The production committee behind the ambitious animated adaptation of Witch on the Holy Night (known in Japan as Mahoutsukai no Yoru) decided to end the suspense. During a special franchise event held this Tuesday, it was officially announced that this long-awaited film will land in Japanese cinemas on November 20. The announcement marks a huge milestone for Type-Moon fans, who have been waiting ages for concrete updates on this work’s leap to the big screen.

To grasp the immense narrative weight of this film, we must go back to the mid-1990s. This story was one of the earliest raw creative collaborations between iconic writer Kinoko Nasu and artist Takashi Takeuchi, laying the mythological foundations of what is now popularly known as the Nasuverse. The plot transports us to the late 1980s to follow Aoko Aozaki, who, after being surprisingly named heir to her family’s magical legacy, is forced to move to a lonely mansion on a hilltop to be instructed by the relentless and enigmatic witch Alice Kuonji.

Cast

• Haruka Tomatsu (Asuna Yuuki in Sword Art Online) as Aoko Aozaki.
• Kana Hanazawa (Mitsuri Kanroji in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba) as Alice Kuonji.
• Yūsuke Kobayashi (Subaru Natsuki in Re:Zero) as Soujyuro Sizuki.

Magical battles, family rivalry, and a commercial success

Although the original text was kept hidden for years, its evolution into a visual novel in 2012 changed everything. The tremendous current profitability of this license was proven with its recent global re-releases on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam, selling over 150,000 copies worldwide. This cinematic adaptation will not only portray Aoko’s complex balance between her school life, the arrival of the peculiar transfer student Soujyuro Sizuki, and the lethal attacks orchestrated by her resentful older sister, Touko Aozaki, but will also serve as a direct connection to understand the backstory of key characters who later shine in gems like Tsukihime and The Garden of Sinners.

Considering the spectacular technical level that Type-Moon projects usually receive in cinematic format, do you think this film will match or surpass the stunning animation quality we saw in the Fate/stay night: Heaven’s Feel saga?