@Parcivale: Yes, it’s finally the second season! I honestly think that plot wise, the pairing will work but it’s more of a de-facto (did I use the right word) or perhaps more clearly a political marriage that means absolutely nothing.

I do wonder what Ryuuki will react to it though. Will he actually abuse his emperor powers? (Highly impossible though considering how much he respects Shuurei and the sheer strength of Kou clan. I doubt he can do anything as much as he wishes). Still, it will be rather interesting how the relationship of Shuurei x Ryuuki will go since both of them (one of them clear, one of them more discrete) announced their love for each other. Only time will tell. I love cliche phrases.

That said, Ryuuki is starting to get pressed to get a concubine (I am given the impression that he has zero female concubines in this episode), and I wonder what will happen to him even though he escapes almost every single time. Maybe, it is the girl that has appeared in the OP that is not identified.

Hah, I didn’t think of it as the Bara-hime since it somehow slips my mind. After re-watching the OP, i realize that the red haired girl has a rose on her hair, and I guess you are right to say that it symbolizes Bara-hime.

However, I believe that if he imposed his own authority as the clan of Shi and ask Shuurei for her hand officially under the name of his clan, he can hell try to fight for her with Kouyuu, who will then be the head of the Kou clan. What a love triangle that will be, but it will only belong in my strange head.

I actually wondered for a long while who the white-haired guy is but he hardly looks like Sakujun. Do you think he is actually Shou-taishi…(wait, shou-taishi is black haired). Hell, I am stumped.

****, my post is cut! ==
When did drunk!Seiran say “What a nosy woman, if I knew, I would not have come back

What happened to Seiran? Did he know about the marriage proposal or he’s just being emo? yay! for my 3rd OTP ^^KouyuuxShuurei!!Hope we’ll see Reishin next ep I miss him terribly Kijin too^^

@Miu: Nah, Seiran was having a lot of pressure after the arc of Sakujun, where he felt that he was depending way too hard onto Shuurei. He felt that he was merely depending on Shuurei for survival. Shouka, noticing his low spirits, told him to go to the Demon’s party to vent off his frustrations. So, to answer your question, he’s merely being emo.

I had to skip a bit of the detail in order to keep the summary short ^^

@Parcivale: Do I hear a fellow Reishin fan? GO!!!!! Reishin, the uncle, is just…great. The preview by the way seems to show that Kijin will appear with his mask removed. Hmm, I wonder if we have the chance to see his bishie face

I’m surprised that the marriage questions has already popped up in the anime. In the novel Ryuuki managed to find a temporary solution but there’s trouble brewing in the latest chapters for the emperor.
Ryuuki will find out about the marriage proposal but his reaction isn’t that of anger…

highlight for spoilers:
He picks Shusui to be his concubine of sorts. It’s a convenient relationship for both as they are both in love with different people and need to keep away unwanted suitors . Shusui also is kind to Ryuuki and has seen him at his vulnerable times (i.e when he clinged so tightly to shuurei after he woke up alone in the dark)

Ryuuki’s reaction to the Kouyu/Shuurei marriage proposal.

Ryuuki finds out second hand about this from Kurou himself who gloats about his plans (he and Reishin know about the Emperor’s weakness for their niece). Ryuuki is sadden that he found out from someone else instead of Kouyu who he considers his close friend and advisor. He also realizes that both Shuuei and Kouyu have alliance priority to their clan above all else. He however isn’t mad at Kouyu but grateful that he can be second place in their priority rather than nothing. He however, does recent Kurou and to some extend Reishin

@Lady Kou,I would love to see,how they will work on that since that from the start,Kouyuu is known for his averse,when it comes to women!so I’m pretty curious?

@Impz,I also wondered who is that handsome guy,with a white hair!and He’s wearing Purple clothing!As I know that is symbolized the Imperial house clothing(like Ryuuki)?I think that guy is somewhat part of Ryuuki’s family?hmmm,I’m wondering what he can do?in this seasons?

(Fangirl Squeal) “SQUEE my bishies are back!”

Acutally this has been a very good day, I managed to find scans of the first volume and now Impzy has very kindly blogged this.

Impzy you ROCK!

Sorry but I’m so happy SaiMo is back.

Ahh the course of true love never did run smooth and its seems this is definetely true for poor Ryuuki and Shuurei. I wondered how much would be made of the comment last season that Kouyuu would be expected to marry Shuurei and I guess I got my answer!

I’m glad Ryuuki is going to find a sneaky solution to the concubine issue though. Shusui is a good choice since she’s in love with Shouka.

Despite all that stands in their way I’m still gonna cheer for Ryuuki and Shuurei. ^-^

Hmm. I still haven’t watched the first season of this as yet. Though I can start tomorrow by watching 3-4 episodes a day. XD

@Lady Kou: I think you will be a very wonderful asset for the commentors and visitors for the saimono entries very soon. Your little spoilers are pretty insightful, even though i am like “GAH, I GOT SPOILERS!” I do like the Shusui and Ryuuki pairing because it will be following a similar plot to how Saimono grounds itself. It’s a convenient relationship for sure and I cannot wait for it to appear. However, do keep the spoilers to a minimum as not to make the other visitors go O_O at spoilers

@na2niet: Hahahaha, I doubt that they will ever fall in love per se. It feels to me to be a very convenient marriage rather than anything of love. I swear that the day it happens will be the gnashing of teeth by the Seiran and Ryuuki fans. I have nothing against Kouyuu but political marriages without a two-sided love is quite crappy.

My confusion with the white hair is apparent and I have no clue as yet.

@Hopeless: Sakujun? It seems queer that Sa Enjun is not the sage but it’s possible considering that Sa Enjun is perhaps just a spirit rather than anything else. Hence, it’s possible that Sakujun is in fact one of the sages but it will be a rather interesting twist if it happens. I never really thought about that way. My brain does not allow me to process anything too complex.

@DJ: hahahaha! Bishies huh. I think that ryuuki and shuurei’s relationship will soon become more complex than ever. The irony of Shusui is that someone in the palace has some unrequited love of her. I wonder if they will ever show it somehow.

@Wifey: HAHAHAHAHA. You still don’t have the chance to watch it right. Too bad for you I have no sympathy for you after all the evil torture you gave me for the past two days. Nevertheless, I do wonder what the role of the white bishie is. He’s quite interesting…

@Leon: You should. It’s one of the good historical anime for one.

@Sunny: sorry mate, we do not entertain download requests here in the blog. The previous emperor huh. Honestly, that might be possible since we have absolutely no background knowledge of the previous emperor to be honest. I am happy that I can relieve the annoyance of no subs and hope that you can discuss more when you have the time ^^

13sugars, when have you converted to Seiran love? I thought you were a Ryuuki fan…

That said, Ryuuki is sooooooooooooooo cute in this episode. Seriously cute. Forget Seiran; Ryuuki totally RULES as the best bishie (in the whole world) in SaiMono. His kawaii-ness is without rival.

It wasn’t a surprise to me that Kurou wants Kouyuu to marry Shuurei; it was hinted last season. However, I really doubt Shuurei will be amicable to the idea. In the first place, her whole reason for not getting together with Ryuuki is because she wanted to do her work and not be tied down. Sure, if she marry Kouyuu she wouldn’t be an empress, but that also means that she would be an official’s and clan head’s wife instead of Kou Shuurei, governor and official. If she has to marry, she might as well marry Ryuuki. And I seriously don’t see her family forcing her to marry Kouyuu; Shouka definitely would not, and Renshin is too infatuated (eh… in an uncle-ly way) to force her. So, even if Kouyuu is willing, Shuurei would never be willing. In the end, it’s a moot issue.

I have no idea who the white haired guy is. Probably an entirely new character who wouldn’t appear until the last arc, like Sakujun.

I actually thought that Seiran was acting really weird when he got back. Totally out of character. I initially thought he was drunk, but then later when Sai and husband visits, he was back to normal and not drunken/angry anymore. He can’t wake up from a drunken haze that fast, right? *blinks*

The white haired guy most likely isn’t the previous king, as we saw him before in the episode that explained Seiran’s backstory and he was most definatly not bishounen, and his hair was the same colour as Ryuuki’s. I’m a little worried because I haven’t seen him in any scans before and, even though there is still much novel material left, I am scared of him being a filler character.

Yeah, that little hand snatchaway was a little disappointing. On the other hand, I don’t take any ominous hints from the OP — I take it as a sign that they want to slow it down. This seems to be a popular series, and if so, they probably want to stretch it out. If Ryuuki and Shuurei paired up quickly, that would be the end of the story. Generally screenwriters will want to keep the tension going — at least in the United States, any series is best when there’s tension, obstacles and problems for the main series pairing. When they pair up, the series is either coming to an end or it’s jumped the shark. Seems to be that way for a good portion of Japanese anime too (or maybe that’s just my hopefulness talking). Though… sometimes this kind of thing is so frustrating it just hurts to watch the show.

There are big parallels being made between (among?) Shuurei and the bara-hime story. Another thread of continuity throughout the whole plot. It’s nice how they keep certain back stories barely there but yet consistent and important. White bishie fades to bara-hime who morphs into Shuurei. Yeah.

Why do I only read English? I just only now got to see ep 39. I curse my linguistic ignorance.

Kyaa ^.^ The first episode rocked! What a great way to start the second season. It’s so rare to see Seiran being all mean to his Shuurei haha He’s always been so interesting. What did Shouka mean by a gift from the fiancee? I didn’t get that.

Heh, Kouyuu is going to get more interesting too. It’s about time spring comes for him LOL As for the opening theme, I don’t think it blurred the RyuukixShuurei pairing actually. The two of them looking at each other near the end gave it all away. ^.^/* Lastly, I also LOVE the new ending theme mostly because Shuurei is standing between my two fave charries ohoho. I have a feeling I’m going to like the second season. I can’t wait till next week already.

@Fuuka: I personally like Hajimari no Kaze so much that I am glad that they retained it. For some reason, the song just have the whole flavor of the anime that really makes it totally cool. I guess you are definitely right on the point of Shuurei being 18.

In the ancient times, 18 is perhaps the prime age of marriage for women (unlike now where people considered even marrying before 30 to be too young sometimes, ahaha~). In that situation, I doubt that Kouyuu has any intentions with any girl simply because he’s a fricking women hater. If anyone remembers, he is called by Shuuei as a misogynist and I highly think that they really have any form of interest. Hah, the marriage will go true though.

Hahah, Ryuuki in dreamy mode is just so boyish that it’s silly. I remember how wifey was swooning so hard that it’s rather disgusting to be around her when she did it. Trust me.

@Briar: She’s always a Seiran fan….And she’s meh. Well, it’s not really a surprise per se since it has been hinted more than once actually. However, Shouka will not force anyone and Reishin is just too gay for shuurei (sorry, had to say that) to really enforce any true will to do it. However, I defer with your reason about Shuurei.

I personally believe that she will forsake love per se in order to fulfill the right of the family. The thing is that because no one forced her, she will be more willing to take on the burden. Remember, she cares and protects everyone she loves. If a political marriage will help and stabilize the clan, I believe she will just do such a thing. That sounds like how Shuurei will do it.

Also, I think he was smacked so hard and shocked out of his wits that he woke up from his drunken state

@Hny: That’s the whole point. To make the viewers be annoyed yet adoring this new character. I have no clue though about what further complications will arise since I have no access or interest to read the novels in advance.

@Wifey: Hahahaha, YOU FINALLY WATCH IT HUH. Temptation has gotten over you desu ^^ Well, I do not really have any inkling since an image really tells absolutely nothing, as much as I want to wildly speculate. We will see and we will definitely argue every time we talk about this on the phone.

@Apex: Hmmm, I actually did not take any ominous hints from the OP unlike 13sugars and I am actually in agreement with your views that it’s a way to stretch it out. Hah, well, I curse my linguistic skills too in the form of Japanese, or the lack of it.

@Mars: HAHAHA, u got to fight with tons of fangirling girls for Seiran. Trust me on that.

@richaryx: Me neither. I had a question mark on it because I totally do not get that too. I actually wonder what the supposed outcome will be.

@Sharpie: interested? I think he might realize that women are pretty good.

Ha ha ha.

For a question for all, do you think that Kouyuu will eventually end up with Shuurei? If so, list your reasons desu ^+^

@ricaryx
but Shuurei pulls away from Ryuuki in the opening. It looks like she’s saying “i like you but my career is more important.”

Kouyuu will probably fall in love…with Shuurei, but i think it will be unrequited. I honestly doubt they will get together since Shuurei doesn’t look at him that way. She will probably find some other way to get around the marriage. It would be so weird to see Kouyuu being all loving towards Shuurei.
And if they do get married, shuurei is going to marry kouyuu ONLY for political reasons. Like they have no sex and children, but are just helping each other.

@Impz : hahah, of course you did not like it when your wifey was swooning for some other bishies - even thought they’re not “real” ^^. But trust me, there’s no girl that’s not fangirling over such super hyper ultra cute boy like Ryuuki. You have to recognize that your wifey has a good taste for choosing “beautiful men” to fangirl :D.

To answer your question : Definitely there’s no way Kouyuu and Shuurei can be a couple because RyuukixShuurei in the destined pair approved by us - their shippers :P.

Sorry, that is the fangirl in me want to say but in fact there are more reasons to strengthen this affirmation.

I totally agree with people about the fact that Kouyuu is a natural woman-hater, or he just can’t deal with girls at all. I don’t think Kouyuu has yet to develop any feelings towards Shuurei for now. But there’s always possibilities in the future. But even if he has any feelings for her, it’s still impossible to think about marriage. Kouyuu’s aware of the deep love that Ryuuki has for Shuurei, and because he thinks of Ryuuki more than a King, but a very close friend, he can’t step over the line. Normally, other people would fail to that and decide to choose love over friendship. However, considering Kouyuu’s personality, he would never allow that to happen.

About the heir’s issue, I have the feeling that he really want to take over for Reishin. Yet at the same time, he doesn’t want to be a heir by “marrying up” because people won’t recognize him as a true heir but just a man who’s married to their First Lady Kou Shuurei and then conveniently succeeds the position. Being a highly self-esteemed person as he is, he won’t accept that.

And even if he agree to marry Shuurei, I’m pretty sure that she will not do the same. Even though I think Impz has analyzed the characteristics of Shuurei very well, I doubt that Shuurei will “forsake her love for the clan”. If we look again at her personalities, she the “free” type. She wants to keep on walking towards and doesn’t want to be tied down with anyone just yet. She can’t even give the answer to the one she has feelings for, let alone Kouyuu who she never sees as more than a good friend. And also because of her straightforward-ness that I believe she will not agree to a political marriage. And now she’s opened up to men so obviously she will not want a marriage life with no love or no children. That’s not marriage and she can’t create a happy family like her parents did to her. She won’t want it, I’m sure ^^.

That’s just my thoughts, where the story will go depends on the creators. I’ll have to wait’n see.

(Anyway I’ll support Ryuuki no matter what.Go Ryuuki, fighting for love till the end :D!!)

@girlanime: you can find some details about the Bara-hime story in SaiMono ep 29 season 1, in this blog.

@impz: Sorry but why all those spaces appeared in my paragraphs :((, I cetainly don’t remember to press enter in the middle of 5th paragraph T_T. I’m very sorry, if you can plz edit my post and make it look neater? It’s very terrible now. Sorry for troubling you and thank alot.

I, for one, am really excited over the possible KouyuXShuurei pairing. Of course, I doubt it would ever be fully requited (especially in Shuurei’s part), but Kouyu falling in love with Shuurei is definitely not out of the possibilities.

About the whole woman-hating thing, well, it seems to be that Shuurei’s the only (for now) exception to that; currently it’s only respect and admiration that I see coming from him, but that might just change into something more in the future.

One thing I’ve always wondered is how on EARTH Shouka manages to survive at home when Shuurei is away away doing her duties is Sa province. There’s no way he could possibly cook a proper meal for himself without burning the entire mansion down. (I suppose maybe Reishin visits him with ready-made food or something. I wouldn’t put it past him to do something like that for his beloved elder brother, especially since it means he’ll get an excuse to visit him. :p)

That aside, I totally LOVED this episode, being the immense Kouyuu fan that I am. Although I’m a staunch believer that the Kouyuu-Shuurei relationship is and always will be platonic, I think it’s quite cute to see Kouyuu getting all flustered when he considers that he might have to marry her in the future. :p Also, drunk Seiran is rather scary - I can’t believe he actually dared to grumble about Shuurei under his breath! He’s definitely a changed person when drunk and his “black” personality shows up more. I suppose he also needed to let off some of his frustration that comes from realising how heavily dependent he is on Shuurei (Otherwise he doesn’t strike me as someone who would carelessly get so drunk). Though I must say he was hilarious walking around with that bucket on his head. XD

@Modenarai: hahaha, i bet there’s a certain girl called Shusui who will be happy to cook for Shouka. I do wonder how he can be such a disaster. It’s just brewing tea, it’s NOT THAT HARD to screw it up. hahah!

Also, Seiran is the type of person that will never get too drunk but i guess Shouka’s insistence for him to let out some steam helped him. I think he will feel all ok, and my wifey also had the same feeling as you. She is saying how cute Seiran is with the bucket on his head. ~_~ Too drunk to bother, huh.

@Johanna: I am sure there are, like two right in this blog ^^

ugh comment cut out (if you want to edit so that it shows only one)… as I was saying:
I just need to catch up with you guys on the eps. Thanks for the reviews Impz! *loves them*

Oopps sorry for double post…Anyone thought about Shuurei being the head of the Clan? I mean Shunki was willing to do it…so why not Shuurei? It will solve the whole succession mess, although i understand that Kouyuu will want to succeed Rishin to make him proud…but that would imply he has to die first. Also forgot about the whitie bishie - inclined that he is some friend of Shou’s - i mean neither of them are HUMAN!

Aaaah yes, da 2nd season!;>..U know, as a bishounen worshipper, I’d say pairing up Ryuuki&Shuurei would be da best choice n satisfaction 2 all of da fans who have da same thoughts as mine:>..I mean, it’s da highest hope that we’d like 2 see in this anime afterall!;> Besides, I feel sorry if Shuurei has 2 marry Kouyuu;p (remember back in season 1, ep.30 where Ryuuki, accompanied by Shuuei n Kouyuu wanted 2 see Shuurei from afar; back in da woods, Kouyuu punched Shuuei while sleeping heavily;p ha3x..Shuuei said not only he’s bad w/ directions but also hits n moves around in his sleep)..As funny as his personality reflects on its own, Kouyuu’s indeed a rare type 2 find, huh?:> So, I do hope that this 2nd season will give us the resolution that we really wanted 2 see:> ha3x..up 2 U 2 judge who will ends up w/ who:>?! As U know which pair I’m rooting for!:> he3x..Still, I also feel sorry 4 Seiran if Ryuuki gets Shuurei at the end though; I mean, come on now, hasn’t he given up a lot up till now?;

WHERE CAN I GET BT FOR THIS EPISODES? I WANT IT IN CHINESE!

Oh well, if Kouyuu marries Shuurei, he would be Kou Kouyuu instead of Shuurei becoming Lee Shuurei. But come to think of it, Lee Shuurei really sounds idiotically funny. Whenever I come to think if Shuurei marries Kouyuu, then what about Ryuuki, Seiran, Ryuuren and Sakujun?? And you guys know that Sakujun isn’t dead right? Coz’ after Shuurei said ‘ I’m going to find Young Master Eigetsu!’ Then when she came back, his body was already missing. Actually, i really prefer Shuurei to be with Sakujun as his beauty really makes Shuurei’s heart flutter. I really love Sakujun!! Sakujun-san, aisheteruyo!!! yeh!! Ok back to the topic, so currently to say Shuurei still doesn’t know that she is supposed to marry Kouyuu, so she would definitely say NO to the marriage itself but because for the clan’s survival, she has to say YES. And Seiran only has Ryuuki other than the Kou clan so he really cherishes them and especially Shuurei ( I sometimes wonder if Seiran has fallen in love with her. ) so he would also say NO ( but i think if Shuurei says YES, he can’t really do anything coz’ Shuurei would be determined to do it to the end when she says so. )