23 minSeason 1 • Episode 11
LatestBiwa witnesses the final clash between the Heike and the Genji. In the aftermath, Biwa sets out to tell the Heike's story.
A young orphan named Biwa is taken in by the powerful Taira Clan—also known as the Heike—after their leader witnesses her extraordinary psychic abilities. Unfortunately, what she predicts is a future of bloodshed, violence, and civil war. Inspired by the 12th-century epic tale Heike Monogatari.
Direction
Naoko Yamada's delicate touch makes doom feel breathtaking.
Score
Traditional biwa music that literally narrates the tragedy.
Cinematography
Watercolor backgrounds that bleed like memories fading.
Aoi Yuuki
Biwa (voice)
Takahiro Sakurai
Taira no Shigemori (voice)
Saori Hayami
Taira no Tokuko (voice)
Miyu Irino
Taira no Koremori (voice)
Nobuhiko Okamoto
Taira no Sukemori (voice)
Natsuki Hanae
Taira no Kiyotsune (voice)
Tessyo Genda
Taira no Kiyomori (voice)
Kikuko Inoue
Taira no Tokiko (voice)
Nobuyuki Hiyama
Taira no Munemori (voice)
Subaru Kimura
Taira no Tomomori (voice)
Yu Miyazaki
Taira no Shigehira (voice)
Shigeru Chiba
Emperor Go-Shirakawa (voice)
Koutaro Nishiyama
Emperor Takakura (voice)
Miyuki Satou
Emperor Antoku (voice)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The original Heike Monogatari was performed by blind biwa minstrels—the anime literally makes Biwa one, collapsing 800 years of oral tradition into her character.
Science SARU used actual watercolor paintings for backgrounds, then animated over them—each frame took roughly 5x longer than typical digital anime.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
JP
