The Heike Story

These 5 magic words instantly slap on a layer of authenticity to the story being told. And why wouldn't they? A series of events taking place in real life is a really interesting hook for stories, as the audience is allowed to peer into the lives and experiences of people who have walked on the same Earth. But be it a biopic or historical account, I'm willing to bet that at least some details were tweaked or removed in order for it to better gel with a traditional story structure. So what happens to the stories that get cut, and are they stories worth telling? This question comes to my mind when I take a look at Heike Monogatari, an adaptation of Japanese literature with a fresh coat of paint. In it, the show "makes up" new stories - journeys that wouldn't have been originally documented - to be told alongside the old, and the results make for a fascinating watch, albeit one with its fair share of hurdles. So, is this new story one worth telling? Let's find out in this spoiler-free review, Tl;Dr below.

With origins dating back to the 12th Century, the folk stories and subsequent anime adaptation center around the Heike Clan. This tribe can be defined by their skilled warriors of mettle in battle, and the ruthless figurehead who leads them. Kiyomori wants to leave behind an empire, and just might possess the military might needed to secure his lofty ambitions. The glory and fearsome reputation of Kiyomori's Heike is not to be messed with, no matter the cost. Between maintaining a shaky relationship with the Emperor and imposing the clan's power with reckless abandon, the nobility of the Heike hide barbaric means to prideful ends. Amidst the clan's plans for expansion, righteous honor gives way to an insatiable lust for power. But pride spells the tribe's downfall, as dormant foes of the Heike re-emerge to confront a clan in chaos. Heike is an age-old testament to the hubris of man, and what happens when you fly too close to the sun. Inherent to the Heike experience is the Buddhist influence permeating the narrative. Life and death, growth and decay, rise and fall. Nothing stays forever, and the old must make way for the new. Even a sprawling historical epic is a mere blip in the grand scheme of things, and the Heike's trek towards its inevitable demise is presented as a tragic result of human nature and impermanence. Religion is featured frequently, both within the culture at the time and in occasional occult occurrences, the latter of which lending these folk stories a mythological quality. One such supernatural element gives us a clue of how this adaptation sets itself apart from its source. There is more to this tale than meets the eye(s).

Her father was killed in front of her by the hand of Kiyomori's cruel soldiers, her mother is nowhere to be found. A destitute girl named after the string instrument on her back, Biwa has her eyes set on a future beyond a present world that has no place for her. A spiritual ability in her right eye allows her to see how one dies, and she predicts the imminent downfall of the Heike clan. Biwa brings her foreboding prophecy to the Heike capital, where she meets a kindred spirit in Kiyomori's son, Shigemori. He too can observe death, this time in the spiritual realm, where the presence of the dead haunts his waking hours. Upon learning that the Heike were involved in the orphan father's death, Shigemori decides to raise Biwa alongside his children. Growing up with Shigemori's kids and members of high society, Biwa finds an unlikely family. But even these good things aren't built to last; Heike's demise is set in stone. Biwa joins the audience in witnessing the chain of events leading to the clan's undoing and poetic end.

What I've just described may not seem all that out-of-place within a Japanese historical drama at first glance. With that said, here's a big twist: Biwa the Orphan is not mentioned once in the original text, and is unique to Heike. Her inclusion in this retelling of the story is anime-original. The character's name is a neat homage to the songlike structure of Heike 's source material. Before the folk stories of The Tale of the Heike were formally compiled in written form, real-life Buddhist monks known as biwa hōshi verbally spread the Heike's story through song and biwa accompaniment. This reverence of the source material is found all throughout Heike, but seems confusingly at odds with Biwa's newfound place in the narrative. What's a fictional, orphan girl doing as the focal point of a decades-long epic of iconic battles and civil unrest? Also, what are the implications of Biwa's contrived powers? Could the new additions to this modern adaptation threaten to undermine the themes of the original tales?

The series uncovers new angles from which to tell its story by shining a light on womanhood in the 12th Century. With her shocking switch from Kyoto Animation to Science SARU, Director Naoko Yamada seems to have broadened her focus from portraying femininity to depicting female gender roles. The results her and the production staff came up with are eye-opening and honest. Within this bygone setting, these are women in a man's world, and Heike doesn't shy away from how rigid social norms have affected their lives. A key example involves Biwa, who used to be raised as a boy for her safety. Yet her feminine side remains, and that innocent desire to attain inner beauty brings her closer to Shigemori's sister, Tokuko. Betrothed to the Emperor's son as a political tool in an arranged marriage, Tokuko is eventually forced to endure infidelity and motherhood. Heike 's somber exploration of womanhood only grows deeper as the series progresses. This is a world where a mother would leave her husband and child for a royal of the Heike, in the name of survival. This is a world where shirabyōshi - female dancers who dress as men - are forced into a taxing profession, in constant fear of being discarded by their mighty clients. This is a world where a lucky few assist their ambitious husbands in their unhealthy search for power, because behind every great man is a great woman. This a world where reform for these difficult conditions isn't even considered for discussion, and where the only exit lies in a life of solitude in a monastery. No one has the power to radically fix the rigid systems around them and carve out the life they deserve. The most they can do is bear witness and let human nature run its course, as the Heike's hubris leads them to their grisly end. Biwa's powers don't exist to change destiny, but to confirm it; even the greatest of empires must fall eventually. Heike isn't a triumphant tale of seizing our own destinies, but rather a tragedy by the hand of nature. Our selfish flaws are errors that need to be corrected by nature, thereby leading to impermanence and change. And despite the sadness that pervades the story, there is a sense of comfort in knowing that change is possible, even if it's slow. After all, the injustices faced by Biwa, Tokuko and countless others throughout history are now in the process of being rectified within the present age. But how should one deal with that change as it happens? Well, we could take after the Buddhists and sever all our ties to the world. Alternatively, we could choose to live like Tokuko and live for the now - cherishing love and kindness, even though things aren't perfect. Because things won't ever be perfect, but we're working towards it. Best of all, maybe we could embrace the inevitability of change, and pass down the stories of our mistakes. History shouldn't repeat itself, we have to keep moving forward.

Heike 's reverence to its source material is clear, and so is the passion put into bringing this adaptation to life. Naoko Yamada's long-awaited return to TV anime production sees her jumping into a foray radically different from anything else she's attempted before, and I'm glad to say that she's mostly stuck the landing. Gorgeous shot composition and a vibrant color palette culminate in some of the best visuals you'd find in anime this year. Reiko Yoshida's occasional liberties with the source material help mythologize the folk story, while straying away from turning into revisionist history. The sounds of Heike do leave plenty to be desired. Kensuke Ushio's score feels muted and out-of-place; his playbook of ambience tracks and wacky techno beats sound pulled straight from past projects, yet rarely impress in the way many of us are used to. Overall, Science SARU did a great job with this production, especially given the tumultuous state the studio is in. However, there are a few prominent issues with Heike we've yet to discuss.

Having done some light research for this review, I personally think that Heike is the sort of thing that works best for viewers who already enjoy the original The Tale of the Heike. But if the aim of Heike was to act as a gateway to appreciating the source material, I'm quite doubtful that Science SARU successfully leaves newcomers with a positive first impression. The most difficult part about adapting a story from 12th Century Japan, is that it has to adapt a story from 12th Century Japan. Because the source goes so far back in the past, it's hard to shake the feeling that Heike is… boring. Know that I mean this in the least disrespectful way; I've come away from Heike with a newfound admiration for the longevity of its original text. But the big question lies in whether or not Heike serves as a compelling piece of entertainment for your average weeb from the West, and the answer seems to lean towards "No." Up to this point in the review, the stuff I've mentioned marks my best efforts at painting the series in a charitable light. But I have a confession to make: the praise I've heaped on Heike only makes up roughly 40% of my viewing experience, and that's me being generous. A majority of what watching Heike feels like can be summarized by a threefold problem. Firstly, the show is convoluted as heck. From the get-go, Heike asks viewers to keep up with its sprawling cast of characters, their relationships, and their political affiliations with one another. The series has done viewers the courtesy of cutting down the number of important players needed to keep track of, but it's still immensely confusing to follow. Even approaching the final episodes, I regularly find myself looking up the names of characters in order to make sure I understand what the hell's going on. To top it all off, time jumps are pretty frequent, and new waves of exposition are quickly doled out to bring us up to a frenzied speed. If you do manage to overcome the often-overwhelming plot, you'd run into the second big issue: Heike 's dry storytelling is rarely all that deep. Whether it be due to the archaic nature of the original text or a lack of recorded context, Heike 's narrative is a lot more straightforward than viewers may be initially led to believe. The show's various power-hungry tribe leaders each share a simple-minded greed typical of their historical era. It's easy to get a gist of the boomer political tomfoolery that occurs, and the thematic takeaways from each episode remain the same each time: pride sucks. This simply isn't the kind of storytelling that suits a serialized 11-episode run. And with that, we can move on to the final issue holding Heike back. My biggest problem with Heike is that it feels too impersonal. The series feels like it's checking items off a list, as it details the various monotonous confrontations between the Heike and their adversaries. In striving for historical accuracy, Heike largely sacrifices the human element. There are attempts made at exploring the lives of Tokuko and Shigemori's sons, but the time afforded for these characters feels lacking. Biwa's arc in particular feels like it was written in as an afterthought. I reckon her paltry screentime doesn't exceed 5 minutes per episode, resulting in a half-baked side-plot that seems superfluous. Tonal whiplash is a mainstay within the world of Heike, since our characters are too often restrained from prolonged periods of emotional vulnerability, even when confronted with the death of loved ones. When watching Heike I feel pretty distant and indifferent, which is a shame given the talent on-deck. Yamada has explored the breadth of human emotion really well with past projects, and the few dramatic character moments that fully utilize her gifts are easily the standouts throughout the series. While I do respect what the show chooses to be with regards to its original text, I'm just not sure that it necessarily makes for a compelling viewing experience by modern standards. Heike set itself up early-on as a fresh take on a classic tale, and proved that its unique story additions respectfully kept in-line with the narrative's key themes. Given how these modern aspects happen to be my favorite portions of the series, I would have loved to have seen a more bold balance struck between old and new.

Heike Monogatari is a time-tested tale primed for a modern generation. A tragic recounting of the titular clan's downfall, Heike revolves around the slow, yet inevitable, process of change. Untold fictional perspectives lend the series a new dimension, while staying true to the spirit of its source material. Heike 's successes are largely due to its unique contributions, such as Naoko Yamada's direction and the added layers of context. However, the uncompelling manner in which the text was adapted leaves much to be desired. Heike proves itself to be a new story worth telling. That being said, its alienating approach to storytelling holds it back from my glowing recommendation. 6/10~

Thanks for stoppin' by! I had a great time following the series, and it's been exciting to give my thoughts on Yamada's comeback. Fun fact, I currently have an ongoing series of reviews dedicated to exploring the KyoAni era of her amazing career. If you're at all interested in my thoughts about her skill as a director, feel free to give Understanding Yamada a read! (Fingers crossed, I'll try to get back into penning the series by early-Jan '22) As for my other verbose rants, feel free to check out my other reviews for seasons past and present. I also frequently post writeups under my list updates, so definitely take a peek if you'd like to see me mald over anime as they hit the airwaves. Peace~