Based on a novel by Hideo Furukawafamous Japanese writer, Inu-Oh it is a film that was defined by the original author as a film that growls. The music blends perfectly with the narrative, hitting the viewer right in the face. The story allows you to navigate medieval Japan through the most modern music and sounds.
Masaaki Yuasa is one of the most renowned animators in Japan. An artist capable of always surrounding himself with stellar collaborators, the character designer is none other than Taiyo Matsumotoa legend of contemporary manga, the screenplay by Akiko Nogia versatile screenwriter on both the small and big screen, we have the music instead Otomo Yoshihide who was at the mercy of the director’s extravagant requests and managed to make the music come to life, which is the true protagonist of the film.
In short, a visionary work in which medieval Japan merges with modern rock, a wild epic that bears the names of great figures of comics and animated Japan. A riot of techniques and aesthetics perfectly balanced between each other thanks to the visionary genius of the director.
- Original title: 犬王 (Inu-Oh)
- English title: Inu-Oh
- Japanese release: May 28, 2022
- Italian release: October 12, 2023
- Platform: cinema
- Type: Historical, Musical
- Duration: 98 minutes
- Animation studio: Science Saru
- Adapted from: novel by Hideo Furukawa
- Tongue: Italian
We reviewed Inu-Oh thanks to an invitation to the press preview organized by Double Line and Hikari Edizioni.
The Middle Ages meets rock
What if pop, had rock music and feverish outdoor music festivals existed in 14th-century Japan? This is the question that drives the film, a strange and anachronistic hypothesis framed by a spectacular, extremely dynamic aesthetic.
Medieval Japan. Inu-Oh he is an artist noh (a theatrical art form very little accessible to the masses) born with singular physical characteristics: he is suffering from a curse which ties him to the memories of the clan’s spirits Heike and who made his body monstrous. Tomona he is a blind biwa-playing monk due to a sword-related curse Kusanagi, a legendary artifact that in addition to taking away his sight, killed his father. The two meet in the capital and begin performing together thanks to Tomona’s avant-garde music and the stories that Inu-Oh receives from the spirits linked to her. With their shows that they break the rules of traditional artsthey become the pop stars of a new era and soon the crowds go crazy for them.
It fits into this story that reveals the debut of two unstoppable talents the growth path of both who, through their art and the stories they reveal to the world, will understand more and more about themselves, their past and the role their art has.
Plot development has character politic, the final resolution itself will have implications extremely linked to the history of traditional Japan. Everything moves with truly emotional power complex and intense which creates a spectacular and moving finale. From marginalized field weeds they will become the flowers of the most beautiful garden.
Breaking traditions
The musical and artistic theme is certainly a central part of the entire film. However, here it was created in an unusual way, that is, by placing a truly interesting anachronism at the center of the concept. The avant-garde character of Tomona and Inu-Oh’s works in fact it is represented through extremely modern sounds.
This characteristic brings us to the second great theme of the work, namely the sever ties with tradition to create something new. In fact, the two artists become spokespersons for a new artistic form, for aesthetics never seen before and are welcomed with open arms by the general public enraptured by their performances. However, everything is functional and necessary for perpetuation of memories, especially to the forgotten memories of the Heike clan. The rupture of tradition does not coincide with the rupture of historical memory but is perpetuated through it. Creating something new to bring something forgotten to lightor.
Finally, this is a film that talks about diversity. Both protagonists are victims of physical impairments and disabilities that definitely limit their lives, yet they seem not to realize it, on the contrary, they compensate for the shortcomings with their talents. Tomona is in fact a visionary genius of biwathe notes of his songs almost seem to hypnotize anyone who listens to them. Inu-OhOn the other hand, he is gifted with extreme agility and irrepressible enthusiasm an exceptional dancer capable of eating up the entire stage with his gigantic presence. Talent and passion allow the protagonists to emerge and flourish, beauty saves them, music elevates them.
Yuasa and Matsumoto, dynamics and genius
Yuasa’s grotesque and exaggerated dynamics they are immediately recognisable, they breathe through the film and encounter the madness of Matsumoto’s design. The gestures, the naturalness together with an extremely synthesized line make each scene a spectacle for the eyes and the directorial ideas are so many that you end up being tossed between one scene and another without having time to rework. Yuasa is a movement genius, has already proven this to the world in previous products. His camera rendering is spectacular, the transitions stunning, at every level, from detail to macro composition in the shots. All made with an extremely recognizable organic style and frighteningly beautiful.
We are in the purest expressionism of animationthe solutions are the most disparate and convey internal and external events with great naturalness, also thanks to meticulous attention to everyday gestures, facial expressions and dance that often dominates the screen.
The director also stated in an interview how difficult it was meticulously render the medieval atmospherethe film in fact pays particular attention to the customs, environments and aesthetics of the time, a meticulousness that is continually broken and challenged by the presence of extremely modern musical sounds.
The soundtrack of Otomo Yoshihide blends traditional music of the period with rock and pop music creating an extremely interesting musical anachronism. The lost tales of the Heike clan echo in the air through electric guitars and modern percussion, the staging of their shows is very similar to the concerts of the most popular rock bands, the new merges with the tradition of noh theater by mixing past and present aesthetics with great skill and precision. The sound sector is also spectacular, the attention to the sounds, to the audio effects, have an extremely lively rendering. Yuasa’s Japan speaks, breathes and above all plays!
Italian distribution and dubbing
Hikari Editions is an Italian company with a solid publishing history. Founded in 2010 by Antonio Scuzzarellaas a specialized division of the publishing house 001 Editions has established itself in the Italian publishing scene, publishing prestigious manga by great Japanese authors. She has conquered over the years a loyal base of manga-loving readers, making it a point of reference for lovers of Japanese culture in our country. In 2023, Hikari Edizioni took on a new challenge by opening Hikari Cinema, division dedicated to the distribution of Japanese animation and art-house films from the Land of the Rising Sun.
Double Line is a film distribution company based in Turin. It was founded in 2019 by Antonio Scuzzarella and Stefano Gariglio with the intention of bring arthouse films to theaters. So far, legal dramas have been released The third murder of Kore-eda Hirokazuthe contemplative Days (2020) by Tsai Ming-liangthe thriller The silent party (2020) by the Argentine Diego Friedthe experimental documentary Voyage of Time (2016) by the master Terrence Malickthe animated film The nose or the conspiracy of the nonconformists (2020) by the veteran Andrey Khrzhanovsky and intimate drama Saint Lucia (2021), which marks the Neapolitan’s directorial debut Marco Chiappetta.
The Italian dubbing Of Inu-Oh it is well made and above all well characterized. The character voices have been well selected and the acting is of a high standard. The voices during the musical pieces have been subtitled in such a way that you can appreciate the original lyrics and sounds.
Who do we recommend Inu-Oh to?
We suggest Inu-Oh to those who love musicals, traditional Japanese aesthetics and dance. To those who have already met Yuasa and want to relive that animated madness that her products bring. The soundtrack, the traditional aesthetics, the technical sector create a product of the highest level, the screenplay tells the story of two very particular characters who come to life and they give a unique strength to the narrative. A film for lovers of beauty, for those who have a passion to defend with drawn sword and live for it.
- Incredible level of animation
- Very avant-garde soundtrack
- Many references to tradition that are difficult for a Westerner to understand
Inu-Oh
A product that lives
Inu-Oh it is a living product. In a past era he finds, through music, a thread that connects him to the present. Rock and pop are the protagonists of traditional Japanese theater, together with the aesthetics of a past Middle Ages. The product is of the highest level, from the animation, to the design, up to the soundtrack and the sound. An hour and a half of tragic wonder, your eyes and ears will thank you, trust me. Let yourself be carried away, let yourself be surprised and entranced by the dance of Inu-Oh and the stories in music of Tomona. Let yourself be carried away by Yuasa’s flow and a direction that knows no flaws.
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