The Story of Saiunkoku: Volume 1

by Kairi Yura (art) and Sai Yukino (story), 170 pages

When Shurei Hong, headstrong and down-to-earth daughter of a noble family fallen on hard times, is called by a concerned advisor to be a royal consort to the delinquent emperor, she readily accepts the invitation. If she can kick the lazy, reclusive ruler into actually taking an interest in governing his people, she'll get a princely sum in payment. And since he's rumored not to be interested in women, she figures she's safe from any other responsibilities and can go home to life with her father when her mission is accomplished. But as she gets to know her kind, quiet, oddly fragile husband and slowly draws him out of his shell, she discovers he's a far more competent and complex young man than rumors have led her to believe. And luckily, while she's so focused on supporting him, he's watching out for her, for Shurei's position in the court (and among the living) is more precarious than she realizes.

The plot clips along at a pretty fast pace here and I wish it were about two or three times as long so I'd have more time to get to know the many characters and take in the details of life within and without the imperial court. That said, I still enjoyed the story and like the characters; I just hope it slows down a little in future installments now that the main elements have been introduced. This manga series is adapted from a series of light novels (short novels with a handful of illustrations), and I think that really shows in the fact that, despite the quickly moving story, the skimmed-over detail still manages to feel significant enough to tell the tale. The art is smooth and attractive in a typical shojo style but nicely embellished with historical details inspired by ancient China.

If I can find the original novels in English, I might give them a try, too, and I've already added the well-received animé adaptation to my to-watch list.