Inu-oh

This story and anime are different to what (from my experience) is usually released to western audiences in that is makes a great play of traditional Japanese art and music. It features the Biwa (a type of lute) and Noh Japanese theatre. Though both are rockified for the film, which makes it an intriguing if disorientating watch at times.

It’s basically the story of the deformed performer Inu-oh (Avu-chan) teaming up with the blind biwa player Tomona (Mirai Moriyama). Together they develop a variation on the Noh and traditional music that encompasses the trappings of a full-scale arena concert that get the crowds on their side as they tell hitherto unknown stories. At the same time Inu-oh’s deformities begin to disappear and Tomana is haunted by the spirt of his late father, killed at the same time that he was blinded.

This all doesn’t go unnoticed by traditional Noh and biwa performers or the shogun who is looking to reunite the kingdom. So as the two’s reputations grow so does jealously and the threat of political interference. This is all bundled up with a story of an ancient battle during which some artifacts were lost and there’s a quest to find them.

Directed by Masaaki Yuasa and written by Akiko Nogi (based on a novel by Hideo Furukawa) the wonderful animation doesn’t quite deflect from what is a jarring film at times. It jolts from the tradition of Noh and biwa to full on rock guitar and spectacle. The latter with some spectacular animation. And this too doesn’t sit quite right with intrigue of the court as the shogun takes control to strangle Inu Oh’s imagination in favour of the more traditional.

However the animation is astonishing whether it’s the pseudo rock of the Tomana or the frenetic dance of Inu-ho or the opening sequences where the story begins. There’s a blur of styles here that won’t be unfamiliar to anime connoisseurs. What is welcome too with Inu-ho is that animators are happy to look back and be inspired by their culture then blend it with the more familiar fantastical anime. It doesn’t quite work all the time but where would we be without experimentation.