Fantasy Dimensions

The Story of Saiunkoku (also known as Saiunkoku Monogatari, Tale of the Land of Colored Clouds, and the Tale of Saiunkoku 彩雲国物語) is a 39 episode anime that has a heavy Chinese influence and is a flowing drama the likes of which is rarely seen. Often we get a mix of Fantasy and Comedy as Genres or Fantasy and Drama, but rarely do we see a mix of Fantasy, Drama, Comedy, and Romance that is able to stick to all four genres perfectly. Saiunkoku Monogatari is one of the best drama animes to come out of Japan in awhile.

The story is very simplistic. Based on a rough Chinese style of government and architecture, all of the events in the anime happen in a fictional empire known as “Saikunkoku”. Although, you might as well call it Japan and China’s love child. It’s basically ancient China with Japanese influence mixed in. It has a governor, provinces, “great families”, ministers, and the rest of whole stereotypical Chinese Japanese government from long ago.

The main story focuses on a girl named Kō Shūre who is the “princess” of the Ko (or Kou) family. There are eight families and each is named after a color with Ko being Red (although a second Ko family, yellow, is a separate kanji: 紅for red and 黄, for yellow) and the emperor being Shi or purple. The drama comes from Shūre starting as the emperor’s consort which would be something like a wife to a monarch. The emperor being a lousy ruler and Shūre being a very smart girl from a high family (from a branch that is incredibly poor) would obviously make a good couple to prod the emperor (who apparently loves guys more than women) into doing his work.

The basic premise of the first arc is that Shūre is a daughter of someone who works in the imperial court (the library and doesn’t make much money but is very respectful posistion) in an estate that is broken down and in disrepair who works at the temple school and various odd jobs to make enough money. One of the sages come and offers 500 gold to become the emperor’s consort. The emperor is the result of a massive civil war and is very naive and wants to avoid working. She accepts and begins working in the palace, somewhere she wants to go as a real member of the government.

This is what you’ll see in most teasers from the anime but it gets much much more involved in this. The entire consort arc doesn’t last very long at all and the conclusion itself leads into bigger and better things. The drama mixes well with the comedy (often random and offbeat) while the Romance plays a thick role in helping the drama progress. The fantasy based world is well laid out and is perfect in many ways.

However, what isn’t perfect is the episode length. The first season, the one we’re reviewing, weighs in at 39 episodes. That’s about three seasons and some change worth of episodes. That’s fine and dandy and for the most part needed, however some arcs drag on and on. If you’re not a complete fan of drama the first few lighthearted arcs will still be able to tug you in but the final arcs may not hold you for the full ride.

For the start of the show I would say it’s fantastic. You’ve got a mix of comedy and drama that works out perfectly. The little quirks in each character’s behavior will drive you wild with affection for them. As each plot point moves forward and more is uncovered you’ll be drawn in close to each character’s depth. Even minor characters play a large role and you’ll know a good deal about each.

Towards the ending though you may start losing your ability to pay attention to each point. Like a good book that has gone a few pages too many you’ll want to see the conclusion of a story long before the final curtain is drawn and even then, this is a major spoiler, the love story isn’t finished. That’s right! There is a second season that awaits you which another 39 episodes before the story is finished.

Overall, if you’re a fan of drama and romance without minding fantasy atmospheres (who would) then this is a show for you. Comedy has a good place throughout the series, but it’s not a major focal point more than it’s something to keep the story light and fluffy. Not only that, but the majority of the comedy comes from overused jokes based on each character’s eccentric side. The father can’t make tea properly, one character is so wacky with his flute, and a certain uncle just loves his niece so much but doesn’t dare tell her that. It gets old fast and loses the humor, but it’s not annoying.

If you’re not there is still something for you. An epic somewhat lighthearted story that is very entertaining to watch. Some action is contained here and there but there is no focus. Even if romance isn’t your thing, the fantasy setting with light magic and some combat will still tug you in.

So in summary, Saiunkoku is brimming with vibrancy and depth. The story and the characters are laid out in a very colorful manner. The overall flow is very enjoyable although I would say it could be toned down a few episodes. Each episode is required to get the amount of depth that they have, but I think trimming some of the depth away to get through the main story faster wouldn’t be a downturn.

So for those of you who love drama anime I would highly suggest this. Those of you who love romance well I’ll suggest this as well. It’s one of the best drama shows you’ll find and shouldn’t be skipped. Fans of anything else - keep moving unless you’ve got an open mind for something that has the depth of a book without the reading.

Pictures!