Giroro

Two points of view in one for your entertainment: 1- Me, who didn't know anything about Genji Monogatari prior to seeing this movie. Conclusion: it's boring like hell, slow, the story makes little sense (it does make sense, but is uninteresting), with too many "artistic" slooooow parts. 2- Japanese girlfriend, who is a big fan of Genji Monogatari. Conclusion: This movie is, I quote, "an insult to Genji Monogatari" and the director is "heta kuso" (let's say it means he's shitty weak). Main reason: the story doesn't make much sense even if you have read the story several times in the past, lots of parts are missing.

tokyo_shorty

I read 源氏物語 (Genji Monogatari) last semester for school, and absolutely fell in love with Murasaki Shikibu's work. Naturally, when I discovered an anime based off the tale, I had to watch it. (It can be found on YouTube) The anime adds a very unique twist to the tale, focusing most on Lady Rokujo's venegeful spirit. With that slightly horror-esque environment, Genji's liaisons have a whole new element, and Genji himself seems more dimensional than in some translations of the tale. If you don't know what I'm talking about, this anime may not make a whole lot of sense to you. The story is vastlyenriched from allusions to the text, which is why I can give the enjoyment a 9 and the story only an 8. The anime does not go into the arc with Niou and Kaoru. Overall, my recommendation is: If you've read the Tale of Genji and enjoyed it: WATCH! If you haven't read the Tale: Get some background info on his various lovers and then watch. You'll want to focus on Lady of the Evening Faces (Yugao), his wife (Aoi), Lady of the Plum Blossoms (Murasaki), The Empress (Fujitsubo) and Lady Rokujo (subtitled differently in the anime).