Saiunkoku Monogatari (The Story of Saiunkoku)

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: The Tale of Saiun Country, Story of the Land of Many-Colored Clouds, Kokumono, Saimono, ColourCloud Palace

Japanese: 彩雲国物語

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Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 39

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Apr 8, 2006 to Feb 24, 2007

Premiered: Spring 2006

Broadcast: Unknown

Producers: NHK, Sogo Vision

Licensors: Funimation, Geneon Entertainment USA

Studios: Madhouse

Source: Light novel

Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Romance

Themes: Historical, Reverse Harem

Duration: 25 min. per ep.

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 7.90¹ (scored by 33,317 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #709²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #1888

Members: 88,495

Favorites: 1,081

External Links

Official Site, AnimeDB, AnimeNewsNetwork, Wikipedia

7.90

Ranked #709Popularity #1888Members 88,495

Spring 2006TVMadhouse

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Episodes: /39

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Synopsis

Shuurei Kou, the daughter of a noble yet impoverished family, is a clever young lady who dreams of becoming a government official and contributing toward her country. However, her dream is out of her reach as such a position is forbidden to women. While her father works a low wage job as an archivist at the palace, Shuurei has to juggle odd jobs to make ends meet. Then, one day, an unexpected visit changes her life.

Shuurei is called to assist Ryuuki Shi, the new emperor who is known for slacking on his duties and preferring the company of men. Tempted by the generous compensation, she readily accepts the chance to become the young emperor's consort for six months. Luckily, she is not alone as Seiran Shi, her trusty friend, joins her as Ryuuki's bodyguard. While tasked with transforming the new emperor into a responsible ruler, court life and politics prove troublesome as Shuurei faces the challenges of her new life.

Set in a fictional country, Saiunkoku Monogatari centers on the idea of meaningful leadership, its adversities and the rewards that come alongside a prospering nation.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Saiunkoku Monogatari
Sequel:	Saiunkoku Monogatari 2nd Season
Summary:	Saiunkoku Monogatari Recaps

Nakata, Kazuhiro
Japanese

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Staff

Shishido, Jun

Director

Sakoi, Masayuki

Episode Director

Ootani, Hajime

Episode Director

Yoshida, Reiko

Script, Series Composition

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Opening Theme

"Hajimari no Kaze" by Ayaka Hirahara

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Ending Theme

"Saikou no Kataomoi" by Sachi Tainaka

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Reviews

Feb 20, 2009

39 of 39 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 10

adamantine (All reviews)

217 people found this review helpful

Oh, Saiunkoku Monogatari. I will never understand why this show isn't more popular. But I digress.

Story: 10

At first glance, the plot may seem a bit shallow - a girl becomes the consort of a reluctant Emperor, let the silliness begin! - but wow does it become so much more. Essentially, Saiunkoku Monogatari is an engaging drama filled with political intrigue disguised as a simple reverse harem story. Even the simplest details connect to overall story and the plot becomes more and more developed as the show progresses.

Animation: 8

Not much to say here other than Saiunkoku Monogatari does have an overdose of bishies. Don't let read more

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Jun 22, 2007

39 of 39 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 8

jet2r0cks (All reviews)

124 people found this review helpful

Almost everyone who has seen Saiunkoku Monogatari has compared it to Fushigi Yuugi. Sure, there are similar elements, such as the ancient China setting, the characters\' appearance and of course the reverse harem. However, I think that the thing that links both series the most is that they\'re both really good.

The story focuses on Shuurei Kou, a resident of Saiunkoku. She dreams of becoming a government official and throughout the series, we see her chasing that dream, as well as juggling love, friendship and work at the same time.

I greatly admire Shuurei, as well as the other women characters in this series. She\'s definitely not like Miaka, personality-wise (she does look a bit like Miaka). She\'s smart, capable, and courageous; She carries with her all the virtues that women should have, and the story focused more on her qualities rather than her appearance (honestly, the boys are prettier than Shuurei). I believe that Saiunkoku Monogatari is one rare anime that portrays how women can make a huge difference in their societies. First you have Shuurei, who defied all odds and emerged superior in the end. There\'s also Sai Rin, who surpassed her male sibling and became one of the heads of the merchant alliance. There\'s Eiki, who refuses to have anyone tell her what to do.

Even with the slightly feminist theme, I do believe that Saiunkoku Monogatari can gain a male audience. The male characters are also very chivalrous and noble. My favorite would be Ensei and Seiran. Both of them are ready to give up their lives for the future of their loved ones. There\'s also Eigetsu, who is able to accomplish so much at such a young age. If you\'re not satisfied with that, there\'s always the chinese proverbs that are given in every episode (they double as episode titles).

Madhouse never fails to amuse me. I always say that anything Madhouse makes is automatically a must see for me. However, I am a bit disappointed this time. The animation for Saiunkoku Monogatari wasn\'t so impressive (but the last few episodes improved). I noticed that the movements weren\'t so smooth (Fight scenes need work), and I wasn\'t a fan of the color scheme either. It wasn\'t that bad, but it wasn\'t that good either.

Voice acting was very interesting. I actually had a chance to see clips of the voice actors working, and it was very entertaining to watch Houko Kuwashima (Shuurei) and Tomokazu Seki (Ryuuki). I think they did a very good job of portraying their respective characters\' personalities.

The music wasn\'t that impressive at first either, but in time I started to like it. I even had the lyrics to the opening and ending themes memorized. I guess I didn\'t like it too much because I usually prefer contemporary anime music, but it did fit the theme of the series very well. I think they even used Chinese instruments to produce the music.

Truth be told, I usually prefer anime series that are set in modern time and in the real world. The fact that it\'s set in ancient China threw me off at first, but by watching it I was able to see what a gem it really is. It was very entertaining, educational and even funny at times. Saiunkoku Monogatari was able to sway my preference because it is truly an inspiring tale and it should be seen by everyone (And I can\'t wait for the second season!).

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Jan 1, 2008

39 of 39 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 10

KuroiNamida (All reviews)

45 people found this review helpful

Many people say Saiunkoku Monogatari is like Fushigi Yuugi. I, however, find them very different. Fushigi Yuugi is more fictional and serious, while Saiunkoku Monogatari will almost always have you cracking up and is completely realistic. They do both have female main characters that work hard to achieve their goals though.
Speaking strictly about Saiunkoku Monogatari, there is an overall plot that contains many shorter stories within it. One of the best things about this series is that it seems spontaneous - one event leads directly to another. However, this shift is never fluid. There are always obstacles that the main character - Kou Shurrei - read more

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Aug 28, 2009

39 of 39 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 7

Venneh (All reviews)

44 people found this review helpful

TITLE: Saiunkoku Monogatari (The Story of Saiunkoku)

LIGHT NOVEL, ANIME: Saiunkoku Monogatari was originally a series of light novels written by Yui Sakino and illustrated by Kairi Yura. As of the time of this review, the series is still ongoing, with fourteen collected novels and three side story anthologies.

The anime adaptation of Saiunkoku Monogatari was directed by Jun Shishido (well-known for his work on Hajime no Ippou: New Challenger and as an episode director on Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad) and was produced by Studio Madhouse (well-known for their work on Death Note and Dennou Coil). It aired on Japanese TV from read more

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