Inu-Oh (KOTATSU screenings)

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January 25 @ 7:50 pm - 9:35 pm EST
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Registrations are now full. We will have a rush line before the screening, and will start to release unclaimed seats 10 minutes before showtime. Thank you for your interest and understanding.
Inu-Oh
犬王
Saturday, January 25, 7:50PM (ET)
Lineup starts 7:20PM | Doors open 7:35PM | Film Screening | In-Person | Innis Town Hall
Directed by YUASA Masaaki • 2021 • Anime / Fantasy / Musical • 99 minutes • Presented in Japanese with English subtitles • Trailer
Content Warning: This film contains scenes of strong violence, gore, and bloody images. Viewer discretion is advised.
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.
From visionary director YUASA Masaaki comes a revisionist rock opera about a 14th-century superstar whose dance moves take Japan by storm. Featuring character creation by MATSUMOTO Taiyo (Tekkonkinkreet, Ping Pong: The Animation) and awe-inspiring vocals by Avu-chan (Queen Bee) and MORIYAMA Mirai, 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.
This screening is a part of our annual winter film showcase, KOTATSU 2025: Japanese Cinema at Innis Town Hall.
Free admission. Register below.
Director Profile:
After graduating from the Department of Fine Arts at Kyushu Sangyo University, YUASA Masaaki joined Ajia-do Animation Works and studied under SHIBAYAMA Tsutomu. Later he worked as a freelancer.
Director 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 Montreal’s 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 theatres. 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 ŌWARA Sumito’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 fifth 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 the Toronto International Film Festival. His unbridled imagination and dynamic drawing style have attracted attention both inside and outside the animation industry.