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The Story of Saiunkoku (彩雲国物語, Saiunkoku Monogatari?, lit. Tale of the Land of Many-Coloured Clouds), often rendered Tale of Saiunkoku, is a series of Japanese novels written by Sai Yukino and illustrated by Kairi Yura.

The story currently consists of 12 volumes; it is serialized in the Japanese magazine, The Beans. The story is set in a fantasy realm resembling medieval China and contains strong drama, comedy and romance elements.

A manga version, also illustrated by Kairi Yura, is serialized in Beans Ace, which is published by Kadokawa Shoten. Currently two tankōbon have been released. The first drama CD was released in 2005.[1]

The anime series, produced by Madhouse Studios, is directed by Jun Shishido. The first season began airing in April 2006 and completed in February 2007 with 39 episodes. The second season, titled Saiunkoku Monogatari 2nd Series (彩雲国物語第2シリーズ, Saiunkoku Monogatari 2nd Series?) began airing in April 2007 and will consist of another 39 episodes.[2] As of July 2006 it airs on Saturday mornings on NHK in Japan.[3]

Furthermore, Geneon Entertainment has announced it will release the first DVD of the series in August 2007 in North America.[4] Contents [hide]

   * 1 Overview
   * 2 Setting
         o 2.1 Provinces and ruling families
   * 3 Characters
   * 4 Media information
         o 4.1 Tankōbōn
         o 4.2 Light novels
         o 4.3 Manga
         o 4.4 Radio drama
         o 4.5 Fanbooks
   * 5 Anime
         o 5.1 Theme songs
         o 5.2 Episode list
         o 5.3 DVD releases
         o 5.4 Production
   * 6 A note on romanization
   * 7 References
   * 8 External links

[edit] Overview

The story, which takes place in the fictional medieval empire of Saiunkoku, follows the adventures of Shūrei Kō, a descendant of a noble family that has fallen on hard times.

Her father works as a librarian in the Imperial palace, a post which offers prestige and respect, but little compensation. Shūrei teaches in the temple school and works odd jobs to make ends meet, but her dream is to pass the imperial examinations and take a post in government, a path forbidden to women.

Shūrei's plans come to an abrupt halt when the Emperor's Grand Advisor makes a startling offer, which is joining the imperial household for six months as the young Emperor's consort, and teach the Emperor to be a responsible ruler. If she succeeds, the financial reward will be great.

The story details Shūrei's growing relationships with the Emperor and other members of the court, the intrigues that surround imperial politics, and her commitment to better herself and her country.

[edit] Setting

According to legend, Saiunkoku was once infested by demons who threw the country into turmoil and made the people miserable. A brave young warrior named Sō Gen gathered together the eight Enlightened Sages of Colour and drove away the demons.

Sō Gen then forged the nation of Saiunkoku and became its first emperor. After Sō Gen's death, the eight sages disappeared, but according to legend they still exist among the people. A beautiful shrine was built for the Eight Coloured Sages; it still stands within the Imperial City.

Saiunkoku had always been divided into eight distinct provinces named after colours of the rainbow. Six hundred years ago, the Emperor commanded that the ruling family of each province change their names to match the province they ruled. Commoners were forbidden to share the same family names as nobles.

[edit] Provinces and ruling families

Each province in Saiunkoku is ruled by a noble family of the same name. All eight provinces and families are named after colours.

   * Ran (藍, Ran?, Blue) — The most powerful clan in Saiunkoku, although they play a dormant role in the political issues of the country.
   * Kō (紅, Kō?, Red) — Equal power to that of the Ran clan. Along with the Ran clan, the Kō clan is known to be the 'highest of nobility'.
   * Heki (碧, Heki?, Green)
   * Kō (黄, Kō/Ki?, Yellow) — Although pronounced the same as the 'Red' (紅) clan, the kanji (黄) means 'yellow'
   * Haku (白, Haku ?, White)
   * Koku (黒, Koku ?, Black)
   * Sa (茶, Sa?, Brown) — Known as the least distinguished clan in Saiunkoku
   * Shi (紫, Shi?, Purple) — The family of the Emperor

[edit] Characters Shūrei Kō Shūrei Kō

   Main article: List of The Story of Saiunkoku characters

Shūrei Kō (紅秀麗, Kō Shūrei?)

   Shūrei Kō is the daughter and only child of Shōka Kō of the Kō clan, one of the two most powerful clans in Saiunkoku.

   She is sixteen years old when the story begins. As a descendant of the direct line, she has the title hime, which means 'princess' or 'lady'.

Ryūki Shi (紫劉輝, Shi Ryūki?)

   Ryūki Shi is the reigning emperor of Saiunkoku. He is nineteen years old when the story begins.

   The youngest of six brothers, he was an unlikely candidate to ascend to the throne. Of his five elder brothers, four killed each other over the succession and one was exiled for treason.

Seiran Shi (茈静蘭, Shi Seiran?)

   Seiran Shi is a low-ranking army officer and the sole remaining retainer in the Kō household. Seiran was taken in thirteen years ago by Shōka Ko, but no one in the household knows about Seiran's past. He has made a vow to spend his life repaying that kindness.

   He is a very skilled fighter and swordsman and is usually found following Shūrei to guard her, even when she does not know it.

[edit] Media information

[edit] Tankōbōn

[edit] Light novels

Main story The cover art of the fanbook. The cover art of the fanbook.

   * Volume 1 - ISBN 4044499012
   * Volume 2 - ISBN 4044499020
   * Volume 3 - ISBN 4044499039
   * Volume 4 - ISBN 4044499047
   * Volume 5 - ISBN 4044499055
   * Volume 6 - ISBN 4044499071
   * Volume 7 - ISBN 404449908X
   * Volume 8 - ISBN 4044499098
   * Volume 9 - ISBN 404449911X
   * Volume 10 - ISBN 4044499128
   * Volume 11 - ISBN 4044499136
   * Volume 12 - ISBN 4044499144

Side story

   * Volume 1 - ISBN 4044499063
   * Volume 2 - ISBN 4044499101[5]

[edit] Manga

   * Volume 1 - ISBN 4048539698
   * Volume 2 - ISBN 4048541048[5]

[edit] Radio drama

The were two radio drama(s) that are released separately.[6] [7]

[edit] Fanbooks

There was a fanbook released on 28 August 2007.[8] It also has episode summaries of the anime series for the first season. There is also a short novel included in the book.

[edit] Anime

[edit] Theme songs

Opening theme

   "Hajimari no Kaze" by Ayaka Hirahara

Ending themes

   "Saikō no Kataomoi" by Sachi Tainaka (first season)
   "Asu e" by Miho Teruya (second season)

[edit] Episode list

   Main article: List of The Story of Saiunkoku episodes

The first season of the Saiunkoku Monogatari anime aired in Japan between April 8, 2006 and February 24, 2007, with 39 episodes in total. The second season started in April 7, 2007.

[edit] DVD releases

First season

Note: Each volume contains three episodes.

   * DVD Box set 1
         o Volume 1 - 4 August 2006 (This volume's first pressing contains a mini drama CD.)
         o Volume 2 - 8 September 2006
         o Volume 3 - 4 October 2006 (This volume's first pressing also contains a mini drama CD.)
         o Volume 4 - November 10 2006
         o Volume 5 - 8 December 2006
         o Volume 6 - January 12 2007
         o Volume 7 - February 9 2007

   * DVD Box set 2
         o Volume 8 - March 9 2007 (This volume's first pressing also contains a mini drama CD.)
         o Volume 9 - April 4 2007
         o Volume 10 - May 10 2007
         o Volume 11 - June 8 2007
         o Volume 12 - July 6 2007
         o Volume 13 - August 10 2007

Second season

   * Volume 1 - September 7 2007
   * Volume 2 - October 10 2007
   * Volume 3 - November 9 2007
   * Volume 4 - December 7 2007
   * Volume 5 - January 11 2008
   * Volume 6 - February 8 2008
   * Volume 7 - March 7 2008[9]

[edit] Production

First season

   * Director: Jun Shishido
   * Series composition: Reiko Yoshida
   * Script: Ayuna Fujisaki (episode 2), Kurasumi Sunayama (episode 3), Reiko Yoshida (episode 4,5)
   * Storyboard: Yokoyama (episode 2,12), Jun Fujiwara (episode 3), Jun Shishido (episode 1,5), Kimiko Tamai (episode 7), Kiyotaka Ohata (episode 9), Shigeru Kimiya (episode 8), Takeo Takahashi (episode 4), Yo Miura (episode 6), Yumi Kamakura (episode 10)
   * Episode Director: Hajime Ōtani (episode 2,5,8), Hiromi Yokoyama (episode 4,9), Makoto Shinohara (episode 1,7), Shota Kawajiri (episode 6), Tokio Yamauchi (episode 3,10)
   * Music: Ryō Kunihiko
   * Original creator: Sai Yukino (novel)
   * Original character design: Kairi Yura (novel illustration)
   * Character Design: Miwa Ōshima
   * Art director: Chikara Nishikura
   * Animation director: Ki Duk Park (episode 9), Kimiko Tamai (episode 4), Kyong Seok Choi (episode 8), Nam Yul Park (episode 2), Seong Jong Kim (episode 6), Tatsuyuki Maeda (episode 1,7), Tomoko Shimizu (episode 3)
   * Director of Photography: Shinya Matsui
   * Producer: Ikuko Shimogawara, Yuji Shibata
   * Animation producer: Masao Maruyama, Satoshi Yoshimoto
   * Background art: Kumiko Inoue, Makiko Fujino, Manabu Fukuda, Mayumi Shirata, Rina Fujiwara
   * Clean-up Animation: Hitomi Takei
   * Colour design: Chiharu Tanaka
   * Conceptual design: Kazuo Watanabe
   * Editing: Kashiko Kimura
   * In-between Animation: Kanoko Abe
   * Key Animation: Mika Takazawa
   * Photography: Natsuka Kawano, Tomohiro Suga
   * Production Coordination: Atsuko Kashiwagi, Hideo Ihara
   * Recording: Hiroyasu Yamashita
   * Sound director: Fusanobu Fujiyama
   * Sound Effects: Shōji Katō[10]

[edit] A note on romanization

The name spellings used here are only one possible romanization, and have been chosen to correspond to the most commonly used versions. Names are given in Western order, with the family name last.

The romanization style according to the Manual of Style is given in parentheses to the right of the official romanization in Japanese order, with the family name before the given name.

[edit] References

  1. ^ 彩雲国物語／雪乃紗衣　イラスト：由羅カイリ Accessed 08/03/06
  2. ^ アニメイトTV Web - ニュース速報 - 彩雲国物語、新シリーズ放送決定 Accessed 11/20/06.
  3. ^ NHKアニメワールド　彩雲国物語 Accessed 08/02/2006
  4. ^ [1] Geneon to Sell The Story of Saiunkoku DVD on August 28
  5. ^ a b Interwiki article on the novels' and manga volumes' ISBN. Retrieved on 2007-09-30.
  6. ^ CDJapan on the 1st radio drama CD. Retrieved on 2007-10-02.
  7. ^ CDJapan on the 2nd radio drama CD. Retrieved on 2007-10-02.
  8. ^ The Kinokuniya Bookweb database on the Saiunkoku fanbook. Retrieved on 2007-10-02.
  9. ^ Interwiki article (DVD section). Retrieved on 2007-10-02.
 10. ^ Anime News Network's Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 2007-09-30.

[edit] External links

   * Anime official site (Japanese)
   * Kadokawa official site (Japanese)
   * Geneon's Official Story of Saiunkoku Website(English)
   * Saiunkoku Monogatari (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia (English)

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