The Heike Story September 2021 Premiere On Funimation, Latest Updates

The Heike Story is an upcoming anime that is adapted from the famous Japanese epic, “The Tale of the Heike”, from Hideo Furukawa’s translation.

This historical anime series is about Japan’s 12th century Genpei War, where clans faced each other in the survival race of war. You can use the “Iliad” and “Odyssey” for context as these two historical works were also passed down by bards as oral stories.

Over the years, anime that has historical events as its roots has become classics and has overwhelmed our eyes with salty waters. 

“Grave of the Fireflies”, and “In This Corner Of The World” are examples of historical anime that show the cruelty of war. As opposed to them, the upcoming series dates way back to more than 800 years. 

So let’s find out what the series is about and when it’s going to be released.

1. Release Date

The Heike Story is scheduled to be released on September 15, 2021. The series will be streamed exclusively on Funimation.

The series will be streamed by Funimation an entire season ahead of Japan’s broadcast which is scheduled for January 2022.

2. Key Visual

There is no official key visual for the series as of yet, but the anime team has given four still images from the trailer.

The Heike Story September 2021 Premiere On Funimation, Latest Updates
Biwa Visual | Source: Official Website

The above still image shows us the protagonist, Biwa. The color of her eyes being as blue as the sea on one and the other one being of the brown shade, indicating her sight problem, blindness.

The Heike Story September 2021 Premiere On Funimation, Latest Updates
Shigemori Visual | Source: Official Website

The second still image shows the heir of the Taira clan, Shigemori. The image shows a scene from a night, while we see the fireflies swarming around him.

The Heike Story September 2021 Premiere On Funimation, Latest Updates
Tokuko And Biwa Visual | Source: Official Website

Tokuko, from the Taira clan, is illustrated in the third image. At the entrance, we see Tokuko sitting down to talk with Biwa. The leaves of the trees have turned orange indicating it’s the time of autumn.

The Heike Story September 2021 Premiere On Funimation, Latest Updates
The Heike Story Visual | Source: Official Website

The fourth still image shows four children sitting down in a disciple order. In this image, we see it’s winter season as the snow is piled up on the ground.

3. Trailer

The trailer starts calm and peaceful with flowers falling on the river while we hear a folk song sung by a woman, then the sound of shamisen strikes, and the events unfold.

TVアニメ「平家物語」PV 2022年1月よりフジテレビ「+Ultra」ほかにて放送開始&9月15日(水)24時よりFODにて先行独占配信!
TV anime “Heike Monogatari” PV will start broadcasting on Fuji TV “+ Ultra” and others from January 2022 & will be exclusively distributed on FOD from 24:00 on September 15 (Wednesday)!

The trailer shows the passage of time and the people the protagonist, Biwa, comes across. She meets the head of the Taira clan and tells him how his clan’s end is near. In the end, we see multiple voices asking forgiveness from Biwa.

4. Plot/Storyline

The Heike Story is a massive, sprawling story of the Genji and Heike clans’ fight for control of Japan, from the perspectives of monks, musicians, warriors, and even horses in the 12th century.

The authorship of the original story was never established as it began as a story passed down orally by monks and traveling musicians. Buddhist motifs are layered throughout the story. 

The anime’s plot will follow Hideo Furukawa’s translated modern version, where it tells the story of the rise and fall of Clan Taira during the Genpei War(1180-1185). The story focuses on the perspective of the Biwa, a young and blind traveling minstrel. 

Biwa meets Taira no Shigemori, the heir of the Taira clan, who has a supernatural sight that can perceive ghosts. During the meeting, she foretells a prophecy about the fall of his clan.

5. Cast

CharacterCastOther Works
BiwaAoi YuukiTsuyu Asui(My Hero Academia)
Taira no ShigemoriTakahiro SakuraiSasori(Naruto Shippuden)
Taira no TokukoSaori HayamiShinobu Kocho(Demon Slayer)
Taira no KiyomoriTesshou GendaKaido(One Piece)

6. Other Cast

Other casts announced without a role yet are as follows:

CastOther Works
Shigeru ChibaSebas Tian(Overlord)
Kikuko Inoue Miyuki Azuki(Bakuman)
Miyu Irino Ritsu Kageyama(Mob Psycho 100)
Yumiko Kobayashi Poco(JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)
Nobuhiko OkamotoYuu Nishinoya(Haikyu!!)
Natsuki HanaeTanjiro Kamado(Demon Slayer)
Ayumu MuraseGinro(Dr. Stone)
Koutarou NishiyamaEitarou Oka(RE-MAIN)
Nobuyuki HiyamaKota Hirano(High School of the Dead)
Subaru Kimura Haruki Hayashida(Tokyo Revengers)
Yuu MiyazakiCivet Anhern(Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway)
Inori MinaseRem(Re-ZERO)
Tomokazu SugitaMarlo Freudenberg(Attack on Titan)
Yuki KajiEren Jaeger(Attack on Titan)

7. Staff

PositionStaffOther Works
DirectorNaoko YamadaA Silent Voice
Script CompositionReiko YoshidaViolet Evergarden
Original Character DesignFumiko TakanoCrusher Joe: The Movie
Character DesignTakashi KojimaFlip Flappers
EditingKiyoshi HiroseKakegurui
Sound DirectorEriko KimuraSakugan
MusicKensuke UshioChainsaw Man
StudioScience SARUDevilman: Crybaby

8. Conclusion

The Heike Story looks promising with its artistic trailer giving us a glimpse of how the events take place in a year with the various seasons displayed. 

With the release date only 10 days away, I’m looking forward to this upcoming original anime from Science SARU that has surpassed all criticism and gave us such a historical surprise. 

Science SARU has stepped up its game with ‘The Heike Story’ as it will no doubt be the most sophisticated and historical release ever this year.

9. About The Heike Story

 

The Heike Story is an original anime by Studio Science SARU which follows the story of a musician girl Biwa, who has the power to see ghosts and the future. She befriends the heir of the powerful Taira clan and prophesies the clan’s eventual downfall.

 

The story is adapted from Hideo Furukawa’s novel Heiki Monogatari, a retelling of the 12th century Genpei War between the Taira and the Minamoto clan for the control of Japan.

Aaryan Sharma

Aaryan Sharma

Meet our Tech Wiz – he’s a true-blooded otaku and an encyclopedia of all things tech! Foodie to the hilt and the clandestine king of online food ordering! There is No Veg burger he doesn’t have an opinion on!

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