I am desperate to get a copy of this in my hand grrrr...
It follows a tale of Hikaru Genji who is the son of a much loved concubine, Lady Kiritsubo of the then emperor. Due to this, he cannot be a crown prince and was given the surname Genji thus giving him a commoner social status. His mother died when he was very young and the emperor having been heartbroken over his favourite concubine's death found a princess by the name Lady Fujitsubo who is said to be the spitting image of Genji's own mother. The emperor hoped that by marrying this princess, Genji would receive a mother he had lost.
Genji did love her as a mother but later he loved her as a woman. He developed forbidden romantic feelings for his mother and thus found solace in romancing many other woman who willingly became his playthings. Throughout the book and in the anime series, his beauty is often spoken of and regarded highly. His story mainly focuses on his romantic escapades with many woman often having sad endings with them because he leaves them after finding another woman, thus leaving these unfortunate women pine for his return.
~:::Hikaru Genji:::~
A calm and gentle man with a quiet disposition. He is well liked by his peers and family and just about anyone who meets him due to his impeccable good looks and mannerisms. Well, we can attribute this characteristic of his to his charming nature and polite speech. Not one woman have not yet fallen for this man by the mere sight of him. I personally disapprove of him using women to fill the void in his own life by giving hope to these women and giving promises impossible to fulfill. His own twisted love for his stepmother is causing the grief for many woman who had truly loved him. His selfishness had also caused a young woman's life. An uber-romantic person who is more interested in finding women who resembles his stepmother.
~:::Lady Fujitsubo:::~
The object of Genji's forbidden love. She is around 5 years older than him and she had asked him to stop visiting her after confessing his romantic love for her when he was around nine years old and she, fourteen. Since then, both him and her have shut their hearts for fear of making a mistake. She lives in a constant guilt and dilemma of refusing his love and her loyalty to her husband, the emperor. After many years of losing contact with him, she accidentally met him upon a chance when he too visited an old shrine they both used to play at when they were close and she made the biggest mistake of not refusing him. A son was born from their forbidden union.
~:::Lady Rokujou:::~
A haughty and aloof woman with a reputation of being both a gifted poet and epitome of beauty and very cold towards men who shows romantic interests towards her. It could be because she's still upset over her husband's death. She is the widow of the crown prince(Genji's brother). At first she refused Genji's advances but with much coaxing and persuasion from Genji's part, she relented and even became obsessive of him to the point that she sent a Poltergeist to his new lover when he ceased his nightly visits to her. She had always been a lonely woman, with Genji in her life she felt alive and when he left her for a much younger woman...we could see she is going to the brink of madness when she lights incenses and speak to it as if speaking to Genji himself.
~:::Lady Yuugao:::~
Possibly the most unfortunate of all his lovers, Lady Yuugao was the 'replacement' for Lady Rokujou when Genji decided her obsessive love for him was too overwhelming. They spent many nights together in secrecy to avoid scandal as Lady Yuugao is of common birth and this would upset his other lovers who are ladies of high rank and birth.She was killed in her sleep sent by the Lady Rokujou in the form of a Poltergeist that stemmed from the grief, anger and hurt from her heart. Lady Yuugao was nineteen years old.
~:::Lady Aoi:::~
When Genji came of age, he was betrothed to her. She was 4 years his senior and she absolutely hated this engagement because since small she was led to believe she would marry the crown prince and become the next empress but she ended getting engaged to a man of common birth and he still shamelessly philanders while still attached to her. She is always angry and upset because of this as many women mock her out of jealousy. She blatantly gave him the 'cut direct' when he tried to be friends with her. Even if he comes for a visit, she quickly shoos him away giving myriads of excuses but in the end she too fell for his spell. She died due to the Poltergeist sent by Lady Rokujou.
~:::Lady Murasaki:::~
A little girl he adopts because of her resemblance to *SURPRISE* Lady Fujitsubo. The story is narrated from her perspective of her life with him. She is the one Genji finally marries in the end. Yes, the very child he adopted grew up to be a beautiful woman and Genji marries her. Genji now needs serious psychoanalysis evaluation. It is revealed that she was the illegitimate child of Lady Fujitsubo's brother, hence explains the resemblance. By right, she would be his step-niece and yet he marries her...@@;
~:::Lady Misty Moon/Sixth Daughter of the Right Minister:::~
Well, Genji does have a thing for getting himself entangled with dangerous affairs. All the women he bonked had all connections to his closest of families and this one was no different. This lady is the wife of new emperor - HIS BROTHER. She lured him on secret night liaison and had a passionate night with him, much to the dismay of her oldest sister and father(who was afraid the emperor would find out but later) intends to use this scandal to overthrow him. She is well known for being a 'peculiar' and promiscuous in the royal palace. She is is the only one who is not obsessed over him and merely uses him for 'nightly benefits' just as he uses other woman. (a big fuck you to Genji in my opinion).
As the book progresses, Genji's life takes a turn for the worst as he loses these women one by one.
1. Lady Rokujou took her daughter to another district to train her to be a priestess.
2. His father died.
3. His wife died.
4. Lady Kiritsubo, the one he loves the most left him to be a nun on a far away mountain to ease her guilt.
5. He is slowly losing his power in the court and is left in distress.
Criticism:
1. Over-romanticization
2. Too melodramatic.
3. Too much focus on beauty and passion instead of the logic behind it.
4. Strange and incestuous relationships are considered beautiful and acceptable here simply because they're unattainable and forbidden.
5. It greatly reminds me why I'd rather be a middle-class girl than be borne in a wealthy family. Geez, are rich people really that fucked up in the head?
6. Watch this anime if you don't wish to read the book, that is all.
No comments:
Post a Comment