tunnel

A young couple moves into an apartment infested with rats and the young lady is bitten by one.

A man in a hospital notices strange noises coming from a hospital room.

The Noisy Hospital Room

A young couple visits a taxidermy museum.

Museum of Taxidermy

Two girls attend a festival, but something strange happens.

"That Side" Festival

At the Kuchiya Inn, during a school field trip, all of the students are asleep, except for three boys. One of them, Osamu, tells his friends he doesn't want to sleep because he's been having a nightmare recently.

Behind

Two teenage couple visit an abandoned house for a test of courage. They find a set of dolls where the Empress doll is missing.

The Empress Doll

Two high school students run into the handshake men.

The Fourth Man

A young couple are at a mall carnival and the young woman is offered a free ride on the carousel.

Merry-go-round

A young girl visits her grandmother and is obsessed with a cuckoo clock on the wall.

Cuckoo Clock

A boy sneaks into a closed swimming pool.

In the Water

A teacher notices a boy drawing pictures of people who end up missing.

Drawings

A business on his way home from work spots a cat lying lifelessly in the road after being hit by a car. He carries it to the sidewalk, but it's clearly beyond help, so he makes a grave for it and heads home. That night, while relaxing at home, he hears what sounds like a kitten's cry.

Tongue

A boy in middle school learns of a creepy old house near his school. He decides to check it out and, once inside, discovers a large fish tank in one room. Curious to know what's in it, he cautiously peers through the glass.

Fish Tank

A young woman in college has moved into a certain old apartment building. As she is unpacking her belongings, she sees a spot on the wooden floor where a mismatched board has been added. Curious, she lifts the board to find a dirt surface with a pair of rusty scissors stuck in the ground -

Sewing Shears

A business has missed the last train after working overtime. He tries to hail a taxi some distance from the train station, but is unable to catch one. As he's wondering what he should do, he spots a vacant taxi racing along an empty street at high speed and finally manages to catch a ride.

Red High Heel

A group of college students sets off on a night bus to go on vacation. On the way, one of them develops a stomachache and asks the driver to stop at a service area along the highway. But when he returns from the bathroom, the atmosphere inside the bus is very different..

Night Bus

A high school student is visiting an amusement park with an older member of her club, whom she has a crush on. She's thrilled at the prospect of going on this date with the senpai she admires. But on the way home, they see a creepy woman on the train platform, and from that point onward, the girl's head is overtaken by a frightening suspicion.

Guess Who?

A husband, after finally receiving some time off, accompanies his wife on a shopping trip. Along the way, he receives an invitation from a friend to go out for drinks. To avoid upsetting his wife, he replies to his friend in a bathroom stall, but then he notices some creepy writing on the wall.

Footsteps

A man has returned to his hometown to attend the wedding of a friend from elementary school. To please his family, he arrives a day early to stay at his parents' home the night before. As he's marveling at how his childhood bedroom hasn't changed at all, he discovers a cassette tape in a desk drawer labeled "What Happened Today" and decides to listen to it.

Cassette Tape

An office lady uses some of her paid leave to go on a trip with her coworkers, but during the trip, she develops a toothache. Hoping to get it fixed even though she's on vacation, she visits a local, old-looking dental clinic. The dentist takes one look at her tooth and shoves pliers into her mouth to pull it without asking for her approval.

Grinding Teeth

Some middle school girls are staying over at a classmate's house. At school that day, the girls had agreed to perform a ritual at the sleepover that they believe will let them speak to the dead.

Calling Crane

A new teacher is staying after school grading tests for her class. When she glances out the window, she sees a student in an unfamiliar, old-looking school uniform, laying white powder lines in the schoolyard.

White Line

A boy in elementary school has been brought to the snowy country by his parents to visit his grandparents over winter break. He doesn't often see snow, so he's overjoyed to have snowball fights and build snow huts with his cousin. Then, in a grove of trees, they find a snow hut with no entrance.

Snow Hut

A college student is caught in a sudden rainfall on the way home from a night out drinking. He attempts to take shelter until the rain stops, but discovers an underground path to the train station and heads down it.

Underground Walkway

The story of a family leading a rather affluent lifestyle. A young woman realized her dream and married an elite businessman. However, contrary to her ideal, her new husband works so much that he has no time for his family, and things aren't going as smoothly as she'd imagined with her new stepchild. One day, as she's beginning to feel he exhaustion of this new life wearing on her, she receives a phone call. It sounds like someone's tried to call the nursery school and reached her by mistake...

Wrong Number

The story of a certain office lady. On her way home from work, she meets a young girl in the park who persistently asks her to give her things. The moment she begins to see her past self in this young girl, things take a frightening turn. Can she escape the darkness of material desire?

Give It to Me

The story of a woman and her young daughter visiting family in the countryside. On the way there, they meet a somewhat eerie-looking old woman dressed all in black, and this meeting entangles the mother and daughter in something disturbing. What did the little girl see in a seemingly ordinary flock of crows?

The Crow Children

The story of two girls who have been together in all things since they were children. Yukari has always been the type who wanted to do everything her best friend Haru did. It's unclear whether she acts out of envy, love, or madness, but her feelings become a darkness that leads to a tragic fate...

Copycat

The story of a woman who wishes for happiness after getting married. However, her husband always comes home late from work, leaving her feeling doubtful. One night, she discovers several emails from a woman on her husband's phone, and accuses him of cheating on her. But that was only the beginning of a dark world she would wish she had never known...

Shadows of Women

The story of a high school girl who is heartbroken after her boyfriend left her for her best friend. She's still in shock when she stumbles upon a book of incantations. One incantation in its pages sucks her into a whirlpool of terror.

Giveback-sama

The story of a family visiting the countryside. The grandma tells her grandson Takeshi that he must not go near the house with the mountain behind it. But Takeshi, during a game of hide-and-seek with his cousins, disobeys his grandma and enters the forbidden house. From there, Takeshi is led into a world of darkness...

Hide-and-Seek

The story of a college student who's just moved into a new apartment. As she's enjoying life in her new home, she hears strange sounds coming from next door. She doesn't yet know of the world of madness that visits from within loneliness... This night enveloped in stillness will never again return, and there's nowhere to run...

The Neighbors

The story of a college student who loved to gossip. A rumor has been spreading among her friends that lures them to the depths of fear. When she peers into a friend's eyes, she can see a white silhouette. At this moment, no one knows that this was only a glimpse into a terror that has yet to begin...

If You Want to See Ghosts

The story of a company employee waiting at a bus stop. On a rainy night, a young girl with an ethereal feel about her begins the child's game of flower reading with a bloom held in her small hand. Is she a dream, or an illusion? Her readings toy with his mind more and more. As he watches the petals fall, the man learns of his own fate...

Flower Reading

The story of an office lady who was very proud of her beautiful hair. It's so beautiful that she is the envy of all her friends, and their constant compliments intoxicate her. She gazes at herself in the mirror, never realizing that a tragic disaster awaits her. Is it jealousy or resentment that resides in her bewitching black hair?

I'm the Only One

The story of an office lady living a peaceful life. One day, on her bus ride home, she saw a strange woman wearing a kimono, but she decided to pretend she hadn't seen her. Then terror struck... The bus continues to roll along, carrying her resentment on board...

The Last Bus

The story of a stunningly beautiful woman. A certain reporter lies in wait after learning of a strange incident in which young men have been disappearing. In the midst of his investigation, he encounters a certain woman, and watches as she seduces men one after another. The shocking last installment...

Seductress

Thunder rumbles on a stormy night. At a certain house where Ryousuke, a high school boy is currently home alone, the phone rings just moments after the power goes out. Then a flash of lightning displays the shape of a person outside the window...

Thunderous Visitor

A group of high school students is visiting a certain cave on a field trip. A small group of them enters a corridor leading away from the main cave... but one of them, Tomoko, is ultimately left alone. After a few moments, she hears the screams of her classmates from deep inside the cave...

Tomonashi Cave

Hideaki is a salaryman who lives alone in a company housing unit. One night, when he returns from the office, he hears the wind blowing through the open balcony door. Memories of a tragic event one month ago then take over Hideaki's mind...

The Wind's Warning

Haruko moves to a village in the countryside to live with her new husband's family, On the way, he tells her about a custom in the village that requires its residents to toss their most prized possessions into a swamp. Shortly after they arrive at his family's home, Haruko is forced to join in this ritual with the rest of the villagers...

Swamp Offering

Shimada, a salaryman, stops by a convenience store on his way home from work. It suddenly starts to rain, and he doesn't have an umbrella, so he "borrows" one that he finds on the umbrella rack. But as he walks along with the umbrella open, he senses a darkness approaching from behind...

The Dripping

Shouta has been admitted to a hospital in the countryside after a car accident. He finds himself regularly conversing through the wall with two children in the room next to his. Eventually these conversations leave Shouta with a sense of fear...

Sakura

Takuya is a very shy boy who has moved out to the countryside to live with his grandfather. Takuya felt he didn't belong anywhere in Tokyo, and even here, he still doesn't fit in with the local kids and continues to fear the eyes of strangers. One day, Takuya stumbles upon a cluster of frog eggs and finds them strangely fascinating...

Frog Eggs

On a certain remote island, a group of concerned fishermen surround Chisato, a young woman trembling in fear. What could have happened to her? Eventually, she tells the terrifying story, which started when she drew a fortune from a certain shrine...

Sea Fortunes

Mika drives through the rain to pick up her daughter, Michiko, from day care. She tries to talk with Michiko on the way home, but as their conversation carries on, Mika remembers something horrifying...

Mud Games

Twin boys, Takashi and Satoshi, are playing in a forest. The energetic Takashi talks the shy Satoshi into climbing a large tree, but as they do, Satoshi recalls something that had vanished from his memory...

Trees of Innocence

Shirou is climbing a mountain when he gets caught in a severe blizzard and takes shelter in a nearby shack. The blizzard worsens, and Shirou braces himself to wait it out. But soon, disturbing sounds fill the shack, bringing terror he never expected...

Frozen Memories

Yurika is traveling with her friends from college. The group finds themselves at a waterfall deep in a forest that wasn't mentioned in their guidebook, and they hear what sounds like objects falling over the roar of the water...

Waterfall Drop

Two young women, Eriko and Shiho, are climbing a mountain. Shiho is having a great time hearing her own voice echo in the mountains, but Eriko just wants to enjoy the view in peace. Then a man's voice breaks through the still air, and the echoes Eriko and Shiho hear suddenly bring a sense of fear...

Echoes

Katagiri is housesitting for his friend, who's traveling and needs someone to be there to accept an important package he's expecting. The delivery finally arrives late that evening, but his friend says he's expecting another package the next day and asks him to stay one more night. Katagiri begins to wonder what is in these packages that's so important...

Delivery

Sawako and her young son wait alone at their home in the suburbs for her husband to come home. As the night drags on, Sawako's uneasy feeling begins to turn into fear...

The Sleepless Child

The expedition crew finally make their way inside of Banagawa castle, where they confront the tyrannical machine shogun.

The Reception Room

A certain young man visits an art exhibit after receiving a free entry ticket. The lady at the reception desk seems creepy enough, but all the paintings in this bizarre exhibit are like nothing he's seen before. When the young man does something he was advised not to do, an unexpected fate awaits him...

Paintings

Hamano is visiting a certain small town on a business trip. On the way to his hotel, he passes by several funerals, which makes him wonder if the town suffered some sort of accident. That night, as he's settling in at his hotel...

Notice of Termination of Service

The Veranda

Chie suddenly gets a call from her younger sister during work asking for her help. She heads toward the phone booth that her sister directed her to, but an unusual sight awaits her... What could have happened to Chie's sister?

Public Phone

Takayuki lives in an old, wooden apartment building, where he spends every day in an ongoing quarrel with his elderly neighbor. One evening, he hears violent coughing through the thin wall, along with the pained voice of the old man...

Cough

The residents of a certain apartment complex are taking the elevator early one morning. The day starts out like any other, but is soon warped by terror...

The Woman in the Elevator

Matsudera works at a certain manga café. One day, a guest asks if he has found a misplaced earring, and that's where the terror begins...

Manga Cafe

Little Sister's Room

A certain office lady discovers a little boutique in town. She become excited by the nostalgic clothes inside and loses herself in her own memories. But when the truth is revealed, she also loses something else...

Fitting Room

The story of a close-knit family. The children look forward to their mother's cooking, and the parents watch out for their children. They live a happy life... but that happiness begins to change. What will become of this family?

Refrigerator

This is the story of a group of youngsters who have come to an abandoned house to test their courage...

Dropped Handkerchief

This is the tale of a certain family's tradition...

Death Day

This is the story of a certain young man who has lost his way...

Don't Look Back

Bean-Throwing

This is the story of a certain high school student who was studying for his entrance exams, late at night...

The Sound of Laughter

This is the story of a certain man who enjoys fishing...

Catch of the Day

This is the story of a certain college student...

Issun Boshi

This is the story of a certain high school student...

Viewing

This is the story of a certain office worker...

Antlion Pit

Yamishibai is a picture-story style of animation whose motif is surrounded and based off the rumors, and urban legends throughout the history of Japan.

All Episodes of Theatre of Darkness: Yamishibai

All Episodes of Theatre of Darkness: Yamishibai

Season 1

The Talisman Woman

Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 7/15/2013

Zanbai

Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 7/22/2013

The Family Rule

Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 7/22/2013

Hair

Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 8/5/2013

The Next Floor

Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 8/12/2013

The Overhead Rack

Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 8/19/2013

Contradiction

Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 8/26/2013

The Umbrella Goddess

Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 9/2/2013

Cursed

Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 9/2/2013

The Moon

Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 9/9/2013

Video

Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 9/16/2013

Tomonari-kun

Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 9/23/2013

Tormentor

Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 9/30/2013