Junihitoe wo Kita Akuma / The Devil Wears Junihitoe Kimono (2020)
Rai (Kentaro Ito) struggles to get a job and got dumped by his girlfriend who thinks she can't grow if she stays with him. The fact that his younger brother is better looking, smarter and good in everything that he is not, further adds to his insecurities.
Rai works part time at an exhibition for the "Tale of Genji", where he learns the history. He realises everyone knows about Hikaru Genji, the handsome and intelligent man, who charms the ladies of the court but no one knows about his older brother, Ninomiya.
Ninomiya is the son of the Emperor's first wife, but he is less appealing and less intelligent than Hikaru. And the Emperor loves Ninomiya and his mother, the concubine, more than his own wife, Nyogo Kokiden (Ayaka Miyoshi) which made her cold and bitter.
Unlike Hikaru, Ninomiya is not good with words and is not a womanizer. He is too honest and good natured for his own good, which frustrates his mother, Kokiden, who knows her son can't survive the harsh world, which resonates with Rai.
One night, on his way home, Rai learns about his younger brother's achievement and a celebration was in order. Rai decides to wander around to avoid returning home, when he encounters a mysterious light which transports him back in time and meet Kokiden.
It's meant to be light-hearted which started off as a comedy but along the way the story gets serious as Rai got entrenched into the political intricacies of the court which changes Rai, who finds a sense of belonging here and doesn't want to return to the present.
Kentaro Ito and Ayaka Miyoshi are so good in their roles. I've never seen Kentaro Ito expressing all forms of emotions in one movie, that I got teary eyed watching, relating to his life struggles that you could feel his pain. He just wants to be loved for who he is.
Ayaka Miyoshi plays a complex character who seems cold and ruthless on the outside that people called her the devil, when she is just protective and ambitious. She knows that being too honest will get you killed and has to be the devil to defeat another devil.
Kentaro Ito's character learns to be more forgiving and accepting of himself while Ayaka Miyoshi's character learns to be more human, learning that others have feelings too, and how powerful the right words can be that they can turn rivals into allies without a fight.
When I first read Japanese history, I am attracted to Sengoku Jidai, the warring times between Samurai but over time, I grew interested in Heian Period, long before the Samurai reign supreme over Japan. I find the culture and music of the time to be quite intriguing.
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