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Video Game Director Hideo Kojima Praises The Heike Story Anime

Metal Gear and Death Stranding game director Hideo Kojima tweeted his thoughts on Naoko Yamada and Science SARU's television anime of Hideo Furukawa's Heike Monogatari novel. On Sunday, he commented on his Japanese Twitter account that he has enjoyed the first three episodes that he has seen so far on Netflix.

In particular, he praised the camerawork, commenting: "The camera doesn't spin around; instead it uses only fixed shots and the 'movement' within a panning shot to depict emotions and natural phenomena."

He also mentioned that he is a fan of Science SARU and directors Masaaki Yuasa and Naoko Yamada, mentioning that A Silent Voice is one of his favorite films. He said that he could see Yamada's style expressed in The Heike Story.

The acclaimed game developer frequently tweets his opinions on media that he consumes and is a big fan of films. Anime titles he has commented on in the past include Godzilla Singular Point and Made in Abyss.

The Heike Story anime began streaming on Fuji TV's FOD service in Japan on September 15, and abroad through Funimation and bilibili. All 11 episodes are now available. Funimation is also streaming an English dub. The show premiered on Fuji TV's +Ultra programming block on January 12.

Furukawa's novel renders the classic Japanese epic The Tale of the Heike in modern language, and the anime is the first television anime adaptation of the novel. The original epic tells the story of the rise and fall of the Taira clan during the Genpei War. The anime centers on the perspective of Biwa, a blind traveling minstrel. Biwa meets Taira no Shigemori, heir to his clan, and bears a supernatural sight that can perceive ghosts. She then proclaims to him a prophecy of his clan's downfall.

Naoko Yamada, a veteran director on several Kyoto Animation works, directed the anime as her first directorial work after leaving Kyoto Animation, with frequent collaborators Reiko Yoshida as scriptwriter and kensuke ushio as music composer. Fumiko Takano drafted the original character concepts, while Takashi Kojima (Flip Flappers, Ride Your Wave) adapted those character designs for animation.

Thanks to Nicholas R. Zabaly for the tip.