Directed by:
Masaaki YuasaScreenplay:
野木亜紀子Cinematography:
Yoshihiro SekiyaComposer:
大友良英Cast:
Avu-chan, Mirai Moriyama, Kenjirō Tsuda, Tasuku Emoto, Yutaka Matsushige, Chikara Honda, Kenshô Yamamoto, Misato Matsuoka, 大友良英, Fukujurō KatayamaVOD (3)
Plots(1)
Inu-Oh is born with unique physical characteristics, and the horrified adults cover every inch of his body with garments, including a mask on his face. One day, he meets a boy named Tomona, a blind biwa player, and as Tomona plays a delicate song of tangled fate, Inu-Oh discovers an incredible ability to dance. Inu-Oh and Tomona become business partners and inseparable friends, using their creative gifts to survive on the margins of society, as song after song gain them notoriety and propel them to stardom. Through the songs, Inu-Oh mesmerises his audiences on stage, and gradually begins to transform into someone of unequalled beauty. But why is Tomona blind? Why was Inu-Oh born with unique characteristics? It is a story about the friendship of Inu-Oh and Tomona, who dance and sing to get to the truth and break each other’s curse. (Venice International Film Festival)
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Reviews (1)
Inu-Oh is a unique film that will definitely make an impression on the viewer. It is like a great artistic performance whose form is so strange and impressive at times that it just blew me away. Generally speaking, most of Sience Saru’s productions are distinctive and often use very original animation and ways of expression. This time, I was caught and drawn in within minutes and the film held my attention with its originality for most of its running time. Inu-Oh also has a very strong aesthetic aspect, and it works well with color to evoke the right kind of emotions and vibes. There's even a passage that literally felt like being at a spectacular rock concert, enjoying the show the filmmakers had prepared for me. The biggest problem with Inu-Oh, however, is that form clearly wins over content, and so the story is probably the film’s main weakness. First of all, it's not a story for everyone, as it refers to a lot of Japanese realities, knowledge of which is a huge advantage, and ignorance can easily make you lose all interest in the story and miss out on things. On the other hand, everything is relatively well explained, and although traditional Japanese mysticism plays a part, the basic framework is easy to understand, even if you don't know much about the story of the Heike clan. Moreover, there isn't that much story, after all, it's not the main thing. As I said, the film is mainly supposed to captivate the viewer with its form, which was a success as far as I’m concerned. It's also a very strange combination of a historical setting and a musical that uses some modern elements, which may be a bit of a clash for some viewers. Plus, the music here in general may not be to everyone's taste. All in all - Inu-Oh is a unique film with a distinct character that may not be everyone's thing, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. 8/10
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Gallery (25)
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