ANI-MOVIES, *Inu-Oh

Hideo Furukawa wrote a novel about a true feudal Noh dancer called Inu-Oh. Science Saru made this into a rock opera in 2021. Much about Inu-Oh’s life was unknown, so the book and the film took several liberties with his history.

A boy named Tomona is blinded when his father finds an ancient sword and spends years training to become a biwa player. He comes across a deformed lad who calls himself Inu-Oh, the cursed son of a Noh performer. Tomona discovers that Inu-Oh is haunted by the spirits of deceased soldiers who want their stories to be told, so the two of them put together the equivalent of a rock concert with theatrics telling one of the deceased warriors’ tales which slowly help Inu-Oh become more human. They gain great success, but the newly formed government forces them to tell only stories that meet their approval. This leads to Tomona being slain for rebelling with Inu-Oh waiting 600 years to find his old friend’s spirit.

Inu-Oh is an insane musical which you will need to watch in Japanese with subtitles to understand them. The Noh performance merged with biwa music is the equivalent of a Queen concert. Masaaki Yuasa of Devilman Crybaby fame directed this madcap animation feast for the eyes that has a rocking soundtrack and picturesque visuals.