Telling Story Through Song

Inu-Oh tells its story largely through song.

The music, or songs to be precise, was the aspect of the film Yuasa found most
difficult.

“How to fit these songs, [and their] lyrics into the story and where I place them, how I
place them, that was very challenging,” says Yuasa.

Around 35 minutes into Inu-Oh, the songs start and the music doesn’t really let up.
The result is an entertaining and fun — and yet at the same time, shattering —
experience as Inu-Oh and Tomona, through their performances, interpret the buried
stories of dead Heike soldier spirits killed in battle at the hands of the Genji clan.

“I wanted to do the storytelling through the lyrics so that’s what makes this film
different from traditional musicals. I wanted to tell the story with songs and the
lyrics,” says Yuasa.

A kind of rock opera anime, Yuasa’s approach to Inu-Oh is a really powerful way to
explore the idea of oppression and the importance of understanding that history has
two or more sides. Through the songs, Inu-Oh and Tomona – who at this point in the
story has changed his name to Tomoari – are contradicting the preferred account of
history as told and enforced by ruling military dictator, or shogun, Ashikaga
Yoshimitsu.

Giving the People a Voice

Inu-Oh director Masaaki Yuasa wants to give a voice to the voiceless.

“I’m sure there are many more sides that we probably can’t even imagine,” says
Yuasa. “Now that we’ve got the internet, we get so much information about
everything. But I’m sure people weren’t that different even then. We only know what
we know … but I think it’s only a small, tiny part of time — 600 years ago. So I
believe the world was pretty much similar to what it is now. I am giving voice to these
people, or the sides that we don’t see now, but had to exist back then.”

Another key point Inu-Oh makes is that art is really significant in terms of promoting
freedom of expression and amplifying a wide variety of voices to understand truth.
Inu-Oh and Tomona’s act becomes incredibly popular, engaging the common people
who connect with their art and absorb their stories and messages.

“Yes, [art] is very important as a means of communication for everyone,” says Yuasa.
“When you say ‘art’, sometimes I think ‘art’ sounds a bit snobbish, but it’s not. It’s
not [only] for certain people, art is for — should be for — everyone. I think art has a
great way to communicate with a lot of people and it should be that way.”