The latest film from Masaaki Yuasa called Inu-Oh will premiere in Japanese theaters sometime next year.

Masaaki Yuasa is a director and animator largely known for his work on The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl and Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!. His latest film Inu-Oh will follow the tale of a young boy who lives in Japan as it was hundreds of years ago.

With his body covered with deformities, he’s bound entirely in cloth and a mask by adults who do not want to look at him. After meeting a blind musician, the two become a performing pair with Inu-Oh performing dances to accompany the blind musicians music.

湯浅政明監督最新作、映画『犬王』の特報解禁‼

メインキャストは【犬王役】 #女王蜂 ・ #アヴちゃん と【友魚役】#森山未來 さんに決定しました

室町の世、歌と舞でスターダムを駆け上あがる唯一無二のバディを演じます
2022年初夏公開 #犬王 #湯浅政明https://t.co/0qVS6cjNVh pic.twitter.com/NrShqM8MVn

— 【公式】劇場アニメーション『犬王』 (@inuoh_anime) July 26, 2021

The North America distribution rights for the series have already been acquired by GKIDS who are known for their theatrical releases of studio Ghibli films. A summary of the film from GKIDS can be found below.

Inu-Oh is born with unique physical characteristics, and the horrified adults cover every inch of his body with garments, including a mask on his face. One day, he meets a boy named Tomona, a blind biwa player, and as Tomona plays a delicate song of tangled fate, Inu-Oh discovers an incredible ability to dance.

Inu-Oh and Tomona become business partners and inseparable friends, using their creative gifts to survive on the margins of society, as song after song gain them notoriety and propel them to stardom. Through the songs, Inu-Oh mesmerizes his audiences on stage, and gradually begins to transform into someone of unequaled beauty. But why is Tomona blind? Why was Inu-Oh born with unique characteristics It is a story about the friendship of Inu-Oh and Tomona, who dance and sing to get to the truth and break each other’s curse.