In the often-uniform world of anime, the most endearing projects are often those unafraid to experiment and march a little more to the beat of their own drum. While anime has had no shortage of its iconic directors ranging from Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, Satoshi Kon, Katsuhiro Otomo and more, one director who has truly stood out in the contemporary anime scene is Masaaki Yuasa. Known as the co-founder of the Tokyo anime studio Science Saru, as well as the director of works ranging from Netflix’s Devilman Crybaby to Ride Your Wave and Lu Over the Wall, Yuasa’s protean body of work is characterized by multiple styles and techniques, abstractly freewheeling plotlines and visuals, and a celebratory examination of the quirks of the human condition.

Across his career, Yuasa has previously directed four anime feature films as well as several cult-classic anime series like Kaiba and Ping-Pong the Animation. Much of his work is characterized by unique aesthetics, ranging from the hyperactive mixed-media of Mind Game to the saturated Flash animation of Lu Over the Wall and more—each of Yuasa’s films is a unique experiment that all manage to share the director’s distinctive touch. Although his contributions to anime as an art form have earned him renown in Japan and abroad, his most recent project is on record as marking his retirement from the industry. Described by its distributor GKIDS as Yuasa’s “parting statement” on the world of anime, the rock-opera Inu-Oh first premiered at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, finally making its debut in Japanese theaters in late May of this year and currently eyeing an American wide-release this August. In taking a look at what we know about the movie, it’s plain to see that there’s a lot to look forward to both for hardcore devotees of Yuasa as well as newcomers to his work and his studio.

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What Inu-Oh is About

Inu-Oh Masaaki Yuasa

Inu-Oh is a musical rock-opera in a rather unique setting for the genre: medieval Japan. Set in the period of political instability known as the Muromachi Era, the film’s setting takes cues from the development of many traditional forms of Japanese culture, most notably the stylized theatrical practice of Noh. The titular character, Inu-Oh, is a boy who is born with a curious condition that led those around him to hide his appearance and treat him as an outcast.

In spite of this, Inu-Oh soon uncovers his talent as a gifted Noh performer and defies the artistic conventions of his time. Alongside Inu-Oh is Tomona, a blind musician who plays the Japanese biwa lute and recounts fanciful stories of the legends and history of ages past.

What Makes Inu-Oh Interesting

Both Inu-Oh’s technical art and thematic genre conventions are looking to make it an interesting expansion to the director’s oeuvre. From the first English-language teaser for the film was posted last summer to GKIDS’s YouTube page, several fascinating details can be noticed.

The film’s art style is somewhat reminiscent of the rough, stylized figure construction that characterized Ping-Pong the Animation, while this application to a feature musical is a decidedly unique decision. Likewise, the film’s modern infusions into themes of classic and historical Japanese influence isn’t new to Yuasa; his earlier film Lu Over the Wall utilized a wonderful cover of the Japanese popular song “Utautai no Ballad” as its theme song. While the medieval rock epic of Inu-Oh is sure to be a bit different from the pop-singing mermaid of Lu, the way in which Yuasa handles Japanese musical cultures is a great point of interest.

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Of additional importance is the film’s setting and story. It’s been noted that the film also contains references to The Heike Story, a 2021 Science Saru anime series directed by not Yuasa but Naoko Yamada, who applied her directing experience from A Silent Voice and K-On! to a lush retelling of the 12th-century Japanese epic poem.

Because The Heike Story was regarded as the central point of Japanese imaginative consciousness during the historical period in which Inu-Oh is set, the fun synergy between Yuasa’s film and Yamada’s series also takes on a more sentimental rumination of the director looking back on the studio he’s founded and watching things continue to grow after passing the torch after one final bang. And with what we know about Inu-Oh, this swan song is gonna be big.

When, Where, and How Inu-Oh is Releasing

Inu-Oh-feature

Inu-Oh was completed last year and had its initial release at the 2021 Venice Film Festival. The continuously evolving Covid-19 situation in Japan led to the finished film being sat on for a while, recently having its domestic Japanese launch in May 2022.

The North American distribution rights for the film are being handled by the independent animation distributor GKIDS, which is looking for an American theatrical release in August of this year. The specifics of where and when it will be coming out during that run are forthcoming, but updates are coming intermittently through the distributor’s website page for the film. Needless to say, the final film of an anime master is worth looking into.

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