Category: Reviews

Gundam 00 Season 01, Don’t judge a series by its bishie character designs.

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In the future, the world has depleted almost all available fossil fuel reserves and the resulting energy crisis has led to the creation of gigantic solar collectors. These devices are set around the earth with three orbital elevators in place to service them. The countries of the world have divided themselves into three major factions each of which controls one of the orbital elevators. These world powers are now locked in a seemingly endless series of conflicts over control of these orbital elevators and the solar power that comes down from them.

Thanks to these new forms of energy, the Middle East has basically been rendered powerless creating a hot bed of turmoil. Also, the factions of countries controlling things aren’t very surprising. It is essentially the Americans and Japanese (the Union), the Russians and Chinese (the HRL), and the Europeans (AEU). It is a sad commentary to think 300 years in the future people are basically still fighting about the same things.

In response, a mysterious group know as Celestial Being has sprung up and is seemingly declaring war on war itself. With Mobile Suit technology far beyond that of any world power they intervene, they destroy anyone who would engage in armed conflict. They descend into the middle of any conflict and devastate both sides until they must stop fighting. Everyone wants the power of Celestial Being but no one seems to be able to muster the strength needed to stop or capture them. If anyone seems to be a threat to Celestial Being it is Celestial Being itself.

Everyone has some type of talented mobile suit pilot who might actually be formidable if they had the right equipment. Of course at the beginning Celestial Being has the element of shock, where no one has any idea what is going. But as the series progress the Gundam meisters get into some pretty close scrapes with their opponents. It really seems like only a matter of time before they can’t just slip by.

Gundam 00 is set in the Anno Domini era as opposed to the Universal Century like the original Gundam series, the Cosmic Era is Gundam Seed, or any of the other various time lines of other series. Since Anno Domini is the present I think this is meant to be the closest Gundam to real speculative future. Gundam 00 definitely deals with many more real life issues in a very clear manner than other Gundam series. I feel that other Gundam series deal with the horrors and sadness of war but they tend to do it on a very detached level. While not utterly gritty and down and dirty, it is the closest a Gundam series has ever gotten.

The thing about this series is it hits really close to home. Because of the issues it deals with and they way it is dealt with, it doesn’t seem like 300 years in the future, is seems just around the corner. Complete with never-ending conflicts over energy sources. It actually scares me, never have I watched a show like this and really felt like this is the world today. Bus bombings, attacks on civilians, war spilling over onto the innocent, and war-mongering are just a few of the real-life issues that come up. There is a lot of who is a terrorist, is Celestial Being one? What do you have to sacrifice for the greater good? Is there a good guy in this conflict? As the audience, it is interesting to be considering these things while watching a show.

This seems like an excellent show to write a scholarly paper on. I know there is some Gundam otaku working on one as we speak. Some clever history or sociology student can get a thesis out of Gundam 00.

I think we all have to admit that when the first trailer of this series came out everyone had a reaction to the character designs. These guys are far beyond the pretty of Gundam W, these are designs by a BL artist. It is so funny how things like this can color your reaction to a series. The girls in the series are gorgeous too, and each side has its bit of fan-service. I don’t think it is any less honest because of it. In fact, I find this series to be one of the most realistic and dark Gundam incantations.

All I remember were GUYS going crazy about how mad they were about all the girl in the series being fairly busty. Who knew that U.S. Gundam otaku were such prudes? Maybe they don’t want to admit they are secretly huge Loveless fans complete with cat ears. There were a few scenes of slight fan service and one or two “interesting” camera angels during the show but nothing gratuitous. I distinctly remember a scene in which the camera was clearly always centered on Sumeragi’s shapely bottom. But we got a decent amount of fan-service of the male Gundam meisters as well so everyone should be happy.

Our pilots (and other members) have all come to Celestial Being for various reason that we learn about as the series goes on. But you basically start to see the pattern of violence in their pasts thanks to war, corruption, and conflict and they want to stop that cycle. I’ll point out that the youngest is Setsuna at 16 but the rest are a little older, Allelujah at 19, and Lockon at 24. Tieria we don’t know about it although he definitely comes off as older. These varying ages seem to give some depth to their own inner turmoil and wisdom of the world.

To me Tieria does not come off as older as much as more of a jerk than anyone else. Something makes me want to punch Tieria Erde. As stated in our I Hate You Misa Misa article I don’t tend to develop strong diastase for characters but for some reason Tieria gets on my nerves. Something about his nasty attitude and “oh so mysterious” past really grinds my gears. Die Tieria! Die you nasty little male Rei!

Well, it is nice to not be the only one hating on characters! Although, in this series I don’t really have a undying desire to strangle anyone. But Tieria is not my favorite by a long shot, mostly because he is rather under developed and robotic. I took an immediate liking to Lockon and Allelujah. It was nice learning about all the other pilots and watching them move further away from the mold you think they are when the series begins. I was most happy about Setsuna because for the first ten episodes or so all I saw was Hiro Yui staring out at me. I think these comparisons are only natural because of the legacy of Gundam.

I think everyone took a liking to Lockon. He seems without a doubt the most human and easy going of the Gundam meisters. Alleujah gets a lot of development in the beginning and then sort of sticks the the background towards the middle. He gets some character development rather rapidly near the end as well. Setsuna starts off an a Hiro Yui clone but slowly starts to show that he has a soul and the ability to have emotions even if they are somewhat muted. His love story seems somewhat forced or at least a little bit rushed. I guess when you have a cast this big and so many major plot lines you sometimes have to cut corners.

One of the things I really loved about Gundam SEED was its strong female characters. And while I think they continue to create women like this in Gundam 00, I feel a lot of them get pushed the wayside instead of being fully realized yet. Sumeragi, who is the most developed female, is one of my favorite characters. She is a little older and has made a career as a tactical forecaster. She is also the in combat leader of our meisters. We know something serious happened in her past, my guess is some sort of miscalculation that cost a lot of innocent people their lives, and we know she is still punishing herself for it. Her strength and independence are only enhanced by her moments of vulnerability, like when she cries or when she needs a drink.

Sumeragi is undoubtedly one of the most developed characters who is not a Gundam meister. I’m sure that what ever that incident was in her past it will tie in with the main plot line eventually. I like Feldt but I feel they developed her just enough that you wanted to know more about her but not enough that you got a good feel of who she was. I assume we will be getting more of Wang Liu-Mei’s story and character in the next season. I think that the writers want you to be interested in Marina Ismail but I find her quite bland. Princess Princess just seems so generic and slightly moe. Maybe will we see her become more dynamic next season but right now she just comes off as a flat character. I am still waiting for a competent female pilot that is equal to the main male characters in piloting ability (that is not a horrible psycho bitch). Come on Feldt. Be the woman I know you can be! Be the pink haired Allenby Beardsley.

This series plot is really complex with a lot of players on the board. For a while it was hard to keep straight who was who and who they worked for and what they wanted. And the show is constantly giving you ten different peoples’ view of the situation. I really like this because it bring that “the whole world is involved with this” feel to it but it also makes it confusing at times. It is starting to solidify in my mind now but of course now there are traitors and the switching of side seems on the brink of happening.

There are distinctly characters who have very fluid allegiances and tend to back an idea more than any particular organization. Several characters switch sides, like in any Gundam series, but it seems more characters have secret agendas than normal. Even Celestial Being seems to have several layers and factions within it. From the beginning, they make it clear that the only person Ali Al-Saachez works for is Ali Al-Saachez. Of the three major powers I feel, I have the least idea of what the Advanced European Union is all about. They seem to have the fewest named characters and Patrick Colasour is practically a joke character. I did not have a hard time keeping up with who was who but I wish we had seen more of what defines each of the three major powers in the world.

Saji and Louisse are pretty far removed from the actually day to day battles (I doubt it will stay that way). But this adds a layer to the series that isn’t always done. They are just two kids going to school and dating but war destroys them anyway. Their story is really heart wrenching. I think all Gundam series what to show the terrible consequences of war but this small piece of this show does it quite poignantly.

Saji and Louisse are definitely not the same people they were at the beginning of the series that they are at the end. Both of them lose quite a bit during the first season and I don’t see their lives getting any better anytime soon. I also have a feeling that Saji and his sister being orphans is no simple coincidence. I think Saji’s parents death will eventually tie into the history of Celestial Being.

Clearly, we have rivals to our meisters (as the pilots are called) popping up giving us some great battles and interesting dialogue. We are graced with the charming Graham, captain of the flag pilots of the Union; and the very villainous Ali, a mercenary and self-proclaimed lover of war. Both of these guys add some much needed competition for our meisters.

Well there was one secret villain who I think we both thought was slightly over the top with his freaking golden gun and golden Gundam. Dorothy Catalonia and her freaky eyebrows would be proud. (BTW that is not a good thing.) In fact, I would go as far as to say it is if Dorothy Catalonia and Light Yagami had a child he would be equally megalomaniacal. I also got the feeling that Narutaki wanted to punch a certain female pilot squarely in the face until she stopped being a horrible character. But I think she was written to be such an easily hated character. Since not all the villains from the first season are coming back in the next season, I wonder how iconic the next batch of villains will be. Will we get the second coming of Char? Is it blasphemy to even suggest such a thing?

As per usual, no recent Gundam series would be completely without stellar opening and ending songs. I kind of come to expect this and I always look forward to who is going to do them. I can’t decide which opening I liked better. I love the L’arc-en-Ciel song more. But the actual opening for the Brilliant Green’s song is better, since the first opening looks like it is the Setsuna show and there are some other robot pilots hiding in the back room. I hope T.M.Revolution will do an opening for the next season!

All I want is more Feldt in the openings. Because in Season 2 she will be 18 so you don’t have to feel extremely dirty being attracted to her. I liked the first opening better overall but they were both very good. And you know in you heart you want Gackt to do the next opening. Dressed as Allelujah. In your bedroom.

Gundam 00 is the first Gundam series that is being split into two seasons. So for now we got 25 episodes and in the fall we will get the rest. Personally, I would like all of my Gundam in a row with small breaks here and there. However, I was pleased with the ending point of the first season. It was not a cliff-hanger and it was not in the middle of the action. The team of people making this really thought about how to make this season have closure but also leave you without all the answers. While speculation will certainly fly about what we see in the last few minutes of episode 25, we really have gotten the ending of part 1.

I know we have already started to throw around theories on the forums of how season 2 will start. The little epilogue shows enough of the surviving characters to really get us interested in what is going to happen in but not enough to be in any way conclusive. The ending is definitely decisive in terms of the overall main story arc but they leave enough things open to make a season 2. Certain characters fates are also ambiguous enough that I’m sure fans of them will be on the edge of their seats until next season.

Gundam 00 certainly doesn’t pull any punches, which is a bit refreshing. No one is safe from attack, death, or downfall. As the series goes it it pulls further and further away from the typical and kept me guessing about what was going to happen next. It certainly didn’t turn out predictable by any standards. It is really one of the best Gundam incantations in years.

It’s very true. About half way through the series they start killing off major characters left and right. You distinctly get the feeling that no one is safe and they don’t cheap out on it. So far when characters die they die no matter who they are. We have not had that many off screen “soap opera” deaths. I think this Gundam is one of the biggest departures from Gundam formula we have seen since they made G-Gundam but I think this departure really works. I wonder if this Gundam will revolutionize the mecha genre as much as the original Gundam did.

P.S. I think that Black Haro is the evil mastermind behind everything.

UPDATE: Gundam 00 is now licensed by Bandai!

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Ouran High School Host Club, Water can’t hurt handsome men.

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It can’t. Just bounces right of them. I have seen it happen. Host Club is best summed up as the shojo comedy styling of female Kyon and her all male harem.

A complete parody of everything that is a staple in shojo manga all crammed together in one ridiculous show.

Haruhi Fujioka is the poorest student at Ouran High School, a school which is made up of Japan’s wealthiest and most prestigious students. Haruhi looks like a nerdy little dormouse of a man with messy hair and an unstylish nonstandard uniform. Therefore Haruhi looks totally out of place at this prestigious school. When trying to find somewhere to study Haruhi wanders into the seemingly empty third music room. Haruhi finds that a handsome sextet of students have turned the music room into a host club for the wealthy girls of the school. While trying to get away from the bizarre members of the club she accidentally smashes an eight million dollar vase. The host club forces her to become their lackey to pay them back for the vase. Two things get Haruhi out of having to do menial chores for the club. The first is that Haruhi has natural charm and grace that makes her a natural host. The second is that she is a rather pretty girl. Certain members of the club are more surprised than others when they learn that Haruhi is actually a girl but no matter what it greatly changes the dynamic of the clubs interactions with her.

Haruhi’s situation with the vase is brief and really only exists to get her into the club. It’s brought up randomly when a joke calls for it. The host club was founded to make girls feel happy and to do good things when they feel like it. This series really doesn’t have an overall plot so it does perfectly well with its bizarre one off scenarios and events. It also makes it great to turn on whenever and laugh it up.

The cast is rather delightful bunch of assorted miscreants and fetish characters but this is by design. While each character obviously fits into a stereotypical archetype of shojo manga they still retain likable qualities that keeps them from feeling like merely microwaved leftovers. Lots of comedies try to use stock characters for comedic effect but they often feel like cardboard cutouts merely propped up for jokes. I feel as the series adds depth and nuance to all the major characters while still keeping them comically amusing.

Well, the thing about archetype characters is they exist because people like the archetype. And believe it or not, some writers can use them well and make you love them as you have loved all other characters like them before and some writers fall flat and create boring, seen-it-all-before feelings. You can’t use an archetype without bringing something to the table and Host Club brings it all. And while you have shojo eye candy flying all over the place, you know it is just one colossal joke. The guys of host club are schemers and they know exactly what is going to bring in the customers, so that is what you get.

Haruhi is the master straight man of the group. With a wide variety of deadpan expressions she takes everything the host club throws at her as best as anyone in the same position would be able to. She is smart, independent, and sassy when she wants to be. The only thing that seems odd is Haruhi’s odd variable skills of observation. When it’s plot convenient Haruhi is an eagle-eyed and empathetic girl who notices even the slightest changes in mood of other characters. Other times she is an oblivious to everything and anything that is going on around her. Side note: Narutaki loves Haruhi with long hair.

Haruhi is interesting although I wasn’t really a fan of her till they started giving her something to do other than have no reaction to our host club cronies. But that starts to dissipate as we learn about her family, she ambitions, and her friendships that develop. She definitely stands out as a strong female but I felt her better moments were when she realized she could, and sometimes needed to, rely on others.

I think on a certain level Haruhi has the “Silent Bob speaks” effect. They make her so blasé most of the time so they few times she does react it is of significant note.

All of the members of the host club have unique relationships with one another. The series is more about friendship than anything else and it does it very well. Personally I find the friendships to be the strongest thing about the show because within that there is room for so much hilarity and drama. In fact, some of the best moments are the episodes when you learn how the host club got together. Everyone has a special connection to their king. Speaking of Tamaki, he in particular really becomes a developed character in these episodes. You start to realize that he has more going on in his head that you previously imagined.

Tamaki is the charming blonde foreigner who is half Japanese archetype. Tamaki is basically Irresponsible Captain Tylor but in charge of a host club instead of a spaceship. At first glance Tamaki seems like the incapable playboy with absolutely nothing of significance going on inside his head. But as the series goes on we learn that Tamaki can and often does put his rather sharp mind and ability to read people to good use. On the other hand, it is also very clear that much of Tamaki facade of being naive and gullible is quite real as well. One of the main mysteries of Tamaki is how much of his supposed silliness and clueless nature is real and how much of it is an act. I don’t think we ever really learn what the answer is but we definitely get a better idea by the end of the series what the percentage of clue to clueless is. Also when Haruhi is not around (and sometimes when she is around) Tamaki is most often made the straight man of the group.

Most people that know me well could spot from a mile away that I would love Tamaki. Tamaki’s personality is essentially my most favorite type of character in any series. But Tamaki is this character ten-fold (as with everything in Host Club, it deals in extremes). He has a free-spirited and goofy nature punctuated by his bouts selfishness and narcissism. However, his moments of kindness are shining and sweet. I find these things very appealing because many times it hides a darker past, but the character has choosen a somewhat positive way of dealing with it. Tamaki is the kind of guy that after watching a while you will always be wondering how much he planned and how much things just fell into place. Did I mention that he is beautiful and blond?

Hikaru Hitachiin and Kaoru Hitachiin are devilish twins. There main shtick at the host club seems is always implying that they have a incestuous homosexual relationship. In reality the Hitachiin twins are consummate manipulators and practical jokers. Everyone and anyone seem to exists for their amusement although their favorite targets are without a doubt Haruhi and Tamaki. They seem to have an odd amount of respect and admiration for Tamaki despite how much they seem to ridicule and manipulate him.

The twins are a paradox, they are the same and they aren’t. Their relationship is really well explored in the series. I think they are probably have the most growing up to do but that is what makes watching them a treat. You have the feeling they are moving toward something and a change will follow. As with most of the guys in the club, they love themselves a lot. But not to the point of all the fujoshi squealing in the club. They are in the same class at Haruhi and might be the closet friends she has. They love to rub that in the face of the king.

Certain people we both know seem to think that Hikaru is the closest thing to a legitimate rival for Tamaki over Haruhi’s affections in the series. We both think she is a little bit crazy.

Honey and Mori are sort of a package deal. We rarely if ever seen them as separate people. Honey is the shota bait super hyper cute high schooler who has the body of a little boy. He loves cakes and candy and happens to be as sweet as sugar as well. Mori is the stoic kendo club captain that watches over Honey like a bishonen gargoyle. They are almost as close as the Hitachiin twins to the point where I almost don’t feel that weird seeing yaoi doujinshi about them.

I don’t think it is an mystery why Mori is always shown with Honey. Mori is tall, dark, and handsome and Honey is short, sweet, and cute. I hear the moe chants in the background. But seriously I wish both of these characters had more screen time and a lot more character development. Heck, for a while there Mori had the most intimate relationship with Haruhi out of everyone.

If Tamaki is the lively soul that keeps the Host Club together as a family than Kyoya is the the cold machinery that keeps the host club running. The Shadow King is the masterful, almost villainous, brains of the group. He is the man that organizes the club, keeps everyone in line and in check, and makes sure it turns a profit. These are abilities that no other man in the club could even hope to have. He has a definite competitive spirit which is not obvious but clearly fierce when exhibited. In the manga, he seems to have a subtle crush on Haruhi but is mostly just a supporter of Tamaki in the anime. For some reason he is my favorite member of the host club. I guess I like his ice cold demeanor and subtle style.

The Shadow King is essential to the club. It just plain wouldn’t have gotten off the ground without him. He also completes the necessary glasses, smart guy of their shojo fantasy club. Tamaki and him are almost polar opposites and so they play off each other very well, creating one of the most dynamic friendships in the story.

The romance aspect of this series gives it some of its moments of drama. But once again, this series is so over the top that most of the time it is used for gags. There are some very sweet moments that will have you gushing but for the most part it sticks to what it does best, silly. And to add to its shojo parodying, of course a good portion of the club is in love with Haruhi, for some reason.

Everything in Host Club is played up with the volume turned to 11 for comedic effect while still remaining somewhat loosely based on a coherent storyline and reality unlike spastic comedies such as Excel Saga. They often throw ten jokes at you every ten minutes and parody every genre under the sun (especially shojo genres) but it never comes at anything more than a brisk pace. Too often such comedies seems to have little in the way of a strong plot. Host club manages to constantly be funny while still telling a individual story each episode. It also knows when to take it slow and just let us get to know the characters or to build a little drama and romance while still falling in the comedy category.

Host Club is character driven because it is a situational comedy. With the main characters, there is always something to love. The random side characters that pop-up, like the club “manager” and the president of the Dark Arts club, just to its cast of perfect weirdos. There is nothing much going on as far as over arcing story but who cares? Everyone needs a hilarious show that you don’t have to think too much about. Ouran fits that bill to a tee.

For shame Narutaki. For shame. You forgot to mention Beelzenef. Without him what is this show? I also really like the Yakuza so who tries to learn to be make friends with people from Mori. His story was hysterical. I think it’s also criminal to forget Renge, the resident fujoshi, and her running commentary and helpful suggestions from her limitless knowledge of anime, video games, and burning moe passion.

Alright, alright. I couldn’t go on without mentioning the hilarious president, and only member of the Black Magic Club, Nekozawa and his hand puppet Beelzenef! His appearances are brief but totally hilarious, as the door to his club randomly appears where ever he needs it to. Also any sort of light send him into a state of shock, haha.

Having read the manga I find that they hit almost all the highlights. This means that often certain episodes are the combined plots of two to three different stories from the manga. I feel that this let them get as much of the manga as they could into 26 episodes while still letting you get to see who everyone in the club really is. The only thing they really left out was Kyoya’s feelings for Haruhi. Any scene where Kyoya seems to show affection for Haruhi in the anime is either modified or played down from how it was in the manga. I assume they removed it because they just have less time than the manga but I felt his crush added some charm and depth to Kyoya.

It is always hard to completely develop a large cast in just 26 episodes, so that would be my initial reasoning for them removing Shadow King’s feelings. But they do hint at it a little. So instead of doing it only half way, I think they moved the story in a more direct fashion.

The anime also has an original 2 part episode to end the series. It ties together all the themes of the show pretty well. It is as clear an ending as you can get for an on-going romantic comedy.

While I know the anime’s ending wasn’t totally concrete, I felt it was pretty clear on certain levels about the feelings of certain characters. But it wasn’t so definite that you would be thrown off if in the manga it doesn’t end the same way. I really enjoyed the last two episodes even though a lot of the slap-stick and gags were missing from it.

All in all Ouran High School Host Club is a comedy for both sexes. It is shojo but I think it is funny enough and witty enough to win over any male who does not mind a little bit of flowers and bishonen. Plus, they are constantly mocking flowers and bishonen. Females don’t even need to be told why they will like Host Club. It is just a fact. I am just worried that Funimation will drop the ball when they market Host Club. They have a sure fire hit on their hand they just have to sell it correctly. I sort of wish we lived in a world where Host Club could get on TV but I’m not naive enough to ever think it would happen any time soon.

I brought up this concern when I found out about the license. I feel like they are going to market to girls period. This show has a much more broad appeal if they play their cards right. Show up the slap-stick, the gags, the parody. Instead I imagine trailers with flowers, pretty boys, and romance. Blah blah. It’s not that this isn’t the core, because it is, but the show has the potential to bring in a wider audience, bringing in bigger numbers, and actually do well as a shojo title. The DVDs are due out later this year, although there is still no date announced.

Story of Saiunkoku, A crane standing amidst a flock of chickens.

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Alright, we have a double feature of review goodness! We try not to but there isn’t much news to talk about as of late and besides we sped through Saiunkoku. This was mostly my fault as I basically refused to stop watching for most of Sundayand there by forced Hisu to continue as well. But it was totally worth it!

I battled being sick and being sleepy just to finish the last six episodes Saiunkoku but it was well worth it. A delightful fusion of comedy, drama, intrigue, and romance made up for a killer headache and a generally woozy feeling. The Story of Saiunkoku starts with Nabiki … I mean Shurei Ko who is a rather unusual princess. She has taken to doing odd jobs such as playing the erhu and teaching at the local temple to keep her family afloat. A recent civil war has devastated the land and left a great many people in dire straits. Her family has fallen on hard times partially due to the fact that during the civil war they spent much of their money and resources taking care of the needy people in the neighborhood. One day one of the chief advisers of the Emperor offers to pay Shurei as small fortune to tutor the young Emperor into a man worthy of the throne. It seems that since the new Emperor has taken power he has completely withdrawn from interacting with the court. Shurei has to turn the seemingly naive slacker into a proper and strong ruler of a troubled kingdom.

She accepts the offer before even hearing the request fully! But Shurei greatly cares about the well-being of her country and people and is there by very disappointed the Emperor is not taking it more seriously. As she dreams of being a government official (which she eventually succeeds at) she vows to do her best to help and support the Emperor so that he has the good of the people at heart. This stories focus is Shurei but also the kingdom itself with its politics, families, nobles, troubles, triumphs, and romances. If it wasn’t set in a fictional place I would call it historical fiction. I see this series as shojo but also a family-type show, it airs on Saturday mornings. I imagine that is why it is already two season of 39 episodes each. There is a bit of everything thrown into the mix: romance, drama, action, comedy and tragedy. It is one big play with one huge cast of characters.

I remember we were trying to figure out what age group this show was targeted at and we had an amusing conversation about whores. As it turns out, there is a brothel with a rather interesting madame that is the focal point of several stories in the “second arc.” The fan-subs we saw constantly referred to the women who worked at the brothel as whores which seemed rather harsh and vulgar with what is otherwise handled rather delicately in the rest of the series. It’s never implied that the brothel is anywhere but a place where men pay to have sex but it is clearly a high class brothel with a distinct air of class. It was therefore an odd choice for the fan-subber to pick one of the harshest terms for a prostitute in the subtitles. I’m curious if this is just a poor word choice or just a straight but odd translation from the original.

All the episodes titles come from famous Chinese proverbs. The proverbs always are critical to some plot point in the series and are often uttered by someone in the cast. I suppose that also shows that this was meant to be a show for the whole family. Often times family shows go out of there way to teach some little lesson or moral while also being entertaining. It just shows that as long as you are classy in your storytelling you can incorporate brothels into your family programming in Japan.

I mentioned this series having a lot of focus on the kingdom and therefore there are a lot of big players in this. Off the top of my head I counted 20 important people (not including Shurei and the Emperor) to the story and that was just thinking about it without looking at a character listing so I know I’m forgetting some. You have the royalty, the nobles, all the government officials, and various other players. I think the cast is really amazing though, almost as if I’m watching a play, I think of them as real people. Their interactions are dead on. And there is every type of person you can imagine all the way from a madame to head of the finance department who wears a mask at all times. The way the characters are folded into the story is done very organically and you know once you see someone they will eventually pop up again.

And it is all those wonderful characters that make the show come to life. If these characters were not so well made, I don’t think the story would be the masterpiece that it is. There are some rather mundane and standard plots in the series. But the realistic characters breath life into them. I was going into the characters individually but it seems a waste for two reasons. The first reason is that all the characters are slowly and skilfully brought into the show. Each new set of characters are added with just enough time for you to learn who they are, but never enough for them to ware out their welcome or reveal all of their layers. The second reason is that talking too much about the characters will spoil their little secrets and quirks. There is a certain charm in learning who everyone is and what their story is. Many of the characters are shown in a light that leads you to believe they are one type of character but later actions or interactions will reveal that they have more going on or different motivations than they would originally seemed to.

Of course there is one character we have to look at in depth, Shurei. She is the pillar of the series in which the show is either supported by or falls apart around. Being the most important character means that your enjoyment of her personality is one of the biggest factors in determining weather or not you will enjoy this show. That being said, Shurei is definitely a character I can get behind. She is a strong female character who can take care of herself. She is both willing and able to support and protect herself but not unwilling or unable to accept help when she needs it. She displays the kindness and softness that many a female character does, while also avoiding being a wilting flower. She is smart partially because she is naturally smart but also backs that up with the willingness to put hard work into study. She is definitely frugal but always in a realistic and often times charming manner. She is the type of woman you would want to marry. She is the type of woman I would want to marry.

Shurei at first glance seems to be a too perfect I-wish-I-was-that-girl type but that quickly dissolves as you get into the meat of the story. She is extremely intelligent, on par with her male peers, and shows little intimidation in the many political situations. In fact, she is much more confident when it comes to facts and figures than her own heart. I think this is a popular theme for strong females but shojo usually sticks with the average girl and so Shurei seems to be a departure from that.

The only cliche thing about her is that she has a fear of thunder. Having seen several shojo series and a lesser number of shonen series where they pick a phobia to give a character vulnerability. It’s not unexplained phobia and when when learn the story of why she is afraid of thunder it gives it you insight into her and several other characters. It definitely was not just added to be added so it’s not a bad mark on the show itself. It did on the other hand come to the revelation that giving a female character some phobia is a common and easy method of fleshing them out. It might be common knowledge to everyone else but it only just clicked in my head. It might also stick out because another character I just read about had the same phobia.

Well, you can’t have a good protagonist that doesn’t have fears and flaws (unless you’re seinen). If Shurei was never afraid of anything she would be completely unrelateable and unrealistic. And I think that is what’s so great about this show. While it lives in the storybook realm all the characters’ personalities are like people you know, it gives a nice kick to the fairytale angle of the whole series.

Her relationship with the Emperor is interesting because it a unusual mix of storybook romance with realistic angles. They both seem to be able to often see right through each other but at the same time have a good deal of uncertainty about what the other one is thinking. I also really like they they both support the other one’s dreams and ambitions. All too often we have the wish fulfillment fantasy of the provider who asks for and needs nothing in return. They also play well off each other. They have an amusing chemistry that makes you want to root for them. I know that it does not hurt that the Emperor is definitely the type of character that Narutaki loves.

If you looked at my Top 5 couples list, you will see these two on it. They make me all jumpy inside! This series does a fantastic job of creating a fairytale romance that isn’t a fairytale but almost practical. I never feel they are a forced coupling where nothing is explained it just is. All of their feelings and emotions come from a part of their past or personality. But you still have the fairytale because he is the Emperor and she is a princess. Ryuki is in love with her but he never hinders her path. No matter how much he may want her to stay in the palace, he recognizes and wants her dreams for her as much as she wants them herself. He recognizes her strengths and helps her, without doing things for her, even when those things take her further from his side rather than closer. Okay, so I’m totally in love with Ryuki myself. Sue me. He isn’t perfect, even though my description was glowing. But you do see a lot of growth in the first season. He becomes committed and serious about his job, but doesn’t lose all of his silly and sometimes naive thinking. Their relationship is really the driving force of the series for the first ten episodes or so but then it starts to take a backseat to the politics of the country. It is really there to show growth, change, and also to set up a love story that takes place over years and distance.

The director always keeps the pace of the story moving. All too often stories with political intrigue can get bogged down in their own weight of there story but Jun Shishido avoids that trap. That being said, I sort of wish we could have stayed a more focused on the Emperor but the story naturally drifts away from him being the most important character in Shurei’s life. The anime makes it clear that this is Shurei’s story and Ryuki is one of the most important people in her life, but he is not the be all and end all. Love is an important and generally fascinating part of her life but it’s only one aspect of it.

Friendships also play a big role (as do rivalries). They help to give depth to the series and also create a meaningful and rich history. I especially enjoy watching this relationship grow between Ryuki (the Emperor), Ran (a General of the Shaorin army), and Koyu (Vice-Secretary of the Civil Affairs). They have a familial feel to them. They work together but they also poke fun at each other, fight foes, and talk. So as the story moves away from them I was visibly disappointed. However, all the other characters pick up the slack. Such as the bond between Seiran and Ensei which is both mysterious (you find out more as the story goes along) and wonderful because there is trust.

I also liked Seiran’s relationship with Ryuki. It was unexpected and interested me. I would like to talk about it but it is a major spoiler. It really makes me think we should add a spoiler thread to the forums so we can discuss certain things after people have watched the series. In fact, after we post this I going to do just that. I know there is one character that you really want to talk about because you super love him and want to have his babies. Babies of super love.

Women are sparse in this series which only adds to the setting. It is an ancient time when women were not considered on the same level as men. But throughout the series we meet characters that challenge and break-through these ideas to help push the society forward. We literally get to watch as a new era is being born. All of the women that do appear show stature, intelligence, and courage while not losing their femininity. You have women in roles like: head of family, running their own business, and progressing the country. The series also reminds you of the responsibility of being a lady in waiting and not looking down on such roles for women.

I like that Saiunkoku gives women power but does not do it in ways that are incongruous with the setting. Shurei’s rise to being an official is fraught with hardships and massive resistance. They make it clear that she is very lucky that things have come together in a way that she can break the normal restrictions of society. Had she tried as hard as she did at some other point in the countries history, she probably would not have been able to become an official.

I would not recommend that you watch this show sick as I did because it is a show where the little details are important. Little facts, items, and relationships will come up when you least expect them to. There are some very good uses of Chekhov’s gun. You will often wait with baited breath to learn why something casually brought up in one part of the series with effect people later on. Nothing as bad as Audrey’s letter in Twin Peaks but you might wonder when a certain report is going to come into play.

OMG! Audrey’s letter! You saw me, I was practically pulling my hair out for four episodes. I like that Saiunkoku takes these things into consideration because I get obsessed with the little things. Especially since they sometimes come waaaaaaaay later, to the point you almost forgot (unless you’re me). I like that things come full circle because the writer really thought ahead. I think this somewhat stems from them originally being novels. Which incidentally I desperately wish someone would license.

Or Lothos. Lothos will see it all coming a mile away. (Lothos is a reader of this here blog). I don’t think it’s an impossibility for the novels to get licensed. The manga and book market is far healthier than the anime market. I think the probability is directly linked to how well the Twelve Kingdom novels did. If Twelve Kingdoms sold like gangbusters, then this is a sure license. If it sold poorly it is a long shot. It would have a much greater chance if someone saved the anime license from Geneon but I don’t think that is going to happen anytime soon. Prove me wrong Funimation. Prove me wrong.

If anything gives this series away as being shojo it is certainly the character designs. I can honestly say I’ve never seen a series with more beautiful guys, and the cast is 85% male. Not that I’m complaining or anything. And hey most of the guys can back up their pretty faces with fighting skills or cunning. So, hot and useful totally works in my world.

Also I would say almost all of them are very likable. How many times have you seen the pretty boy who is good at everything but you want to beat some positive personality into them? And I think our minds have been tainted by cute male (a place on 4chan) and it makes me sad. There are quite a few scenes that were clearly fodder for countless doujinshi. When you have likable beautiful male characters in compromising positions you know that the fan-girl mind is sparked like a powder-keg to draw and write smut. Nothing in the show is horribly exploitative but anyone who has seen enough doujinshi will know that certain scenes are going to be used.

Look, I don’t want go into this too much. But if cute male has taught us anything, it is this: characters don’t even have to know each other to have smut made about them! So, a series rife with beautiful men is just asking for stories to be written about it. And unfortunately, Saiunkoku doesn’t show up on cute/male very often. Did I say unfortunate? I totally meant fortunate. Yes, that is what I meant.

I will off handily mention there is the occasionally supernatural element to the series. I would say about 90 of everything that goes on is mundane and normal. There are one or two characters, and they are mostly more minor characters, that have blatantly magical powers. They will usually only pop up ever five or six episodes and their powers are usually subtle. Magic seems to be understood to exist in the world of Saiunkoku but it also seems to be very rare. I wonder how much the supernatural comes into play in the second season. I assume they keep the same balance of mundane to supernatural but there are hints that might not be the case. I suppose the only way to find out is for me to watch.

Oh and watch we shall! Probably have to review the second season as well, that is when it’s done. I want the rest of the DVDs that fit it the awesome little case that Geneon made for it! And it had little postcard posters, which are now hanging in my office. Poor Geneon, you were a service to fans! But we had to hunt for it, found fan-subs of it before it was licensed since there was really no alternative. This series is great. We have babbled on about it long enough you’d think. But no, I could go on and on about all the little things that make this series a winner. Let me just say that this is one of the best shojo series to gace television in a long time. That is my final thought.

I really hope we sell people on this series because it is another series that can easily fall by the wayside if people don’t talk about it. I think it is one of the smartest, most entertaining, older family friendly shojo fantasy series. If you watch the series and you like it tell people about it. I really want someone to pick up the anime again. I think it is the best way to get the rest of the related materials. I think that there are some series that do some things better but not as many do as many things very well as Saiunkoku. It is definitely better than Fushigi Yugi. Zing Fushigi Yugi. Zing.

UPDATE: Funimation has picked up this show along with other Geneon titles!