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The Story of Saiunkoku #1
The Story of Saiunkoku, Vol. 1
Reads R to L (Japanese Style), for T audiences.
Shurei Hong, destitute but of noble birth, has always dreamed of working as a civil servant in the imperial court of Saiunkoku, but women are barred from holding office. The emperor Ryuki, however, refuses to take command, leaving everything to his advisors. Shurei is asked to become a consort to the emperor to persuade the ne’er-do-well ruler to govern.
Shurei enters the palace as Ryuki’s consort, but he has yet to seek her out. It is rumored that men, not women, share the emperor’s bedchamber. Shurei must think of a way to stop the emperor from shirking his responsibilities, but she has to find him first!
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 26, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
July 27, 2015
Frankly, the only decent thing I can say about this book is that the art is lovely. The rest...debatable.
For one, everybody is beautiful.
No no, I don't think you fully get this: Every. Body. Is. Really. Freaking. Beautiful.
This wouldn't be much of a problem if all of them didn't look EXACTLY the same. All the men are pretty. All of them have long hair. All of their hair is light. All of them have heart shaped faces. ALL OF THEM HAVE ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME FACE AND BODY STRUCTURE.
That makes differentiating who is who just a liiiitle difficult. But that's not the only problem it brought. Because they all look the same, none of the names stuck.
Imagine you are in a room with about 50 people who look exactly the same. Now go around introducing yourself and asking their names. By the time you're greeting your 15 person, you are likely to have forgotten the names of the first 10 people. Then you go around calling everybody by their wrong name because there is nothing that makes them look different .
I think you get my problem now.
Coming to the characters, I remember the main character's name and how she looks because she was one of the only female with dark hair. Shuurei was fine as far as main characters go.
I don't remember any of the men, so I'm not going to risk going there.
Don't think I'll continue. I'm already hella confused, I don't want to completely befuddle myself.
For one, everybody is beautiful.
No no, I don't think you fully get this: Every. Body. Is. Really. Freaking. Beautiful.
This wouldn't be much of a problem if all of them didn't look EXACTLY the same. All the men are pretty. All of them have long hair. All of their hair is light. All of them have heart shaped faces. ALL OF THEM HAVE ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME FACE AND BODY STRUCTURE.
That makes differentiating who is who just a liiiitle difficult. But that's not the only problem it brought. Because they all look the same, none of the names stuck.
Imagine you are in a room with about 50 people who look exactly the same. Now go around introducing yourself and asking their names. By the time you're greeting your 15 person, you are likely to have forgotten the names of the first 10 people. Then you go around calling everybody by their wrong name because there is nothing that makes them look different .
I think you get my problem now.
Coming to the characters, I remember the main character's name and how she looks because she was one of the only female with dark hair. Shuurei was fine as far as main characters go.
I don't remember any of the men, so I'm not going to risk going there.
Don't think I'll continue. I'm already hella confused, I don't want to completely befuddle myself.
February 19, 2011
Of course I was biased to like this version of one of my favourite female empowering animes - which sadly got too little PR in the West due to Pioneer/Geneon suddenly vanishing from the anime publishers list in the US. I was quite grateful that Funimation finished the first series, but the second series was only available in fansubs - and I haven't heard of this world developing a strong fanbase, so I hardly think we shall get it in English.
There are many powerful shoujo heroines, but here you have a female josei heroine in an epic fantasy society, with (almost) a reverse harem eventually, trying to make her way in a man's world, man's society and man's job (eventually) just so her country can be healed and run better by the politicians/administration/civil servants.
She's female, so she appreciates and fosters relationships to get what she wants/to make others rethink their views. There's love on offer - of a paternal and filial nature which she delights in/ of a romantic nature which she worries might lead her astray from her aim of bettering the future - of being the strong support her friends need.
I adore Shurei and love the fact that the original illustrator of the light novel series took up the challenge to create the manga, because she knows the whole story so well and can still instil little points of emphasis that let me view certain developments in a new light.
There are many powerful shoujo heroines, but here you have a female josei heroine in an epic fantasy society, with (almost) a reverse harem eventually, trying to make her way in a man's world, man's society and man's job (eventually) just so her country can be healed and run better by the politicians/administration/civil servants.
She's female, so she appreciates and fosters relationships to get what she wants/to make others rethink their views. There's love on offer - of a paternal and filial nature which she delights in/ of a romantic nature which she worries might lead her astray from her aim of bettering the future - of being the strong support her friends need.
I adore Shurei and love the fact that the original illustrator of the light novel series took up the challenge to create the manga, because she knows the whole story so well and can still instil little points of emphasis that let me view certain developments in a new light.
August 25, 2016
I hadn't heard of this before. Even the anime. So I wondered how the manga would be after watching a bit of the anime, which is pretty good. And this volume, I kind of like it. Same with that art style. Characters are interesting or well, the ones that are introduced so far and its only the first volume. Good start though.
August 13, 2022
What a blast from the past, I have loved the anime and finally got to reading the manga, if only the novel was translated into English too
May 24, 2017
I loved this anime when I first watched it about 10 years ago and now I finally found the manga. The beginning is great and I fear a re-watch of the anime is in order, too.
April 7, 2014
Synopsis:
Shurei Hong, destitute but of noble birth, has always dreamed of working as a civil servant in the imperial court of Saiunkoku, but women are barred from holding office. The emperor Ryuki, however, refuses to take command, leaving everything to his advisors. Shurei is asked to become a consort to the emperor to persuade the ne’er-do-well ruler to govern.
Shurei enters the palace as Ryuki's consort, but he has yet to seek her out. It is rumored that men, not women, share the emperor's bedchamber. Shurei must think of a way to stop the emperor from shirking his responsibilities, but she has to find him first!
My Thoughts:
I've watched the first season of the anime of this series, so a lot of what I read here, I'd already seen before. Still, I'd been wanting to read the manga because stateside, we'd only got the first season of the show even though there are a few others past that one. I want to know if the manga goes further than that. Besides, it was a few years ago that I watched it, so I don't remember just how close Shurei and Ryuki get.
Shurei laments being poor, so when she's offered so much money to whip the Emperor into shape, she jumps at it. Of course, it isn't so easy in the beginning as it takes quite some time to even met him. It seems Ryuki has gone out of his way to avoid meeting those appointed to posts that he's supposed to work with. When Shurei does get to meet Ryuki, he's pretending to be someone else not realizing that she has already met this person. Still, they meet for tea often and get closer. Once Shurei tells him her story, he finally decides to start learning about governance.
As they get closer, Ryuki starts wanting a closer relationship with Shurei. He's a bit jealous that she speaks about her attendant Seiran so often. He decides he wants her to call him by his name from now on, but ends up falling asleep in her bed. As he's been known to only bed men, everyone is quite surprised when it's discovered that Shurei and Ryuki have spent the night together. Shurei is embarrassed, but Ryuki seems to have more than one reason for staying there. He's had nightmares for years stemming from his awful treatment as a child and it seems someone is trying to kill Shurei. She has no idea that Ryuki has been protecting her or that he's given "flowers" to Koyu and Shuei and enlisted their help. What will she do when she finds out? What will she do when she notices (like Shuei and Koyu have) that Ryuki isn't nearly as inept as he's made himself out to seem? I'm looking forward to finding out.
Shurei Hong, destitute but of noble birth, has always dreamed of working as a civil servant in the imperial court of Saiunkoku, but women are barred from holding office. The emperor Ryuki, however, refuses to take command, leaving everything to his advisors. Shurei is asked to become a consort to the emperor to persuade the ne’er-do-well ruler to govern.
Shurei enters the palace as Ryuki's consort, but he has yet to seek her out. It is rumored that men, not women, share the emperor's bedchamber. Shurei must think of a way to stop the emperor from shirking his responsibilities, but she has to find him first!
My Thoughts:
I've watched the first season of the anime of this series, so a lot of what I read here, I'd already seen before. Still, I'd been wanting to read the manga because stateside, we'd only got the first season of the show even though there are a few others past that one. I want to know if the manga goes further than that. Besides, it was a few years ago that I watched it, so I don't remember just how close Shurei and Ryuki get.
Shurei laments being poor, so when she's offered so much money to whip the Emperor into shape, she jumps at it. Of course, it isn't so easy in the beginning as it takes quite some time to even met him. It seems Ryuki has gone out of his way to avoid meeting those appointed to posts that he's supposed to work with. When Shurei does get to meet Ryuki, he's pretending to be someone else not realizing that she has already met this person. Still, they meet for tea often and get closer. Once Shurei tells him her story, he finally decides to start learning about governance.
As they get closer, Ryuki starts wanting a closer relationship with Shurei. He's a bit jealous that she speaks about her attendant Seiran so often. He decides he wants her to call him by his name from now on, but ends up falling asleep in her bed. As he's been known to only bed men, everyone is quite surprised when it's discovered that Shurei and Ryuki have spent the night together. Shurei is embarrassed, but Ryuki seems to have more than one reason for staying there. He's had nightmares for years stemming from his awful treatment as a child and it seems someone is trying to kill Shurei. She has no idea that Ryuki has been protecting her or that he's given "flowers" to Koyu and Shuei and enlisted their help. What will she do when she finds out? What will she do when she notices (like Shuei and Koyu have) that Ryuki isn't nearly as inept as he's made himself out to seem? I'm looking forward to finding out.
July 6, 2015
4 bintang
Baru nyadar ternyata komik ini harganya lebih mahal 5000 ketimbang komik m&c biasa dan ditag D di belakangnya. Awalnya mikir, jangan2 banyak adegan ngeres nan menjurus yang ga disensor. Atau karena ini reverse harem, maka banyak hint yaoi dimana - mana atau adegan yaoi beneran :v.
Tapi, nyatanya ngga :P. Tag dewasa buat komik ini masuk akal walaupun tokohnya benernya usia masih remaja (17an), karena isinya memang, surprisely butuh pemikiran. Ngga terlalu kerasa di vol ini, tapi bakal berkembang di volume selanjutnya. Baca Saiunkoku emang ngga bisa sekelebat karena selain kompleks, nama tokoh2nya juga bingungin x_x
Yah, si tokoh utama, Shurei emang rada - rada Mary Sue, almost perfect, dicintai banyak orang, dll. Enihoo, emang kayaknya itu ya trait shoujo heroine di manga - manga, apalagi yang sifatnya reverse harem. Tapi, dibilang harem pun ga tepat, karena yang suka Shurei aslinya cuma si Kaisar bloon sok ngaku gay, alias Ryuuki. Cowo - cowo yang lain kayak pengawal Shurei, Seiran, cuma nganggap Shurei adik dan nona yang harus dilindungi. Terus menteri Ryuuki kayak Shuei ma Kouyuu juga respek sama Shurei, bukannya naksir tuh cewek. Shureinya sendiri naifnya luar biasa dan pemikiran awal kenapa pengen jadi selir Ryuuki bukan karena pengen deketin kaisar, tapi gara - gara iming2 duit :)).
Jadi, ini manga dibilang romance juga bukan romance sih. Romancenya slow mendekati non-exist malah. Walau Shurei ini Mary Sue-ish, tapi kadar MSnya masih bisa ditolerir kok. She also one of strong heroine yang rada langka. Refreshing banget pokoknya baca manga ini, walau masih mesti ngapalin nama tokoh2nya :P
Kalau dilihat - lihat sepertinya versi light novelnya lebih kompleks lagi. Seandainya diterbitin juga di Indonesia...
Baru nyadar ternyata komik ini harganya lebih mahal 5000 ketimbang komik m&c biasa dan ditag D di belakangnya. Awalnya mikir, jangan2 banyak adegan ngeres nan menjurus yang ga disensor. Atau karena ini reverse harem, maka banyak hint yaoi dimana - mana atau adegan yaoi beneran :v.
Tapi, nyatanya ngga :P. Tag dewasa buat komik ini masuk akal walaupun tokohnya benernya usia masih remaja (17an), karena isinya memang, surprisely butuh pemikiran. Ngga terlalu kerasa di vol ini, tapi bakal berkembang di volume selanjutnya. Baca Saiunkoku emang ngga bisa sekelebat karena selain kompleks, nama tokoh2nya juga bingungin x_x
Yah, si tokoh utama, Shurei emang rada - rada Mary Sue, almost perfect, dicintai banyak orang, dll. Enihoo, emang kayaknya itu ya trait shoujo heroine di manga - manga, apalagi yang sifatnya reverse harem. Tapi, dibilang harem pun ga tepat, karena yang suka Shurei aslinya cuma si Kaisar bloon sok ngaku gay, alias Ryuuki. Cowo - cowo yang lain kayak pengawal Shurei, Seiran, cuma nganggap Shurei adik dan nona yang harus dilindungi. Terus menteri Ryuuki kayak Shuei ma Kouyuu juga respek sama Shurei, bukannya naksir tuh cewek. Shureinya sendiri naifnya luar biasa dan pemikiran awal kenapa pengen jadi selir Ryuuki bukan karena pengen deketin kaisar, tapi gara - gara iming2 duit :)).
Jadi, ini manga dibilang romance juga bukan romance sih. Romancenya slow mendekati non-exist malah. Walau Shurei ini Mary Sue-ish, tapi kadar MSnya masih bisa ditolerir kok. She also one of strong heroine yang rada langka. Refreshing banget pokoknya baca manga ini, walau masih mesti ngapalin nama tokoh2nya :P
Kalau dilihat - lihat sepertinya versi light novelnya lebih kompleks lagi. Seandainya diterbitin juga di Indonesia...
June 29, 2020
4.5/5 stars
The Story of Saiunkoku follows a young woman named Shurei, who comes from a poor family of noble birth. Her kingdom is ruled by a seemingly incompetent emperor, who does not want the throne. She becomes consort to the emperor and is tasked with motivating him to properly govern his kingdom.
After this first volume, I have some pretty high hopes for this series. Shurei is an extremely likeable and capable protagonist, and I love how intelligent she is. I'm also quite a fan of Ryuukihe reminds me a lot of Su-won, and I look forward to further exploration of his character. We had quite a few characters introduced in this volume and I'm interested to see what their roles will be in the story. As for the art, it's not my favourite, and I do really wish the male protagonists were more distinctive looking. There was more than one occasion where I got some of them confused. I find the characters and story compelling enough to look past this though.
Note: this manga is based off a collection of light novels and does not adapt them to completion. I've been warned it ends inconclusively, so that's something to keep in mind if you're interested in this series.
Blog | Instagram (main account) | Instagram (manga account) | Twitter
The Story of Saiunkoku follows a young woman named Shurei, who comes from a poor family of noble birth. Her kingdom is ruled by a seemingly incompetent emperor, who does not want the throne. She becomes consort to the emperor and is tasked with motivating him to properly govern his kingdom.
After this first volume, I have some pretty high hopes for this series. Shurei is an extremely likeable and capable protagonist, and I love how intelligent she is. I'm also quite a fan of Ryuuki
Note: this manga is based off a collection of light novels and does not adapt them to completion. I've been warned it ends inconclusively, so that's something to keep in mind if you're interested in this series.
Blog | Instagram (main account) | Instagram (manga account) | Twitter
December 5, 2015
Better than I had thought it would be. I like Shurei, but the story surrounding her just didn't grab me. The art is pretty, but the character designs are too similar overall. Better than average, and I have no doubt that this will find many devoted fans. Not sure I'm going to be one of them, though.
October 2, 2013
I fell in love with the anime version of this manga. The story is very well-written and full of intrigues and politics, along with the sensuality of blossoming romance.
May 7, 2018
When I picked up and read this volume, I didn't know this comic was based on a novel. That accounts for the unusually large amount of text per bubble ratio. (A nice change from many shojo manga, which can sometimes feel sparse in writing and development, generally speaking.) It also may explain the somewhat abrupt and mildly confusing plot shifts (if the manga author was assuming readers were already familiar with plot points from the novel.)
I like the cleanness of the art a lot, as well as the plot in general. Reminds me nostalgically of the first two Suikoden videogames; simple enough stories, Chinese-inspired elements mixed with Japanese media. I look forward to reading further volumes!
I like the cleanness of the art a lot, as well as the plot in general. Reminds me nostalgically of the first two Suikoden videogames; simple enough stories, Chinese-inspired elements mixed with Japanese media. I look forward to reading further volumes!
July 17, 2022
THIS IS SO CUTE JAHDQLIDJWISBDWOLAOXN
February 6, 2012
Ok, after rereading it for a second time...I'm ready to be nicer.
Again, it deserves it's two stars for drawings because it was honestly such a beautiful, beautiful, BEAUTIFUL thing to read. The pictures were so elegant and pretty. The illustrator really has so much talent in this area. The men are pretty, the women are pretty, and everything is just...perfect.
Now, after reading it again, I get a lot more of what the plot is supposed to be about. I'm not half as confused as I was before! So basically our main character has to travel to the Inner Court to be the consort of the emperor, who's really a torn-up guy inside. The plot itself, is very dramatic and really would make a good live-action drama, but paired up with the images, it's a wholesome little world unto itself.
The last star is because I think I judged it too harshly the first time. It's a very sweet book!!! I'm so glad I gave it another chance and liked it a whole lot better this time. It was comical when it was supposed to be and gave the air of seriousness when it was needed. Perfect. ^.^
Again, it deserves it's two stars for drawings because it was honestly such a beautiful, beautiful, BEAUTIFUL thing to read. The pictures were so elegant and pretty. The illustrator really has so much talent in this area. The men are pretty, the women are pretty, and everything is just...perfect.
Now, after reading it again, I get a lot more of what the plot is supposed to be about. I'm not half as confused as I was before! So basically our main character has to travel to the Inner Court to be the consort of the emperor, who's really a torn-up guy inside. The plot itself, is very dramatic and really would make a good live-action drama, but paired up with the images, it's a wholesome little world unto itself.
The last star is because I think I judged it too harshly the first time. It's a very sweet book!!! I'm so glad I gave it another chance and liked it a whole lot better this time. It was comical when it was supposed to be and gave the air of seriousness when it was needed. Perfect. ^.^
January 16, 2012
Okay, so the storyline really wasn't mind-blowingly awesome. Interesting, yes. But the artwork was gorgeous, and I'm just a flat-out sucker for beautifully drawn manga. Or perhaps just beautifully drawn manga men. I'm not sure which. Whatever the case, I loved the characters and the artwork enough to be spell-bound.
Read
October 11, 2011In which a destitute but idealistic young noblewoman becomes the emperor's consort in order to persuade him to take on the responsibility of actually governing. (Re-read 10/10/11 to refresh memory.)
February 14, 2016
What a lovely book. Wonderful art, touching and often funny story... I loved the anime and I'm loving the manga!
May 28, 2017
hard to follow, a lot of unnecessary dialogue
i'd probably read more eventually just out of curiosity but my least favorite in the shojo beat series so far
i'd probably read more eventually just out of curiosity but my least favorite in the shojo beat series so far
November 26, 2020
This review is for all 9 volumes.
I had very little idea of what this was about, other than it was recommended for fans of shoujo fantasy, and the cover hinted at adventure in a vaguely historical setting. While this is set in a fictional East Asian country, it is more like historical fiction than fantasy. The story follows Shurei Hong, a teenager of noble birth whose dream is to become a civil servant, but as this path is forbidden to women, she instead works as a teacher as well as an assortment of odd jobs to keep her dilapidated house from collapsing. When she is offered a significant amount of money to join the inner court and whip the emperor into shape, she agrees, and enters a world of powerful beautiful men.
I got a bit of whiplash from reading this. At the beginning, the setting points towards a romance story, but thankfully, Shurei is not particularly interested in marrying and while the possible love interests keep appearing, that is not the focus. Not much happens for a few volumes - we get plenty of comedy with the characters interacting with each other peppered with some palace intrigue, until the stakes finally amp up, and then it all ends, without a real resolution. It feels like this is the prologue of a much grander story.
While the ending was not particularly satisfying, I really enjoyed Shurei's personal growth and her struggle to cement her place in a man's world. Volume 8 was beautiful. Some of the other characters were quite interesting, although the art made it hard to tell some of them apart. And the comedy does shine with several laugh out loud moments.
I had very little idea of what this was about, other than it was recommended for fans of shoujo fantasy, and the cover hinted at adventure in a vaguely historical setting. While this is set in a fictional East Asian country, it is more like historical fiction than fantasy. The story follows Shurei Hong, a teenager of noble birth whose dream is to become a civil servant, but as this path is forbidden to women, she instead works as a teacher as well as an assortment of odd jobs to keep her dilapidated house from collapsing. When she is offered a significant amount of money to join the inner court and whip the emperor into shape, she agrees, and enters a world of powerful beautiful men.
I got a bit of whiplash from reading this. At the beginning, the setting points towards a romance story, but thankfully, Shurei is not particularly interested in marrying and while the possible love interests keep appearing, that is not the focus. Not much happens for a few volumes - we get plenty of comedy with the characters interacting with each other peppered with some palace intrigue, until the stakes finally amp up, and then it all ends, without a real resolution. It feels like this is the prologue of a much grander story.
While the ending was not particularly satisfying, I really enjoyed Shurei's personal growth and her struggle to cement her place in a man's world. Volume 8 was beautiful. Some of the other characters were quite interesting, although the art made it hard to tell some of them apart. And the comedy does shine with several laugh out loud moments.
October 26, 2019
First off the art is gorgeous and the backstory are fascinating (based on a Chinese tale I think, though the characters are Japanese). The main storyline is easy to understand. A down on her luck noblewoman, Shurei the daughter of the state archivist, is a teacher and is selected by a member of the ruling council to assist the newly minted emperor in properly ruling. He is 19 and she is 16. She is getting paid a lot of money to do this and plans on using the money to restore her family's home, which has been falling apart for years thanks to her father's bad management and rotten luck (well that and his job is more ceremonial than actually paying well, despite working for the empire). What she doesn't plan on is slowly falling for the emperor Ryuki, who is basically like a small frightened child on one hand (the way he treats her) and a clever calculating man on the other hand (the way he treats his retainers). My problems with the story come in the way the illustrator has created the four main male characters: the emperor, the general, his bodyguard/tutor, and Shurei's former bodyguard and friend. They all look alike, esp the blond ones. But the males in the story are trying to make sure the emperor is on track and I think there may be some twists and upcoming turns, like Seiran (Shurei's bodyguard/Emperor's guard) may actually be the emperor's exiled brother. We'll see what else happens in the next volume. Recommended for ages 15+, 3-1/2 stars.
September 4, 2025
Review for volume 1-4:
Though I know the classics, I read few shoujo stories, preferring more action oriented tales. However, this one is deeper than expected, but court level intrigue behind each characters actions. Expecting not to like it much, I was pleasantly surprised!
Shurei is the daughter of a noble but destitute house. She knows how to use her hands and brain, because any servants gave long since deposited. Beside Seiran, that is, the young man with memory loss who was taken in by her father when both were still young.
The story begins with a lucrative offer to come to the palace - to teach the young emperor some responsibility! Of course Shurei did not expect that to be in the temporary role of consort or for the young emperor to actually fall for her.
Most side characters are most interesting than our lead, which isn't bad. She is the tool through which the story gets told, but we meet some colourful individuals on her journey.
Part 1+2 wrap up the first story and could be read together standalone. Part 3 explains some of the motivation and reputation (as a lover of men) of the emperor. Part 4 feels the lesser of these, but furthers the plot by allowing women to take the state exam. In total there's 9 volumes.
Though I know the classics, I read few shoujo stories, preferring more action oriented tales. However, this one is deeper than expected, but court level intrigue behind each characters actions. Expecting not to like it much, I was pleasantly surprised!
Shurei is the daughter of a noble but destitute house. She knows how to use her hands and brain, because any servants gave long since deposited. Beside Seiran, that is, the young man with memory loss who was taken in by her father when both were still young.
The story begins with a lucrative offer to come to the palace - to teach the young emperor some responsibility! Of course Shurei did not expect that to be in the temporary role of consort or for the young emperor to actually fall for her.
Most side characters are most interesting than our lead, which isn't bad. She is the tool through which the story gets told, but we meet some colourful individuals on her journey.
Part 1+2 wrap up the first story and could be read together standalone. Part 3 explains some of the motivation and reputation (as a lover of men) of the emperor. Part 4 feels the lesser of these, but furthers the plot by allowing women to take the state exam. In total there's 9 volumes.
July 27, 2024
I had first come across Saiunkoku Monogatari in anime form during my early teens. It's hardly one I have seen spoken about growing up. There's still a deep emotional attachment to this story and I recall having feelings of immense sadness when I think of it. It's one I never got to complete and I lived on accepting that fact.
Saiunkoku was one of my first introductions to learning briefly about feminism and independence. Shurei's battle to become the first female civil servant in a court of politics, was highly motivating to witness and stood as a form of empowerment. She was trapped in patriarchal society and constantly worked to make herself known as a worthy candidate, to be enough for the laws to change. I was besotted by her drive. Teen me was thriving.
I am, however, a little thrown that the manga is a little choppy. Which makes sense as this is based off a novel. We won't get to see everything illustrated to the degree that the anime gave us. But I'll proceed regardless.
Saiunkoku was one of my first introductions to learning briefly about feminism and independence. Shurei's battle to become the first female civil servant in a court of politics, was highly motivating to witness and stood as a form of empowerment. She was trapped in patriarchal society and constantly worked to make herself known as a worthy candidate, to be enough for the laws to change. I was besotted by her drive. Teen me was thriving.
I am, however, a little thrown that the manga is a little choppy. Which makes sense as this is based off a novel. We won't get to see everything illustrated to the degree that the anime gave us. But I'll proceed regardless.
November 25, 2017
Not bad. I'm interested in where this manga is going.
It's obvious that the artist is a huge Chinese history nerd. The mc had more costume changes than necessary, but I'm not complaining about it (in fact, the art is the best part of the manga).
I think there were certain parts that jumped around too much. Like non-specific time passing on one page. Or how the emperor's motivation/personality changed drastically over 4 pages or so.
Some pages had too much text. I'm 0% surprised to learn that this is based off a book.
It's obvious that the artist is a huge Chinese history nerd. The mc had more costume changes than necessary, but I'm not complaining about it (in fact, the art is the best part of the manga).
I think there were certain parts that jumped around too much. Like non-specific time passing on one page. Or how the emperor's motivation/personality changed drastically over 4 pages or so.
Some pages had too much text. I'm 0% surprised to learn that this is based off a book.
January 16, 2021
I have no recollection of putting this on my list or why I wanted to read it, but I decided to pick it up as I'm trying to read things that have been on my TBR for a few years. I nearly gave up at the beginning because I was fairly confused. The art is very nice, but several of the male characters look really similar, so it was hard to tell them apart. And there was a lot of info at the beginning. I felt lost for probably the first half. But since manga are quick reads, I pressed on, and it got better. By the end, I was enjoying it and could see the potential in the series. I'm not sure yet if I will continue with it because I've read that the manga doesn't have much of a resolution. I might be interested in the light novels, but I'm not sure they've been translated into English.
June 8, 2018
I have been wanting to get back in this world forever from the anime and i am so glad i did. This manga had a fantastic art style a fresh start to a series and once i got the panels down easy to read. If you are wanting to pick this up as your first manga you can though there are a couple of parts you may need to get some help with the panels. But i love the characters the story and art style immensely so overall i review this manga a 4.5 out of 5 stars because of the panels but also because i wanted more!!! It could be because i dont know where manga tends to cut off but in this case it left me wanting more than usual. I recommend reading this and reading manga its amazing.
December 29, 2025
Ah man, this manga. Back then, as a child, I would sift through my sister's bookshelf whenever I was bored. But of course, being a kid, I didn't understand words much, so I resorted to one of the only "pictures stories" she had: The Story of Saiunkoku and Naruto (which was actually my brother's).
She only had one volume, and I always came back to this manga again and again. So much so I probably could tell you what happened in this volume by heart.
Sadly, I forgot the name of this manga, and I only now remembered it (after seeing shogun lol). It brings back memories, and no matter how many times I've read this, it never gets old.
Cheers to me, I finally get to see past this volume.
She only had one volume, and I always came back to this manga again and again. So much so I probably could tell you what happened in this volume by heart.
Sadly, I forgot the name of this manga, and I only now remembered it (after seeing shogun lol). It brings back memories, and no matter how many times I've read this, it never gets old.
Cheers to me, I finally get to see past this volume.
December 30, 2018
Apparently, this was originally a novel without the pretty pictures. It is interesting to have such a bait and switch with the main male character to find some companionship in the arms of his Noble Consort. Even though we wouldn’t want to give too many ideas about a man and a woman sleeping in the same bed together, Ryuki calls her his “wife” which seems a little odd without an official ceremony. Okay, I spoiled it a little, and for that, I’ll put the spoilers thing up on my review. More thoughts could be forthcoming as I continue this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2018
This series is one of my favorites. The rating is for the overall series since I can’t recall particulars about each specific book.
The main character is strong and likable. She is extremely hardworking as she tries to earn her place in a profession that is traditionally only available to men. Although there are underlying romantic tensions with multiple possible love interests, the focus for me was her journey as she pushed against societal expectations and glass ceilings.
The main character is strong and likable. She is extremely hardworking as she tries to earn her place in a profession that is traditionally only available to men. Although there are underlying romantic tensions with multiple possible love interests, the focus for me was her journey as she pushed against societal expectations and glass ceilings.
January 23, 2022
This book was so so SO much fun reading!
The characters are fleshed out and immediately feel genuine to the reader, and the plot is fun and easy to follow along with. I'm sure there will be many complications down the road (this is a court-based story, after all), but I'm excited to see how our main characters overcome each obstacle and how it affects those around them.
Highly recommend this manga to anyone even remotely interested!
The characters are fleshed out and immediately feel genuine to the reader, and the plot is fun and easy to follow along with. I'm sure there will be many complications down the road (this is a court-based story, after all), but I'm excited to see how our main characters overcome each obstacle and how it affects those around them.
Highly recommend this manga to anyone even remotely interested!
September 13, 2023
This manga mashes up folklore and history. The artist worked with the author of the tale to try and catch the nuance of characters and the emotional depth. The text on occasion seems to overwhelm the art--but that might be a factor of this being the initial or setup volume. Some of the upcoming plot points seem predictable for the genre but it does well to build interest in the main characters so that we will care about their future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2024
I love this series because of the wonderful characters, humor, and the intensive research in the worldbuilding for this series that it is based upon - China. The main protagonist, Shurei Hong, is strong, independent, and has willpower. The only problem is that the manga shows the first half of Season 1 and does not delve into the Sa/Brown Province Arc. While that may be problematic to die-hard fans, I don't find it bothersome.
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