Masaaki Yuasa's World Is Everyone Else's, Too
Vulture — The anime director's acclaimed Inu-Oh is just his latest cross-pollinated marvel.
From visionary director Masaaki Yuasa, hailed by IndieWire as "one of the most creatively unbridled minds in all of modern animation," comes a revisionist rock opera about a 14th-century superstar whose dance moves take Japan by storm.
Born to an esteemed family, Inu-oh is afflicted with an ancient curse that has left him on the margins of society. When he meets the blind musician Tomona, a young biwa priest haunted by his past, Inu-oh discovers a captivating ability to dance. The pair quickly become business partners and inseparable friends as crowds flock to their electric, larger-than-life concerts. But when those in power threaten to break up the band, Inu-oh and Tomona must dance and sing to uncover the truth behind their creative gifts.
Featuring character creation by Taiyo Matsumoto (Tekkonkinkreet, "Ping Pong the Animation") and awe-inspiring vocals by Avu-chan (Queen Bee) and Mirai Moriyama, INU-OH is a glam-rock ode to the power of music and a forceful statement on artistic freedom from one of animation's singular talents.
Vulture — The anime director's acclaimed Inu-Oh is just his latest cross-pollinated marvel.
INU-OH, the incredible new anime film from acclaimed director Masaaki Yuasa (Ride Your Wave, Mind Game, Night Is Short, Walk On Girl) will be arriving on all major digital platforms on December 20 and on Blu-Ray™ + DVD on January 24 from GKIDS, with distribution by Shout! Factory.
GKIDS, the acclaimed producer and distributor of multiple Academy Awardâ-nominated animated features, announced today it will bring INU-OH, the latest feature film from renowned director Masaaki Yuasa (Ride Your Wave, Keep Your Hands Off Of Eizokuen!), to cinemas nationwide starting August 12th.
GKIDS, the acclaimed producer and distributor of animation for adult and family audiences, Japanese production company Science SARU INC. and its partner Asmik Ace, Inc., Japanese production, distribution and sales company, announced that GKIDS has acquired the North American distribution rights for the animated feature INU-OH, the latest feature from acclaimed director Masaaki Yuasa (Ride Your Wave, Keep Your Hands Off Of Eizokuen!).
After graduating from the Department of Fine Arts at Kyushu Sangyo University, Yuasa joined Ajia-do Animation Works and studied under Tsutomu Shibayama. Later he worked as a freelancer.
Yuasa was one of the primary staff for the TV series Chibi Maruko-chan and Crayon Shin-chan. His directorial debut, Mind Game (2004), won numerous awards including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Script at the Montreal Fantasia International Film Festival. He has also received many awards for television shows he directed, such as The Tatami Galaxy (2010) and Ping Pong: The Animation (2014).
In 2017, he released two of his feature films, Night is Short, Walk On Girl and Lu Over The Wall in theaters. Night is Short, Walk On Girl won not only the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year, but was also the first film directed by a Japanese director to win the Grand Prize for Best Animated Feature at the Ottawa International Animation Festival. His first original feature film, Lu Over The Wall, won the Cristal for Best Feature Film at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival.
Following the worldwide distribution of his two anime series, DEVILMAN crybaby (2018) and Japan Sinks 2020 (2020) which won the Jury Award for a TV Series at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Yuasa's works have become wildly popular not only in Japan but around the world. One of his most beloved shows adapted from Sumito Ōwara's manga of the same title, Keep Your Hands Off of Eizouken!, was named “one of the best TV shows of the year” by the New York Times. Additionally, his 2020 film Ride Your Wave won Best Animated Film at the Shanghai International Film Festival, as well as many national and international awards, including the Best Animated Feature Film at the Sitges - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia.
In INU-OH, his 5th full-length feature film, he took on the difficult task of creating a musical movie set in Muromachi-era Japan for the first time, as his love for challenges knows no bounds. The film debuted and earned Yuasa his first invitation to both the Venice Film Festival and TIFF. His unbridled imagination and dynamic drawing style have attracted attention both inside and outside the animation industry. Yuasa is one of the most notable and talented animation directors in the business today.
GKIDS is the producer and distributor of award-winning feature animation for both adult and family audiences. Since 2010, the company has scored an astounding 12 Best Animated Feature Oscar® nominations with The Secret of Kells in 2010, A Cat in Paris and Chico & Rita in 2012, Ernest & Celestine in 2014, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya and Song of the Sea in 2015, Boy and the World and When Marnie Was There in 2016, My Life as a Zucchini in 2017, The Breadwinner in 2018, Mirai in 2019, and Wolfwalkers in 2021.
GKIDS handles North American distribution for the famed Studio Ghibli library of films, one of the world's most coveted animation collections with titles Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke and others; as well as the critically acclaimed television series, Neon Genesis Evangelion.
GKIDS is also the founder and host of ANIMATION IS FILM, the annual LA-based film festival which embraces the highest aspirations of animation as a cinematic art form, and is a vocal advocate for filmmakers who push the boundaries of the medium to its fullest range of artistic expressions. www.gkids.com
For booking inquiries, please contact our theatrical department.