Sarazanmai

Sarazanmai originated as an original anime television series created by Kunihiko Ikuhara and produced by studios MAPPA and Lapin Track, which aired in 2019. The project emerged from Ikuhara’s distinct directorial style, characterized by surrealist imagery and themes concerning human connection, desire, and the burden of secrets. The narrative follows three middle school students transformed into kappas by a prince of the Kappa Kingdom, setting them on a quest to retrieve shirikodama from zombies to regain their human forms.

The character designs were conceptualized by Migi, whose work brought a sharp, contemporary aesthetic to the traditional folklore elements of the kappa. The series was noted for its experimental visual storytelling, repetitive motifs, and profound exploration of the trauma associated with isolation. Upon its release, it received critical attention for its bold artistic choices and its ability to weave complex, often melancholic character studies into the framework of an eccentric magical boy narrative.