A last look at Shurei’s family and friends before we wish her goodbye and good luck!
Creative Staff
Story: Sai Yukino
Art: Kairi Yura
Translation/Adaptation: Su Mon Han
What They Say
While Shurei is receiving her assignment from the emperor, her father Shoka is visited by his younger brother Kuro. Kuro believes Shoka fled the Hong clan to shirk his duty as leader and remains ignorant of his older brother’s dark past…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
This is the final volume of The Story of Saiunkoku’s manga adaptation. Those hoping for declarations of love or a glimpse of what the future holds for Shurei are going to be disappointed. This volume is a collection of side stories focusing mostly on some of the more obnoxious characters in the cast, and filling in the reasons for their behavior. The few fans of the anime will get the most out of the side stories, as they provide interesting details and backstory that didn’t make it into the TV show. Everyone else is probably screaming in frustration.
The first short story fills in details of Shurei’s father’s childhood, and it paints a dark picture of how the Hong clan operated before Kuro became head of the family. Most of this intrigue isn’t touched upon in the manga, and it probably only becomes important later on in the novels.
The longest short story in this volume is also one of the silliest. Shurei and Eigetsu are having a hard time dealing with the eccentric Ryuren and his awful flute playing. Ryuren was supposed to be the jewel of the Ran clan, but like most geniuses his social skills and behavior lead a lot to be desired and stress out his family and friends. Add is a subplot about Shurei’s weird uncle and his obsession with his brother’s family, along with some gambling debts, and the situation quickly takes a turn into the surreal. Ryuren is still an obnoxious characters, but it sheds more light on how all of these young characters are dealing with their famous families and the pressures they are under.
The last story is the shortest, and an odd note to end on. It offers a quick look back at when Shurei’s uncle Reishin was her age, and how even he had friends to rely on. No one reading the manga is going to know who Yushun is or why he matters. (Anime watchers might recall he was the temporary governor of the province where Shurei is now getting posted following her passing the exams.)
Since the novels are likely never to be translated and released officially in English, and the second season of the now out-of-print anime was also never released, the ending of The Story of Saiunkoku is left hanging for english speaking fans. Despite all of that, the manga adaptation of the first part of Shurei’s journey is a lovely read. The artwork has been fantastic and the details that were left out of the anime have been a treat to read about. There are few series with women leads as strong as Shurei, and the world of Saiunkoku is colorful and full of interesting characters. I really wish more of the novels had been adapted, even though I know trying to draw the entire series would have taken forever.
In Summary
With volume 9 of The Story of Saiunkoku, the manga adaptation comes to a close. Manga only fans are probably going to be disappointed that this is only a collection of side stories. As a fan of this series, I’m happy for any shred of material about the world of Saiunkoku that I can get. That’s the only truly disheartening bit about this series, there’s so much material left untapped. Despite that, the adaptation picked an appropriate place to stop, with Shurei accomplishing one of her hard won goals. I highly recommend the series to any fan of the anime and to fantasy fans who are looking for a female lead who isn’t some wilting, naive flower.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: A –
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: A –
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: April 2nd, 2013
MSRP: $9.99
I would have to heartily agree with the above review; and am curious as to why stop the series here? I feel like the characters still have a lot more room to grow as well as places and roles to explore. It’s like I’m looking at a great tapestry that’s only half-way completed… Regardless, this series is a staple in my manga collection, and I enjoy rereading it on occasion.