Saiunkoku Monogatari: as easy to love as it is hard to pronounce

[dangermousie]

I think fenrir_khan just might be my newest favorite person.

Why?

Because Saiunkoku Monogatari, the anime recommended by her (at least I think you are a 'she,' am I right? You know you are an internet junkie when...:P) ATE MY LIFE. Or is about to do so.

It is everything I want in my anime, and so rarely find:
(a) gorgeous colors and fluid animation
(b) full of common-sense heroine who does NOT have a special destiny
(c) lots of hot boys. With pointy stabbity swords
(d) a fantasy period setting
(e) messed-up-beyond-measure pasts for male protagonists
(f) Shiny period clothes!
(g) ROMANCE!!!!!!

What is SM about? It is set in a fantasy realm that resembles medieval China somewhat. Our heroine, Shuurei, is persevering, intelligent, and highly born.

Here is Shuurei:



Normally, that would guarantee you a pretty decent life, but Shuurei's family, while full of noble blood, has fallen on hard times financially and is pretty darn poor. In fact, Shuurei helps ends meet by teaching and other jobs. It's not portrayed as anything particularly hideous for her or for the family, but it does open the door to our set-up.

Which is this: the Emperor's advisors are not so secretly feeling like tearing out their hair. The new Emperor, Ryuuki, who has been ruling for only half a year, shows no interest whatsoever in governance, or in doing much of anything, really. Not only that, but he doesn't even have the decency to marry properly and provide the country with an heir, and there are rumors that he prefers men and has no desire to venture outside that particular preference.

Here is Ryuuki:



Well, come hell or high water, they want to try to fix a situation in any possible way before a civil war breaks out, or some other country tries to invade them. So where can they find an arranged bride for Ryuuki that is both high-born enough to be acceptable and desperate enough to want to marry him!

BINGO.

Shuurei is offered an irresistable proposition: enter the palace as Ryuuki's intended bride. Teach him about governance at least to a degree where he does something (everyone knows Shuurei is super-brainy, activist one), and if it works in six months, Shuurei gets a peaceful divorce and a big fat wad of cash. And she doesn't have to worry about wifely duties as she is lacking the Y chromosome.

Shuurei accepts and enters the palace. At her side is her best friend, the family's sole remaining retainer, a mysterious young man who is silent about his past, named Seiran.

Here is Seiran:



Will Shuurei accomplish her task? (Answer: She is a go-getter heroine, what do you think?) Does Ryuuki really prefer men? (Answer: No. And this is not a spoiler, have you seen the shippy credits, people? But he does have ISSUES.) What is Seiran's past and his connection to Shuurei and Ryuuki? (Answer: Too good to spoil. But it involves ISSUES).

Let the awesomeness begin!



Our Heroine, from credits:



Ryuuki, showing off his ribbons:



SQUEE. Dangermousie is easy. This is when I decided I was going to like this:





Tee-hee at the bishonen:





And bishoujo:



Weapons! That's the spirit!



This is just pretty:





Heroine being all teacher-y. Now I am seeing her as the heroine from Capital Scandal :)



Woo-hoo, Seiran!



You go, girl!



Prettiness:



Grumpy heroine. Heeee.



It's hard to be an Emperor:



I have watched the first ep, which was awesome, and then in looking up info, caved in and read spoilers and OH MY.

OH MY.

I am SO excited.

Actually, if I had to pick who to ship Shuurei with, based on my usual 'most messed up woobie in need of a good woman,' I'd have a really hard choice. Luckily, this doesn't seem to be too much of a triangle. Yay.



Because OMG creepy creepy royal family and Ryuuki is actually the youngest of six half-brothers! Four of which killed each other and one of which was exiled for treason!

So he is NEVER having kids. Or wives. Oh noez. What a waste.

AND he was systematically abused as a child by his creepy family. Including his PSYCHO mother. Who he found floating face-down in a pond one day. And never even saw his father.

And the only person nice to him was his adored older brother Seien, the one who was exiled, and clearly the only sane member of the family.

And...

Did I mention that (no surprise, really), Seiran is really Seien??????????

YES.

Who was the best and most superior of the brothers, so the others schemed against him and exiled him and his mother was assassinated, telling him with her dying breath it would be better if he was never born (!!!)

And he joined a gang of bandits and then wiped them out. And Shuurei's family rescued him later, so now he is very grateful.

YES.

Oh, and Ryuuki falls for Shuurei at first sight but she is obviously oblivious and thinks he likes Seiran (which would be, seeing that they are brothers, even if Ryuuki doesn't know about the sibling thing) really really creepy.

She is all set to be his faghag, poor guy :)

YES.



Did I mention that both Seiran and Ryuuki are supposed to be super-awesome swordfighters?

And that there is a bunch of other cool characters?

It makes me think of Fushigi Yuugi a little (which is a mixed blessing for some on my flist, but I adored FY beyond measure. It's in my Top 3 anime). Only if Miaka had common sense and no destiny, and the story was much more Miaka/Hotohori. (I am a rabid Tamahome/Miaka shipper in FY but I adored Hotohori. Mock me about my literal hysterics when he died and I will ANNIHILATE you.) Mmmmmm...

And I end (being me), on a Ryuuki/Shuurei shippy vid. I don't think it's spoilery, but that's me.