He was so dedicated to achieving enlightenment, he performed death defying acts. The monk who convinced the exiled Yoritomo to rebel was Mongaku-a pretty weird dude. Someone who was featured prominently in the book and is introduced to us this week is Minamoto Yoritomo-who if you don’t already know from history, should pay close attention to him from here on out. Mind you, Tokuko was not even featured prominently in the book-just a name and a few mentions here and there. Perhaps they are trying to emphasize the good-naturedness of Retired Emperor Takakura that Tokuko fell in love with in a prior episode with the leaf-burning scene. They are trying to slant this whole relationship towards a bittersweet, ill-fated romance between the Emperor and Empress by completely removing the lover from the picture (this lover, Aoi, is different from the previous lover he had in a past episode). However, it rings a bit false given that Takakura is ill due to love-sickness after Kiyomori banishes his lover (not Tokuko) to nunhood. Their conversation about how the emperor admired and was grateful to Tokuko sounds very sweet, like a conversation one might hear in the modern day between a married couple. I find it interesting how they portrayed the feelings in Takakura and Tokuko’s relationship as mutual. While I would have preferred the focus to be on the grander historical events, I do appreciate how this adaptations view provides some pause for thought. While their attributes combined with being in the right place at the right time catapulted them to fame, they were still people with daily lives. Which upon closer reflection, may be unfair. I think of them in context of the grander scheme of history that they helped drive. When I think of Heike Monogatari, or even history in general, I rarely think of individuals as individuals with their own moments of joy. The young Tairas, all ranking officials, playing on the beach gave the impression of normal people letting loose after a brutal work week. While scenes like Kiyotsune and his brothers enjoying the sand and surf and Retired Emperor Takakura and Tokuko’s sickbed conversation were non-canonical, they do provide glimpses on what the anime writers imagine them to have been like as people. I still don’t and probably won’t ever agree with the direction this adaption has taken, but understanding why it pulls the focus where it does gives some appreciation for their attempt. While watching the OP, it occurred to me that this version of Heike Monogatari focuses on the little things- the interactions between characters that made them people more than their roles as giants of history.