Inu-Oh

Inu-Oh (犬王, 2022), Masaaki Yuasa's animated rock opera, is one to watch online on iFILM with the volume cranked up. It unfolds in 14th-century Japan, during the golden age of Noh theatre.

Inu-Oh is born with a strangely shaped body, so the adults bury him under robes and a mask — people can't stand to look at him. Everything shifts when he crosses paths with Tomona, a blind boy who plays the biwa. The moment Tomona sings of a fallen clan, Inu-Oh finds he can dance like no one alive. The two outcasts form a duo and start pulling crowds that behave less like a medieval audience and more like a stadium full of fans.

Science Saru handled the animation, and Avu-chan of the band Queen Bee voices Inu-Oh, which is where the raw glam-rock vocals come from. It's adapted from Hideo Furukawa's novel spun off the Tale of the Heike, and it premiered at the Venice Film Festival. The film breaks every rule of the period piece on purpose — here the anachronism is the whole idea. It's for anyone open to bold stylization who won't flinch when the 1300s start singing in glam-rock. Stream Inu-Oh (2022) online on iFILM.