On-Gaku: Our Sound

Now Available on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital

On-Gaku: Our Sound

June 29, 2022

A film by Kenji Iwaisawa

Japan, 2020, 71 min

  • 2020 Annecy Film Festival Official Selection
  • 2019 Ottowa International Animation Festival Winner Nelvana Grand Prize

When you’re a bored teenager looking for thrills, sometimes the only thing you can turn to is rock ‘n roll. Having no skill, money, or even a full set of drums, a feared trio of high school delinquents nevertheless decide they are destined for musical glory in a quest to impress their only friend Aya, avoid a rival gang, and – most importantly – jam out. Animated almost entirely by director Kenji Iwaisawa, and featuring a lead performance by Japanese alt-rock legend Shintaro Sakamoto, ON-GAKU: OUR SOUND brings its own sound and vision to the Hiroyuki Ohashi manga from which it was adapted. With pitch-perfect deadpan humor, the film presents a highly original take on the beloved slacker comedy: a lo-fi buddy film with a blaring musical finale that will leave you wanting an immediate encore.