The Empire of Corpses
Anime film set in an alternate 19th-century Britain.
The Empire of Corpses (屍者の帝国, Shisha no Teikoku) is a 2015 Japanese anime film blending science fiction, adventure, and horror. Produced by Wit Studio and directed by Ryoutarou Makihara, it is part of the 'Project Itoh' film series, which also includes 'Harmony' and 'Genocidal Organ,' all based on novels by Project Itoh (Satoshi Itō). A three-volume manga adaptation by Tomoyuki Hino ran in Fujimi Shobo's Monthly Dragon Age from 2015 to 2016. The film originally had a December release date but was moved to October 2, 2015. The ending theme was performed by Egoist. In North America, Funimation licensed the film and gave it a limited theatrical release on April 19–20, 2016; Anime Limited handles distribution in the United Kingdom.
The story is set in an alternate 19th-century Britain, where scientist Victor Frankenstein discovered how to reanimate a corpse with a soul capable of thought, feeling, and speech. After his creation was destroyed, a new method replaced the missing soul with an artificial "Necroware," which can be upgraded like software, though the resulting corpses cannot speak, feel, or think independently. By the 19th century, corpses form the main labor force, with Necroware improved daily by Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine.
John Watson, a medical student and aspiring corpse engineer, illegally creates his own Necroware to resurrect his deceased friend, Friday, hoping to restore him fully. Caught by M of the British Secret Service, Watson avoids prison by agreeing to become an agent. His mission: retrieve Frankenstein's original research, the Memorandum, believed to be held by Russian corpse engineer Alexei Frodorovich Karamazov in Kabul. Accompanied by Captain Frederick Burnaby and guide Nikolai Krasotkin, Watson and Friday are ambushed at Khyber Pass by upgraded corpses with limited intelligence, then saved by Hadaly Lilith, secretary to former U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant. After retrieving an advanced corpse, Watson learns it can remember and speak its own name.
The group reaches Karamazov, but the next day, Watson and Friday find Karamazov forcibly upgrading Nikolai while alive, creating a more intelligent corpse. When Watson refuses to accept this as part of Frankenstein's research, Karamazov commits suicide by having the corpsified Nikolai upgrade him, revealing the Memorandum is in Japan and urging Watson to destroy it.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Ryoutarou Makihara
- Producer
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- Screenplay
- Midori Goto / Hiroshi Seko / Koji Yamamoto
- Based On
- The Empire of Corpses · Keikaku Itoh · Enjoe Toh
- Starring
- Yoshimasa Hosoya / Ayumu Murase / Kana Hanazawa / Taiten Kusunoki / Shinichiro Miki / Daiki Yamashita / Akio Ōtsuka / Takayuki Sugō
- Music
- Yoshihiro Ike
- Cinematography
- Koji Tanaka
- Editing
- Aya Hida
- Studio
- Wit Studio<!-- or
- Distributor
- Toho Animation
- Released
- 2 October 2015
- Runtime
- 126 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film is set in an alternate 19th-century Britain where scientist Victor Frankenstein discovered a method of reanimating a corpse with a soul. After his creation was destroyed, a method using artificial 'Necroware' replaced the soul, allowing corpses to become the main labor force by the 19th century. The story follows John Watson, a medical student who illegally resurrects his friend Friday and is recruited by the British Secret Service to retrieve Frankenstein's original research, the Memorandum. Watson travels to Kabul, Tokyo, and America, encountering advanced corpses, the artificial lifeform Hadaly Lilith, and Frankenstein's original creation, The One, who seeks to create a bride. The climax occurs at the Tower of London, where Watson and allies confront M, who plans to turn all humans into corpses.
Reader's Guide
The Empire of Corpses is significant as the first film in a series based on Keikaku Itoh's novels, blending science fiction, horror, and adventure in a steampunk alternate history. It explores themes of artificial life, the soul, and the ethics of reanimation, using the historical figure of Victor Frankenstein as a starting point. The film's limited theatrical release in North America and its modest box office of $43,000 reflect its niche appeal. Its connection to the subsequent films Harmony and Genocidal Organ establishes a thematic trilogy. The manga adaptation by Tomoyuki Hino, published from 2015 to 2016, extends the story's reach. The film's legacy lies in its unique fusion of literary references (Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes) with original world-building, and its treatment of corpses as a labor force raises questions about exploitation and consciousness.
Did You Know?
- The film's ending theme was performed by Egoist.
- A three-volume manga by Tomoyuki Hino was published in Monthly Dragon Age from 2015 to 2016.
- The film was originally set for release in December but was changed to October 2.
- The character Hadaly Lilith later goes by the name Irene Adler in the post-credits scene.
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