Thoughts from Episode 63: Context is everything

As the end of the story nears, this chapter sees the plot begin aligning once more with the plot of the original Torikaebaya monogatari, but as we’ve seen before, the differences in how those story beats are reached have an impact on how it all comes across. And on that note, I’ll get a bit into how poems from the original story are recontextualised in the manga.

In the aftermath of the palace fire, Sara and the Emperor are now an item (finally! a successful workplace romance for Sara!) and Marumitsu’s residence is to be used as a temporary palace. While Sara shows the Emperor around, Suiren tells Marumitsu, Nishi and Higashi that the Emperor knows the truth about the siblings; Nishi then prepares Sara for his private audience with the Emperor.