The old Japanese names, numerous characters combined with a very condensed timeline can make the plot line difficult to follow at times for an audience with no familiarity of Japanese history. But I think even if you know nothing of the history, this show is a huge pleasure to watch.
To start with, the animation is unparalleled for a series. The colour pallet is fresh and bright but still feels subdued and elegant. This series is a visual masterpiece. There are so many scenes and compositions that are simply brilliant. Some of the scenes pay homage to the late animator Isao Takahata's Princess Kaguya, but there are also counter original and visually stunning moments throughout the series. Even though there is a huge cast of historical characters, each character design is very thoughtful, very unique, and beautiful.
The story is fairly true to historical records of this event and the way the anime chooses to tell the story from the perspective of a fictional biwa player is a very smart choice. The settings are all real places and you can feel a sense of authenticity with the scenes of everyday life. All the costume designs also feel like chic minimalist versions of historical garb. The designs are extremely beautiful without being overindulgent.
Finally this anime is simply elegant. It's riddled with visual poetry, from the pillow shots to the allusions to Japanese traditional painting. Even when there are scenes of violence which are often over exaggerated in anime, here they are replaced by visual metaphors using nature to imply the offscreen deaths. To me this anime truly captures Japanese traditional aesthetics and philosophy in a way I haven't seen since studio ghibli.
