Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories also known in Japan as Yami Shibai (闇芝居 Yami Shibai?, lit. Dark Play) and Theater of Darkness is a 2013 Japanese animated series. The first season was directed by Tomoya Takashima, with scripts written by Hiromu Kumamoto and produced by ILCA. Each episode was animated in such a way so as 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. A second season began airing from July 6, 2014. It will be directed by both Takashi Shimizu and Noboru Iguchi along with scripts written by Shōichirō Masumoto. The first season spawned a host of merchandise and a mobile game while also receiving mixed reactions at the end of its broadcast.