The Heike Story (anime)

The Heike Story
平家物語 (Heike Monogatari)
Original net animation
Directed by	Naoko Yamada
Produced by	Eunyoung Choi Fumie Takeuchi Mayo Arita Noriko Ozaki Shinichi Nakamura
Written by	Reiko Yoshida
Music by	Kensuke Ushio
Studio	Science Saru
Licensed by	Funimation
Released	September 16, 2021 – present
Episodes	5

The Heike Story (Japanese: 平家物語, Hepburn: Heike Monogatari) is a Japanese original net animation series adapted from Hideo Furukawa's 2016 translation into modern Japanese of The Tale of the Heike, a 13th-century historical epic depicting the rise and fall of the Taira clan. The series is produced by Science Saru and directed by Naoko Yamada, and premiered on September 16, 2021 on the Japanese streaming service Fuji TV on Demand and on Funimation's streaming service. A Japanese television broadcast on Fuji TV's +Ultra programming block is scheduled to follow in January 2022.

Plot

Set during the Genpei War (1180–1185), a devastating civil conflict that divided Japan, the story is told from the perspective of Biwa, a young girl and traveling biwa minstrel who can see the future.

Following the death of her blind father, with whom she traveled, at the hands of the “kaburo boys” - enforcers for the Taira clan - Biwa meets Taira no Shigemori, heir to the powerful Taira clan that is fighting for supremacy in the war. Shigemori also has the power of supernatural sight; with one of his eyes he see ghosts of those killed in the war. Using this, Shigemori comes to understand his clan’s part in the killing of Biwa’s father. In anger and seeking to follow her father in death Biwa relates a prophecy predicting the downfall of the Taira clan. However Shigemori who is kind, level headed and responsible - perhaps to a fault - instead of having her killed asks Biwa to come live with him and his family. She will stay with him under the auspices of a playmate and companion for his children. He will take care of and raise her as a way to take responsibility for his clan’s part in her orphaning, but also with the hope that her power can prevent the downfall of the Taira clan. Biwa agrees to be taken in but refuses to use her power to help the clan that was responsible for the death of her father.

Characters

Biwa (びわ)

Voiced by: Aoi Yūki

The daughter of a Biwa hōshi who is killed by agents of the Taira after Biwa untintionally insults them. She dresses like a boy and has one green and one brown eye which enables her to see into the future.

Taira no Shigemori (平重盛)

Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai

The eldest son of Kiyomori, the leader of the Taira clan and in contrast to his father, he is level headed and responsible. He holds the posts of Palace Minister and Left Commander. He has four children: Koremori, Sukemori, Kiyotsune and Arimori. He has different colored eyes and can see the spirits of the dead, but is disparagingly referred to as the Lantern Lord because he keeps his household well-lit at night.

Taira no Tokuko (平徳子)

Voiced by: Saori Hayami

Shigemori's half-sister who befriends Biwa. She becomes betrothed to Norihito, son of the Emperor. Her younger sister Moriko was married to Lord Fujiwara no Motazane (the older brother of Lord Motofusa) at the age of nine. When he died two years later Moriko inherited his lands, angering Motofusa.

Taira no Kiyomori (平清盛)

Voiced by: Tesshō Genda

The leader of the Taira clan. He has become a monk, but still wields power, and his mercurial nature causes problems for the clan and his eldest son and heir, Shigemori. His other children are; Munemori, Tomomori, Tokuko and Shigehira.

Taira no Tokiko (平時子)

Kiyomori's wife.

Taira no Koremori (平維盛)

Shigemori's eldest son.

Taira no Munemori (平宗盛)

Shigemori's half-brother

Emperor Go-Shirakawa (後白河法皇)

Voiced by: Shigeru Chiba

The 77th emperor of Japan who has a son Norihito.

Emperor Takakura (高倉天皇)

Voiced by: Koutaro Nishiyama

The 80th emperor of Japan. Go-Shirakawa's son whose personal name is Norihito and marries Tokuko.

Taira no Shigeko (平滋子)

Voiced by: Maaya Sakamoto

Norihito's mother.

Production

The anime series is directed by Naoko Yamada, and features scripts by Reiko Yoshido and music by Kensuke Ushio. The trio previously collaborated on A Silent Voice and Liz and the Blue Bird at Kyoto Animation. Hitsujibungaku performs the opening theme "Hikaru Toki" (When the Light Shines), while Agraph and Ani from Scha Dara Parr performs the ending theme "unified perspective."

Episode list

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Storyboarded by	Original release date
1	"If You Don't Belong to the Heike, You Won't Be a Person" Transliteration: "Heike ni Arazareba Hito ni Arazu" (Japanese: 平家にあらざれば人にあらず)	Naoko Yamada	Reiko Yoshida	Naoko Yamada	September 16, 2021 (2021-09-16)
Biwa is expresses disgust when the "kaburo boys" mistreat a local resident. When her father acts to protect her from punishment, they kill him. The Taira clan under Kiyomori has prospered, but he finds the situation boring. He unveils his plan to his heir Shigemori to move to at Fukuhara, a day's journey from the capital, and build a torii and buildings at the sea at Itsukushima. He intends to create a harbor for large ships and increase their prosperity through sea trade. Biwa gains entrance to the palace and encounters Shigemori in a garden where she tells him that the end of the Taira clan is near. He notices her differently coloured eyes and believes that she can see the spirits of the dead as he can. She refuses to use her power to help him, however he accepts her into his household. Biwa meets Lady Tokuko and is horrified when she sees a vision of Tokuko drowning at sea. One day, Sukemori rushes back from a hunt and rides past Lord Motofusa, Emperor Takakura's regent, and is beaten by them for his insolence. Rather than apologize, Kiyomori sends Rokuhara's warriors to punish them which leads to the beginning of Heike's problems.
2	"The Glory of the Corrupt World is a Dream in a Dream" Transliteration: "Shaba no Eiga wa Yume no Yume" (Japanese: 娑婆の栄華は夢のゆめ)	Ai Yukimura	Reiko Yoshida	Ai Yukimura	September 23, 2021 (2021-09-23)
Shigemori dismisses the men who attacked Lord Motofusa and sends Sukemori to Ise to apologize for his disrespect, however Kiyomori is unrepentant for his impetuous actions. Tokuko explains to Biwa that Motofusa dislikes the Taira clan because her younger sister Moriko was married off into the Fujiwara clan and inherited the Fujiwara lands when her husband died soon after. Tokuko reveals that she is soon to be married off to Norihito, the young son of Emperor Go-Shirakawa. The Shirabyoshi, Lady Gio and her younger sister Lady Ginyo arrive at Kiyomori's request to keep her replacement, Hotoke-Gozen, company. Shigemori visits Emperor Go-Shirakawa and offers to resign, having his brother Munemori replace him. The emperor observes that although Kiyomori has entered the monastic life, he has not rejected involvement in worldly affairs. Biwa takes a liking to Gio, but is saddened to find that she and her sister leave and become nuns to avoid being pawns of Kiyomori. Biwa is cheered however by a vision that in the future, Hotoke-Gozen joins them. later, when Tokuko leaves to marry Norihito, Biwa desperately tries to stop her, disturbed by her vision of Tokuko's death by drowning.
3	"Shishigatani Incident" Transliteration: "Shishigatani no Inbō" (Japanese: 鹿ケ谷の陰謀)	China	Reiko Yoshida	China	September 30, 2021 (2021-09-30)
Shigemori sails with Biwa and others of his family to the Itsukushima shrine where Kiyomori has made his seat of power. On their return, Biwa meets Tokuko who is yet to have a child, but Tokuko is unconcerned about it or the fact that Norihito appears to have taken a lover, Lady Kogo. Meanwhile Shigemori must deal with a matter involving the Enryakuji. Lord Morotsune of the Fujiwara who governs Kaga province with his brother Lord Morotaka, demanded to use the bath at a temple afiliated with the Enryakuji. When they were refused, they burned the temple, and the Enryakuji head priest Meiun demands retribution. Their father Lord Saiko who serves Emperor Go-Shirakawa seeks leniency on their behalf, but thousands of Enryakuji warrior monks march on the palace and the emperor orders it to be forcefully defended. Many Enryakuji are slain and wounded, and their portable shrines desecrated. In retribution the Enryakuji set fire to the court's estates, including that of Shigemori. In administrator Shunkan's villa at Shishigatani, Lord Saiko suggests to the emperor that the Heike are becoming to powerful. He proposes and alliance with the Genji and other nobles and clans with grievances against the Heike. However, when Kiyomori learns of the plot, he seizes Shukan and Saiko and prepares to march against the emperor. Shigemori pleads for Kiyomori to stop as they owe their prosperity to the emperor and he is faced with the dilemma of loyalty to the emperor and filial piety to his father.
4	"Unwritten Affair" Transliteration: "Mumon no Sata" (Japanese: 無文の沙汰)	Shuntarō Tozawa	Reiko Yoshida	Ai Yukimura Naoko Yamada	October 7, 2021 (2021-10-07)
Tokugo goes into labor but she has a difficult time. Saiko and the other conspirators are exiled by Kiyomori to Kikaigashima against Shigemori's advice. Shigemori believes that Tokugo's problems are related to the mistreatment of the Kikaigashima exiles and proposes a compensatory ceremony. Kiyomori releases some of the exiles who show remorse by sending a thousand sotoba into the sea, but he refuses to forgive Shukan and leaves him on the island. Tokugo successfully gives birth to a baby boy, however Moriko dies at the age of 24, and rumors spread that it is punishment for the Taira gaining control of Fujiwara lands. Shigemori goes on a pilgrimage to Kumano and prays that he does not live to see the Taira fall because of his father. Shortly after his return, Shigemori takes ill, and he has a vision of the Heike being punished for the actions of Kiyomori. Not long afterwards he passes away with Biwa beside him.
5	"Bridge Battle" Transliteration: "Hashi Kassen" (Japanese: 橋合戦)	Moko-chan	Reiko Yoshida	Moko-chan	October 14, 2021 (2021-10-14)
Munemori, Shigemori's half brother, takes control of the Heike, supported by his younger brothers Tomomori and Shigehira while Kiyomori withdraws to Fukuhara. Meanwhile, Tokugo's son is growing, but he now has a half-brother, the progeny of her husband Norihito and Lady Shokugo. When Kiyomori learns that the emperor has taken the initiative and seized the Koremori's province of Echizen and the Fujiwara lands inherited by Moriko, he orders Munemori to gather troops to march on the capital. Initially successful, Kiyomori instils his grandson, Tokugo's child as the new emperor. The Taira family begin to inflict belittling insults on the vanquished clans, sowing the seed of insurrection. Go-Shirakawa's son, Prince Mochihito leads the Taira forces to the bridge over the Uji River (1180) and defeat the opposition forces supported by the Genji. Victorious, they set fire to the Onoji Temple.

External links

• Official website
• Official website (in Japanese)
• The Heike Story (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia