Saiunkoku Monogatari.
Mar. 28th, 2007 01:54 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elwenAhh, there's nothing like marathoning anime to start off spring break. I've watched around fifteen episodes of Saiunkoku Monogatari in the last two days, and it's been awesome. I'm sure there's something to be said for taking a series slowly and enjoying it, but I think the marathon was the best way to get through the Sa Family arc, and perhaps the series in general. Kokumono's politics are crazy-complicated, and I'd definitely lose track of things if I got interrupted. I already think I need to rewatch the first part -- it's not hard to understand the character-driven story about Shuurei, Ryuuki, Seiran, and company, but it takes a lot more to get the undertones, with Ryuuren and the Ran Family, Enjun and Shou-taishi, not to mention Seiran and Ensei's backstory. The plots are very different, but the show heavily reminds me of Twelve Kingdoms, especially with the most recent arc being about reclaiming an errant province. It's mainly the complexity, I guess, and the long-term focus of events, with all the ripple effects. I guess that's what you get from novels, when they're well-translated into anime.
[Plus, the background music for both series is by Kunihiko Ryou.]
I had been really reluctant to resume watching Kokumono after I finished the government officials' training arc because, with Shuurei leaving the capitol, I figured we'd see much less of Ryuuki, Shuuei, and Kouyuu. The interactions between Kouyuu and Shuuei are like little highlights every episode, and I worried the series might drag without them. Marathoning, I didn't miss them as much; plus, the series director apparently made up for their low screentime by having their cameos be super-awesome. Episode 29 is priceless. XD That'll be the only time I ever fully approve of the use of allcaps in a fansub.
One of the things about Kokumono that bugs me in the "am I just being spoonfed?" sense is how all the characters can be so awesome in their own ways. I guess there are some notable people I would like to see smacked, like Shou-taishi and Sakujun -- and even when they get smacked it's not satisfying :( -- but in general, it makes the cast feel too black and white. There are the really evil and corrupt people, and then everyone else is noble and strong, even the wild sons of a thief. Last arc there was Kochou, who is my absolute hero. This time around, you've got Eiki, and Sai Shou, whom I knew I'd love the moment I saw him in the OP sequence. [In the end, I guess I always come back to long hair and glasses.] In fact, the only major characters I'm really indifferent to are Eigetsu and maybe Kourin.
I guess you can tell this is a shoujo series by how strong the female characters are, even when they waver. I can't think of a single female who's not crafted as a role model -- Shuurei's mother, Shuurei herself, that woman whose name I've forgotten who works with Shouka, Kochou, Eiki, Shunki; even Kourin, who now has her own spineless guy to boss around. Not that most of the guys can't hold their own, but their moments of weakness seem . . . less resolved somehow, perhaps. Maybe it's just because the season, and the series, haven't finished yet, and things like Seiran's past, and Ryuuki's feelings for Shuurei, and what-the-hell-happened-to-Sakujun's-body-O_o are left to be resolved later.
One of the good things about less Shuuei and Kouyuu [I would use "x", but Kouyuu would kill me XD] was that there was more time for Seiran and Ensei. Ensei really grew on me this arc -- I used to find his light-heartedness a bit annoying, but it was great against the foil of dark!Seiran, whom I can't say I liked all that much.
The parts of this arc I found most moving were all tied in with Enjun, Eiki, and Shou-taishi, which is the main reason I need to rewatch the first arc -- to pay closer attention to what Enjun and Shou were doing, and how Enjun was being portrayed. But man, I've never seen seemingly minor plot details explode the way they do in Kokumono; not even Twelve Kingdoms can compare in that aspect. And I guess the Enjun-Eiki-Shou triangle is a good example of the way the show does make things feel less black and white now and then. I still really hate Shou-taishi, and I felt so bad for Eiki when she talked to him at the end, but there were moments when I could feel a bit of sympathy for Shou, I guess, as someone who's seen so much and lost so much. Similarly, I almost felt bad for Sakujun at the end, when they overlaid Ryuuki's comments about burning like a candle. I guess that's the best way for me to understand Sakujun, and that scene was absolutely beautifully crafted, IMO. [I'd be curious to know whether credit is due to the author, the director, or both.]
Well, I think those were the most of my disjointed thoughts about Kokumono in general and this arc in particular. It's good fantasy and good drama, excellent storytelling and captivating character development. I'm not sure if it would necessarily appeal to the same people to whom I'd recommend other series I adore, like Code Geass or Shounen Onmyouji, but it's certainly at the top of my list.
Originally, I was going to end this entry with something like, "The only thing that bugs me is that, with most of the arc behind me, I still don't know what Sai Rin looks like." But just to show how well Kokumono can meet and exceed my expectations, they had a shot of her in the preview for episode 37. ^_^b
[Plus, the background music for both series is by Kunihiko Ryou.]
I had been really reluctant to resume watching Kokumono after I finished the government officials' training arc because, with Shuurei leaving the capitol, I figured we'd see much less of Ryuuki, Shuuei, and Kouyuu. The interactions between Kouyuu and Shuuei are like little highlights every episode, and I worried the series might drag without them. Marathoning, I didn't miss them as much; plus, the series director apparently made up for their low screentime by having their cameos be super-awesome. Episode 29 is priceless. XD That'll be the only time I ever fully approve of the use of allcaps in a fansub.
One of the things about Kokumono that bugs me in the "am I just being spoonfed?" sense is how all the characters can be so awesome in their own ways. I guess there are some notable people I would like to see smacked, like Shou-taishi and Sakujun -- and even when they get smacked it's not satisfying :( -- but in general, it makes the cast feel too black and white. There are the really evil and corrupt people, and then everyone else is noble and strong, even the wild sons of a thief. Last arc there was Kochou, who is my absolute hero. This time around, you've got Eiki, and Sai Shou, whom I knew I'd love the moment I saw him in the OP sequence. [In the end, I guess I always come back to long hair and glasses.] In fact, the only major characters I'm really indifferent to are Eigetsu and maybe Kourin.
I guess you can tell this is a shoujo series by how strong the female characters are, even when they waver. I can't think of a single female who's not crafted as a role model -- Shuurei's mother, Shuurei herself, that woman whose name I've forgotten who works with Shouka, Kochou, Eiki, Shunki; even Kourin, who now has her own spineless guy to boss around. Not that most of the guys can't hold their own, but their moments of weakness seem . . . less resolved somehow, perhaps. Maybe it's just because the season, and the series, haven't finished yet, and things like Seiran's past, and Ryuuki's feelings for Shuurei, and what-the-hell-happened-to-Sakujun's-body-O_o are left to be resolved later.
One of the good things about less Shuuei and Kouyuu [I would use "x", but Kouyuu would kill me XD] was that there was more time for Seiran and Ensei. Ensei really grew on me this arc -- I used to find his light-heartedness a bit annoying, but it was great against the foil of dark!Seiran, whom I can't say I liked all that much.
The parts of this arc I found most moving were all tied in with Enjun, Eiki, and Shou-taishi, which is the main reason I need to rewatch the first arc -- to pay closer attention to what Enjun and Shou were doing, and how Enjun was being portrayed. But man, I've never seen seemingly minor plot details explode the way they do in Kokumono; not even Twelve Kingdoms can compare in that aspect. And I guess the Enjun-Eiki-Shou triangle is a good example of the way the show does make things feel less black and white now and then. I still really hate Shou-taishi, and I felt so bad for Eiki when she talked to him at the end, but there were moments when I could feel a bit of sympathy for Shou, I guess, as someone who's seen so much and lost so much. Similarly, I almost felt bad for Sakujun at the end, when they overlaid Ryuuki's comments about burning like a candle. I guess that's the best way for me to understand Sakujun, and that scene was absolutely beautifully crafted, IMO. [I'd be curious to know whether credit is due to the author, the director, or both.]
Well, I think those were the most of my disjointed thoughts about Kokumono in general and this arc in particular. It's good fantasy and good drama, excellent storytelling and captivating character development. I'm not sure if it would necessarily appeal to the same people to whom I'd recommend other series I adore, like Code Geass or Shounen Onmyouji, but it's certainly at the top of my list.
Originally, I was going to end this entry with something like, "The only thing that bugs me is that, with most of the arc behind me, I still don't know what Sai Rin looks like." But just to show how well Kokumono can meet and exceed my expectations, they had a shot of her in the preview for episode 37. ^_^b
