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| Absolutely stunning. What a beautiful epilogue. When Shigemori's voice came in... right in the feels. And I can't believe Sukemori survived (that fisherman looking dude was definitely him). The power in Biwa's eyes seem to fade and I guess she grows old into the woman with white hair we've been seeing. Anyways this was a beautiful series and I'm so glad I stuck with it. My only complaint is took a while to get all the names and such down. Definitely had to write some ppls names down and such to remember who is who. It was worth the payoff in the end. |
| I honestly didn't really enjoy this show. I personally wasn't all that interested in the story/history nor how Biwa was handled since I felt she could have been utilized better considering she didn't exist but knowing what Yamada, Naoko went through I literally cried during the end of this series. It showcases a lot of how the Japanese deal with death and I really hope for the best for her in the future as this show was clearly made from her while she has been going through a dark time. I don't even know what to score this show because while I really didn't enjoy it I appreciate what it says. I think I will just leave it blank. This is too personal of a work for me to even actually judge. May Yamada, Naoko, and everyone else at KyoAni prosper in life and continue to heal with time. They really need it because I can't even begin to imagine what they are all going through. |
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| Great episode but I had no idea this was the last one until I updated it on my list |
  ใ ๐๐๐ช ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐๐ค ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ค ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ค๐ค, ๐ค๐๐ ๐จ ๐๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ๐ฃ ๐ฅ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ ใ |
| haha baby shuten douji became blind from ptsd. |
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| Such a beautiful ending. It's sad that everyone decided to die but it's still so brave of them to take their own life instead of living and get tortured by the Genji. Good to see that at least Tokuko and Sukemori survived. Everything about this anime was beautiful. The animation, the music especially the Biwa music. Overall 8/10 |
| Great way to end the story. I'm going to miss Biwa. |
| Well, that was quite an episode. Prior to watching this episode, I have never actually known who won the Genpei war. Cheers to historical anime. My favorite part of the episode was by far and wife the dolphin's influence on the outcome of the battle. I am not really sure which dolphin those dolphins were, but I think they were short-finned pilot whales (not actually whales!) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short-finned_pilot_whale). Or, perhaps, the artists did not mean for it to be any type of whale. The soundtrack that began playing right before the dolphin's decision was like one out of an epic. I hope I can find it's name in the future, if there is a OST release. |
| Thank you, and God bless the whales. |
| I knew it was gone end like this but it still dropped the ball even further. First they were hard on trying to show us the beauty of suicide. Then they saved tokiko and tried to pass it off as even greater beauty. I know historical accuracy and all (lets not forget the Sukemori baiting stupidity) But at some point romanticization overdone comes of as cheap unfortunately. (No need to write a exquisite poem admiring child dead and mother survival...they can just show it as a tragedy as its supposed to be) Since last 4 episode, the portrayal of battle off screen was just really annoying. I guess science saru is just not a right studio to expect battle glory at its finest. Animation was still great though, I really loved the vibrant style of animation in this one. (Hope it does decline when tatami galaxy 2 arrives) Overall, not bad for a history lesson (though that doesn't mean its not giving out mixed contradictory messages) |
AdampkDec 4, 2021 11:16 AM
  Click for a anime mashup! Still not gone bandwagon u, keep crying. Here u are welcome to CRINGE at my EXISTENCE |
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| This series really amazed and took hold of me! This is was first off a history lesson that was new to me, and I am glad I learned the story this way— this show was so beautiful & at times, had me choked up. I appreciate Biwa’s character & how she is the mascot or bard of the show/story to present us with the musical aftermath overlaying the most crucial moments of the story. The fact of suicide in war is taking agency over one’s own life rather than leave it up to the enemy of war. The women are seen going first, & are followed in solidarity with the men. Biwa finally has and takes the opportunity to save someone she cares about, and so we are able to see the resulting conversation between the reigning emperor, & the late child emperor’s mother. Of course, the topic is overcoming suffering. What I don’t know is the lore for the eyes and if those with the eyes lose sight(& go white) due to their choices, their age, or other sort of reasoning. Here’s a snip from Wiki on the position of dear Biwa in this story: “The musical style of the biwa hลshi is referred to as heikyoku (ๅนณๆฒ), which literally means "heike music". Although these performers existed well before the events of the Genpei War, they eventually became famous for narrating tales about this war. […] They took on a broad range of roles, including poetry and song, plague prevention, and spiritual purification; actually, it was probably because of their ritualistic duties that they became the caretakers of The Tale of the Heike (ๅนณๅฎถ็ฉ่ช, Heike Monogatari).” |
fathurhyde said: Why on earth is the rating 7, I almost didn't watch it because of the damn rating. Thank god I stick around because of Naoko Yamada's name. 10/10. It really deserves to be higher but for me it's a 9/10. |
 .Go watch Gintama boyo/grill My discord server for gaming and anime/manga: https://discord.com/invite/4mqXfNEJ9A |
| This is such a masterpiece. Not a perfect adaptation of the original work but a masterpiece nonetheless. The downfall of the Heike was an excellent ending. It feels reassuring to know that Biwa will carry on the legacy of the Heike with her music. This anime really surprised me. Science SARU did a great job with the music and animation. I wish I could forget about this anime and watch it all over again. |
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fathurhyde said: Why on earth is the rating 7, I almost didn't watch it because of the damn rating. Thank god I stick around because of Naoko Yamada's name. 10/10. 7 is a good rating - It says so right next to the number 7; "Good" for 7 is used as MAL's own descriptor in the dropdown menu. I know I rate the majority of series I have a favorable opinion of with a 7 and likely many others do the same. I've seen dozens of series released in this year, 2021, alone. And of them I've given only two higher than a 7 (and those were only one point higher - 8s). But rating other series with a 7, such as Heike Monogatari, and in some cases even lower, didn't mean I disliked them. Most series I watch I consider on average to be basically "good". It's difficult to exceed that by much. Most series have their stronger and weaker points which balance them out. In the case of a 7, the balance is firmly on the positive side. I don't know why it's come to be considered somehow a bad or insulting rating by some. If most series I choose to watch end up being around 7s in my eyes, and if 7 truly meant "bad" or low quality, not worth watching, etc., then I simply wouldn't watch anime in the first place. |
| The ending didn't lack impact at all damn... sure it will be memorable but that was to expect and probably the best way to end the anime, really liked it overall, it's great to get something we're not often used to seeing like that, especially with the historical part |
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| My 170th completed series chronologically. For the record, I extended it a 7/10 rating. |
| It took me a monht to finally watch the last episode of Heike Monogatari. I do wish that I started this a bit earlier because it would have impacted me a lot more (still did). The final battle between the Heike and the Genji. The Heike had some advantage in the beginning luring the ships of the Genji into the whirlpool until the dolphines arrived. According to the onmyoji (referred mainly to non-bureaucrats who performed divination, magic, and religious services) if the dolphins swim to the Genji side, they'll lose and vice versa. The Heike had no luck in this battle and the momentum went to the Genji and later on, thousand of troops arrived to aid the Genji. It was a lost battle, nothing they could have done to turn it back in their favor. They had to choose between two options. Either hand over the Emperor and the Sacred Treasures or commit suicide. All of the womens including Tokoku and her mother went and jumped off the boat. The only one that made it out alive was Tokoku because her story wasn't done yet. It nearly broke my heart seeing everyone drowning, ending their lives for the sake of their clan. It was truly a heartbreaking moment and the harsh reality back then. One of the brothers didn't commit suicide (we saw him later one), Tokoku became a nun and Biwa's still playing the shamisen. I only got the gist of the story but might do some more research because the anime did a great job at explaining the situation. The direction of the anime was beautiful, espically the artistic choice in the last episode. The soundtrack was phenomenal (the OST during the battle was PERFECT). Animation was solid and the artstyle was rather plain but managed to stand out in a good way. The ending is great though. The members of the Heike stayed loyal, Biwa's able to play and tell on the story of the Heike, Tokoku became a nun to live out her life in a peaceful way and one of the brothers is trying to live in his own way. 8.5/10 |
   “You yourself have to change first, or nothing will change for you!” ' |
| The story wasn't that good (I feel like this was probably made for people who actually know the history of this time period) but the visuals, directing and sound were great |
 _______I like rocks__  |
| Quite the interesting series overall. Notoriously aimed towards Japanese audiences and though names and titles were a mess to follow during the first three episodes, the overall flow of the story didn't end up being as problematic as I was anticipating. Pacing could definitely have been handled better tho. As for Biwa, I'm still not sure what to think of her addition as character. She was barely relevant in the story, the side-plot regarding her mother felt like a waste of runtime and though Tokuko survives in the original tale, having Biwa breaking her "spectator" rule and interfering in the story in order to save her was... anticlimactic to say the least. Honestly and after seeing how things have played out in the end, I would have preferred Biwa's character to not exist at all and make Tokuko a sort of semi-protagonist. Considering she was definitely the best character after Shigemori's death. Anyways, still an enjoyable experience in general. Aoi Yuuki's performance as Biwa was splendid and despite not being the biggest fan of Science SARU's animation style, I really liked the visuals as well as the overall melancholic atmosphere of the show. 7/10 - OST tracks were also kind of hit-or-miss for me but they sure were outstanding during this final episode, I must say. |
| Satisfying and emotional end with almost all of the Heike clan commiting suicide because of their pride. At times bit difficult to follow with all these characters and plotlines but great series. |
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| i cant believe , this anime so fucking good !! in terms of story and otherelse !! |
| That was quite the Epic, despite how it had to condense things I think it succeed to get the main point across. Tokuko is such a fascinating character. I liked how they portray battles as this suffocating thing that just consume everyone instead of just going "look some cool fights scenes!". |
| Interesting to see the moment Biwa's eye color changed, Tokuko's fate wasn't the same Biwa saw (she didn't drown). Neither was Kiyomori's, btw (he wasn't beheaded by warrior monks, although that vision wasn't Biwa's). And after all, we didn't see the full adaptation of Heike Monogatari (there's a bit left). Regardless, pretty much every aspect of the anime was so good, I can't say anything negative about it. Yamada really is a genius of directing. The one at the end looks and sounds like Sukemori, but he should've died... Also, was Tokuko holding the string of...fate? Something like that? Disliking Biwa seems popular but I didn't mind her, do you think it'd be better to just do a straightforward adaptation? They chose to emphasize the emotional, human aspect, why not? Rei_III said: It's not disliking the character, it's the disruption she is. You see it as a way to accentuate the human aspect (while the tale is mostly about events) but they could have simply went with the emotions of the actual cast, people directly concerned (even though beyond a certain point, it could have seemed a little anachronical depending on the emotional display) and it would have seemed far more "right". Solid argument, but introducing a "disruptive" character is a good way to emphasize that you'll be stranding off from the story and offer your own take on it. Without Biwa it would be weird to change the emphasis of the story. If the original doesn't really bother with emotions, why would you depict them? But if you introduce an observer character, you show that you're willing to disrupt the events - and shift the angles from grand narratives and battles to human interactions. In short, Biwa freed Naoko Yamada (and Reiko Yoshida) from the shackles of the original Heike Monogatari |
St0rmbladeAug 21, 2022 1:37 PM
| Watched #HeikeMonogatari 7/10 Great project, good craft, bad original character and poor time management. https://boxd.it/38LAkV St0rmblade said: I can't say anything negative about it. Yamada really is a genius of directing. I can whisper you some inspiration... . I thought the same thing about the string. But it might be because I'm of "meditteranean" culture. @St0rmblade Zut, I'm falling into popular territories ! Feeling bad... It's not disliking the character, it's the disruption she is. You see it as a way to accentuate the human aspect (while the tale is mostly about events) but they could have simply went with the emotions of the actual cast, people directly concerned (even though beyond a certain point, it could have seemed a little anachronical depending on the emotional display) and it would have seemed far more "right". |
Rei_IIIAug 21, 2022 12:17 PM
| absolutely breathtaking finale, shows like this remind me why i love the medium of anime so much a triumph!!! |
"Leonardo... it wasn't, by any means, only your eyes that we welcomed into Libra." - Klaus von Reinherz |
| pleasantly cinematic and despite having an extremely broad range of characters for such a short series it did manage to provide sufficient highlights for everyone and concluded beautifully. the OST was also a fucking banger i think the sheer scope of the story they were attempting to tell with respect to the alotted time was an overreach which resulted in some glaring pacing issues. that said, i think an easy solution to this would have been to simply reduce the role of biwa and increase screentime of the various clan characters so the viewers could have gotten more familiar with them (which also helps overcome the potential large cast issue, which based on previous discussion threads, was not comfortable for some viewers) surprised that it doesn't seem like a lot of people watched it when it was airing, deserves a better viewership tbh considering it's an excellent historical series and stands far apart from the usual damaged goods that comes out every season. you also get the privilege of not memeing when you say that you waited hundreds of years for the anime adaptation lol some highlights; - the sacking of nara/burning it to the ground and the resulting regret - shigemori passing away - tokuko standing up for herself - concluding prayer - despite not having overly unique nor flamboyant character designs owing to historical influences (particularly the men) everyone was distinct in their own way |
| the official MAL hall of fame/cursed comments is now open for business - you are welcome to PM me any potential quotes to include |
| although i always flippantly brushed off religious teachings and being lectured to respect life ([nature]) as a kid, inwardly, i just did not want to show any lame indication that i sometimes thought harder about it than my same aged peers. my memories of the old robed monks shuffling around in lines, hunching lower, taking the time to impart a small wisdom onto us green children who did not appear to listen very well... i wish i could tell them that i do grasp impermanence now; it applying to everything and all that ever has existed or lived. the prominence of buddhist themes throughout the whole retelling of heike monogatari in this anime only further ignited this idea and by that, i greatly appreciated its strong impact. as an adaptation of only eleven episodes, this has to be one of the most successfully directed endings i've seen. no death escaped my notice for i was attached to quite a few, but i would have liked it to be much longer. full of meaningful imagery. wonderful scenes and spectacular soundtracks played during them, which i will listen to in the future. 10/10. |
| By saving tokiko, who always appeared to have died, Biwa went blind or was the fall just the last thing that literally needed to be seen? The mass suicide was haunting as well. Either way I would give this a 7.5 just bumping it to a 8 to be generous. Animation, music, op, ed, art style, atmosphere all great. I found the start and ending to be the most enjoyable and engaging. The middle slogged on a bit for me and the politics and characters sometimes made it hard to follow. |
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