If you enjoyed watching Onmyōji anime s1 that began streaming on Netflix in November 2023. Here’s another chance to get on with another adventure of Seimei and Hiromasa in the newly released onmyōji Zero or The Yin Yang Master Zero.

The movie is based on a real-life onmyōji – Abe no Seimei, who had remarkable abilities to deal with the supernatural. After he passed away in 1005, he turned into a legendary figure, similar to the magician Merlin in the West.

Directed and written by Shimako Sato, based on Baku Yumemakura’s novel series, the movie depicts the earlier life of Seimei when he was still an apprentice and learning under the guidance of a grandmaster with other apprentices and artificers at different levels of the hierarchy. All apprentices have dream of becoming a Yin yang master to the emperor someday. Still, Seimei, despite having all the abilities, is reluctant to the idea as his only goal is to avenge his parent’s death.

In the school, he approached by Lord Hiromasa to help Princess Yoshiko in the mysterious happening in her palace. In the conquest, Seimei also has a murder mystery to solve as a test to get promoted as an artificer, in which he’s also a suspect. In the end, the movie focuses on mystery and battles of consciousness in an impressive VFX sequence to find the final culprit.

The movie transitioned from a period drama to supernatural psychodrama with a blend of sorcery, mysticism, and philosophy of Yin Yang. Sato’s vision as director and writer fits the aesthetics lores of Abe no Seimei. Yamazaki Kento as Seimei and Shota Sometani as Lord Hiromasa fit their characters as they seem to enjoy this transition, especially Shota as Hiromasa captures the screen with his amazing natural acting skills. Nao Honda as princess Yoshiko looks effortlessly gorgeous and supreme goddess.

The interesting fact about the movie is that the director Shimako Sato’s husband Takashi Yamazaki directed Godzilla Minus One, and she also chose a mathematics reference in her movie named Onmyōji Zero. Nevertheless, both movies have their own fanbase and Onmyōji is also receiving positive feedback.

 In the background, the Japanese rock band BUMP OF CHICKEN’s song “Kaikou” (Encounter) served as the theme for the live-action.

Onmyōji zero is available on Amazon Prime.