Utakoi

Season 1

Episode 13: Teika and Noriko

Teika (who has been on minor appearances in all episodes of the anime, informing us about the Hyakunin Isshu) refuses to follow his father's footsteps of being a poet. The father is worried. A passing monk named Saigyo makes Teika a different kind of poet. Meanwhile, Teika's father teaches poetry to Noriko. His plan is to force Teika into being a poet in his favor. Teika was invited to Noriko's household and began to exchange poetry with the princess, despite their love poems are to be assumed make-believe. Meanwhile, Teika's father looks at one of Noriko's poems, but Teika disrupts his investigation. His father advices Teika to marry another woman. As Teika enters the princess's house, Teika begins to build up pressure as Noriko accepts Teika following his father's advice. On the other hand, Noriko's interests were only poetry, and poetry is her only form of expression. In anger, Teika confesses, but Noriko becomes angry as well. But because Noriko wants Teika to listen to his poems, Teika comes close to her. Years later, Noriko dies, and Teika is left lonely and tries to give up poetry. But on his mind, Noriko repeats that only poetry will make her (and him) free. He recites one of his own poems. Diligent to continue poetry, Teika finishes the last of the poetry of Yoritsuna's house, the 100 poems on the wall now recognized as the "Hyakunin Isshu".