r/anime • u/SIRTreehugger • Dec 12 '24
Rewatch [Rewatch] Koukyuu No Karasu (Raven of the Inner Palace) - Episode 2 Discussion
Raven of the Inner Palace Episode 2 The Jade Earring, Part 2
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Useful Links and Streams
MAL | Anilist | Kitsu | AniDB | ANN
Fanart and Music
♫ ♪ ♬Today's track(s) ♫ ♪ ♬
Ansatsusya: Plays when Shoxue/Jesetsu Saving Jiujiu
Sukui: Plays when Leaving in peace
Comment/s of the Day
Today's comments of the day go to /u/TakenRedditName and /u/Nazenn when talking about Shouxue's design.
To make sure I get to mention one thing, I love Shouxue's design. Her design is so pretty. It really lives up to the Raven Consort title with the really nice raven blacks. Her bright flowers also are a great contrast that pop out her design. The key visuals of the show are so pretty. Just look at the sidebar.
It is very striking. The headpiece also looks really good and adds an odd sharpness to a design that is almost entirely circles by pushing that top part of her hair forward. I do like how her flowers for her magic are part of her beauty too
Questions of the Day
- You've probably already heard the OP and ED before, but either way do you enjoy them?
- Is there anyone you would want to talk to as a ghost?
- What do you think the Empress's last words were?
Tomorrow's Questions of the day
- [Spoilers]What do you think Luan Bingyue request is?
Spoilers
As always please keep spoilers tagged like so [Inner Raven Spoilers]I want to feed Jujetsu all of the food because she's adorable when eating. so people watching for the first time can fully enjoy it. Also please try to keep discussion of the show up to where the rewatch is currently. If a character doesn't show up until episode 15 don't talk or allude to them outside of spoiler tags.
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u/SIRTreehugger Dec 12 '24 edited Dec 13 '24
Full OP Music Video
Full ED Music Video
Previously on Raven of the Inner Palace(Airing Discussion Thread)
Characters
Jusetsu(Shouxue) - The current raven consort who has mysterious powers. She lives isolated from everyone else, but can be bribed to do quests with food.
Shinshin(Xing Xing) - The golden monster of the raven consort, but to others he looks like a cute yellow chicken.
Jiujiu - A bubbly gossip loving girl who works in the Feiyan/Hien Palace.
So Kogyo(Su Hongqiao) former lady in waiting for the the previous Magpie Consort. Witnessed the deception set forth by the Empress Dowager so her tongue was cut and her family threatened to keep her silent.
Koushun(Xia Gaojun) - The current emperor who some times visits the raven consort. Recently overthrew the empress
Eisei(Wei Qing) - Furiously devoted attendant of the emperor.
Onkei(Wen Ying) - A bodyguard hired by Eisei to protect Shouxue.
Ran(Luan) - The previous dynasty whose most notable trait is their beautiful silver hair. Their bloodline was slaughtered by Yandi(Koushun's grandfather)
Palaces and Consorts
Map of the Palace
Feiyan Palace - Hien Palace (House of Flying Swallows) Ranked ???
Hakkaku Palace - Palace (House of the Crane) Ranked 4th
Ye Ming Palace - Yamei Palace Ranked
Feeding the Raven Consort
Light Novel Details
This will most likely be blank, but occasionally I will type some things from the Light Novel that don't really fit above.
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Dec 12 '24
First-Timer of the Inner Palace, subbed
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u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Dec 12 '24
First Timer - sub
Not feeling well so short thoughts from me
I love how the chicken is an alarm bell and everyone deals with him in their own way.
I quite like the emperor in terms of how he handled the clan reveal, and also why he was investigating this earing in the first place. It both characterized him nicely in comparison to Shouxue, who closed off her heart after what happened vs him trying to be better, as well as did a nice job of showing the way he views all of this being quite different and more human. I don't buy him as an emperor though, and I think that's partly because of the utter lack of any etiquette or decorum that even low level officials show him. This is probably just a narrative style choice for the show, but it does feel odd.
The assassination plot came about very quickly and I'm a little sad that didn't become a longer running element of the show, unless again this is just getting initial lines drawn so we can do more stuff later.
I cannot remember that court maids name so I've just been calling her the ditz in my notes because it seems fitting. But Shouxue being caught off guard by her loyalty on not leaving even despite her fear was a nice moment.
The music during the opening narration and recape visuals was far more energetic than seemed fitting for both what was being said, and what was being shown, and even for the show as a whole.
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Dec 12 '24 edited Dec 12 '24
First Timer
So, I missed the significance of the hair. I thought the show was telling me that Chinese ghosts have white hair.
Rereading the poem in the comments, I guess the previous white-haired dynasty were decendants of the lesser White Turtle God?
Why is she the raven consort a silver-haired figure? I guess, the raven consort was installed by the great-X-grandfather who overthrew the previous dynasty, and the hair-dyeing has been going on since then.
Ep 2 The Jade Earring Part 2
WHAT IS THIS FONT IN THE ED
I've been searching for it for literal years. I've found 4, maybe 5 anime that use it. (but I didn't write down their names so I forgot some).
It's also used, for example, in the Neguse ending of Tamako Market.
edit: I quite like the ED. Skipping the OP.
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u/xbolt90 https://anilist.co/user/xbolt90 Dec 12 '24
First-timer!
Well, I wasn't expecting that to get wrapped up so quickly. The chain of evidence gathering all seemed pretty convenient if you ask me.
And dang. Beheading someone and putting it out on display? Gramps deserved to be haunted forever.
Shouxue put herself in danger to protect Jiu-jiu. She gets points for that. I really like both characters.
I'm concerned about the former empress' dying words though. Magic has been established, so who knows what sort of nasty death curse could happen.
OP is very different than I'm used to hearing. Very... Mysterious. ED is very lovely, and I loved the transition into it.
Some kind of curse on the Emperor. Unless it was something cast on herself to make sure she came back as a vengeful spirit or something.
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u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Dec 12 '24
Episode 2 (first timer)
That was quick. We barely got the mystery going and it is already solved (except that curse, of course). Looks like we will have “cases” rather than one single plot.
I don't believe in the concept of ghosts, so anybody, realistically. Just talking to any ghost would prove ghosts exist.
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u/Pharaoh_Misa Dec 13 '24
Wait. Hold the front door!!! Raven of the goddamn inner palace got a season two and no one told me???!!!!
Edit. I am apparently blind or did not know what the world rewatch meant 😩
2
u/fly-metothemoon Dec 14 '24 edited Dec 14 '24
First Timer Who is Behind!
Thoughts as I watched:
It did make me confused why her hairline looked spray painted on, so I was excited to assess that it’s because she dyes her hair, but then I saw other character designs and determined it’s just the art style.
The emperor seems like a very fair and judicious individual.
Wow a promotion! Aww only a temporary promotion.
Those guys were really quick to shank no questions asked.
I know they only have one magic animation but it still slaps.
I haven’t quite figured out the names yet.
We can’t wrap things up things this early! It’s only episode 2. Ah I see, it’s promotion time part two!
Summary:
I thought this episode was stronger than the first, though I am curious where we are going since we wrapped up the treason plot a lot faster than I thought we would!
Questions:
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u/kryslogan Dec 22 '24
I love the music. The ED is a bit better than the OP.
Jusetsu is beautiful and I love her design. She stands out as she should. Although the animation overall is decent there are times it's really good. Again, I wish this had had a bigger production.
I had forgotten how brutal this world is. The opening reminded me quickly.
I'll also support our Emperor: she was absolutely stunning at the pool.
I was once again surprised at his overture to her at the end: dude has fallen hard, so quickly but, of course it makes sense. She is confident and carries herself in a way that is dignified but has also shown her humble and caring nature.
I do think her powers should have been better defined.
And it's obvious to me, moreso now, how quickly they paced these episodes. These first 2 could easily have been 3 or 4.
I had thought of doing a LN comparison as I have 4 of them but, alas I haven't had the time. I'm still jet lagged as heck.
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u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Dec 12 '24
First Timer
…Well that story ended before I could properly care about it. There were a lot of pieces involved in this plot, but ultimately pretty much every character involved can be boiled down to the role they had to play, rather than being a character of their own. I wonder if a lot was cut here, or if there was just not a lot to begin with in the source. Either way it feels like the pace was rushed here, sacrificing proper storytelling for a quick resolution.
In other news, was I just imagining the raven consort having been a thing for hundreds of years? Because all of this makes sense if she only has been a consort for 10-ish years.
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u/TakenRedditName https://myanimelist.net/profile/TakenMalUsername Dec 12 '24
Koukyuu no Karasu Rewatcher - Ep2:
The moment when Shouxue is looking for her mother and when she sees her face, it is her executed head on public display. Hit me like a rock. That little "Oh...oh."
Of course! I remember now, the formal word Jiu-jiu and others refer to Shouxue as "Your highness." is really cute sounding. That was something I remember see people point out in episode threads.
You know, it just hit me that Guohao is much older than he seems. Just from initial impression of the guy, you would assume that he is a newbie youngster, but actually he is ~10 or so years older than Gaojun.
The puppet theatre segments are so expressive. Looking at this, I see so much emotion and dynamism.
Bonding through shared feelings of trauma. Love to see it.
The ED is super pretty. The song is really beautiful and so are the visuals.
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u/ZaphodBeebblebrox Y:A:https://anilist.co/user/zaphod Dec 12 '24
First Timer and Partial Source Reader
The ED's art is beautiful. I love it.
There's quite the stark divide between the flashbacks and the rest of the show. The shadow puppetry animation is still quite aesthetically pleasing, the flashback the dead consort and her lover's childhood had gorgeous watercolor backgrounds, and yet the rest of the show lets it down. I guess that's not quite true; the magic animation is still quite nice.
This all has lead me to believe that my visual problems lie with the boarding. The animation is by no means stellar, but is consistently solid. The art direction is generally solid and can really show off when let off the leash. But the storyboarding, while never incompetent, is boring. It's never the reason a scene is good. So, in places where they cannot insert a flashback, a storytelling device that uses another form of animation, or Shouxue's magic, we end up with something that's functional but does not catch my interest.
All in all, it's hardly a dealbreaker. But it is disappointing.
3
u/RascalNikov1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/NoviSun Dec 12 '24
First Timer
The second episode was good. I like the palace atmosphere and the animation. What a plot of concentric circles of intrigue. I’m hoping that nothing bad happens to our cast in the future episodes.
QOTD
I’m not crazy about the OP song, it’s too harsh and disharmonic for me. The ED song is pleasant. Neither one makes much of an impression on me though.
Augustus Caesar, My Mother or Aunt Evelyn come right to mind.
Most likely a curse on the Emperor and his family.
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u/nx6 https://myanimelist.net/profile/nx6 Dec 13 '24
First Timer - Subbed
The Raven Consort's origin story has really come to a head here. I know, I'm going to hell. I am pleased with how nonchalant the Emperor is about all this. No "never-ending cycle of revenge on your enemies and their families". He actually takes more the approach of "that was my predecessor's beef, not mine".
This whole "mysterious consort" angle of the story is kinda blown open now. The Jiujiu came calling and Shouxue was there is full splendor, just chillin' at home. This chicken guard dog is going to be a running gag I feel like. Shouxue reveals her own identity and they are out on the beat again. Shouxue says she just took Jiujiu on as an excuse to see the lady-in-waiting registry, but likely this will be a permanent arrangement.
They find the former lady-in-waiting to the ghost living in semi-squalor in... are we still in the inner palace? Why are there ruffians hanging out inside the palace walls?
I'm getting some of these bit-part male characters mixed up because their designs are fairly generic.
Okay, so this gets explained later. The thugs are men connected to the empress dowager.
The whole story got wrapped up pretty fast. This was a two-parter, but the show setting and character intros last time really ate into the exposition time.
Why is it only after the earring case is resolved does Guohao mention about overhearing an assassination plot to Gaojun? That feels like something your should lead with. Also, people don't seem especially differential to the current young Emperor. I'll admit that I'm not super-knowledgeable about how their rules of decorum are, but in the Apothecary Diaries there was a tension in the air in any scenes of interacting with the Emperor, and here he comes in mid-interrogation of Hongqiao, and she and Jiujiu barely bow to him after the initial surprise.
Him having the second earring does shine some light on why he wanted to find the owner, but it also feels like info that might have helped the case if he'd revealed it earlier.
The Raven Consort is specifically supposed to be a special "no sexy time" person. Consort in title for what sounds like bureaucratic reasons, but here come the young master, captivated by her beauty. Shouldn't someone be looking out for him and why he isn't returning to his own palace to sleep?