WARNING!! If you haven't seen these series yet, and you do not wish to spoil it for yourself, don't read the review until you've seen it! This is a spoiler nest!

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Saiunkoku Monogatari anime Series

Story Details  |  Characters  |  Review

The Review

Overall Impression

At first glance, I felt the series would be something about China. But when I watched it, it turned out it was written in Japanese. Even so, there were many parts in the series that showed Chinese characteristics - such as the clothes the characters wore, the imperial palace which resembles the Forbidden City...in fact, it reminded me a lot of those Chinese soap operas my grandma and I used to watch haha.
Character-wise, I like the main character a lot. She's funny, witty, and has an innate desire for money - yeah, that last part may sound a little sour, but that's also the part I like most. Rather than creating this completely perfect character, she was given this understandable "flaw," so to speak - hey, who doesn't need money?
The other characters are interesting in their own ways too. The emperor isn't just a dumb prince who got the throne by accident - there's also a deep story behind his acting. There are also some officials at court, two old men, who were shown reminiscing about the old days when they were younger...which I thought was a beautiful way of reminding us that the elderly DID live at our age at one point in time. In some odd way, it comforted me to know that the artist did not only revolve the story around young people. There was a past that got us here too.

The Artwork

Distinctly Asian.
A lot of the art focuses on imperial and civilian culture - hair styles, robes, sashes, jewelry, buildings.... A lot of the art seems to reflect Chinese characteristics, especially the architecture of the Forbidden City.
Other than the unique cultural aspect, the art fits in with the typical popular anime style - too many handsome guys, pretty villain ladies and awkward-looking heroines.

The Music

Overall, the music is okay - I'd categorize it as a typical JPop style. Not too funky, but it has an old-fashioned touch to it.
I think the first one (the OP) does a better job as a theme song though. It has an inspirational tone that echoes the determined attitude that Shuurei keeps throughout the series.asf

• OP - Hajimari no Kaze
• ED - Saikou no Kataomoi

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Breaking It Down

The Good Points Pays unique attention to cultural styles A good source for wisdom quotes, if you're the type who likes those kinds of things Just enough romance, not gushy and overdone It's a feminist story, but it also doesn't dis the guys Though one of its main themes is politics, there is plenty of humor to make it enjoyable

The Bad Points Long and drawn out, destroying an excellent start with unnecessary scenarios