It seems that Funimation is a fan of Japanese history, in particular the part that concerns the Genpei War. Why else would they decide to stream The Heike Story? And give us a fascinating new trailer to boot?

Japanese history buffs, man your stations!

Funimation announces that they are streaming The Heike Story. This historical anime series about Japan’s Genpei War, and by extension the ill-fated Taira clan, will premiere exclusively on their streaming service on September 15, 2021, as part of their Fall 2021 anime season. So if you want to watch this anime, check it out on Funimation then.

The Heike Story: Details

The Heike Story English key art.
Abstract art as key art? Well, alright then.

So you might be wondering what The Heike Story is about? Well, like I said before, this anime is basically the tale of the Taira clan’s fate during the Genpei War (1180-1185). If you know anything about that war, then you’ll know that it doesn’t end well for the Taira. Savage civil wars tend to be that way for the losers.

Taira no Shigemori from The Heike Story.
There’s a reason why he looks so depressed.

This anime by Science SARU (Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!) and director Naoko Yamada isn’t actually from the perspective of the Taira clan itself, from what it looks like. At least, not entirely. A lot of The Heike Story seems to be from the perspective of a blind girl named Biwa (VA: Aoi Yuki). It seems she can tell the future, so she tells the future of Taira no Shigemori (Takahiro Sakurai). I doubt it turns out well, but we’ll see if this turns out to be an alternate history story or not.

Biwa from The Heike Story.
Having pretty eyes is not a good trade for blindness.

Weirdly enough, Funimation has managed to acquire the rights to broadcast this anime ahead of Japan’s planned broadcast in January 2022. Yes, that’s right. We are actually going to get to see this anime before Japan does. Despite this anime being all about Japan’s ancient history. Pretty novel thing, there.

Conclusion

Funimation will stream The Heike Story on September 15, 2021. This anime series from Science SARU about the Taira clan’s fate in the Genpei War maybe a treat for those of you Japanese history buffs. Weirdly, we’re going to get to see it before Japan does, to boot. If you have any interest in watching a tragic tale of an entire clan’s downfall in anime form, with a few fantasy elements to spice things up, check it out on Funimation.

Source: Funimation