The critically acclaimed anime film On-Gaku: Our Sound, directed by Kenji Iwaisawa, is set to release a “Brush-Up Version” on September 19, featuring over 200 cleaned-up cuts personally refined by Iwaisawa himself over six months. This new edition will premiere at Tokyo’s Shinjuku Musashinokan theater, coinciding with the opening of Iwaisawa’s latest film, 100 Meters (Hyakuemu), on the same day.
What is the “Brush-Up Version”?
The “Brush-Up Version” of On-Gaku: Our Sound signifies a re-release where director Kenji Iwaisawa has meticulously gone through and enhanced more than 200 individual cuts within the film. This extensive clean-up process took half a year, demonstrating Iwaisawa’s dedication to perfecting his work. The new version will offer audiences a refined viewing experience of the independent animated feature.
Celebrating Iwaisawa’s New Work and Film’s Legacy
The release of the “Brush-Up Version” is strategically timed to celebrate the debut of Kenji Iwaisawa’s new film, 100 Meters, also opening on September 19. Iwaisawa himself created a new poster visual for this updated edition of On-Gaku: Our Sound.
On-Gaku: Our Sound has garnered significant praise since its initial release. The film won the Grand Prize for Feature Animation at the Ottawa International Animation Festival in September 2019 and was nominated for Best Indie Feature at the 2021 Annie Awards. It also competed in the sixth annual New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival.
About On-Gaku: Our Sound
On-Gaku: Our Sound is an adaptation of Hiroyuki Ohashi’s “ON-GAKU” manga. The film tells the story of a trio of bored high school delinquents who decide to form a rock band, despite having no musical skill, money, or even a full drum set. Their journey into music is driven by a desire to impress their friend Aya, avoid a rival gang, and simply “jam out.”
The film is notable for being animated almost entirely by director Kenji Iwaisawa, a self-taught animator with limited prior experience in the field. This independent venture involved painstaking rotoscoping over seven years, resulting in over 40,000 hand-drawn frames. Japanese alt-rock legend Shintaro Sakamoto provides the lead performance as Kenji, the main character. The film is recognized for its unique visual style, quirky humor, and pitch-perfect deadpan comedy, offering a distinctive take on the slacker comedy genre.
GKIDS screened the original film in theaters across North America in December 2020 and later released it on Blu-ray Disc and DVD in March 2021. The musical unit The Dresscodes performed the film’s theme song.
