The Heike Story is an upcoming anime that is adapted from the famous Japanese epic, “The Tale of the Heike”, from Hideo Furukawa’s translation.
This historical anime series is about Japan’s 12th century Genpei War, where clans faced each other in the survival race of war. You can use the “Iliad” and “Odyssey” for context as these two historical works were also passed down by bards as oral stories.
Over the years, anime that has historical events as its roots has become classics and has overwhelmed our eyes with salty waters.
“Grave of the Fireflies”, and “In This Corner Of The World” are examples of historical anime that show the cruelty of war. As opposed to them, the upcoming series dates way back to more than 800 years.
So let’s find out what the series is about and when it’s going to be released.
1. Release Date
The Heike Story is scheduled to be released on September 15, 2021. The series will be streamed exclusively on Funimation.
The series will be streamed by Funimation an entire season ahead of Japan’s broadcast which is scheduled for January 2022.
2. Key Visual
There is no official key visual for the series as of yet, but the anime team has given four still images from the trailer.
The above still image shows us the protagonist, Biwa. The color of her eyes being as blue as the sea on one and the other one being of the brown shade, indicating her sight problem, blindness.
The second still image shows the heir of the Taira clan, Shigemori. The image shows a scene from a night, while we see the fireflies swarming around him.
Tokuko, from the Taira clan, is illustrated in the third image. At the entrance, we see Tokuko sitting down to talk with Biwa. The leaves of the trees have turned orange indicating it’s the time of autumn.
The fourth still image shows four children sitting down in a disciple order. In this image, we see it’s winter season as the snow is piled up on the ground.
3. Trailer
The trailer starts calm and peaceful with flowers falling on the river while we hear a folk song sung by a woman, then the sound of shamisen strikes, and the events unfold.
The trailer shows the passage of time and the people the protagonist, Biwa, comes across. She meets the head of the Taira clan and tells him how his clan’s end is near. In the end, we see multiple voices asking forgiveness from Biwa.
4. Plot/Storyline
The Heike Story is a massive, sprawling story of the Genji and Heike clans’ fight for control of Japan, from the perspectives of monks, musicians, warriors, and even horses in the 12th century.
The authorship of the original story was never established as it began as a story passed down orally by monks and traveling musicians. Buddhist motifs are layered throughout the story.
The anime’s plot will follow Hideo Furukawa’s translated modern version, where it tells the story of the rise and fall of Clan Taira during the Genpei War(1180-1185). The story focuses on the perspective of the Biwa, a young and blind traveling minstrel.
Biwa meets Taira no Shigemori, the heir of the Taira clan, who has a supernatural sight that can perceive ghosts. During the meeting, she foretells a prophecy about the fall of his clan.
5. Cast
| Character | Cast | Other Works |
| Biwa | Aoi Yuuki | Tsuyu Asui(My Hero Academia) |
| Taira no Shigemori | Takahiro Sakurai | Sasori(Naruto Shippuden) |
| Taira no Tokuko | Saori Hayami | Shinobu Kocho(Demon Slayer) |
| Taira no Kiyomori | Tesshou Genda | Kaido(One Piece) |
6. Other Cast
Other casts announced without a role yet are as follows:
| Cast | Other Works |
| Shigeru Chiba | Sebas Tian(Overlord) |
| Kikuko Inoue | Miyuki Azuki(Bakuman) |
| Miyu Irino | Ritsu Kageyama(Mob Psycho 100) |
| Yumiko Kobayashi | Poco(JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) |
| Nobuhiko Okamoto | Yuu Nishinoya(Haikyu!!) |
| Natsuki Hanae | Tanjiro Kamado(Demon Slayer) |
| Ayumu Murase | Ginro(Dr. Stone) |
| Koutarou Nishiyama | Eitarou Oka(RE-MAIN) |
| Nobuyuki Hiyama | Kota Hirano(High School of the Dead) |
| Subaru Kimura | Haruki Hayashida(Tokyo Revengers) |
| Yuu Miyazaki | Civet Anhern(Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway) |
| Inori Minase | Rem(Re-ZERO) |
| Tomokazu Sugita | Marlo Freudenberg(Attack on Titan) |
| Yuki Kaji | Eren Jaeger(Attack on Titan) |
7. Staff
| Position | Staff | Other Works |
| Director | Naoko Yamada | A Silent Voice |
| Script Composition | Reiko Yoshida | Violet Evergarden |
| Original Character Design | Fumiko Takano | Crusher Joe: The Movie |
| Character Design | Takashi Kojima | Flip Flappers |
| Editing | Kiyoshi Hirose | Kakegurui |
| Sound Director | Eriko Kimura | Sakugan |
| Music | Kensuke Ushio | Chainsaw Man |
| Studio | Science SARU | Devilman: Crybaby |
8. Conclusion
The Heike Story looks promising with its artistic trailer giving us a glimpse of how the events take place in a year with the various seasons displayed.
With the release date only 10 days away, I’m looking forward to this upcoming original anime from Science SARU that has surpassed all criticism and gave us such a historical surprise.
Science SARU has stepped up its game with ‘The Heike Story’ as it will no doubt be the most sophisticated and historical release ever this year.
9. About The Heike Story
The Heike Story is an original anime by Studio Science SARU which follows the story of a musician girl Biwa, who has the power to see ghosts and the future. She befriends the heir of the powerful Taira clan and prophesies the clan’s eventual downfall.
The story is adapted from Hideo Furukawa’s novel Heiki Monogatari, a retelling of the 12th century Genpei War between the Taira and the Minamoto clan for the control of Japan.
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