New visuals and staff comments for the TV anime "Heike Monogatari" starring Aoi Yuki! Available on FOD from today!

TV anime "Heike Monogatari" started its pre-distribution on FOD today, September 15. New visuals and staff comments were released.

The TV anime "Tale of the Heike" features the original anime character "Biwa" (CV. Aoi Yuki) as the main character and narrator of the story, Biwa-houshi. The story revolves around the interaction between Biwa and the Heike people, including Kiyomori Taira (CV: Tetsuaki Genda)'s eldest son Shigemori (CV: Takahiro Sakurai) and his younger sister Tokuko (CV: Saori Hayami), and tells the story of a group of people who lived their lives at the mercy of the times.

⇒ The Heike Monogatari" is being adapted into a TV anime for the first time, starring Aoi Yuuki and Takahiro Sakurai! The TV anime "The Tale of the Heike" will be distributed on FOD from September 15, and broadcast on terrestrial TV from January 2022!

The TV anime "The Tale of the Heike" will be distributed exclusively on FOD from 24:00 today. New visuals and comments from Hideo Furukawa (original story), Reiko Yoshida (script), Fumiko Takano (character design), Kensuke Ushio (music), and Takashi Kojima (character design) have also been released.

In addition, the original soundtrack and ED jacket visuals for the September 16th release have also arrived.

PV 15 ver.

Staff Comments

*Honorifics omitted, original text is available at

■Original story: Hideo Furukawa
I believe that most people misunderstand the "Tale of the Heike," which should be known to all Japanese people. I believe that most people misunderstand the "Tale of the Heike," which should be known to all Japanese, because they are usually exposed to only a small percentage of the episodes in this long tale, and these episodes are exaggerated. If you read through the book, you will find that it is filled with sentiments that appeal to the reader, "It is sad and terrible to go to war. It is sad and terrible to be at war. We must repose the souls of the dead. We must mourn all the dead. In addition to the men who play the leading roles on the battlefield, the drama also depicts the drama of the women who are rarely seen on the battlefield. Who in the world could have understood that the leading roles in "The Tale of the Heike" are also played by women?　I hereby declare, "This animated TV version did. And I say it vividly. Painfully. This animated version approaches the decisive point that the original "Tale of the Heike" had in mind, and that is why it touches our hearts as viewers. The main character, Biwa, will strike a chord with you.

■Screenplay: Reiko Yoshida
I was thrilled to work on this title with this troupe. Heike Monogatari" directed by Yamada.
Ms. Fumiko Takano was the original character designer (I can't tell you how many times I read the short story "Stick is Ippon").
And when I finished writing the script, I felt that this was our "re-declaration of our commitment to telling stories.
Times rise and fall, times change, and people end their lives. But the story will live on, retaining its sparkle.
This is what gave me courage.

Character draft: Fumiko Takano
I drew Shigemori first, then the Heike brothers, starting with the youngest.
All of them are handsome, and they are all wonderful men that could never appear in my manga.
About halfway through the work, I was shown the director's storyboard.
I was very happy when I realized that it was Biwa-chan.
I had a lot of fresh experiences. I would like to thank everyone who gave me this opportunity.

■Music: Kensuke Ushio
Before I started composing the music, I had been thinking about what the anime "The Tale of the Heike" would be like.
When confronted with a story with so many characters and such a large historical flow, it was hard to know where to start.
I had a hard time deciding where to start and what music to draw.

However, this story is more than a big historical tale, it is, in the words of the director
But this story is more than a big historical tale, it is a story of "people who lived," in the words of the director.
It is the story of each person who was happy, angry, sad, and laughed.
I hope that the music will be with all of them.

Character Design: Takashi Kojima

Music Information

Heike Monogatari" original soundtrack EP / Kensuke Ushio
the beginning", "boy's own", "unknown plan

Heike Monogatari" ending theme
unified perspective (90sec variation)

Distribution starts on September 16(Thu.)!
#
#

Work Information
TV animation "The Tale of the Heike

<Broadcasting and distribution information>
Fuji TV "+Ultra" and others: Broadcasting starts in January 2022
FOD : Preceding exclusive distribution from 24:00 on September 15, 2021 (Wed.)
*The broadcasting and distribution dates are subject to change according to circumstances.

<Introduction
The bell of the Gion Shrine echoes with the sound of impermanence. The color of the flowers on the sal tree shows the inevitable decline of the prosperous.
The late Heian period. The Heike clan was on the verge of prosperity in terms of power, military might, and wealth.
Shigemori Taira, a man with eyes that can see the dead, meets Biwa, a Biwa priestess with eyes that can see into the future, who predicts that "you will all perish soon.
From an aristocratic society to a samurai society, 15 turbulent years of Japan's historical transition unfolds.

＜Cast
YUKI Aoi
Takahiro Sakurai
Saori Hayami
Tetsuaki Genda
Shigeru Chiba
Kikuko Inoue
Miyu Irino
Yumiko Kobayashi
Nobuhiko Okamoto
Hanae Natsuki
Ayumi Murase
Koutaro Nishiyama
Shuyuki Hiyama
Subaru Kimura
Yu Miyazaki
Inori Minase
Tomokazu Sugita
KAJI Hiroki

＜Staff
Original story: "Natsuki Ikezawa's Complete Collection of Japanese Literature 09: The Tale of the Heike", translated by Hideo Furukawa, published by Kawade Shobo Shinsha
Director : Naoko Yamada
Screenplay : Reiko Yoshida
Character Planning: Fumiko Takano
Music: Kensuke Ushio
Animation Production: Science SARU
Character Design: Takashi Kojima
Art Director: Tomotaka Kubo (Dehogirary)
Animation Director: Shotaro Imai
Color Designer: Ken Hashimoto
Director of Photography: Kazuto Demizuida
Editing: Kiyoshi Hirose
Sound Director: Eriko Kimura
Sound Effects: Hiromune Kurahashi (Otonarium)
Historical Supervisor: Yoshihiko Sata
Biwa Supervisor: Yukihiro Goto

Recommended Articles