The Camphorwood Custodian Event Report

2026 is off to a strong start with anime films, with the release of The Camphorwood Custodian on January 30. Adapted from Keigo Higashino's 2020 novel of the same name, the story follows Reito Naoi as he takes on the duties of the titular Camphorwood Custodian. The film has a whimsical story, fantastic performance by the cast, and is well worth watching. But before the film opened to the public, several anime fans and press were invited to attend The Camphorwood Custodian's Pre-Release Screening and Cast and Director Greeting on January 14. Appearing at the event were Fumiya Takahashi (voice of Reito Naoi), Yūki Amami (Chifune Yanagisawa), Asuka Saitō (Yumi Saji), Ryūbi Miyase (Soki Oba), Takao Ōsawa (Toshiaki Saji), and the film's director, Tomohiko Ito.

The show opened with a beautiful 70-second behind-the-scenes and making-of video of The Camphorwood Custodian. Highlighting each voice actor's work, it gave the audience a quick peek behind the scenes of the film's production. Unfortunately, this was an event-only video and is currently not publicly available.

However, to astonish the assembled anime and The Camphorwood Custodian fans, the stage curtain rose as the guests were introduced, revealing a recreation of the titular Camphorwood tree. What made the presentation, though, was that the tree was lit in the same way as at key moments in the film.

With the wonderful cast introduction, the cast members introduced themselves. Each cast member was happy to share the moment with the audience. However, Miyase added he was told not to include any spoilers, joking, “I instantly became nervous.”

The show began in earnest with a question to Ito. Noting that this is the first time Higashino's work has been adapted into anime, the director was asked how he came across the novel and which elements he focused on when adapting it. Ito noted he wanted to adapt the novel soon after reading it in 2020. “It has a higher degree of fantasy than other Higashino novels,” Ito said. “I thought it would be better suited as an animation than live-action.”

A similar question was asked of The Camphorwood Custodian's cast. Takahashi responded first, concurring with Ito's sentiment about Higashino's first anime adaptation. He further spoke on Higashino's ability to breathe life into his characters, stating, “Because you can sympathize with each character, you want to keep reading.”

Amami was somewhat reserved at first, noting that she had been offered the part before the cast auditions. The actor then recalled reading the novel and thought, “It would be wonderful if I could portray Chifune sincerely.” Upon hearing this, Ito joked he didn't know what he'd do if Amami declined the role of Chifune.

Saito and Miyase took a different approach to the question, recalling their audition process. Saito stated, “I've never voice acted, so this was my first [voice audition].” She continued, “Because it's an adaptation of Higashino's novel, I thought the audition would make a great memory.” Miyase, in turn, stated that he has a routine of calling his manager after every audition to share his thoughts. “I told my manager, 'I definitely didn't get the part' because I didn't have confidence in the audition,” Miyase recalled. However, when he was cast as Soki, he was shocked.

Ito responded to Miyase's comments, saying those who had too much confidence during the audition probably wouldn't have gotten the part of Soki Oba. “Soki Oba is a character who appears to have confidence but doesn't… so I thought you were perfect for the part of Soki.”

The discussion turned to memorable moments from the voice recording sessions. Takahashi, Amami, and Saito discussed their memories of a scene in which Takahashi and Amami faced each other while recording their lines. Miyase and Osawa, though, gave humorous anecdotes about their recording sessions. “I don't remember anything from the recording sessions,” Miyase laughed. He explained that he was nervous about working one-on-one with Ito. Hence the lack of solid memories of recording his lines.

Osawa, in turn, joked, “It took longer to film the making-of the video than record my lines.” When pressed further, he said the recording went smoothly, which is why it took a bit longer to film his section of the making-of video.

The Camphorwood Custodian's Pre-Release Screening and Cast and Director Greeting ended with one final, and fun, question for the cast: What would you be the custodian of? A bit comical, but each cast member had their own unique answers. Saving Takahashi and Amami for last, Miyase took the reins on the question. Getting a bit flustered, Miyase quickly composed himself and said, “I would be a mountain custodian.” Miyase's choice stems from his current love of hiking.

Osawa responded next, joking along the way. But as he reached his decision, Osawa stated that he wanted to watch over those who watch The Camphorwood Custodian.

Like Miyase, Saito also had a fun answer. “I'd be a bath custodian,” the actor said bashfully. Saito added that she enjoys keeping her bathroom spotless and won't allow anyone, including cleaning services or her parents, to clean it. “I will make my bathroom spotless myself,” she concluded confidently.

Amami, for her part, was harsh, saying she would be her own custodian. While, on the surface, it seems selfish rather than harsh, Amami noted that there are times when she gets home and lets out a sigh over what she said that day. “I want to become better at not doing that,” Amami said. Takahashi gave a similar answer: he was introspective. “I would be the lid custodian,” said Takahashi. He continued, “I've realized there are times when I consciously choose to bottle up my emotions, so I hope someone as generous as the camphorwood tree will accept everything about me.” When asked if he would unseal his emotions, Takahashi responded with a simple, “No.”

The Camphorwood Custodian's Pre-Release Screening and Cast and Director Greeting ended with a final word from Takahashi. “You are the first people in the world to see The Camphorwood Custodian, and I hope you will enjoy what we, the staff and cast, have created.”

The Camphorwood Custodian opened in Japan on January 30. Medialink Entertainment announced on January 14 that it will open the film in Taiwan on February 26. As of press time, no further international release dates have been announced.