English Dub Review: The Heike Story “Unwritten Affair”

Overview:

Tokuko finally carries Emperor Takakura’s child. The prospect of an emperor from the Taira lineage is happy riding, but the prospect of Kiyomori’s tightening grip on power bodes ill.

Our Take:

The art style of The Heike Story is really something special. I had heard about how good it was even though I hadn’t watched an episode yet. But it really is something though there are a couple of downsides. I don’t know if it’s an issue with the dubbing studio or the animation itself but the way the mouths move just felt very off to me. Luckily this was only during a couple of spots in the episode.

I looked up the voice cast because I was interested in who played Biwa. Let me tell you I was very surprised when I found out it was Xanthe Huynh. It did not sound like her at all and that just made my love of her grow. I love her voice but sometimes she can sound the same but after this, I think I have to take that back.

Things are starting to fall apart for the Heike which we kind of knew would happen. Seeing it unfold isn’t any less heartbreaking though. Usually, in stories where someone can see the future, it’s all about changing the outcomes. I can’t imagine how Biwa must feel knowing what the future is but being utterly powerless to stop it.

Power struggles were nothing new during this time period in Japanese history and it’s obvious things are going to get worse. It did not take long for the-you-know-what to hit the fan in The Heike Story, keep your eyes peeled for what happens next.