[Review] Saiunkoku Monogatari
Haiiiiii Minna~ !! Ahhh well, I'm kinda bored right now ^^; so I decided to do a few anime reviews of of my current watchlist :P Yup, you read correctly ~_^ Although I A-D-O-R-E KKM, I also watch other stuff too ~_^ Anywho, I'll start of my reviews with one of my fav animes, Saiunkoku Monogatari. Before I go on, I want to warn for major *SPOILERS* so, if you don't want to, I suggest you just skip the places with that tag !!
Enjoy ! ^____^
Saiunkoku Monogatari
Land of the many-coloured clouds
[STORY]
Kou Shuurei is a young girl who, one day, is invited by the court to become the Emperor's royal consort. Even though she agrees to this, the reason for her decision is in fact to encourage the young Emperor, the newly appointed Shi Ryuuki, to take his role as Emperor seriously and to do his job properly. Shuurei succeeds in this task and then decides to leave the palace to resume her life with her father, Kou Shoka and her retainer, Shi Seiran. The main story then shifts to Shuurei, as she tries desperately to achieve her own dream of becoming an officer. That, by it self, is very unsual and isn't appreciated by the nobles and officers alike. In any case, Shuurei pursues her dream, with the support of many friends along the way, and manages to rank 2nd in the Imperial exam. Now that she has become a rookie officer, Ryuuki appoints her to the position of Governor, in the province of Sa. Many adventures come her way has she tries to prove to the other officals that she is in fact worthy of her title. Of course, it wouldn't be possible without the help of her friends along the way and, of course, the Emperor himself.
[CLANS]
There are 7 clans and 1 royal family in the world of Saiunkoku, each of which own a territory or province in their name. The first clan we encounter is the Kou Clan, Shuurei's family. The seven clans are Kou (red), Ran (indigo), Sa (brown), Ko (yellow), Koku (black), Haku (white) & Heki (green). The royal family is part of the Shi (purple) clan and rule over the capital city, Kiyou. Each clan has their own leader, who are almost all linked to Shuurei in some way:
Kou Renshin is Shuurei's uncle and the leader of the Kou Clan.
Sa Kokujun assumed position as head of the clan thanks to Shuurei's doing.
Shi Ryuuki is the Emperor and completely infatuated with Shuurei.
Heki Karin is leader of her clan thanks to Shuurei once more.
Other members of the clan and important supporters of Shuurei are:
Ran Ryuuren ("Soul friend")
Ran Shuuei (right hand to the Emperor)
(Kou) Li Kouyuu (adopted son of Renshin & right hand to the Emperor)
Kou Shoka (Shuurei's father)
Ko Kijin (former boss in the finance departement)
Shi Seiran (former crown Prince)
Shuurei is friends with at least one member of each clan, which most of them harbour feelings for her.
Each clan has their own specialty in Saiunkoku:
Ran clan --> Salt
Kou clan --> most powerful clan
Heki clan --> arts
Shi clan --> royalty
Sa clan --> merchants
Haku clan --> ?
Koku clan --> ?
Ko clan --> ?
[CHARACTERS]
Kou Shuurei: Shuurei is a bright, 16 year old girl who lets nothing stand in her way. She is determined and works hard to achieve her goals and is a source of inspiration to everyone around her. Shuurei lost her mother when she was young and so, was brought up by her father and Seiran alone. Shuurei has always been surrounded by men and so, she fears nothing of them. This trait helps her in her quest because she does not back down when confronted with less than helpful men on her journey.
Shi Seiran: Seiran is the former crown Prince of Saiunkoku, formally known as Shi Seien. When he was 12 years old, he won an important duel, which scared the Emperor (his father), and forced him and his mother to be exiled from the country. His father sent assasins after them to finish them off. Luckily, Seiran managed to escape death however his mother was not so lucky. Seiran was then found by a assasin's organization in Sa province and was trained by them for a year, where he also met Rou Ensei. He soon realized that he did not want to be a killing machine and so, escaped from them, only to be found by the Kou family. Shoka and his wife, Shokun, "adopted" him and gave him his current name of "Seiran", meaning "silent orchid" because he would not speak. Seiran has since then devoted his life to the Kou household and desires nothing more than to repay his debt towards this family. He is also extremely protective of Shuurei and follows her wherever she goes.
Shi Ryuuki: Ryuuki is the current Emperor of Saiunkoku, although much controverse was uncovered when he took the throne. Ryuuki always looked up to his older brother, Seien but when he was exiled, Ryuuki had no one left. Although he was from a large family, with many siblings, Seien was the only one who took interest in him and was kind. So, when Ryuuki was appointed as Emperor, he took the position only in the meantime, till his brother came back to claim his rights. however, Seien, now Seiran, had no desire to take the throne and left the duty to Ryuuki. Seiran knew that his half-brother had the power to run the country and did not want to block his potential. As for Shuurei, she was sent to the palace as a consort to help him become a good emperor. in the short time she was there, Ryuuki fell in love with her and has expressed his desire to marry her many times however, she always backs out of the possible relationship.
Rou Ensei: Ensei is Seiran's childhood friend, as they were both employed in Sa province by a group of assasins. Ensei is the only one who really knows Seiran's identity however, Seiran has threatened him in case he ever reveals this information to Shuurei. So far, Emsei has respected that wish and has remained silent. Ensei nicknames Shuurei "Hime-sama" or "Princess" because of her status in the Kou family but also, because he is very fond of her. Shuurei also loves Ensei very much and relies upon him a lot. Later on in the series when Shuurei becomes Govenor of Sa province, she works with Ensei to aid the Sa clan and she learns about Ensei's former job as a Govenor himself. Ensei decides much later that he will retake the Imperial exam and become Govenor once more, so that he can be of more use to Shuurei.
To Eigetsu: Eigetsu is the 1st ranked at the Imperial exam and the youngest person to have become Govenor. He is appointed the role as Sa province's Govenor along with Shuurei. Eigetsu was adopted when he was young by a villae doctor, whom he calls Doshou-sama. The doctor saved his life after having found him unconscious in the middle of the road. Doshou-sama soon realized that the child was going to die and so, made a deal with a spirit to save his life. The spirit would posses Eigetsu's body and give him a healthy life however, the time was limited and Eigetsu would not be able to live for very long. Also, Eigetsu is not to drink alcool, because it will bring out the other personnality (the spirit) and shorten his lifespan. And so, Eigetsu lived, and shared his body with Eigetsu, his counterpart. Doshou-sama soon died and left Eigetsu on his own however, the boy decided to live his life to the fullest, and honor Doshou-sama as much as he could.
Li Kouyuu: Kouyuu was adopted by Kou Reishin, Shuurei's uncle, and has been working at the palace as an official ever since. Kouyuu is bad with direction and has an awfull sense of direction and so, he always ends up lost inside the huge palace. Because of this, Kouyuu has a fiery personnality and loses patience quickly. However, Ryuuki trusts him greatly and has offered him the "royal flower" (a seal that he wears on his belt) , sign of his affection for the young man. Kouyuu honors this relationship and his always by Ryuuki's side. Kouyuu met Shuurei when she first became an official, as she worked in the same departement as him. Her uncle, Reishin, wanted Kouyuu to marry her and, for a while, he seemed to consider it. However, in the end, he chose not to betray Ryuuki's trust, and so, disobeyed his father for the first time. Reishin, although slightly disappointed, in the end was proud of his "son" for sticking to his beliefs.
Ran Shuuei: Shuuei is the second person to receive the "royal flower" from Ryuuki and to stay by his side. Shuuei's "flower" is his sword, which he carries with him everywhere. Shuuei is also a General in the royal army (Shogun) and is well loved by his entourage. He is well-known for his frivolous ways with women and is often reprimanded by Shusui, the first lady-in-waiting. Shuuei and Shuurei get along well, as both of them try their best to support the emperor. Shuuei often headbutts with Seiran, who thinks that he is not behind sincere towards his brother. Seiran whole-heartedly thinks that Shuuei can not be trusted, because of his ties to the Ran family.
Ran Ryuuren: Ryuuren is the genius of the Ran clan. He is said to be the brightess mind in the whole land however, the young man has no interest in exerting his mind. Ryuuren wants to travel freely around the world and so, he does not take anything seriously. He wears the most odd garments and carries a flute with him where ever he goes. Shuurei is the first person to whom he really opens up and so, he nicknames her "Sould friend #1". Ryuuren also wrote the Imperial exams and ended up in 3rd position, although he would have been able to make it to the 1st spot. He then meets Eigetsu, trough Shuurei, and decides to make him his "Souls friend #2". Shuurei & Eigetsu are the only two who can obtain anything from Ryuuren, as he only listens to them.
Shin Suou aka Tantan: Suou was enticed by his father to propose to Shuurei, in order to gain a noble rank. At first, he listens to his father and proposes to Shuurei, in the most unconventional way ever. Obviously, Shuurei refuses but somehow, Suou decides to stick around for a while. Even though he is uncooperative at first, he eventually warms up to Shuurei and tries to help her out as mush as he can. Suou and Seiran don't get along much ever since Seiran threw bamboo shoots at him for being uncooperative with Shuurei. Seiran decides to nickname him "TanTan-kun" because he carries a golden "tanuki" (racoon) with him. In exchange, Tantan nicknames Seiran the "scary retainer" and "the bamboo shooter".
The elusive Hyou Clan:
Hyou Riou: not much is known about the Hyou clan, apart from the fact that they are highly gifted with spiritual powers, handed down from mother to daughter. In this clan, men have no importance whatsoever and are ruled by women. Rio is the grandson of the current head of the clan and works in the palace as the youngest officer ever. Riou has never written the Imperial exam however, he as an enormous intellect and his also gifted with spiritual powers. Although his motives are unclear, he seems to have taken a liking to Shuurei and also to Ryuuki, as he often gives him advice on love. Riou looks like an adorable little boy but is in fact much older than what he looks. One of the powers of the Hyou clan is to remain young for a long period of time. His father, who appears to be os Ryuuki's age, is in fact 80 years old. Although Riou is not dangerous, his father is feared the most for his powers. He once visited Shuurei, for no apparent reason, which provoked great uneasiness on Seiran's behalf. He seems to be connected to both Seiran & Shoka's past.
[BONUS]
What do I mean by bonus? Well, here's a list of the seiyuu's (voice actors) for the charas of SM ... see if you recognize anyone ~___^
Kou Shuurei --> Kuwashima Houko
Shi Seiran --> Midorikawa Hikaru (Tamahome of Fushigi Yuugi)
Shi Ryuuki --> Seki Tomakazu (Kyo Soma of Fruit Basket & Chichiri of Fushigi Yuugi)
Li Kouyuu --> Hiyama Nobuyuki
Ran Shuuei --> Morikawa Toshiyuki (Conrad Weller? Maybe ? :P)
Hyou Riou --> Seki Toshihiko (Masahiro or Shonen Onmyouji)
Rou Ensei --> Itou Kentarou (Tsuchiura in La Corda d'Oro & Hiroki in Junjou Romantica)
To Eigetsu --> Nimikawa Daisuke (Ryan in KKM ^_^)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Right so, I think I've gone through most of the (important) charas X__X I'm going to stop here for today ('cuz I'm half-dead now XD) and I'll go into more detail tomorrow (spoils? Yessss~). Anywho, look forward to it ! :P
~S.K.~
Enjoy ! ^____^
Saiunkoku Monogatari
Land of the many-coloured clouds
[STORY]
Kou Shuurei is a young girl who, one day, is invited by the court to become the Emperor's royal consort. Even though she agrees to this, the reason for her decision is in fact to encourage the young Emperor, the newly appointed Shi Ryuuki, to take his role as Emperor seriously and to do his job properly. Shuurei succeeds in this task and then decides to leave the palace to resume her life with her father, Kou Shoka and her retainer, Shi Seiran. The main story then shifts to Shuurei, as she tries desperately to achieve her own dream of becoming an officer. That, by it self, is very unsual and isn't appreciated by the nobles and officers alike. In any case, Shuurei pursues her dream, with the support of many friends along the way, and manages to rank 2nd in the Imperial exam. Now that she has become a rookie officer, Ryuuki appoints her to the position of Governor, in the province of Sa. Many adventures come her way has she tries to prove to the other officals that she is in fact worthy of her title. Of course, it wouldn't be possible without the help of her friends along the way and, of course, the Emperor himself.
[CLANS]
There are 7 clans and 1 royal family in the world of Saiunkoku, each of which own a territory or province in their name. The first clan we encounter is the Kou Clan, Shuurei's family. The seven clans are Kou (red), Ran (indigo), Sa (brown), Ko (yellow), Koku (black), Haku (white) & Heki (green). The royal family is part of the Shi (purple) clan and rule over the capital city, Kiyou. Each clan has their own leader, who are almost all linked to Shuurei in some way:
Kou Renshin is Shuurei's uncle and the leader of the Kou Clan.
Sa Kokujun assumed position as head of the clan thanks to Shuurei's doing.
Shi Ryuuki is the Emperor and completely infatuated with Shuurei.
Heki Karin is leader of her clan thanks to Shuurei once more.
Other members of the clan and important supporters of Shuurei are:
Ran Ryuuren ("Soul friend")
Ran Shuuei (right hand to the Emperor)
(Kou) Li Kouyuu (adopted son of Renshin & right hand to the Emperor)
Kou Shoka (Shuurei's father)
Ko Kijin (former boss in the finance departement)
Shi Seiran (former crown Prince)
Shuurei is friends with at least one member of each clan, which most of them harbour feelings for her.
Each clan has their own specialty in Saiunkoku:
Ran clan --> Salt
Kou clan --> most powerful clan
Heki clan --> arts
Shi clan --> royalty
Sa clan --> merchants
Haku clan --> ?
Koku clan --> ?
Ko clan --> ?
[CHARACTERS]
Kou Shuurei: Shuurei is a bright, 16 year old girl who lets nothing stand in her way. She is determined and works hard to achieve her goals and is a source of inspiration to everyone around her. Shuurei lost her mother when she was young and so, was brought up by her father and Seiran alone. Shuurei has always been surrounded by men and so, she fears nothing of them. This trait helps her in her quest because she does not back down when confronted with less than helpful men on her journey.
Shi Seiran: Seiran is the former crown Prince of Saiunkoku, formally known as Shi Seien. When he was 12 years old, he won an important duel, which scared the Emperor (his father), and forced him and his mother to be exiled from the country. His father sent assasins after them to finish them off. Luckily, Seiran managed to escape death however his mother was not so lucky. Seiran was then found by a assasin's organization in Sa province and was trained by them for a year, where he also met Rou Ensei. He soon realized that he did not want to be a killing machine and so, escaped from them, only to be found by the Kou family. Shoka and his wife, Shokun, "adopted" him and gave him his current name of "Seiran", meaning "silent orchid" because he would not speak. Seiran has since then devoted his life to the Kou household and desires nothing more than to repay his debt towards this family. He is also extremely protective of Shuurei and follows her wherever she goes.
Shi Ryuuki: Ryuuki is the current Emperor of Saiunkoku, although much controverse was uncovered when he took the throne. Ryuuki always looked up to his older brother, Seien but when he was exiled, Ryuuki had no one left. Although he was from a large family, with many siblings, Seien was the only one who took interest in him and was kind. So, when Ryuuki was appointed as Emperor, he took the position only in the meantime, till his brother came back to claim his rights. however, Seien, now Seiran, had no desire to take the throne and left the duty to Ryuuki. Seiran knew that his half-brother had the power to run the country and did not want to block his potential. As for Shuurei, she was sent to the palace as a consort to help him become a good emperor. in the short time she was there, Ryuuki fell in love with her and has expressed his desire to marry her many times however, she always backs out of the possible relationship.
Rou Ensei: Ensei is Seiran's childhood friend, as they were both employed in Sa province by a group of assasins. Ensei is the only one who really knows Seiran's identity however, Seiran has threatened him in case he ever reveals this information to Shuurei. So far, Emsei has respected that wish and has remained silent. Ensei nicknames Shuurei "Hime-sama" or "Princess" because of her status in the Kou family but also, because he is very fond of her. Shuurei also loves Ensei very much and relies upon him a lot. Later on in the series when Shuurei becomes Govenor of Sa province, she works with Ensei to aid the Sa clan and she learns about Ensei's former job as a Govenor himself. Ensei decides much later that he will retake the Imperial exam and become Govenor once more, so that he can be of more use to Shuurei.
To Eigetsu: Eigetsu is the 1st ranked at the Imperial exam and the youngest person to have become Govenor. He is appointed the role as Sa province's Govenor along with Shuurei. Eigetsu was adopted when he was young by a villae doctor, whom he calls Doshou-sama. The doctor saved his life after having found him unconscious in the middle of the road. Doshou-sama soon realized that the child was going to die and so, made a deal with a spirit to save his life. The spirit would posses Eigetsu's body and give him a healthy life however, the time was limited and Eigetsu would not be able to live for very long. Also, Eigetsu is not to drink alcool, because it will bring out the other personnality (the spirit) and shorten his lifespan. And so, Eigetsu lived, and shared his body with Eigetsu, his counterpart. Doshou-sama soon died and left Eigetsu on his own however, the boy decided to live his life to the fullest, and honor Doshou-sama as much as he could.
Li Kouyuu: Kouyuu was adopted by Kou Reishin, Shuurei's uncle, and has been working at the palace as an official ever since. Kouyuu is bad with direction and has an awfull sense of direction and so, he always ends up lost inside the huge palace. Because of this, Kouyuu has a fiery personnality and loses patience quickly. However, Ryuuki trusts him greatly and has offered him the "royal flower" (a seal that he wears on his belt) , sign of his affection for the young man. Kouyuu honors this relationship and his always by Ryuuki's side. Kouyuu met Shuurei when she first became an official, as she worked in the same departement as him. Her uncle, Reishin, wanted Kouyuu to marry her and, for a while, he seemed to consider it. However, in the end, he chose not to betray Ryuuki's trust, and so, disobeyed his father for the first time. Reishin, although slightly disappointed, in the end was proud of his "son" for sticking to his beliefs.
Ran Shuuei: Shuuei is the second person to receive the "royal flower" from Ryuuki and to stay by his side. Shuuei's "flower" is his sword, which he carries with him everywhere. Shuuei is also a General in the royal army (Shogun) and is well loved by his entourage. He is well-known for his frivolous ways with women and is often reprimanded by Shusui, the first lady-in-waiting. Shuuei and Shuurei get along well, as both of them try their best to support the emperor. Shuuei often headbutts with Seiran, who thinks that he is not behind sincere towards his brother. Seiran whole-heartedly thinks that Shuuei can not be trusted, because of his ties to the Ran family.
Ran Ryuuren: Ryuuren is the genius of the Ran clan. He is said to be the brightess mind in the whole land however, the young man has no interest in exerting his mind. Ryuuren wants to travel freely around the world and so, he does not take anything seriously. He wears the most odd garments and carries a flute with him where ever he goes. Shuurei is the first person to whom he really opens up and so, he nicknames her "Sould friend #1". Ryuuren also wrote the Imperial exams and ended up in 3rd position, although he would have been able to make it to the 1st spot. He then meets Eigetsu, trough Shuurei, and decides to make him his "Souls friend #2". Shuurei & Eigetsu are the only two who can obtain anything from Ryuuren, as he only listens to them.
Shin Suou aka Tantan: Suou was enticed by his father to propose to Shuurei, in order to gain a noble rank. At first, he listens to his father and proposes to Shuurei, in the most unconventional way ever. Obviously, Shuurei refuses but somehow, Suou decides to stick around for a while. Even though he is uncooperative at first, he eventually warms up to Shuurei and tries to help her out as mush as he can. Suou and Seiran don't get along much ever since Seiran threw bamboo shoots at him for being uncooperative with Shuurei. Seiran decides to nickname him "TanTan-kun" because he carries a golden "tanuki" (racoon) with him. In exchange, Tantan nicknames Seiran the "scary retainer" and "the bamboo shooter".
The elusive Hyou Clan:
Hyou Riou: not much is known about the Hyou clan, apart from the fact that they are highly gifted with spiritual powers, handed down from mother to daughter. In this clan, men have no importance whatsoever and are ruled by women. Rio is the grandson of the current head of the clan and works in the palace as the youngest officer ever. Riou has never written the Imperial exam however, he as an enormous intellect and his also gifted with spiritual powers. Although his motives are unclear, he seems to have taken a liking to Shuurei and also to Ryuuki, as he often gives him advice on love. Riou looks like an adorable little boy but is in fact much older than what he looks. One of the powers of the Hyou clan is to remain young for a long period of time. His father, who appears to be os Ryuuki's age, is in fact 80 years old. Although Riou is not dangerous, his father is feared the most for his powers. He once visited Shuurei, for no apparent reason, which provoked great uneasiness on Seiran's behalf. He seems to be connected to both Seiran & Shoka's past.
[BONUS]
What do I mean by bonus? Well, here's a list of the seiyuu's (voice actors) for the charas of SM ... see if you recognize anyone ~___^
Kou Shuurei --> Kuwashima Houko
Shi Seiran --> Midorikawa Hikaru (Tamahome of Fushigi Yuugi)
Shi Ryuuki --> Seki Tomakazu (Kyo Soma of Fruit Basket & Chichiri of Fushigi Yuugi)
Li Kouyuu --> Hiyama Nobuyuki
Ran Shuuei --> Morikawa Toshiyuki (Conrad Weller? Maybe ? :P)
Hyou Riou --> Seki Toshihiko (Masahiro or Shonen Onmyouji)
Rou Ensei --> Itou Kentarou (Tsuchiura in La Corda d'Oro & Hiroki in Junjou Romantica)
To Eigetsu --> Nimikawa Daisuke (Ryan in KKM ^_^)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Right so, I think I've gone through most of the (important) charas X__X I'm going to stop here for today ('cuz I'm half-dead now XD) and I'll go into more detail tomorrow (spoils? Yessss~). Anywho, look forward to it ! :P
~S.K.~