Genji Fantasy: The Cat Fell in Love With Hikaru Genji

A modern-day high school girl named Hana finds herself turned into a cat and sent a thousand years into the past. She lands in the Heian era of The Tale of Genji, the classic work of Japanese literature, where the story's hero, Hikaru Genji, becomes her guide. Through him she comes to experience for herself the feelings its author, Murasaki Shikibu, set down in her writing. The short film also draws on The Diary of Lady Murasaki and other historical records, among them an account of the nobleman Fujiwara no Michinaga taking early drafts of the novel because he could not wait for each new chapter. It is an animated mix of history and fantasy, running about twenty minutes, and was released in April 2019.

Rika Ota directed. The voice cast includes Tomoaki Maeno, who plays both Hikaru Genji and Kouji, Mao Ichimichi as Hana, Kikuko Inoue as Murasaki Shikibu, Hisako Tojo as Empress Shōshi and Keiji Fujiwara as Fujiwara no Michinaga. The film was produced in Japan by LIDENFILMS with NHK Planet Co., Ltd. and its Kinki Branch.