is a Japanese

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

produced by

Studio Pierrot , previously known as until 2002, is a Japanese animation studio established in May 1979 by Yuji Nunokawa, previously an animator and director for Tatsunoko Production. Its headquarters are located in Mitaka, Tokyo. Pierrot is renowned for ...

. An adaptation of the 1989 novel ''

Kōkyū Shōsetsu is a Japanese fantasy novel written by Ken'ichi Sakemi, published in 1989. It was Sakemi's first novel and was released in two forms: hardcover and bunkobon. The novel won the 1st Japan Fantasy Novel Award in 1989 and was adapted into the 199 ...

'' by Ken'ichi Sakemi. It was broadcast on the

Nippon Television Network System Nippon Television Network System (NNS; ) is a Japanese television network organized by Nippon Television (NTV), which is itself controlled by The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings. NTV feeds entertainment and other non-news programming over NNS to 29 a ...

on March 21, 1990 (

Vernal Equinox Day is a public holiday in Japan that occurs on the date of the Northward equinox in Japan Standard Time (the vernal equinox can occur on different dates in different time-zones), usually March 20 or 21. The date of the holiday is not officially ...

Plot

Set in a fictional country dynasty reminiscent of early

17th century The 17th century lasted from January 1, 1601 (represented by the Roman numerals MDCI), to December 31, 1700 (MDCC). It falls into the early modern period of Europe and in that continent (whose impact on the world was increasing) was characterized ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, the story follows the adventures of Ginga, a young girl who volunteers to be the wife of the new

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

. Ginga is a simple—yet energetic—country girl, living with her father far from the capital city of the empire. When she learns of an opportunity to become a

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

of the young new Emperor, with the possibility of getting a regular food supply in the bargain, Ginga convinces her father to let her go. Once there, she meets all of the other potential head wives, each of whom have various reasons for being there. All of them must learn to read and write, learn the history of their country, and learn the proper mannerisms for being in the royal court. Ginga's enthusiasm tends to get her in trouble more often than not, but it works to her advantage when they learn that the former emperor's head wife, who is not the mother of the current emperor, is plotting treachery against the new emperor, and that a

rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

is headed toward the capital.

Cast

*Ginga: Ryōko Sano *Koryūn: Emiya Ichikawa *Kōyō: Yō Inoue *Seshaamin: Yōko Asagami *Tamyūn: Atsuko Takahata *Kakuto: Kinto Tamura *Kikkyō: Yūji Mitsuya *Iryūda (Heishō): Nobuaki Fukuda *Konton:

Akiji Kobayashi , sometimes credited as Shōji Kobayashi, was a Japanese actor. He attended Nihon University College of Art, but withdrew before completing his degree and joined the Haiyuza Theatre Company in 1949. He made his film debut with ''Satsujin Yogisha' ...

*Empress Kin: Ikuko Tani *Taruto-baba: Hisako Kyōda *Mano:

Kōichi Kitamura , better known by the stage name , was a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actor born in Osaka, Japan. Kitamura was employed by the talent management agency Mausu Promotion. He is known for dubbing roles played by Peter Cushing. He died on Oc ...

*Ino: Yōsuke Akimoto *Narrator: Tadashi Nakamura * Atsushi Ii * Tomie Kataoka * Eken Mine * Tetsuo Mizutori * Midori Nakazawa * Akemi Shinohara * Masaaki Tsukada *

Akiko Yajima is a Japanese voice actress from Kashiwazaki, Niigata. Her best-known role is as the title character Shinnosuke Nohara in the long-running anime series '' Crayon Shin-chan''. She also voices Mipple in the original '' Futari wa Pretty Cure' ...

Production

''Like the Clouds, Like the Wind'' is an anime adaptation of Ken'ichi Sakemi's debut novel ''Kōkyū Shōsetsu'', which won the first grand prize of the

Japan Fantasy Novel Award The is an annual award which began in 1989 and is sponsored by the Yomiuri Shimbun and Shimizu Corporation with the backing of publisher Shinchōsha. The winner gets a contract to have their unpublished work published by Shinchōsha and receives � ...

, and was produced and broadcast as part of the 20th anniversary project of Mitsui Real Estate Sales Co., Ltd. (now Mitsui Fudosan Realty Co., Ltd.). The film had its premier broadcast on March 21, 1990, during the vernal

equinox A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun appears directly above the equator, rather than to its north or south. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise directly east and set directly west. This occurs twice each year, arou ...

national holiday, and was shown in an unprecedented commercial-free presentation. It was released on VHS video and

laserdisc LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. It was developed by Philips, Pioneer Corporation, Pioneer, and the movie studio MCA Inc., MCA. The format was initially marketed in the United State ...

shortly after broadcast, and on Region 2 DVD in 2002. Then it was released on

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

in HD

remaster A remaster is a change in the sound or image quality of previously created forms of media, whether Mastering (audio), audiophonic, Cinematography, cinematic, or Videography, videographic. The resulting product is said to be remastered. The term ...

ed video in 2021. For the anime adaptation, the characters' settings were changed and some episodes and descriptions were omitted in consideration of the wide age range of viewers. Hisayuki Toriumi, known for his work on

Science Ninja Team Gatchaman is a Japanese animated media franchise about a five-member superhero ninja team created by Tatsuo Yoshida and produced by Tatsunoko Productions. The original anime series, which debuted in 1972, was eponymously entitled ''Kagaku Ninja-tai Gatc ...

, was the director, and , who has worked on many animes in the

World Masterpiece Theater is a Japanese TV animated series that showcased an animated version of a different classical book or story each year from 19:30 to 20:00 on Sunday on Fuji TV. It aired from 1969 to 1997 and from 2007 to 2009. It is commonly abbreviated to ...

series as well as

live-action film Live action is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live action with animation to create a Live-action animation, live-action animated feature film. Live action is used to define ...

s, was the scriptwriter. Many staff members involved in the

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio based in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It has a strong presence in the animation industry and has exp ...

productions of the time, including

Katsuya Kondō is a Japanese mangaka, manga artist, character designer, animator and animation director. He is best known for his character design work on the Studio Ghibli films ''Kiki's Delivery Service'' and ''Ocean Waves (film), Ocean Waves'', as well as t ...

, who designed characters for ''

Kiki's Delivery Service is a 1989 Japanese Anime, animated fantasy film written, produced, and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, based on Eiko Kadono's 1985 novel ''Kiki's Delivery Service (novel), Kiki's Delivery Service''. Animated by Studio Ghibli, the film stars Minami ...

'', participated in the production of the film, and its distinctive visuals were talked about in Japan at the time as being reminiscent of Ghibli. It was for some time inaccurately understood to be produced by Studio Ghibli outside Japan, due to the presence of Ghibli staff and the first fan translation mistaking screenwriter Akira Miyazaki for

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist. He co-founded Studio Ghibli and serves as honorary chairman. Throughout his career, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Anime, Japanese ani ...

. ''Kumo Kaze'', as it is sometimes called, is currently licensed in North America by

Discotek Media Discotek Media is an American entertainment company based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, focused on distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series. History Formed in 2005, Discotek primarily focuses on licensing retr ...

who subsequently released it on DVD and

Music

The

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

was composed by Haruhiko Maruya.

Theme song

''Kumo no yō ni Kaze no yō ni'' :Lyrics: Anju Mana :Composed by: Tetsurō Kugizaki :Arranged by: Etsuko Yamakawa :Vocals: Ryōko Sano

References

External links

Studio Pierrot
(official site)
VAP Video
(official site) *
Nausicaa.net
*

{{Pierrot films 1990 anime films 1990 anime television series debuts 1990 films 1990s historical fantasy films Alternate history anime Anime and manga based on novels Anime films based on novels Alternate history anime and manga Drama anime and manga Fantasy anime and manga Films set in the 17th century Historical anime and manga Historical fantasy anime and manga Japanese animated films Nippon Television original programming Pierrot (company) Romance anime and manga Television series set in fictional countries Works set in fictional countries