Skip to main content

Module 2 - Book Review 1 - STORY OF SAIUNKOKU, VOL. 1 by Kairi Yura

 

Module 2 – Book Review 1 

Review of Sai Yukino’s STORY OF SAIUNKOKU, VOL. 1 

*This review was written for a course through Sam Houston State University. 

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Yukino, Sai (2010). STORY OF SAIUNKOKU, VOL. 1. Ill. by Kairi Yura. VIZ Media LLC. ISBN: 9781421538341 

2. PLOT SUMMARY 

In The Story of Saiunkoku, Vol. 1 by Sai Yukino, the story follows Shurei Hong, who is a hardworking and intelligent teenage girl from a once-noble family who fell into poverty. Shurei has dreams of becoming a government official and serving her country, but women are not allowed to hold political positions in the empire. The young Emperor Ryuki refuses to take his responsibilities seriously and leaves the government to his advisors. This gives Shurei an opportunity when she is offered an unusual job. She is tasked with the job of going to the imperial palace as a temporary consort with the goal of persuading the emperor to change the way he rules. 

Once she goes to the palace, Shurei has a hard time even being able to meet Ryuki. He avoids his duties and tries to hide his real identity. As she combs through the palace politics, rumors, and court secrets, she starts to see the true cause of the emperor’s behavior. Ryuki is lonely and insecure, not lazy. Through her compassion and strong sense of responsibility, Shurei does what she can to encourage Ryuki to mature and take his role seriously. This volume shows the beginning of their relationship using humor, light romance, and the drama of politics in a fantasy world. In their world, everything focuses on leadership, gender barriers, and growing as a person. 

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS  

The Story of Saiunkoku, Vol. 1, combines political drama, light romance, and a type of coming-of-age story set as a historical fantasy inspired by imperial China. The main character, Shurei Hong, can’t serve her government as she battles gender inequality and the constraints of social class. The character uses the social structures rather than rebelling against them. The story focuses on these themes by exploring the tension between personal goals and societal expectations, and focuses on contributing to the greater good. Literary devices strengthen the themes. The palace symbolizes both opportunity and restriction, and then situational irony comes with Shurei’s traditional and passive consort role. The characterization, dialogue, and episodic pacing show the emotional growth of the characters and the changing dynamic of their relationship. Kairi Yura’s detailed, expressive style of artwork adds to the character’s emotions, social status, and cultural atmosphere. True to the culture itself, the right-to-left format reflects Japanese reading traditions. 

Culturally, Saiunkoku is very different from what is seen in American YA literature. It focuses on social harmony, hierarchy, and collective responsibility. The change in the story is gradual but happens through the character’s persistence within and using the system rather than rebelling against it. The pacing is slower and allows for a focus on duty and relationships. The artistic style of the illustrator and format give readers not only an interesting story, but insight into different cultural values and storytelling traditions. This structure reflects traditional Japanese publishing practices and requires readers to adjust their reading habits. 

On a personal note, this was my first experience of reading manga. I love comics and graphic novels, and this definitely took some adjusting for me as a reader. An important cultural difference for many American readers is the format of reading manga from right to left, including panel order and page progression. I was uncomfortable with this, and had a difficult time adjusting my reading habits as I mentioned earlier. After a while, the format became more of an experience for me, and I can say I cannot wait to read more! This was a very interesting experience! 

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S) 

Publishers Weekly (December 6, 2010) 

This story began as a series of light novels by Yura and Yukino and was subsequently adapted into an anime, drama CDs, and a manga written and illustrated by Yura. Set in the fictional empire of Saiunkoku, it follows Shurei Hong, a clever and hardworking girl born to a noble family that has fallen on hard times. Unable to fulfill her ambitions to work in politics, she accepts an offer to work as a consort for the childish Emperor Ryuki. Finding it difficult to even meet Ryuki (he initially pretends to be someone else to avoid her), it is quickly apparent that this will be no easy job even for the ambitious Shurei. However, she soon notices the good in Ryuki that few others have taken the time to see, and they become a charming odd couple of sorts. Indeed, the centerpiece of this story is the interactions between Shurei and Ryuki; the subplots are interesting but mostly serve to further develop their relationship. The story is endearing, striking a good balance between humor and romantic subtexts, and the art pays a strong attention to world building detail. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. 

5. CONNECTIONS  

Related Books – Another book about the themes of facing uncertainty, responsibility, and personal growth 

  • Watase, Yuu. FUSHIGI YUGI, VOL. 1 (PRIESTESS/ORACLE/DISCIPLE): 978-1421522906 

Enrichment Activities -  

  • Cultural and Historical Research - Ask students to research elements of historical Asian courts (gender roles, hierarchy, or politics) and create: 

  • visual timeline 

  • short comparison of real history vs. the story’s fictional world 

  • Art Analysis - Students select a panel and discuss: 

  • how the art conveys mood or character emotion 

  • symbols used to highlight themes of ambition, society, or resilience 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Module 2 Traditional Literature - THE LION AND THE MOUSE - Written by Jerry Pinkney

  Module 2 – Book Review 3   Review of J erry Pinkney ’s THE LION AND THE MOUSE   *This review was written for a course through Sam Houston State University.     1. BIBLIOGRAPHY   Pinkney , J erry . ( 2009 ). T he Lion and the Mouse . Little Brown and Company . ISBN: 978 0316013567     2 . SUMMARY   Pinkney’s illustrated retelling of Aesop’s fable “The Lion and the Mouse” does an incredible job of telling the story of a mighty lion and his unlikely friendship with a mouse. The tale happens when the mouse accidentally wakes the lion, who is quite angry and is captured. However, the lion lets the mouse go, who is grateful and promises to help the lion when he needs it in the future. The lion eventually needs help when he finds himself trapped in a poacher’s net. The mouse comes to help by gnawing through the ropes of the net to free the lion. The lion sees that even the smallest of animals can help and recognizes the importance of kindness ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Module 6 Fiction, Fantasy, YA: When Stars are Scattered - Written by Victoria Jamieson

  Module 6 – Book Re view 3   Review of Victoria Jamieson’s When Stars are Scattered   *This review was written for a course through Sam Houston State University.   1. BIBLIOGRAPHY   Jamieson, Victoria (2 0 20 ). WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED . Dial Books for Young Readers . ISBN: 978-1-72548-313-2   2. PLOT SUMMARY   Victoria Jamieson's graphic novel "When Stars Are Scattered" is a story about two brothers named Omar and Hassan. The brothers live in a refugee camp in Kenya they moved to after fleeing their home in war-torn Somalia. Jamieson writes about their struggles as refugees and how they dream of a better life while living in the camp. They face constant uncertainty and focus on their desire for education. As the older brother, Omar takes on caring for his younger brother and must face the circumstances of survival and the hope of a better future for both. Jamieson manages to use her storytelling along with illustrations in the graphic novel to ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Module 6 Fiction, Fantasy, YA: Echo - Written by Pam Munoz Ryan

  Module 6 – Book Re view 1   Review of Pam Munoz Ryan’s Echo   *This review was written for a course through Sam Houston State University.   1. BIBLIOGRAPHY   Ryan, P. M. (2 01 5 ). ECHO . Scholastic Pres s . ISBN: 978-0-439-87402-1   2. PLOT SUMMARY   In "Echo” written by Pam Munoz Ryan, a story connects three main characters through the space of time in the years from the Nazi Germany, through the Great Depression in America, and finally California in the 1940s. Each time period is connected by a magical and mysterious harmonica and the interactions of three different main characters, Friedrich, Mike, and Ivy, respectively. First, the harmonica finds its way into the hands of Friedrick who struggles with his love for music in Nazi Germany and has a magical encounter with the harmonica on his journey to escape the oppressive regime to find freedom. For him, the harmonica symbolizes hope and resilience. Next the harmonica connects with Mike who is ...
Post a Comment
Read more