Rock musicals admittedly aren’t one of the things that fans of the genre typically watch anime for. However, even though director Masaaki Yuasa’s Inu-Oh won’t be taking the spotlight off other conventional movies coming out this year, like Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero or One Piece Film: Red, it’s certainly one that deserves the attention of anime enthusiasts.
The movie isn’t heavy on dialogue, but the story speaks volumes without being too overt or melodramatic — something that anime is occasionally guilty of. And, as one would expect, a lot of the story and world-building is presented through rock musical numbers. However, the cast up and down does excellent work of conveying charged emotions in the character interactions.
Hypnotic art direction and animation In addition to the writing and directing being narratively efficient, studio Science SARU’s work on Inu-Oh was the other crucial half of telling a story that heavily emphasizes visual presentation. The studio’s animation and overall art direction is something akin to what fans of their work on Ping Pong the Animation would be used to.
Likewise, how well the animation of facial expressions is done can’t be stressed enough. Especially during the musical segments, the animation perfectly conveys a spectrum of emotions in excruciating detail, from anger to passion to apathy and sorrow, which is incredibly fitting in a story that’s ultimately about rebellion, truth, and emotional expression through music.
It isn’t a massive franchise/IP endeavor meant for mass-market appeal, but everything down to the direction, cast performances, and otherworldly animation looks lovingly made.