Forum - View topicREVIEW: The Story of Saiunkoku GN 1-3
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neocloud9
 Posts: 1178 Location: Atlanta, GA |
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YES. Saiunkoku's one of my favorites from the past few years. I really hope the second season of the anime gets licensed by someone eventually...
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tuxedocat
 Posts: 2183 |
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Given that the series belong to the giant, bureaucratic, entertainment behemoth that is Geneon/Universal, I have low hopes of ever seeing the second season of the anime get licensed over here.
 Hopefully, the manga will sell enough that I will be able to find out how it continues/ends.
In any case, I'll keep buying it for as long as Viz keeps publishing it... |
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Cryssoberyl
 Posts: 241 |
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I haven't looked into the manga yet, but the anime is one of my favorite of all time. As a strong, intelligent female main character, Shurei is a triumph, and the plot is truly interesting. If only there had been enough of it to finish the story...
spoiler[(Oh, and if you think Shurei's dad is nothing but a "space cadet librarian", you've got another thing coming...)] Last edited by Cryssoberyl on Fri Jul 01, 2011 2:08 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Princess_Irene
ANN Associate Editor
 Posts: 2656 Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City |
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Oh, I know.  It happens in volume 2, if you're curious. I couldn't bring myself to mention it in the review for fear of massive spoilering, but it's one of my favorite plot points.
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CCSYueh
 Posts: 2707 Location: San Diego, CA |
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Why I have been despairing of my daughter's generation. Jeez! So gals can't read Doonsbury or political satire? Jon Stewart has no female viewers? All the gals in Colbert's audience are dragged there by guys? Back about 5 yrs ago people pitched this as 12 Kingdoms without the alternate world stuff like being born on trees which made me interested in it because 12K is wonderful. Yes, is is much more a romance than 12K, but if anime fans can follow Death Note & Ghost in the Shell, why CAN'T they follow Saiunkoku? Gals can't like complex universes? We can only read vapid romances & stories that are uber-cute? I don't see the "politics" getting deeper, either. The Political Intrigue increases, but isn't Hetalia all about politics? I learned a lot from Hetalia footnotes & cross-referencing info off the net about that title. I love that history geek side to Hetalia. Kidnapping, murder attempts, but we see that in dozens of other titles, don't we? |
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tuxedocat
Posts: 2183 |
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I don't think that is what she meant. I think she was making a comparison with all the reverse-harems adapted from dating sim games that are around right now. |
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Princess_Irene
ANN Associate Editor
Posts: 2656 Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City |
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Wow. CCSYueh, I'm sorry it came off sounding like I didn't think girls would enjoy this because of the politics! That wasn't my intention at all - I was thinking more of people who prefer action and romance to intrigue, specifically the few I have talked to who were bored to tears by the anime. As a member of AAUW (American Association of University Women), I very much hope girls are interested in politics.
EDIT: Yes, TuxedoCat, that's what I was going for. 
(Note: I like vapid romances from time to time, but I'm not a big fan of uber-cute.) |
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Crisha
Moderator
 Posts: 4290 |
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^That's pretty much how I read it as well. I've read quite a few complaints about the anime, a majority revolving around how boring/slow it is and the lack of romance - some viewers don't like Shuurei's apparent lack-of-interest/asexuality towards Ryuuki's advances.
The Story of Saiunkoku is a character-growth story driven by the motivations of the large cast of characters (with a strong focus being on Shuurei and Ryuuki, of course). As such, it's similar to many sports drama manga, where the characters train hard to achieve goals and deal with a lot of crap along the way. Except since SoS takes place in a political climate, there is less action involved in order for the characters to "get stronger". For example, after Shuurei and Eigetsu pass the exam and begin their training to be court officials, their tasks of cleaning the bathroom floors and polishing shoes is the equivalent to the harsh training regimen Hiromi undergoes to become a great tennis player in Aim for the Ace! (Insert any other similar examples) I love SoS. I was first drawn into the series by the setting (which isn't all that surprising since The 12 Kingdoms and Moribito are in my top 10 favorite anime), and I stayed for Shuurei (and other characters, but mainly Shuurei). The occasional romance is nice, but it's the characters working towards their goals and overcoming issues that block their path that keeps me invested. And having it focus around a political climate is interesting. I do have one thing to point out about the review, which was for the most part great. You mention that the anime is more accessible than the manga, which isn't so true anymore (unless if you're including the fansubs in your comments, but I'm assuming you mean legally). Funi's license has expired and series is pretty hard to find now for a good price. I actually am only a very recent fan since I bought it back in April (or was it May?). It was during that month where all reasonable prices for the complete collection disappeared, and I was forced to buy the series as the 3 separate release boxes (which totalled just above $100). So... not as easily accessible anymore. EDIT: Oh wait, do you mean accessible as in easier to follow along rather than ease of availability? Well, if you mean that then forget what I said. |
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Princess_Irene
ANN Associate Editor
Posts: 2656 Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City |
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Willag, I did mean in terms of easier to follow.
(I realized about, oh, twenty seconds after it got posted that I really should have phrased that differently. Ah well.) I will always regret that I didn't buy the anime when it was cheaper!
I also like your sports show comparison. I hadn't thought of it in that way, but you make a good point. |
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Cryssoberyl
Posts: 241 |
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Whereas that's exactly why I did like it. Finally a woman in anime who does not consider romance to be the raison d'etre of her sex. Rather, she is determined to push her society to accept her and all women as professionals whose passion and capability to improve the lives of the kingdom's citizens is as strong as any man's. During the scenes at the end of the first season, spoiler[where she is holding forth to the court about her economic vision for the province], I was misting up with pride. |
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CCSYueh
Posts: 2707 Location: San Diego, CA |
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Why would I not get that impression? You make politics sound like a bad word. As a 51 yr old mother of a soon to be 21 yr old, I know full well my daughter glazes over somewhat when I talk "politics", but she DOES like Stewart & Colbert. She has been exposed to Doonesbury. She doesn't watch Keith Olberman or Rachel Maddow or Fox News, but she is familiar with general politics. THAT is politics. Saying SoS is about politics is like saying Hoshin Engi is about politics. Death Note is about politics (Light setting up his new world order). Code Geass is about politics. Revolutionary Girl Utena is about politics (school politics, but politics). See what I'm saying? Story of Saiunkoku is about a girl who dreams of making life better for those around her. That's politics? (Community organizing, maybe) To make things better for those around her of course she has to change the world that allows these things to happen. She could settle for less, but she wasn't brought up that way so she is the one who carries the seed of revolutionizing the world she exists in. She's very much what I grew up around, a time where young people believed they could change the world. She doesn't wait around hoping things will get better. She doesn't "ooo" or gush because Ryuki is royalty. She doesn't titter or giggle or make nice, pleasant empty conversation.
This is a harem title. I fricken cried when a certain someone died (3 times. I hate when a stupid story makes me cry) just because someone wouldn't make him tea. (Not such a nice girl, is she?). I loved the line about women being strong when the men were off to her rescue & I love the earlier line about makeup as warpaint. I know that environment where women are perceived as soft & not equal to men. I swear we will not have a female president of the US for at least a decade, maybe more, until the older generation (like my late mother-in-law) of women who hate other women die out (She actually said she would never vote for a woman "I'm a woman. I know what they're like") So am I sensitive to female sexism? Yeah. I've grown up with it. We all are familiar with the typical "guys play rough" sexism I fought all my daughter's childhood, but the catty little competitive sexism between gals is still out there & usually not talked about. So when you say "Simply put, this is a story about politics", why would I not assume you are suggesting gals can't enjoy politics? Hells bells, what's Scarlet Pimpernel? OBSCENELY romantic (kissing the ground his wife just walked on?) while we get Sir Percy saving nobles from the Guillotine during the French Revolution. I was about 15 when I plowed through that one. Don't we often get a smattering of politics in historical romances? Uber cute has it's place, but I'm more Bambi Meets Godzilla. |
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wyntre_rose
 Posts: 111 |
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I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that maybe the reason that the "politics" in SoS need to be so carefully pointed out - to the point to where it is used as a negative - is the fact that anyone who sees any still shot from this anime (and I'm only familiar with the anime, so please forgive me for bringing that up during the manga discussion) with the impossibly good-looking guys with the pretty pastel hair, are going to think "fluffy, gentle reverse harem title" aka La Corda D'oro, Neo Angelique Abyss, Miracle Train or, if the first episode is any indication, this season's Uta no Prince-sama.
And if the fluffy, gentle reverse harem title is what you're in the mood for, SoS isn't really going to scratch that itch. Sure, there are twinklings of romance here and there - and they are beautifully done - but if the romance is all you are looking for, you are going to be severely disappointed. Shuurei isn't the typical "average, milquetoast self-insertion character that anyone can relate to because she really isn't anything special, but somehow every gorgeous guy she comes across instantly falls for her" that reverse harems usually have. She's got a backbone, and she's got a brain, and though she's just as selfless as most reverse harem heroines, she's got the gumption and hard work ethic to back it up. And the impossibly gorgeous guys that are falling for her seem more like a distraction to her than anything else. Which, if you are looking for a fluffy, gentle romance, is going to potentially be infuriating. Maybe it's just me - I happen to find reverse harems a deliciously guilty pleasure, and I gravitate towards them, even if I'm sure they are probably not going to be anything more than bubble gum school girl fantasies - but when I first started looking in to SoS, I was definitely expecting something very different from what I got. I happened to love it, but it did come as a bit of a shock, because it gave the impression of being just like the other titles I mentioned above at first glance. So I guess what I'm trying to say is this: maybe the reason Rebecca mentioned the deeply political storyline as a negative is because at first glance, SoS doesn't look like it would have anything to do with a young girl working her way up into the political realm of her country by hard work and sacrifice. It looks like an adaptation of a dating sim. And if a dating sim adaptation is what you want...the "politics" just may be a negative. |
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