Frequently Asked Questions about Saiunkoku

1. Where can I get the novels and how can I read them?

The novels can be gotten anywhere Japanese books may be found. As for reading them, they’re in Japanese. I hear there are also Chinese translations, but I don’t know Chinese so I have no information about these.

2. Who does Shuurei end up with? Does she marry anyone?

The series is not over yet. So far, Shuurei has not ended up with or married anyone in the novels. Actually, I think that this issue is not going to be resolved until the end of the series, which will be coming within the next few books, although no one knows exactly how many books that will be, or when that will happen.

3. How many books are there? How many will there be? Are they published in a magazine before being collected in book form?

Currently there are fifteen books in the main series, and three side story (gaiden) volumes. The side stories have been mostly published in The Beans magazine, although there are some stories that have not been previously published in the side story volumes. The author has not announced exactly how many novels there will be.

4. What about the manga?

There is a Saiunkoku manga, which follows the novel storyline. It runs in Beans Ace. I don’t read the manga, though, so I can’t give you any more information on it. The manga storyline is far behind the anime storyline.

5. Up to what novel volume does the anime cover?

The two seasons of Saiunkoku anime cover up till volume 12 of the main storyline. Most of the stories in the first two side story volumes are covered, although some things are different, and some stories are not covered. So, Gaiden 3 and everything from novel 13 onward are not in the anime.

6. Do you know anything about who is licensing the anime, where I can get it, who the dub actors are….? Do you know anything about the drama CDs?

Sorry, I don’t really know much about what’s going on in the licensing situation there. I don’t follow the drama CDs either, I’m afraid. My purpose in my Saiunkoku posts is to cover Saiunkoku novel information.

7. Are there differences between the novels and the anime?

In a word, yes. I try to note these in the summaries. In the first season, the differences are relatively minor. Some minor subplots have been eliminated, or switched around, and some scenes added or subtracted. In the second season, although the major events and plotlines remain the same, some of the foreshadowing for later events has been cut. For this reason, I advise you to read the summaries from volume 9-10 on, if you are interested in understanding the post anime events. I have also tried to do translations of scenes that were altered or entirely cut from the anime which change our understanding of the characters and political situation.

8. Do you take translation requests…?

Sorry, due to time constraints and the difficulty of J–>E translation, I am unable to take requests. ^_^