The main staff of the film has been revealed.
Keigo Higashino’s popular book Kusunoki no Bannin (The Camphorwood Custodian) is getting adapted into an anime movie. According to the official website and X (formerly Twitter) account of the project, the movie is coming out in 2026, allthough no exact release dates have been announced. A beautiful key illustration and main staff members have been announced.
Kusunoki no Bannin movie production details
The upcoming movie is being produced by A-1 Pictures, and will be distributed by Aniplex. Tomohiko Ito (ERASED, Sword Art Online, Occult Academy) is the director of the film. No other details about the cast and staff of the movie have been revealed as of yet. The key visual only shows the massive camphor tree at the center of the novel’s plot.
The story follows Reito Nai, a man in his 20s who was unfairly fired from his job. In retaliation, he tries to steal a valuable device from his office—but is caught and incarcerated. In jail, Reito is visited by a lawyer who guarantees his freedom if he complies with his client’s wishes. It’s revealed that the client is none other than Reito’s aunt, who gives him the responsibility of guarding a camphor tree which stands on the ground of a shrine. Reito soon realises why the tree has a mysterious legend associated with it.
Keigo Higashino is one of Japan’s most influential authors. His books The Devotion of Suspect X and Salvation of a Saint have received international acclaim. He has written many other books throughout his long career. Kusunoki no Bannin or The Camphorwood Custodian came out in 2020. The English version of the novel by the Little Brown Book Group is coming out in November 2025. Although many of Higashino’s works have been adapted into movies and TV dramas, this is the first time one of his novels will receive an anime adaptation.
