 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | GENEON ENTERTAINMENT | | | ▪ | ASPECT RATIO: | | 16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN | | | ▪ | AUDIO: | | ENGLISH AND JAPANESE DD 2.0 | | | ▪ | RUNNING TIME: | | 125 MIN | | | ▪ | RATING: | | 13UP | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 08/28/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 08/24/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | HOLLY ELLINGWOOD |
A new fantasy series that is sure to have fans of Fushigi Yuugi stand up and take notice, The Story of Saiunkoku is a wonderful anime series about an intelligent girl in a medieval time who wins the heart of not only a king, but a country.
Set in the lush background of the imperial palace, Shurei is a girl who comes from a noble yet poor family. She is a hard worker with a kind heart who always dreamed of becoming a civil servant, but the government exam may only be taken by men. She had to give up that dream, or so she thought when an unforeseeable set of circumstances sees the youngest son of the royal family on the throne and his wise men seeking an unusual and covert tutor for the new king – Shurei. To keep her cover, she must live the life of his royal consort to remain as his tutor and help the young king rule his country and restore his kingdom to greatness. Nothing, however, is ever easy in Shurei’s life. The king is rumored to be stupid and lazy. He is even called “The Stupid King” by some of his closest subordinates. There are even rumors that he is gay. Surrounded by many beautiful men who serve him in both military and administrative positions, Shurei believes the last rumor may well be true. Little is as it seems however, and Shurei is about to embark on an epic adventure within the palace walls. Saiunkoku, like Fushigi Yuugi, is a longer more involved series that spans 39 episodes and a second season in the works. Based on the popular novels by Sai Yukino and following manga series artistically rendered by Kairi Yura, Saiunkoku is a wonderful fantasy with engaging comedy, charming characters, and an involving story. The kingdom had seen some hard times and the people suffered. It’s up to Shurei to help open her king’s eyes to the world outside the palace and to take more responsibility in his role as leader. Yet Saiunkoku is very much a story within a story. It could simply have stayed a charming romance about a tutor and her king falling in love. Instead Shurei learns the “Stupid King” may not be so stupid, and like her, has a past filled with hardships as well. He has a bodyguard named Seiran who was taken in by Shurei’s family years ago, but what is his story? And there there are the king Ryuki’s subordinates. The womanizing and sly Shuei and the hot headed Koyu. Shurei’s influence on the men around her is as impacting on them as it is on the king. Just how will theses various handsome men react as the king and Shurei grow closer? The rumors about Ryuki’s nocturnal habits may also be quite false, but serves a lot of comedy with the misunderstandings it produces whenever Shurei walks in on him with another man and she mistakes the interactions. Also Kyuki seems quite displeased when the various men around him get overly familiar with his consort/tutor. Could it be jealousy? The first volume covers Shurei’s circumstances and her reasons for taking this odd job, her introductions to the various palace staff, the ruler Ryuki, and their growing bond. The show also touches upon issues of political unrest in the country. There is a poisoning attempt and some backroom politics that take place. One of the best aspects about Saiukoku is how it blends a number of themes into one seamless story. Romance, politics, fantasy, drama and comedy, all are contained within the series and the story moves from one to the other effortlessly to create one of the most entertaining fantasy adventures to have hit anime in a long time. The art is as charismatic as the story. The character designs are attractive and show some intricate designs with the hair and wardrobes at items to impart the sense of being in an ancient land and a royal palace. The backgrounds are warm. The art style stays very true to the original art work of Kairi Yuka. The score is one of the more diverse of any of this type of fantasy genre that I’ve had the pleasure of hearing. It’s very high quality involving different flutes and woodwinds to larger orchestral pieces and appealing opening and ending theme songs. EXTRAS:
Bonus features include Geneon previews and clean opening animation. IN SUMMARY:
Saiunkoku is the next Fushigi Yuugi. It’s a wonderful new fantasy series that will steal you heart. Saiunkoku is a wonderful adventure with heart warming romance, engaging comedy, touching drama, and charming characters.
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