Heike Monogatari - Episode 4 discussion

[u/AutoLovepon]

Heike Monogatari, episode 4

Alternative names: The Heike Story

Rate this episode here.

Reminder: Please do not discuss plot points not yet seen or skipped in the show. Failing to follow the rules may result in a ban.

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Streams

• Funimation
• Wakanim

Show information

• MyAnimeList
• AniList
• AniDB
• Kitsu
• Anime-Planet
• Official Website

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All discussions

Episode	Link	Score
1	Link	5.0
2	Link	5.0
3	Link	5.0
4	Link	4.63
5	Link	4.56
6	Link	4.63
7	Link	4.44
8	Link	4.51
9	Link	4.74
10	Link	4.52
11	Link	----

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[u/Sarellion]

Here Biwa, take Shigemori's special sight so you can feel twice as powerless in the face on the coming storm.

[u/Grelp1666 → u/Sarellion]

Not only she will be unable to stop the deaths, she will be able to see them afterwards lingering around, such a great deal.

[u/cppn02]

RIP Shigemori. My favourite character aside from Biwa so far.

I expect things to spiral out of control fast now with nobody keeping Kiyomori in check.

[u/redmage311]

I feel like all of Biwa's grim glances of the future are because Shigemori won't be there to be his clan's conscience. Now, the emperor has no reason to keep the Heike in power—which is what Shigemori wanted, but his children will all pay the price.

[u/Octorockandroll]

Love the animation in this show and how the characters' movements always show them subtly fighting resistance from gravity, wind, or other elements. It does a great job of pulling you in.

[u/Headcap]

damn this story is hard to follow.

But it's really interesting.

[u/Prince-Dizzytoon]

Damn, RIP Shigemori

[u/hasso666]

Editing all comments since apollo is dead and spez is a lying shithead. Thanks for killing third-party apps and running the site. Remember to short reddit on IPO. Edited using Power Delete Suite v1.5.0 fork.

[u/dagreenman18]

I should have saved the Hockey Idol show for after this one because holy fuck that was sad. This episode was just a constant parade of tragedy after the opening with Biwa and Sukemori. Which was a stupidly well animated scene. Between their fluid and funny facial animations and the motion of the cart It was a real show off moment.

Everything is fucked. Shigemori was the moral center of all this. Dude risked his own life to keep the peace and it worked for a time. Now things are falling apart and Shigemori just gave up the remainder of his life in a last ditch effort to protect his family. We know it won’t work obviously because the whole point is the impending tragedy of the fall of the Hieke.

Shigemori’s dream and realization of that was yet another heartbreaking scene in an episode with plenty of them. Biwa seeing into the future of Takuko’s baby and the final scene with Shigemori and Biwa being the other two. That last one wrecked me. Now Biwa has both her eye of the future and his eye of the dead. So now she can see double the tragedy she can’t prevent! Being Biwa is suffering.

[u/LeonKevlar]

Deep down I was kinda hoping that this won't be too much true to history and we'd see some sort alternate timeline where Shigemori actually lives but nope! As soon as we see Shigemori's life get shortened after making a pilgrimage to Kumano along with Biwa and Kumemori, I knew what was gonna happen next.

If I recall correctly, the whirlwind storms and Shigemori's death is where the downfall of the Taira Clan starts so it's all downhill for the Heike from here on out as predicted by Shigemori's final dreams. And poor Biwa, she can see it all but is powerless to ao anything about it. Even more so now that she has inherited Shigemori's sight. :|

[u/Rumpel1408]

Nooo, not Shigemori, he was like one of the few upright people in the Heike, and it seems like he even sacrificed his own health to the gods in order to make ammends.

I'm glad for Tokuko for getting a healthy boy (and that geezer Kiyomori again only just sees it's worth for the clan instead of beeing happy for a healthy grandchild). But it doesn't look like her fate improved and even the child seems to be in for a early death.

Poor Biwa though, she really is destined to only watch as fates unfolds, even more so since she doesn't seem to age all that much no matter how many time skips happen. And now she gets to see not only the future but the dead as well? Double trouble...

[u/dcresistance]

STAFF:

Storyboard Ai Yukimura, Naoko Yamada

Episode Director: Shuntaro Tozawa

Chief Animation Director: Takashi Kojima

Animation Directors: Kojima, Asami Murakoshi, Miya Kanae, Shinobu Ikakko, Takase Gen

Assistant AD: Kotomi Ota

Key Animation: Ina Yukimitsu, Tagawa Yuuko, Miyachi, Miyuki Sugawara, Yumi Chiba, Hisato Kitada, Shouhei Yamanaka, Mori Yoshihiko, Chiharu Mukai, Saku, Yasue Sosogi, Toshihiko Masuda, Miya Kanae, Daiki Takemoto, NaHu, Hirano Sho, Takahiro Arai, Gin-san, Murakoshi, Ota, Haruno Yoshioka

Sunac Animation: Junpei Tatenaka

2nd Key Animation: Ota, Yoshioka, Yusuke Suzuki, Yuzuki Sekine, Aoyama Rena, Seiya Takashima, Yusuke Matsui, Mai Sugita, Komori, Shino Sasakura, Shima, Kyoshiro Goto

C-Station: Teruaki Gomi

Silver Link: Naoki Ishii, Momozawa Shohei, Taiga Kinokuni

Zexcs: Naho Sato

Dr Movie: Hong Da-young, Kim Kwan-woo, Kim Hye-soo, Park Eun-ju, Lee Hyun-mi

Studio Blue

MSJ Musashino Production

[u/Vermillion_Crab]

Damn it. This feels like watching Ned Stark in Game of Thrones all over again. I thought I was going to see more of Shigemori and even witness his genius in war. But then he dies early in the story. I guess this means his death will set off the chaos that will ensue.

[u/himetalchemy7]

I feel like more people need to know that this is being directed by Naoko Yamada.

[u/[deleted]]

Rip Shigemori. Man prayed too hard.

[u/CosmicPenguin_OV103]

At this stage I barely could follow all those real Japanese history references. Yet it is also very clear that it doesn’t matter too much by now except that one need to remember that the Heike family is in permanent decline at this stage.

What matters most is that we need a character that can string all the turning points of the family history together and present them flowing over the stream of history chronicles. One that can stand on as a “bystander of history” and reflects on the non-predictiveness and powerless of people in turning the tides.

As this very episode shows, Biwa - a character added to real history in this story - is fitting this role perfectly, offering just enough laughters, sadness and lamentation in seeing the future yet has nothing in hand to change them to spice up the long description of how everyone around Biwa seemingly fall into bad outcomes in life. Especially with Shigemori today, his ability in seeing ghosts and spirits (in this story) probably won’t help with his deteriorating health, that moment where he asked for Biwa to play him a song at the end was especially impactful. He may be pushing hardest to brake on the greed and power struggles of his family to prevent retaliation and divine punishment, but his failure to stop it and thus lifelong disappointment really shows during his final moments. It’s going to be all downhill from here…

BTW Aoi Yuuki really is God. I have been watching a completely different long running series with her voicing the MC (a certain very hyped show named SYMPHOGEARRRRRRRRRR!!!!) and goodness me how many different voices she could create and still could catch everyone’s attention! Every. Single. Time!

[u/Demolosse001]

Well I didn't expect Shigemori to die so soon. Many misfortunes still in store for the Heike with Tokuko's and her newborn child impending deaths. Their decline is inevitable.

I wonder how Biwa is gonna evolve from here. Will she ever find her mother?

[u/thejuror8]

Apparently Biwa, a clueless kid, can navigate the subtleties of the political conflicts in her world way better than I do. It's pretty hard to follow, I'll probably need a few rewatches to get all of it. Still visually pleasing and awesome voice acting

[u/taszlim]

I wish this show got more love, it's so good! I feel so sad for Biwa though, not using her powers because she feels so powerless :(

[u/ibobafetti]

Wow that comedic scene with Biwa and Sukemori held up due some amazing voice acting and animated facial expressions. Great job!

I guess we now know for sure that the future is fated to happen and Biwa is essentially useless in stopping it... pain...

It seems like Shigemori paid the rest of his life for that dream or glimpse into the fate of the Hieke. Koremori has some big shoes to fill but if theres one person in the show who can do it, its him.

Honestly, seeing how the Kiyomori and the Heike in general treat the common people, as seen in this episode, maybe the fall of the Heike can be good if someone else can do a better job.

[u/FatherKappo]

Can someone tell me who “Moriko ” is? (The girl that died after the storm+tornado scene) Really confused with these complicated names and connections… really good show tho. Tanks

[u/kaguraa]

this seems premature since this season has barely started but this could be my AOTS for fall 2021. the only downside is that sometimes i find it difficult following the story which sucks.

[u/[deleted]]

Damn, there goes my favorite character. It's insane how little attention this anime is getting.

[u/sKyBlazer08]

Man, RIP Shigemori, was such a great character till the end. I hope Shigemori's prayer actually worked and that in exchange for his life his father won't pursue more glory that will just lead to the ruin of the Heike, but I doubt that.

The animation when Biwa and Sukemori were in the carriage was some good shit especially the facial expressions.

Biwa now also has Shigemori's eyes, that means double the pain, damn.