Saiunkoku Monogatari begins with...
Due to her family poverty, Shuurei accepts an invitation to become the new
uperor, Ryuuki's, concubine and educate him, all the while believing that
he is homosexual. Seiran, the young man who was adopted by her family, goes
with her as Ryuuki's bodyguard. The three quickly find thuselves at the centre
of court intrigue, and Seiran's mysterious past is gradually revealed. The
characters' growing feelings for each other serve to complicate their lives
further.
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The novels first came out in 2003, story by Sai Yukino and illustrations by Kairi Yura. For a picture of thu, please click here. The anime is first aired on April 2006, with the following manga on June 2006.
About Shi Ryuuki 紫劉輝
Age: 19 (start
of the series)
Seiyuu: Seki Tomokazu (who performed Ryuuki perfectly)
Sexuality: Bi
Relationships with other characters
Profile:
Shi Ryuuki is the youngest prince of the royal Shi (Purple) family in the
kingdom Saiunkoku (Rainbow Clouds). Because his older brothers all passed
away - either by illness or by battle to the throne - Ryuuki was forced to
be king at a very young age. However, he has never shown interest in government
and politics even though the kingdom needs reformation (i.e: in generating
revenue and helping poverty). Rumor also has that he constantly drag males
into his chamber, causing everyone to believe that he prefers males over females.
When Shou Taishi invited Shuurei to be his wife, Shuurei slowly makes him
realize there are certain things only him as the king can do to help the kingdom.
Description:
Ryuuki is very intelligent even if he acts like a fool in the beginning. Well-educated
by Shuurei's father Shouka, trained in martial arts when he was young, not
to mention handsome, Ryuuki possesses lots of potential to be a good king.
After Shuurei enlightened him, he's become much more diligent in terms of
the imperial court.
However, at the same time, he acts a lot like a little kid. He will speak his mind to those he trusts without a second thought. Sometimes others will misinterpret something he says even if it sounds innocent to Ryuuki himself, or he will say something not too smart. Ryuuki will constantly be pouting one way or another if something is bothering him, but will do his best to fulfill a task if something really drives him.
Past - spoiler alert! (ep.3, 4, drama CD)-
As a young child, he has been
bullied mercilessly by his older brothers and also his mother because he was
an "unnecessary child". They blamed Ryuuki for diluting the former
Emperor's love for his brothers, and so he would be locked up in a dark room
often. Because of this, he is very afraid of the dark, and he always wants
company during night time to block away those memories.
The only people who really gave attention to him was his second eldest brother Seien (age 13 at the time when Ryuuki is 6) and Shouka. Seien taught him how to read and write, and he would comfort Ryuuki whenever he was beatened by the others, but that did not last long since Seien was exiled for an unknown reason. Later on Ryuuki found refuge in the library with Shouka, who continued to educate him and also introduced him to martial arts master Sou.
Because of his strong affection for Seien, he admits in the drama CD 秋の夜長に that his first love was his brother. This contributes to his "double edged" preference for males to comfort him at night. He does not mind such rumor, because he has always been carrying the hope that Seien will one day return to claim the throne. By using such a cover, he won't be forced to father a child. Still, he has often been with women before too, and slowly his affection for Shuurei becomes more solid.
