Weaving the many threads of the classic Japanese epic Heike Monogatari into a compelling, cohesive adaptation will be a challenging task, but this premiere is off to an impressive start.
Sep 17, 2021 • Subscribe
More like this
The Heike Story
The Heike Story is currently streaming on Funimation....
The Heike Story First Episode Review
I was looking for a new series to review this week and was having a hard time finding a series that met all my requirements. Generally, I wanted…
First Impression: The Heike Story
The setting is medieval Japan in an era where a loose word against the local lord can cost you your life—or that of your family member, as young…
Special Review: The Heike Story
Rating: 4.5 (of 5) The Tale of the Heiki is a 12-chapter epic assembled no later than the early 14th century from a collection of oral traditions. It…
Anime Series Like The Heike Story
The Taira Clan, also known as the Heike, have developed authority in Japan. When a young girl disrespect a representative of the clan, her father pays the price…
Kurozuka, ONIHEI, Shigurui: Death Frenzy, Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju, The Heike Story
The Heike Story: A Tale of Forgiveness?
There are many lessons to learn from The Heike Story: the cost of pride, the trauma of war, the insidiousness of bitterness. Every episode conveys these truths with…
Autumn 2021 First Impressions – The Heike Story
Streaming: Funimation Episodes: 11 Source: Novel Episode Summary: Biwa witnesses the murder of her blind father at the hand of the powerful Heike clan, thus leaving her an…
Fear of the Future in The Heike Story
Have you ever been afraid of the future? Have you ever looked at the horizon and worried about what lay ahead, hidden just beyond sight? The hardships to…
Unsung Heroes: The women of The Heike Story
The creators of The Heike Story go a step further beyond tribute with the character of Biwa: by presenting her as the epic’s original author-performer, the anime adaptation…
Interview: The Heike Story Music Composer Kensuke Ushio
Composer kensuke ushio, who has collaborated before with director Naoko Yamada on critically-acclaimed films such as A Silent Voice and Liz and the Blue Bird, talks about the…
Kaiseki Anime Podcast Episode 089 – The Heike Story (Also, Happy Holidays!)
00:00 Intro01:13 The Heike Story23:29 Outro You can find Kaiseki Anime Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Play. Subscribe to us now! Please also take a moment…
Heike Monogatari – 1-2
The Tale of the Heike is a classical Japanese epic detailing a war fought for control of the country near the end of the 12th century. It has…
[12 Days of Anime] Day 2: The Heike Story
Let me preface these next two posts by saying that it was ridiculously difficult to order them—both The Heike Story and ODDTAXI took my breath away with their…
Fall 2021 Anime at the Halfway Point: The Heike Story
I just…can shows just around the same time in cours anymore? Seriously. It’s really hard to just put The Heike Story with the other shows this season because…
This Week in Anime - Is The Heike Story Accessible for Newcomers?
Science SARU and Naoko Yamada's retelling of a 12th century story with a supernatural twist. The story is well-known within Japan, but can newbies still follow along?
Episode 1 -- Police Story (1985)
Hello everyone, We hope you're all well and safe in these troubled times. In the first actual episode of Heroic Purgatory, John and Jason talk about Jackie Chan's seminal action-comedy,…
Seasonal Sampler Fall 2021: Ranking of Kings, The Heike Story, Sakugan, & More
Evan and Ink recap they shows they watched from the summer season — Sonny Boy, Kageki Shoujo!!, The Duke of Death and His Maid, and Yamishibai. Then it’s time…
Blue Period, Kageki Shojo!!, Mieruko-chan, SAKUGAN, The Heike Story
Podcast: The Tale of the Heike
A 19th century woodblock print of Tomoe from The Mirror of Beauties Past and Present via Wikimedia Commons Check out the Read Japanese Literature podcast. Episode 3: The…
Otaku Elf Episode 1: Story of the Otaku Elf
Just like Yuri Is My Job!, I’ve dug out my Otaku Elf manga, ready to compare how the anime adaptation stacks up against the original.
Heike Monogatari – 06
「都遷り」 (Miyako Utsuri) "City Transition" This adaptation is all about portraying the characters as living, breathing humans enjoying every-day moments rather than focusing on them purely as giants of history
Heike Monogatari – 07
The year is 1181. Not long after achieving political dominance in western Japan, the Taira clan’s power has already begun to fade. Their move to Fukuhara is short-lived,…
Heike Monogatari – 10
「壇ノ浦」 (Dan-no-ura) "Dan-no-ura" The sunset of the Taira.
Heike Monogatari – 07
The burning of Kofukuji and Todaiji Temples in Nara was in many ways the single most important event of the entire Genpei War, so I hope you didn't…
Heike Monogatari – 10
Episode 10 of Heike Monogatari felt slightly more measured than last week’s blitz of character deaths, family reunions, and political/military developments, but upon closer inspection, the two installments…
Heike Monogatari – 09
「平家流るる」 (Heike Nagaruru) "Heike Flowing" The real carnage here is the butchery the script-writers do to the characterization and epic action of the original story.
Heike Monogatari – 09
The year is 1184. Having fled Fukuhara to escape Genji troops, the Heike are forced to undergo several further relocations in order to avoid their pursuers. In the…
Heike Monogatari – 07
「清盛、死す」 (Kiyomori, Shisu) "Kiyomori, Dies" “Because I could not stop for Death He kindly stopped for me”. Or in Kiyomori’s case, not so kindly.
Heike Monogatari – 03
This episode was a tale of two very different halves, but I loved them both. The first was a restrained catchup session that softened the blow of a…
Heike Monogatari – 09
Watching this has literally become a physically painful experience for me. Read more
Heike Monogatari – 06
If nothing else something of the pathos of this series can be salvaged if the narration slows down enough to give it a chance to express itself. Read…
Heike Monogatari – 05
Through factors partly beyond its control and partly controllable, the anime is losing most of what makes Heike Monogatari so special. Read more
Heike Monogatari – 08
If one was going to punt on preserving the moral ambiguity of the original, it's much easier to make the Minamoto non-people than the Taira. Read more
Heike Monogatari – 06
Heike Monogatari returned this week to the more character-oriented stories of its first two episodes. The renewed focus on Shigemori’s children saw Biwa come back in a major…
Heike Monogatari – 08
「 都落ち」 (Miyako Ochi) "Leaving the Capital" The Taira scrape a final spoonful out of their now almost finished bowl of victories
Heike Monogatari – 04
Heike Monogatari has dealt with intergenerational themes since its premiere, but this episode cemented them as its cornerstone. Now that we’re safely past the ‘continue reading’ tag,…
Heike Monogatari – 10
The tragedy of the Taira really comes through here, carried on the source material's wings of glory. Read more
Heike Monogatari – 08
Biwa’s role in Heike Monogatari is a strange thing. Despite having been introduced as our main character, she’s operated mostly as an observer since the third episode, and…
Heike Monogatari – 05
For all its beautiful imagery and symbolism, this episode exposed a weakness that Heike Monogatari may struggle to overcome. Where are we situated in The Tale of…
Heike Monogatari – 04
I think there's an inherent paradox at work here Read more
BIRDIE WING – Golf Girls Story – Episode 1
If you want a woman-led sports anime that makes you ask “what the hell is going on?” at least once every five minutes, consider checking out BIRDIE WING.
The Sorceress' Revolt: Kobiji's Story - Part 1 Chapter 1
The Sorceress' Revolt Author: Toriumi Jinzō Translator: Ainikki the Archivist Kobiji's Story Part One: The Way of Shattering Earth Chapter One …
Heike Monogatari Review — A-
They shall be as mere dust before the wind.
Heike Monogatari – 11 (END)
Heike Monogatari’s TV finale contained just its second substantial portrayal of armed conflict, following episode 5’s Battle of Uji Bridge. One might think it a bit strange that…
First Impressions – Heike Monogatari
This is certainly something special, something important, and something unique in anime. Read more
Second Impressions – Heike Monogatari
Turn it into an anime and not even Heike Monogatari is immune to the curse of filler. Read more
Sakuga Espresso – Heike Monogatari
A visual analysis of the climax scene to the ninth episode of Heike Monogatari through the lens of cinematography.
Heike Monogatari – 11 (END)
「諸行無常」 (Shogyō Mujō) "The Impermanence of Worldly Things" Like the shrike that impales its prey upon branches, I feel as if this adaptation has impaled my heart upon its sharp…
Third Impressions – Heike Monogatari
If you're not familiar with the source material, I'm having a hard time imagining anyone keeping up with this. Read more
Our Dating Story: The Experienced You and the Inexperienced Me — Episode 1
Our Dating Story: The Inexperienced Me and the Experienced You has a whole cargo hold’s worth of baggage to unpack about sexual relationships.