The anime, produced by Madhouse, ran for two seasons. While the first season is largely self-contained, the second season ends on a significant cliffhanger regarding the romantic tension between Shūrei and Ryuuki, as well as the looming political threats to the empire. For years, international fans were left in limbo, unaware of how the story concluded.
Viz Media licensed the series under their "Shojo Beat" imprint. However, they released the manga adaptation extensively, while the light novels received a limited release. Viz released only a handful of the light novel volumes in English before abruptly ceasing publication. Volume 1 and Volume 2 were released physically, but subsequent volumes were canceled due to sales figures that were deemed insufficient at the time. Saiunkoku monogatari light novel pdf
For a brief period in the late 2000s, a dedicated fan group known as (also associated with Twisted Wonderland and Lotus blogs) began translating the light novels. They produced high-quality, novel-style translations. The anime, produced by Madhouse, ran for two seasons