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James Whittle

Saiunkoku Monogatari (TV)

Political intrigue, assassinations and  conspiracies abound in  romantic period drama Saiunkoku Monogatari (Tale of the Land of Many-Coloured Clouds) where a  young girl tries to change the world.

Saiunkoku Monogatari was originally a series of novels  by Sai Yukino, with a manga adaptation illustrated by Kairi Yura.

The  anime version  was produced by Madhouse Production who  are responsible for many hit anime shows   including Bomberman,  NANA,  and the highly acclaimed Tokyo Godfathers.

The story  takes place in a fictional fantasy world reminiscent of ancient China, made up of eight provinces each named after a different colour.

Our heroine Kou Shuurei  is the daughter of the poor imperial court librarian. Although  it is a well respected position,  it is  badly paid.

The Kou family, especially Shuurei, is well loved in the community  because of their generosity.  During a famine which lasted several years,  they  gave food and shelter to  those who needed it.

Shuurei lost her mother when she was  young, so  has   helped run the household  ever since.  She does odd jobs as well as tutoring the   poor children of the city.

Shuurei longs to take the imperial examinations and become a court official to help the poor.  But women are forbidden from taking the exam.

A chance for Shuurei to earn a lot of money arises when she is asked to tutor  the lazy 16-year-old Emperor, Shi Ryuuki,  in state affairs.

But even with her beauty and brains, can Shuurei survive the scheming  around her  and turn Shi into a responsible ruler?  Will she finally  become a court official?

Watch the drama unfold at on the Animax channel at 10pm every Thursday from August 16.



Brains to the rescue