Another episode of J drama Hikaru Kimi e was subbed. FL runs to ML’s house to say she’ll be his concubine, only to find out he’s marrying her BFF. She praises her BFF and runs away in tears.

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    Wow I listened to the Tale of Genji recently so I might check this out. I found it a tough listen though and I know some of the key themes reflected her own family situation.

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    I just started watching episode one and I am sure the little girl playing the young version of the author s the same actress playing Umi in Umi no Hajimari. She must have had a busy time filming these two dramas this year. I looked it up and this is not included in the list of her work which surprised me. Also looks like I saw her previously in Brush up life.

    How would you say this compares with Tiger with wings and Umi no Hajimari? Those two really are exceptional dramas.

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      she’s a different girl, i checked the imdb cast. rana izutani is the girl in Umi no Hajimari – she’s so adorable… and yes, rana was in Brush Up Life!

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      This has the usual political infighting , plotting, and killing. ML’s family is currently includes the emperor and all the key ministers, FL is daughter of a dirt poor scholar.

      They are lovers , at first she didn’t want to be his concubine, she was worried about dragging him down, but then she thought concubine would be better than nothing, only to find out he’ll be marrying her BFF .

      They can rarely find time due to his status so he was not aware his wife was her pal. The FL is a bit of an oddity as she is fluent in Chinese and knows poetry, art and calligraphy . That is how she befriends the high society girls (while also spying on them) . They tolerate her low social class and find her fascinating and fun.

      Time jump : The ML is married for political reasons (x2) already has a daughter by BFF and his 2nd wife is now pregnant. 2nd wife actually is on a revenge mission 😟 FL discovers that ML has kept her love letters after all this time.

      I only hope the subbing continues J dramas can be very hit or miss. This is a taiga , a historical drama , they do one a year, so I have hopes it will be fully subbed.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiga_drama

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        Thanks so much for flagging that the subs being so hit and miss is not that unusual. Which episode have you got up to? I only have 13 available with subs so that is a worry as I think they have released up to episode 40 now.

        It’s so funny, I usually hate sageuks but here I am actually enjoying this historical drama because I am matching it to the characters she clearly used as inspiration for the various themes that were played out in Genji. Now I am seeing her ghost writing the poetry it explains why there was so much poetry in Genji. I hated the poetry by the end of the book as the men were always using it to moan about unrequited love.

        I am at episode 7 so I can’t believe the female lead actually married into that family. I thought the couple were going to have broken hearts and love from afar once they knew the sadness his family had caused hers. I also thought her status would mean it couldn’t happen even if they wanted it too. I assumed they would settle for other partners him for the politics and her for survival to avoid being a burden to her family. I loved that the male lead wrote his first love letter to the female lead. His relationship with his sister was so lovely as they were the two genuinely nice people in that corrupt family. I hope that now the sister knows the truth about her dad’s scheming that she does not get tarnished with evil elements in order to survive in a world where women are so powerless and her dad has so many allies. I also liked the relationship between the female lead and her brother but I worry how he will survive in a world where he does not have academic skills and can’t work manually.

        I am intrigued by the performers and wonder if that is just a front for their real activities. I think the ring leader is bright but due to low status has limited power so is using any means he can to effect change in the wider system.

        The traditional dress is so beautiful, I prefer the colours and patterns to the modern kimonos I have seen on dramas and in exhibitions. I am surprised how much we are seeing women being around men without being behind blinds or wearing veils. The poetry competition for example had both the unmarried daughters clearly visible to the men and the Left minister’s daughter chasing the cat where her dad was doing business. I just remember the intrigue for the men in Genji was because they didn’t know what the women looked like and were often dependent on the maids to carry their messages back and forth and sometimes the maids spoke on behalf of the mistresses.

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    thanks for this heads up! i love having J doramas to balance out my K drama watching – or to fill in during K drama droughts!

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    They are releasing these subbed episodes very slowly so it must be a frustrating watch.

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