Since quite a number of fans have PMed me about this issue, I figured it'd be helpful if I just post it here for others who might be curious about the depiction of Minako's rape in the anime. I've been asked if there's any difference in the anime and novels for that scene in episode 11, Naoe's behavior in particular.

The answer is yes. Anime!Naoe was looking all doom and gloom at Minako, and said (according to the fansub by LadyN), "I love him." Novels!Naoe was smiling at Minako, his eyes devoid of any strand of sanity, and said, "I love you." Again, I've no idea why they changed Naoe's manner in the anime, but nevermind.

Unlike other fans, I do not look so kindly on Naoe's actions. And if Minako sincerely forgave Naoe the very next morning, I'm sorry to say that I find it a tasteless cliché. Even if Minako had the capacity to forgive such an atrocity, it takes time and at the rate things were going 30 years ago, I don't think she had even begin to come to terms with the trauma of the rape, her shock at Naoe's behavior (she was under the impression he was a gentleman all this while), the fear of being held captive by the enemy as a bait to lure Kagetora, personally witnessing Kagetora's death (he could not use his powers because of Ranmaru's kyuuryoku kekkai hence shielded Naoe and Minako against the full onslaught of attacks with his own body) before her soul was expelled from her body.

I've seen essays analyzing the reasons for Kagetora's decision to entrust Minako to Naoe, all of which conveniently ignore Naoe's mindset for committing something so despicable. So the overall impression that I get from this is some kind of sick justification for Naoe's rape of Minako or assignment of blame to Kagetora, as though Kagetora had put Naoe in a position where he could not help but rape Minako. Rape is rape. No amount of mind games or psychological traps or whatever from Kagetora is cause for Naoe to rape Minako.

As for Kagetora's decision, I don't believe he deliberately sent Minako away as a sacrificial lamb to test Naoe's feelings for him (this would actually contradict with his innate character of putting the safety of others above himself). However, he did, for perhaps 0.01 millisecond, feel a little satisfied that Naoe ultimately committed a sin out of jealousy, ie. proof that he indeed and still had such strong hold over Naoe. But that fleeting moment of satisfaction turned into a deep-seated guilt whereby, even after 400 years, Kagetora feels himself to be so filthy an existence that he is undeserving of even a chance to apologize to Minako. I'd say Naoe and Kagetora are even now, after all, Naoe himself is a little smug that Kagetora went mad without him.

So if Minako shouldn't have been entrusted to Naoe, who else could Kagetora have chosen? Note that at that time, the rest of the Yashashuu were strongly opposed to having Minako under their care. Choosing Nagahide was obviously out of the question. While Minako won't risk getting raped or killed with Haruie or Irobe, it's highly likely that they would prioritize the war with Nobunaga or even Kagetora's life over her safety should the situation take a turn for the worse. So it all comes down to Naoe in the end, who was supposed to be Kagetora's most loyal and obedient retainer.

Honestly, I love the character of Naoe. If I didn't, I wouldn't be interested in this relationship in the first place no matter how much I love Kagetora. While I don't find the rape itself forgivable, my sympathy for him comes from his suffering after the incident and his realization that he had done something irreversible despite the instances where he still shoots himself in the foot.