12th Century Funimation Original The Heiki Story Premiere in September

The original Tale of the Heiki is a 900-year-old story that documents the Ganpei civil war that has all sorts of tales about musicians, warriors, monks, and even horses.


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Science SARU is ready to let us in on the epic with their original anime, The Heike Story.

This will be an adaptation of Hideo Furukawa’s novel of the same name, a modern take on the 12th-century epic. Although there are several small stories, the anime adapts the story of Biwa, who befriends nobility.

The official website for The Heike Story anime has released a promotional video. The anime is set to debut on September 15, 2021, on Funimation.

The PV begins by introducing the main character Biwa, an almost blind traveling musician who is taken in by the heir to the Taira clan, Shigemori. Biwa then prophesies the end of the Taira clan, and then we see her running away from what seems to be Taira’s estate.

The anime will be produced by Studio Science SARU with the following staff:

RoleStaffOther Works
DirectorNaoko YamadaA Silent Voice
ScirptReiko YoshidaViolet Evergarden
Character Design Takashi KojimaRide Your Wave
MusicKensuke UshioPing Pong The Animation

The main cast for the anime was also revealed:

CharacterCastOther Works
BiwaAoi YukiKotatsu Tamaki (Fire Force)
Shigemori TairaTakahiro SakuraiKururugi Suzaku (Code Geass)
Tokuko TairaSaori HayamiYukinoshita Yukino (Oregairu)
Kiyomori TairaTessho GendaKyuubi/ Kurama (Naruto)

There is no shortage of stories to adapt in Furukawa’s novel. The legendary director Masaaki Yuasa, who happens to be the co-founder of Science SARU, is working on a film called INU-OH, an adaptation of the same novel.

12th Century Funimation Original The Heiki Story Premiere in September
The Heiki Story | Source: Official Twitter
READ: 
Blind Musician And a Dancer Join Forces in Masaaki Yuasa’s New Film INU-OH

Although there isn’t any indication of how the two stories are connected yet, surely there will be a few references in both, given how they even have the same artstyle. Maybe this will be the start of the Heiki universe.

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.

Source: The Heike Story Official Website

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