In addition to the writing and directing being narratively efficient, studio Science SARU’s (whom Yuasa has also worked with extensively before) work on Inu-Oh was the other crucial half of telling a story that heavily emphasizes visual presentation. And even with those larger societal topics touched on throughout Inu-Oh, it also doesn’t lose sight of the personal journeys of its two heartfelt protagonists breaking down social norms. Watching Tomana and Inu-Oh perform with such passion makes the movie as a whole feel like a thunderous anthem and rallying cry, drawing meta parallels with the world today.
Its socially conscious themes of giving a voice to the marginalized, embracing change while rebelling against rigid tradition, and how history is “written by the winners” are impressively poignant. It’s a sort of story within a story, as the vehicle for the plot centers around speaking the truth through storytelling in the face of authoritative suppression. However, the cast up and down does excellent work of conveying charged emotions in the character interactions. And, as one would expect, a lot of the story and world-building is presented through rock musical numbers. The movie isn’t heavy on dialogue, but the story speaks volumes without being too overt or melodramatic - something that anime is occasionally guilty of.
Together, the two go on to countrywide stardom as they combine their musical talents and penchant for theatrics. He goes on to meet the titular Inu-Oh, another young man born of severe deformities as a result of a cruel curse. It follows the story of Tomona, a young man and biwa player blinded as a child who loses both of his parents. Inu-Oh is an adaptation of author Hideo Furukawa’s novel Tales of the Heike: INU-OH, and its combination of revisionist history and rock operas prove to be one of the most ingenious premises in an anime release this year. Inu-Oh is an artistic, creative, and stylized tale of alternate history, and while its story isn’t heavily dialogue-driven in a typical sense, the blend of the rock opera musical genre, the 14th-century setting, and animation studio Science SARU’s mesmerizing art direction come together wonderfully to present some resonating themes and emotional resolutions.
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