Rick and Morty: The Great Yokai Battle of Akihabara, or simply The Great Yokai Battle of Akihabara, known in Japan as Akihabara Showdown (秋葉原大決戦, Akihabara Daisakusen), is a Japanese CGI-anime short film based on the American television series/franchise Rick and Morty, and parodying Pacific Rim,[3] produced by Sola Entertainment and Telecom Animation Film, released unannounced to Adult Swim's YouTube channel on October 11, 2021 as a Halloween special.[4][5] Written by Naohiro Fukushima and directed by Masaru Matsumoto and Morihito Abe, the film received positive reviews from critics.
| The Great Yokai Battle of Akihabara | |
|---|---|
| Akihabara Showdown (秋葉原大決戦) | |
| Directed by | Masaru Matsumoto Morihito Abe[1] |
| Written by | Naohiro Fukushima Joseph Chou (story)[1] |
| Based on | |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Tetsuya Takahashi[2] |
| Distributed by | Adult Swim YouTube |
Release date |
|
Running time | 11 minutes |
| Countries | Japan United States |
| Language | Japanese |
Production and release
editProduced by Sola Entertainment and Telecom Animation Film,[6] and written by Naohiro Fukushima from a story by Joseph Chou, and directed by Masaru Matsumoto and Morihito Abe,[1] in response to the critical and commercial success of the previous short films Samurai & Shogun, Rick and Morty vs. Genocider, and Summer Meets God (Rick Meets Evil), the CGI-anime short film The Great Yokai Battle of Akihabara was released unannounced to Adult Swim's YouTube channel as a Halloween special on October 11, 2021,[4][5] before reairing during Toonami's late-night block on October 16.[7]
Cast
edit- Yōhei Tadano as Rick Sanchez
- Keisuke Chiba as Morty Smith
- Yoshito Yasuhara as Yamada Q-saku
- Miho Sakurazaka as Milk
- Syunsuke Nakata as Toaster A.I.
- Yusuke Kondo as Shopkeeper (Milk's Father)
- MoeMi as Maid
- Akiha Matsui as Summer Smith
Reception
editThe Great Yokai Battle of Akihabara received a generally positive critical reception.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]
References
edit- ^ a b c Abbas, Ammin (October 12, 2021). "Morihito Abe: The CG director of Rick and Morty's new short 'The Great Yokai Battle of Akihabara'". Arab News. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ Li, Nicolaus (October 12, 2021). "Watch Sola Entertainment's New 'Rick and Morty' Anime Short". Hypebeast. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
- ^ Gunning, Cathal (November 1, 2021). "Every Horror Reference In Rick & Morty's Secret Halloween Special Explained". Screen Rant. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
- ^ a b Starkey, Adam (October 12, 2021). "'Rick and Morty' release new anime short 'The Great Yokai Battle of Akihabara'". NME. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
- ^ a b Valdez, Nick (October 11, 2021). "Rick and Morty Debuts Spooky New Anime for Halloween". ComicBook.com. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ Flook, Ray (October 11, 2021). "Rick and Morty Drops New Short "The Great Yokai Battle of Akihabara"". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ O'Rourke, Ryan (October 1, 2021). "'Rick and Morty' Halloween Short Coming Next Month". Collider. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- ^ Walsh, Michael (October 11, 2021). "Rick and Morty Short Turns A Toaster Quest Into A Supernatural Battle". Nerdist. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ Russell, Bradley (October 12, 2021). "Rick and Morty returns with new short, a new rival, and an exploding toaster". GamesRadar+. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
- ^ Lima, Leo Noboru (October 11, 2021). "How Rick & Morty Fans Really Feel About The Great Yokai Battle Of Akihabara". Looper. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ DeVore, Britta (October 11, 2021). "'Rick and Morty' Debut New Anime Short, 'The Great Yokai Battle of Akihabara'". Collider. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- ^ Universe, Greg (October 12, 2021). "Rick and Morty Appear in The Great Yokai Battle of Akihabara". GeekFeed. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
- ^ Velásquez, Raúl (October 14, 2021). "Rick and Morty Are Back With Another Anime Short Adventure". Game Rant. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ Pauer, Joey (October 12, 2021). "Watch Rick & Morty's New Halloween Anime Special The Great Yokai Battle of Akihabara". GeekTyrant. Retrieved October 12, 2021.