Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories also known in Japan as Yami Shibai and Theater of Darkness is a Japanese anime series. The first season was directed by Tomoya Takashima, with scripts written by Hiromu Kumamoto and produced by ILCA. Each episode was animated to mimic the kamishibai method of story-telling. The series is organized into a collection of shorts with each episode being only a few minutes in length. Each episode features a different tale based on myths and urban legends of Japanese origin.
The first season premiered on TV Tokyo on July 14, 2013, and ran for thirteen episodes until September 29, 2013; it spawned a host of merchandise and a mobile game while also receiving mixed reactions at the end of its broadcast. A second season aired from July 6, 2014, to September 28, 2014, and was directed by both Takashi Shimizu and Noboru Iguchi along with scripts written by Shōichirō Masumoto. The third season aired between January 11, 2016, and April 3, 2016. A fourth season aired between January 16, 2017, and March 26, 2017. A fifth season aired on July 2, 2017, and ended on October 1, 2017. A sixth season aired on July 6, 2018. A seventh season aired on July 7, 2019.