Saiunkoku Monogatari.

Ahh, 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.]

( Some incoherent rambling, with spoilers up to episode 36. )

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