Title: Saiunkoku Monogatari (彩雲国物語) Season 1
Scrumptious Meter: 4.5 (a.k.a. Next best thing to slice bread~ with a little extra sugar and spice on top :p)
Length: 39 episodes

And so I finally finished watching the first season… Decided to post about my final thoughts (and a review of some sort) regarding this wonderful anime~

The weaving of the Saiunkoku Monogatari from start to end was just great. Some events in the beginning (right from the first arc) which I didn’t pay much attention to, were unexpectedly connected to what was going to happen in the latter part of the story – all of which were pleasant surprises this anime has given me. Some people might find the pacing a bit slow, but fitting for this series overall.

There were many wonderful characters in this anime, but the center of it all was Shuurei. Throughout the series, we’ve seen how steadfast she was in terms of holding on to her dream, despite its impossibility. All that changed when she met Ryuuki, who grew to love her and paved the way for the realization of her dream of serving people as a government official. She gone through a bumpy road in the process of getting close to this dream of hers, in which she had to prove herself worthy of governing, despite being a woman. She might not have any special abilities or any such extraordinary skills, but her steadfast heart and her strong will to fight for what she believes in makes her more than worthy of the title bestowed her.

There were many key characters in the story, but let me just say what I think about Sakujun (which is also in response to what I posted about him before)

On Sakujun:

Despite the fact that I want Ryuuki for Shuurei, I’d admit that her encounter with Sakujun awakened her to many things and made mature even more. With the short span of time Sakujun appeared in Saiunkoku, he really grew on me. I mentioned before that I hated how Shuurei was attracted to Sakujun, but that’s all because I was wanting (and hoping) for more “Ryuuki impact” on her (or hopes for her to actually have strong feelings for Ryuuki too… coz I’m rooting for their pairing…). But given what we have seen regarding Sakujun, I find it not surprising how this guy can make such an impression on her… especially since he’s the first guy who has treated her that way (like some “beast” craving for her, showing her a different form of ‘love’… something like that). And with this comes Shuurei’s realization of the possibility that there are men who can treat her that way. This was actually the reason why she sort of “weakened” (as I mentioned before), in terms of dealing with Sakujun in the Chrysanthemum Manor… because she just didn’t know how to deal with it just yet. And well she overcame this and learned from this previous experience, as she has guarded her heart even more after that incident.

Undeniably, Shuurei was attracted to Sakujun, in the brief span of time they spent… which just makes me a little sad (as a Ryuuki x Shuurei supporter). But what saddens me more was seeing how Sakujun’s life ended. I found it really painful, pretty much the same way when I saw Suefumi (from Harutoki Maihitoyo movie) “die”, although Sakujun’s “death” was even more painful. It’s like, he finally realizes his feelings in the end, but comes to face the fact that there is no way for his life to go on but to end it (especially without Shuurei’s love) – which is why I think he made that last gamble in the end. He thought there was nothing (and no one) else he needs, but comes Shuurei… and Sakujun, for the first time in his life, found something (or someone) he truly desires to have, but was not within his grasp. And he comes to face this harsh reality the hard way (by gambling his own life).

There were just things left unexplained, especially with regards to the past history of Saiunkoku and what role Sho Taishi played in this. And there’s also the uncertainty as to who Shuurei will end up with. Hopefully, all these will be made clear in the second season

It’s just sad that it lacked in terms of animation quality and detail, compared with the artwork in the novels and the manga. But that’s just a minor thing, and doesn’t change the fact that this anime is great. We owe this all to Sai Yukino, the wonderful ‘weaver’ of the entire world of Saiunkoku.

(Now I am tempted to go read the novels… x__x)

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