Saiunkoku Monogatari
The Story of Saiunkoku

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It surprises me that this manga isn't more popular! (warning - some spoilers)

-Story: Starts out a bit cliched (attractive young girl roped into being a mock concubine/wife for attractive young royalty) but it develops a lot more after that point. I appreciated that the female MC (Shuurei) didn't fall in love with the king at that point, and actually removed herself from that situation once she had accomplished what she set out to do. There is a good balance in the story between action, politics, Shuurei's personal ambitions, and her relationship with the characters around her. I also felt like the pacing of the show ... was appropriate.

-Art: While the art didn't blow me away, it was definitely better than average, with good attention to detail and nicely drawn out backgrounds, which contributed a lot to the overall feel of the manga.

-Characters: I LOVE a strong-willed female character who has an agenda of her own, and Shuurei fit that bill nicely. She has a vision for her future, and although she does receive a lot of help along the way, she is also an instrumental part of making that dream happen for herself. Additionally, she is not a character to put aside her personal goals because of discrimination, hardship, or the romantic desires of the men around her. If you like this kind of character, I would definitely recommend that you read this manga simply because of her character. The story does eventually develop into a reverse harem, which I don't love, but the male characters who are involved are not too silly or over-the-top about it, and they still have a purpose in the story aside from just being a love interest for the female MC.

-Enjoyment: This was a fun story to read; serious at times, but overall light-hearted, without being silly. It had a good balance of plot development and character development. If you enjoy reading manga such as Akagame no Shirayukihime or Akatsuki no Yona, I would definitely recommend that you read this story as well.

TL:DR
No a romance, more of a fairly light-hearted drama manga. Large cast of likeable characters and an enjoyable plot, I recommend this one for anyone looking for something a tad more serious than the average shoujo manga.

Description
The story, which takes place in the fictional medieval empire of Saiunkoku, follows the adventures of Shuurei Kou, a descendant of a noble family that has fallen on hard times. Her father serves as librarian in the Imperial palace, a post which offers prestige and respect but little compensation. Shuurei teaches in the temple school and works odd jobs to make ends meet, but her dream is to pass ... the imperial examinations and take a post in government, a path forbidden to women. Shuurei's plans come to an abrupt halt when the Emperor's Grand Advisor makes a startling offer: join the imperial household for six months as the young Emperor's consort, and teach the Emperor to be a responsible ruler. If she succeeds, the financial reward will be great. The story details Shuurei's growing relationships with the Emperor and other members of the court, the intrigues that surround imperial politics, and Shuurei's commitment to better herself and her country.

Story: 8/10
Yes, the manga's synopsis makes it seem very tropey but it actually drops this conceit fairly quickly. In fact, the manga is not a romance at all and there isn't really any romantic subplot or romantic relationships formed by the end. I'm fine with this, because what we ended up with is far more interesting. The actual plot is also a little cliché to be fair, the main character rises above prejudice of peers to demonstrate that they're actually amazing, but it avoids Mary Sue to be quite well written and very enjoyable. It is definitely more complex than what I was expecting from a shoujo romance with the plot summary I read.

I was pleasantly surprised by how serious the manga gets at points. Now to be clear, this is still primarily a light-hearted story and the characters are rather ridiculous but the manga doesn't shy away from the darker side of life, expect a few assassinations attempts and corruption. Despite this, it's never bogged down in melodrama and makes plenty of time to have fun and be comedic.

The manga is also refuses to stagnate: new characters are steadily introduced or removed, slowly building an extensive cast and we learn new information that recontextualises their relationships and deepen our understanding of the political situation that is the manga's background.

The setting of the manga is essentially just ancient China and the author is uninterested in diverging from this so there is very little world building. The characters are very much the focus here. Whether this is a downside is up to you but I found the story interesting enough that I didn't care about the unoriginal setting.

My main complaint is that the manga just sort of ends. There is technically a conclusion but it doesn't feel all that satisfying. In fact it feels like we're cut off right when we get to the main course. Well, it turns out the manga was cancelled and they never got to cover the content of the currently untranslated light novels this manga series is based off, which continues far past the point the manga adaption ends. What a shame. Honestly, if I'd known this I wouldn't have read the manga knowing I'd never get the ending it deserves but at least I enjoyed my time while it lasted.

Characters: 8/10
Shuurei is the star of the manga and she deserves the role, rarely do you see such a singularly driven and self-possessed female character, especially in a shoujo manga marketed as a romance. She knows exactly what she wants and she won't let anything deter her, be that assassination attempts, discrimination or the romantic pursuits of others. Despite her burning ambition, she's still a relatable character who's easy to like with her pleasant personality and quiet determination. I also like that the manga specifically points out that she doesn't need to abandon her femininity to be strong.

There is also a large cast of secondary characters. They sometimes veer into the ridiculous and absurd with their individual personality quirks but for the most part they're quite grounded characters. Considering the large amount of attractive young men around, I was expecting a reverse-harem type of deal but in fact, only one major character expresses any sort of romantic feelings towards Shuurei. The rest are given more depth than just romance or connection to the protaganist. Shuurei is the driving force behind the manga as expected from the main character but it's made clear that everyone has their own agenda and are driven by their own ideals and goals, which sometimes coincide and sometimes conflict.

Art
Quite good, nice backgrounds make the world feel alive and the character designs are decent but hampered by the fact that many people dress the same and man have similar faces and hairstyles, making it easy to confuse characters.

Overall: 8/10
Great characters, great plot, what's not to love? I recommend this manga to anyone who wants a good female character who cares about more than boys. If only it got to adapt the whole light novel series…