Japan has a ghost problem. Urban sprawl, high-density living, and centuries of restless spirits have created a supernatural overpopulation crisis — and where there is a crisis, there is a market. Ghost Sweepers are licensed exorcists who operate as private contractors, handling hauntings, possessions, and demonic incursions for whoever can pay their rates. Reiko Mikami is the best in the business: beautiful, ruthless, and so aggressively motivated by money that she will cheerfully use her assistant Tadao Yokoshima as bait, a shield, or a distraction without a moment's hesitation. Yokoshima accepts this treatment entirely because he is seventeen, hopelessly devoted to Mikami, and constitutionally incapable of better judgment. Rounding out the team is Okinu — a gentle, sweet-natured ghost girl who joined the agency and decided to stay. In the film, the spirit of the legendary warlord Akechi Mitsuhide contacts Mikami with an urgent commission: the vampire lord Nosferatu has possessed the corpse of Oda Nobunaga and is gathering power to return to full strength. Mikami is given a spirit-stone-tipped spear and sent in. She is primarily concerned about what happens to the spear if it gets damaged. Ghost Sweeper Mikami: The Great Paradise Battle is the 1994 theatrical film adaptation of Takashi Shiina's award-winning Weekly Shonen Sunday manga — a 60-minute standalone story produced by Toei Animation and directed by Atsutoshi Umezawa, set near the end of the TV series continuity. The film blends supernatural action, slapstick comedy, and genuine horror imagery in the same register as the source material, drawing on Japanese folklore, historical figures, and classic Western vampire mythology simultaneously. The TV series ran 45 episodes on TV Asahi from 1993 to 1994 and was never dubbed in English; this theatrical film is the only Ghost Sweeper Mikami entry released in North America with an English dub. Notable Staff & Voice Talent Director: Atsutoshi UmezawaScreenplay: Aya MatsuiOriginal Manga: Takashi Shiina (serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday, Shogakukan)Studio: Toei AnimationMusic: Toshihiko Sahashi Japanese Cast:• Hiromi Tsuru as Reiko Mikami (Dragon Ball Z, Urusei Yatsura)• Ryo Horikawa as Tadao Yokoshima (Escaflowne, Elf Princess Rane, Vandread)• Mariko Kouda as Okinu• Shigeru Chiba as Megane / additional cast (Gate Keepers, Urusei Yatsura 2)• Takeshi Aono as additional cast (Tenchi Universe, Slayers, DBZ)• Tomoyuki Morikawa as additional cast DVD Features • English Dub & Japanese Audio Tracks• Manga Entertainment Previews Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles Edition Details Japanese Title: GS美神 極楽大作戦!! (Gōsuto Suīpā Mikami: Gokuraku Daisakusen!!)Runtime: ~60 MinutesDirector: Atsutoshi UmezawaDVD Release Year: 2002 (U.S. Release, Manga Entertainment)Original Release Date (Japan): August 20, 1994Publisher: Manga EntertainmentRating: Unrated (suitable ages 16+)Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)Genre: Horror, Comedy, Supernatural ActionThemes: Ghost Sweepers, Vampire Nosferatu, Oda Nobunaga, Japanese Folklore, Exorcism for Profit Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.
