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Yamada Naoko is a name you’ve probably heard of if you’ve spent any time in the anime community. From the cute and comfy “K-on” to the shockingly somber “A silent voice,” she’s a director that specializes in displaying the intimacy of interpersonal relationships with precisely subtle character animation. She does a great deal in elevating the shows she’s worked on, making even the forgettable Tamako Market into something worth checking out.

But is Heike Monogatari worthy of a similar recommendation?

Teaming up with Science Saru was a brilliant idea. Imagine the possibilities of a Eizouken type slice of life anime, with added directorial brilliance from the mind ... of the previously mentioned director. The decision that I won’t understand for the rest of my time on this earth is why they decided to adapt a millennia old Japanese novel based in a historical setting.

Let’s go back to Yamada’s directorial projects; K-on, Tamako Market, and A Silent Voice. I think it’s rather obvious where the issues with this series begin to arise.

As much content this show has within it’s 11 episode run, a lot of it is boring exposition about political mumbo jumbo that doesn’t matter, because it’s ultimately not what the show is about. I don’t care about the Genji, or a billion other side characters that barely even talk to our main character, or that stupid white ghost with the guitar that the dub team didn’t even translate.

What I do care about is literally everything else.

The most obviously striking thing about this show is that it’s god damn beautiful. I think that’s a given with 99% of all Science Saru projects, but this one especially stands out in depicting the world and people of Heike Monogatari. You have to give credit to the level of detail this show goes to portray 12th century Japan. From the fashion, to the customary clothing, to the ridiculous amount of sake.

There are many scenes that display nature in a way that could be described as a moving painting. A lush forest amidst a blue sky, two warriors fighting on a beach bathed in the warm light of a sunset, a moon gazing ceremony bathed in blue, a calming conversation accompanied by the ethereal glow of fireflies.

Biwa adds to the list of Yamada girls that melt your heart like nothing this season has been able to do so far. The rest of the cast are full of characters that are striking in a design sense, it baffles me how this show is able to pack in so many unique faces for officers we see maybe once or twice, when shows nowadays default to CGI crowds and grey silhouettes for characters that aren’t supposed to matter.

As much as the show wants to be a political war story, we are mainly taken out of the thick of it, being placed in the shoes of a wandering child instead of a head officer or a nation elder. Biwa is where the show should have put it’s stock, simply moving from place to place and talking with.
the people she meets along the way. Her conversations with Shigemori and Touko are when the show shines brighter than anything out right now.

So is Heike Monogatari worthy of a glowing recommendation?

If you're willing to put up with the copious amount of exposition dumping that is mostly pointless, you’ll end up with a unique character driven story immersed in one of the most beautifully illustrated settings I’ve seen in a long time.

So, how does that sound to you?