Saiunkoku Monogatari - 21 - Another Intermezzo
Finally, the subs seem to have caught up with me. It was a nice experiment to start experimenting raw-watching with Saiunkoku Monogatari, but this show just isn’t fit for that. Luckily, I’ve found enough series over the past few months who are, which means that I’ll continue watching this series, based on Shadow’s subs.
This episode had a surprising main character: Ran Ryuuren. This episode again was more of an intermezzo between two arcs, just like the previous episode. Still, there were a lot of differences in theme and tone with the previous episode. Basically, after having disappeared for a while, Ryuuren returns to his Soul Mate #1 and Soul Mate #2: Shuurei and Eigetsu. He also discovers the existence of Soul Mate #2.5, aka Yougetsu. ^^
It’s a comical episode at first sight, though when Ryuuki appears, the serious side of Ran Ryuuren gets into the spotlight. He’s unique in the Ran family, as, even though he’s a genius, he doesn’t concern himself with power and politics. Because of his behaviour, he’s also impossible to blackmail or control, making him very reliable, in a way. Ryuuki realizes this, and uses him as a messenger.
- Kourin also made her appearance during this episode. Kouyuu informs Shuurei of the things she’s done. Afterwards, Kourin visits her, though she’s too scared to say anything about the poisoning. Still, she’ll get her moment some time, as she’ll be accompanying Shuurei to the Sa province.
- The location of the ring of the Sa-clan gets revealed. I should have known. Sho Taishi had it all along. He used it as a vessel for Sa Taiho’s soul, who makes a small appearance in front of Shuurei during the episode.
- Kurou also gets to see Shuurei. With this, Shuurei knows that she’s got the full support of the main house of the Kou clan.
I’m also wondering about the supernatural aspects of this show. They’re well hidden, but they’re there nonetheless. Especially the eight enlightened ones. It’s clear that Sho Taishi is one of them, but what about the other seven? First, I thought that the strange ghost Sho Taishi summoned in the previous episodes was also one of them, but it just appeared to be the young soul of Sa Taiho, who obviously wasn’t one of them.
