Tale of Genji (2009 adaptation)

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

One amusing little scene comes during the preview. While the womens' nipples are always carefully hidden from view with falling hair or wrapped arms, in this case our view is blocked by Genji's hand.

I know this isn't the kind of show that needs to show nipples, though it does make you wonder if they're shown in the DVD or not.

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

One thing I noticed when visiting the ANN page is how the recorded opinions on this show are so dichotomous. Granted there are only a dozen or so votes there, but people apparently either love this show or hate it.

That is basically the general reaction i've been seeing from people i've asked, though i'm lucky that a lot of them have already read the book. It's something i've been wanting to do for years, though never get around to it. At least when i do it now, i'll have a S.E.N.S. score to have on in the background.

[achirist]

Episode 7:

I had been afraid that they were going to skip over the carriage incident. I really loved the way they presented that moment – the pivotal humiliation, cruelty that Lady Rokujo was subjected to and which made her hate Lady Aoi so intensely. It was even more brutal than I had pictured it. But I think it is odd that they only presented Lady Rokujo as being hurt and sad about Genji in the aftermath--while when they first introduced her, they showed her as being more dark than vulnerable, and I would think that her concious self would also have shown a bit of rage. I was also pleased to see a depiction of Lady Rokujo going away with her daughter to Ise; a place I would certainly love to see animated...

I don’t really like the way they kept going on about ‘rumors’ in the capital in the series – too much is presented as common knowledge that would have been intensely obscure and private in the world of the book. It is certainly ridiculous that any random person on the street could have guessed why Lady Aoi was possessed – and I’m sure no one would have talked of it lightly, as they would have been horrified. But in any case, they wouldn’t have been able to imagine that someone who was alive could have carried out this act due to that particular slight – if they believed she was possessed, they would have thought it was for a more general kharmic reason. No one else knew—Genji alone discovered what was happening, and he lived with that horror by himself for the rest of his life.

The last scenes almost made it seem as if Lady Rokujo had done herself up in bizarre makeup and went to kill Lady Aio in person, and I don’t think they served much purpose; just having Lady Aoi die after delivering her baby would have been fine. It is kind of ironic, in terms of the book, that the character Murasaki is the one narrating this all, since

Spoiler for big spoiler from the book:

Lady Rokujo also kills Murasaki, though not for some time.

[Shinkun]

Regarding the rumors. I believe the people depicted in both the series and the book are not common citizens of the capital but the nobility and the people who surrounded them. It is my understanding the the aristocracy of the Heian period were quite the gossip-mongers. ^^

The malign spirit was more insistent, and Aoi was in great distress. Unpleasant rumors reached the Rokujo lady, to the effect that it might be her spirit or that of her father, the late minister.
-quote from the novel

News and rumors seemed to spread like wildfire.

[achirist]

Ah, I guess I just didn't remember that; and you probably are right about the people discussing the rumor. I see on watching the scenes a second time that while it shows what look like common people while the rumors are discussed, they aren't shown as the ones speaking, so the visuals probably just are showing the movement of the information from Lady Aio's to the women at Rokujo Haven.

[SeijiSensei]

I'm rather curious about Aoi's "possession." In the novel, I can't tell if Murasaki actually thinks this a plausible explanation for Aoi's death, or whether the explanation is offered as satire. The notion of possession seemed rather out of place to me in such an otherwise worldly tale. Perhaps this is just anachronistic projection on my part though; as a product of her times, the Lady Murasaki may well have believed that Aoi could have been possessed by the malign spirit of a spited lover.

Also, as I recall, Aoi didn't die in quite so dramatic or isolated a fashion. I believe she was surrounded by family and maybe even Genji, and the death was not sudden but came at the end of a long period of suffering. I could be wrong about this, of course, since we've already ascertained that my memory isn't what it used to be!

[MikaMiaka]

I just go around to viewing the first two episodes of this title, and I must say that it's quite odd to be talking about this thousand year old tale on an anime internet forum. ^__^

Hmmm, what would Murasaki Shikibu think of this?

In any event, my first impressions:

1. The OP is in complete contrast to the show itself. It's rather bizarre -- the OP is full of white broad strokes against black background accompanied by an upbeat song. The show itself appears to be not be related at all to the OP.

2. I am finding it difficult to get behind such privileged characters. I don't know; the romantic feeling of the art is amazing, but somehow, such romance gets lost and seems forced within the show itself. I suppose, right now, I find it hard to care about the Prince, but perhaps my attitude would change if I see more episodes.

3. I love the Prince's seiyuu, but find the females' voices too tender and whiny. But somehow, these voices are the perfect reflection of the style of art, so I don't really know whether firmer female voices would be a good thing.

All in all, I'll stick with it and see where it goes just for the story itself.

[achirist]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

I'm rather curious about Aoi's "possession." In the novel, I can't tell if Murasaki actually thinks this a plausible explanation for Aoi's death, or whether the explanation is offered as satire. The notion of possession seemed rather out of place to me in such an otherwise worldly tale. Perhaps this is just anachronistic projection on my part though; as a product of her times, the Lady Murasaki may well have believed that Aoi could have been possessed by the malign spirit of a spited lover.

Well, you also have to remember that the characters are quite religious--very wrapped up in the sort of mixture of Shinto and Buddhism that the aristocracy of that time and place were drawn to. It is a common pattern, for instance, in the novel for people to renounce the world and become buddhist nuns/monks towards the end of their lives (and even some very young people for quite superstitious reasons, such as one of the characters in the latter part of the book), so I think they really would have believed in spirits and kharma and possessions, at least to some extent. In any case, that Lady Rokujo's spirit went around killing women in the novel is something the author established as fact in her work--it is a work of creative fiction, after all, and we should remember that we see another spirit:

Spoiler for in the novel:

Genji's dead father appears as a ghost to help Genji out of his exile--first appearing to Genji as a benevolent form and then apparently being quite a bit more frightening when he visited Genji's older brother, then emporer.

[achirist]

After watching episode 8, I looked up the free Seidensteker version of the novel that is available online:

"The Sanjo~ mansion was almost deserted. Aoi was again seized with a strangling shortness of breath; and very soon after a messenger had been sent to court she was dead." So I guess she might have been pretty much alone when she died, some time after giving birth to her child; but she wasn't as recovered as she appeared in ep 7.


In any case, I didn't like episode 8 very much. The beginning part about Lady Rokujo having contracted a demon to into her service was not from the book at all, and I don't like it, either. I've also reread the chapter this episode was based on, to confirm how much better it was. The sagano shrine was very beautiful in the book; full of crickets and reeds and late-autumn flowers; it was not raining, and it is noted several times that the place was full of priests, young courtiers, and of course the Lady Rokujo's daughter; from what it says about their meeting on a veranda, I seriously doubt they had sex. They exchanged many beautiful poems, and talked all night; words definitely were necessary, and I don't like how this made it seem like it was all about sex. I don't know, the sex always looks sort of the same, and sometimes it is difficult to tell; for instance in the beginning of this episode it took me awhile to realize it was Aio via a flashback that he was with. I was also kind of creeped about by the preview for next weeks episode...

[achirist]

Episode 9 was so beautiful; from the scenes of more dancing and Genji's flute playing at the beginning, to the presentation of his sadness and loss. That multi-layered dream of Fujistubo's was so haunting, and it seems that it did happen--that they were together one last time before she took vows and departed... Her playing of the koto (I think that is what it was) reminded me of a later concert, on a moonlit night, in the mountains near the sea (something I guess won't be in this series.)

[Shiroth]

My favorite scenes in each episode always end up being dream related. It's there that the visuals show what they can do truly do, and i love it.

Can say that i am adoring this show more and more as each episode goes by, and truly thank aoi for still subbing it. Such an outstanding score by S.E.N.S (as i have said a number of times already). It's pretty much breathtaking how perfect each piece fits with the visuals. Actually the word breathtaking is what i'd used to sum up this show, if someone asked me.

[Dop]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

i am adoring this show more and more as each episode goes by, and truly thank aoi for still subbing it.

Total agreement here, especially on the thanks to Aoi for the subs.

[Sinestra]

They arent kidding when they say bad things come in three's. I think this is the first time i truly felt sympathetic towards Genji. Three very important people in his life exit the stage and 2 of them were probably his most precious in all the world.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by Sinestra

They arent kidding when they say bad things come in three's. I think this is the first time i truly felt sympathetic towards Genji. Three very important people in his life exit the stage and 2 of them were probably his most precious in all the world.

It's going to be very interesting to see how he will act in the next episode, as we head towards the end of the series.

[Shiroth]

Episode 10 was yet another fantastic episode.

Spoiler for Episode 10:

The kindness of Genji's Brother brought me to tears on a number of occasions during this episode, though it was hearing how Genji accepted his fate as a child. Such an outstanding scene. It worked so well after the dance scene.

Waiting for the last episode now is quite painful, though i do know that i must order the original novel, ready to read after i've finished the series. Thanks again Aoi for the sub.

[achirist]

Having read the novel made this episode a but of a killjoy for me; as I kept waiting for what happened in the book to occur here, and it didn't. I have no idea what is going to happen next episode...

Spoiler for from this period in the novel...:

Genji was immediately exiled in the novel, not for any mention of his possibly being the heir apparent's father (unlikely because the boy does become emperor) but because Genji's brother, as To No Chujo pointed out, was weak, and his family made much of the political decisions; so the Kuritsubo Consort was easily able to force the exile, even though the emporer didn't really want to do it that much. Further, I believe Murasaki was about 19 at the time, and Genji's de-facto wife. There was never any talk about Genji losing his property, so she was allowed to stay...the exile was a very beautiful period in the novel.

But yes, this episode was very beautiful, touching. The only real criticism I have of it as a stand-alone piece is that there wasn't so much continuity with the emotion of the last episode. Though I guess Genji's feeling of being resigned to anything that happens--complete loss, complete ruin, explains some fo that.

[Shinkun]

Spoiler for Spoiler from the novel:

It was my understanding from the novel that the exile to Suma was self-imposed due to being stripped of rank and falling out of favor with the court. I may be wrong, it's been a couple years since I read the novel back in college.

[achirist]

Spoiler for the novel:

That may be; it has been years since I read the novel as well (and I don't have access to the Tyler translation that I mainly read now), but I don't remember it that way, perhaps because of the other details--such as that the ghost of Genji's father appeared to pressure the emperor to let Genji return. It did seem like the end of this episode hinted at Genji voluntarily exiling himself, though.

[Shinkun]

Spoiler for Spoiler from the novel:

Correction, in the novel, Genji contemplates a self-imposed exile to the shores of Suma, but in the end, it is the lady Kokiden who uses her father's influence to force him to go.

My bad :-D

[achirist]

Originally Posted by Shinkun

Spoiler for Spoiler from the novel:

Correction, in the novel, Genji contemplates a self-imposed exile to the shores of Suma, but in the end, it is the lady Kokiden who uses her father's influence to force him to go.

My bad :-D

Ah, good, I did remember correctly then.

[Shiroth]

Looking around, and i'm seeing that there's quite a large number of official translations out there, especially on amazon. Would anyone be able to recommend me one?