Hi no Youjin (2012) — Story, Release Date, Rating

Synopsis:

Set in 18th-century Edo, the story follows Owaka, a young woman navigating societal expectations and a pre-arranged marriage. Her connection to Matsukichi, a former childhood friend now working for the city's fire brigade after familial rejection, remains a constant undercurrent. A sudden and devastating fire engulfs the city, triggered by Owaka’s tumultuous emotions. Amidst the chaos and destruction, she unexpectedly encounters Matsukichi once more.

The narrative explores themes of societal constraint, personal agency, and the destructive power of suppressed emotion within the backdrop of a sprawling, historical metropolis. The series depicts a visually striking environment, contrasting the grandeur of Edo with the visceral reality of the inferno. It offers a character-driven exploration of love, loss, and the consequences of unchecked feelings against a compelling historical setting.

Characters:

Owaka (Main) - Voice Actors: Christian, Luci, Hayami, Saori

Staff:

Arias, Michael (Producer)
Koike, Katsumi (Producer)
Mukaichi, Motoki (Producer)
Tsuchiya, Yoshimasa (Producer)
Otomo, Katsuhiro (Director, Script, Original Creator)
Arai, Kouichi (Key Animation)
Asanuma, Makoto (Planning)
Itou, Yoshiyuki (Planning)
Jones, Kyle Colby (ADR Director)
Kaneko, Shuuichi (Key Animation)
Ledford, John (Executive Producer)
Matsubara, Rie (Editing)
Ohara, Hidekazu (Character Design)
Takada, Sachiyo (In-Between Animation)
Tominaga, Mari (Key Animation)

Reviews:

User NeonKazma (Score: 10/10):
Written and directed by Katsuhiro Otomo himself, Combustible tells the tragic love story of a firefighter and a geisha as we see their love being impossible due to laws that forbids them to be together and a wildfire that causes more harm to one another. Combustible starts off very calmly while introducing the love story of the firefighter and the geisha but certain laws or traditions forbid them to be together but during the final act of the film. a fire goes out of control and if you thought it ends on a happy, the short pulls a 180 and goes to a much darkerpath than you would have expect on an animated film. The art in Combustible is executed perfectly with an art style that depicts the traditional paintings of ancient myths that we see from Japan and it looks wonderful (the fire effects look phenomenal). With it's dark third act and beautiful visuals, Combustible is another phenomenal work from Otomo.
User jhan2294 (Score: 7/10):
Preliminary Information: Combustible is a 12 minute short film included in Short Peace, which released in June of 2012. Notable names attached to this short include Katsuhiro Otomo (Director: Akira, Steamboy, Cannon Fodder) as Writer and Director, and Kouichi Arai (Key Animator: FLCL, Ghost in the Shell, Perfect Blue) as Key Animator. Combustible is a Historical, Slice of Life anime that explores themes of family obligations, bitterness, and love. Synopsis: The story takes place in the city of Edo during the 18th century. After an establishing pan over the bustling city, the camera stops at a wealthy house. The main character, Owaka, is introduced here as a younggirl, obedient and submissive to her parental instructions. Shortly after, Owaka's childhood friend Matsukichi is introduced as disobedient, fulfilling his desires on his own account. The two seem to be quite fond of one another as children, as playing in Owaka's garden seems to be the only place where the two can enjoy themselves outside the reign of their family responsibilities. However, a shot of the garden with changing seasons and the children fading away from the shot indicates that over time their friendship faded as well, with only the lingering voices of the children serving as Owaka's memories of her prior freedom and unrequited love with Matsukichi. Now Owaka is a woman, still obedient even to her arranged marriage, while Matsukichi is still disobedient and has now been banished from his family because he desired to become a firefighter. At this point, Owaka has become bitter towards herself and her uncontrollable circumstances. She accidentally begins a fire in her house but instead of putting it out as she should, she decides to disobey this, opting for her house to continue burning. The fire begins to ravage her house and the surrounding houses in the city, forcing the firefighters to intervene. It is then that Matsukichi as a firefighter finds his old house and Owaka's house burning. A shot of Owaka's garden burning serves as a reminder to the bond that Matsukichi and her shared in their childhood, but burning away in haste. Matsukichi discovers Owaka on the roof of a burning house, and though he warns her not to head towards the tower, she does and is swallowed by the flames she began. The short ends with another establishing shot of the city, similar to the first shot, though with the city in flames.nnnStory: 7/10nnThe story is rather simple: childhood friends provide each other solace in their youth, both go their separate ways, and while Matsukichi follows his dreams in opposition to his family, Owaka is submissive to her family, leading her to be full of regret and bitterness towards her family and herself, her bitterness and love for Matsukichi result in Owaka starting a fire, the two meet again in the flames but their reunion is short lived as Owaka's uncontrollable flames eventually engulf her. However, what makes this story great is its exploration of themes through the narrative, characters, art…
User WolfCladInBlack (Score: 5/10):
Short Peace is a multimedia project composed of four short anime films produced by Sunrise and Shochiku, and a video game developed by Crispy's Inc. and Grasshopper Manufacture. The four films were released in Japanese theaters on July 20, 2013 and were screened in North America during April 2014. Sentai Filmworks have licensed the films for North America. The video game was released in January 2014 in Japan, April 2014 in Europe, and September 2014 in North America. Combustible Writing and Direction by Katsuhiro Otomo | A spectacular tale of love, honor and firefighting in ancient Japan. The story revolves around the lives of two different people –a young man and a woman – belonging to two different family backgrounds and going through two different circumstances in their lives. The short film is based on a true incident recorded in the ancient manuscripts of Japan. The tale speaks of the desperate and the adamant nature of human heart which results in a dreadful end due to ignorance. The artwork and animation is well-maintained throughout and the animators have tried their best to make it look like a tale told through scriptures. nnGenre (s) – Tragedy | A Dreadful Ending | Runtime – 24 minutes approximately (fractions excluded)
... and 2 more reviews

Genres: Award Winning, Historical, Slice of Life
Themes: Historical
Studios: Sunrise
Licensors: Sentai Filmworks
Rating: 6.31 / 10
Rank: #8417
Popularity: #7251
Users Listed: 8,996
Users Scored: 4,109
NSFW: No
Last Updated: 10/12/2022
Aired: June 4, 2012 (Spring)
Type: movie
Source: original
Age Rating: PG 13
Episodes: 1

Hi no Youjin

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