Youkai Watch: Youkai Gakuen Y - Neko wa HERO ni Nareru ka

Released in December 2019, Youkai Gakuen Y: Neko wa HERO ni Nareru ka represents the seventh feature film in the long-running Youkai Watch franchise produced by OLM. This installment marked a significant stylistic departure for the series, moving away from the traditional settings of the original games to a sprawling academy environment. The production aimed to revitalize the brand by shifting toward a more dynamic, action-oriented aesthetic that blended supernatural elements with tropes from school-life anime, signaling an intent to appeal to a slightly older demographic while maintaining the core identity established by Level-5.

The character designs and animation direction were handled by OLM's creative teams, who focused on integrating a more vibrant, high-energy visual language to match the film's shift in genre. Upon its release, the film was received as an experimental pivot for the franchise, generating discussion among fans regarding its narrative scope and its deviation from the established Youkai Watch lore. While it received mixed reactions from long-time followers of the series, it remains a notable example of the studio's attempt to evolve the franchise's visual storytelling through a bold, transformative setting.