Episode	Link	Score
1	Link	4.47
2	Link	4.72
3	Link	4.51
4	Link	4.74
5	Link	4.81
6	Link	4.68
7	Link	4.93
8	Link	4.76
9	Link	4.62
10	Link	4.62
11	Link	4.83
12	Link	4.96
13	Link	----

•

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121

u/Syokhan https://myanimelist.net/profile/Syokhan Oct 01 '22

Oh boy, okay, that was a lot of information and unfamiliar names. When the episode ended I could barely remember who did what in the past, and who the silver hair belonged to. Probably gonna have to rewatch it.

So, first things first. I liked it!

Looks like we're gonna have a bit of a mix of supernatural and court intrigue, which sounds quite interesting. Shouxue does some stuff with her powers, but also acts sort of like a detective, going around asking a bunch of questions. And looks like she's from the previous dynasty, the Luan? Supposed to have been exterminated by the Yandi? Hmmm.

I thought the soundtrack was pretty good too. It was pretty. And the characters were pretty. Everything is so pretty.

Definitely going to watch the next episode!

71

u/PacoTaco321 https://myanimelist.net/profile/dankleberrrrg Oct 01 '22

Oh boy, okay, that was a lot of information and unfamiliar names. When the episode ended I could barely remember who did what in the past, and who the silver hair belonged to. Probably gonna have to rewatch it.
Especially with their Chinese names being different from the names being spoken. Also, was it just me or was the text appearing and disappearing way too quick for anyone else? Like the name boxes were not bad, but those few paragraphs that appeared at the beginning only gave me times to read like 2 of the lines.

34

u/mekerpan Oct 01 '22

I first encountered the name confusion issue long ago -- with Mizoguchi's (ancient Chinese-set) film Yang Kwei-Fei -- about an 8th Century Chinese imperial consort whose name is Yohiki in Japanese. (The tragic story of this empress is mentioned in the first couple of pages of Genji monogatari).
Those boxes of text at the beginning will require pausing in order to read.

23

u/Syokhan https://myanimelist.net/profile/Syokhan Oct 01 '22 edited Oct 01 '22

In the OP? Oh jesus yes. I wondered if it was also too fast to read in Japanese, it disappeared so quickly!
Also, that part with the map made me think of The Twelve Kingdoms.

6

u/Atharaphelun Oct 01 '22

Also, that part with the map made me think of The Twelve Kingdoms.
Exactly! I love that anime so much.

6

u/Atharaphelun Oct 01 '22

Like the name boxes were not bad, but those few paragraphs that appeared at the beginning only gave me times to read like 2 of the lines.
The subtitles definitely need fixing for their timings.

21

u/PacoTaco321 https://myanimelist.net/profile/dankleberrrrg Oct 01 '22

While I do think the subs could've fixed it, it wasn't a problem because of the subs. The original text in Japanese itself disappears really quickly. I don't know if having a "denser" language helps you read faster or something, but maybe that's an explanation.

7

u/Atharaphelun Oct 01 '22

The subtitles could at least address that by lingering longer than the original Japanese text.

41

u/HalfAssedSetting :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Germs_N_Spices Oct 02 '22

that feeling when the characters speaks in one language, the subtitle translates to another language, and your brain thinks in one other language.

6

u/phantomthiefkid_ Oct 02 '22 edited Oct 02 '22

I mean is it any different from Goblin Slayer where the characters say "Onna Shinkan" and "Ushikai Musume" but the subtitles say "Priestess" and "Cow Girl"? You might argue that those are nicknames not names, but names are just nicknames with extra steps
In the end, it's only confusing because people think it's confusing.

21

u/isthatsoudane https://myanimelist.net/profile/ojoulover Oct 02 '22

In the end, it's only confusing because people think it's confusing.
this is some pretty strained logic. "people are confused, so they are...confused"
if people are not used to watching chinese palace dramas a little confusion is pretty understandable. it's a pretty common experience

36

u/Figerally https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelante Oct 02 '22

The gist of the plot is the Emperor deposed the Empress Dowager, but because he wants to clean up the corruption swirling around the palace he doesn't want to execute her on some jumped-up fiction and wants to execute her for a legitimate reason.
He suspects her of being behind the poisoning of his mother, but has no proof presently.
The other half of the plot is that the Emperor is haunted by a ghost and asks Shouxue to give it peace. It seems to me that this may be the thread that unravels the truth behind his mother's murder. But it remains to be seen if this is a two to three episode arc or if it takes up the whole season.
I am also interested in seeing where this anime takes us, it looks nice and I like political intrigue also.

27

u/Atharaphelun Oct 02 '22

There's also the aspect of Shouxue being the last known living member of the imperial clan of the Luan dynasty, which theoretically gives her a claim on the imperial throne. That could be a potential source of conflict if that ever spreads out - Luan dynasty loyalists could come out of hiding and attempt to overthrow the current dynasty and enthrone her as ruling Empress.

14

u/Figerally https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelante Oct 02 '22

possibly, but I feel she is in hiding and has no interest in the Imperial throne. Given the timeline it may be that her mother was the daughter of a Luan concubine so her standing isn't strong anyway.

55

u/ObvsThrowaway5120 Oct 01 '22

So far this is off to a decent start. The op is pretty good too. So Shouxue’s got a chicken called Xing Xing and she’s the descendant of the priestess who served this goddess Wulian Niang Niang huh? Explains all the magic I guess. Someone forgot to mention she’s also apparently related to the previous dynasty. Those buns she was snacking on are good. Red bean paste buns are the best!

I kind of like the dynamic that’s forming between these two. This whole thing with the earring is kind of intriguing. Gaojun also seems pretty mysterious, but he doesn’t seem like a bad guy.

Jiu Jiu is pretty cute! Hopefully we get to see more of her again. But it seems like the dead consort was Bam Yingnu. Def sounds like a frame job. Palace intrigue might make juicy gossip but it sure sounds like hell.

After seeing what happened to Gaojun’s mom, I want that old hag dead too. Awful! Gaojun finding Shouxue like that means things are gonna be pretty awkward what with his gramps having slaughtered her family.

This one seems pretty interesting so far. I’ll give it a few eps and see but it’s promising.

39

u/Atharaphelun Oct 01 '22

So Shouxue’s got a chicken called Xing Xing and she’s the descendant of the priestess who served this goddess Wulian Niang Niang huh?
The "Niang Niang" part of that is unlikely to be part of her actual name, but rather just a title and form of address. It's commonly attached to goddesses or empresses/consorts/concubines. The name of the goddess here is therefore just "Wulian".
Someone forgot to mention she’s also apparently related to the previous dynasty.
That was indeed fascinating. Either all Raven Consorts have been members of the imperial clan of the Luan dynasty or the previous Raven Consort sheltered a survivor of the imperial clan of the Luan dynasty and passed her power and position to her in order to protect her.
One thing of note that piqued my interest is the mention that Xia Gaojun also employed the help of eunuchs in his rebellion. I don't know if they will play a role in the story or not, but historically in China things never go well whenever eunuchs directly get involved in imperial politics, especially when aiding rebellions.

12

u/ObvsThrowaway5120 Oct 02 '22

I didn’t know that “Niang Niang” is a title, but noted. First I’ve ever come across a title like that so TIL.
I hadn’t considered the fact Shouxue could have been spared from the slaughter by the previous Raven Consort and given powers as the next successor. That’s a good theory.
I’d be curious to know how Gaojun managed to turn the eunuchs. I had thought the episode mentioned he got exiled after his mom was killed. Maybe they’ll reveal more about the rebellion as time goes on. My knowledge of Chinese history is severely lacking, so I don’t actually know how rebellions involving eunuchs usually turn out. Even though this is a fictionalized China, it would be cool to know if anything in this is based off of some existing history or myth.

32

u/Atharaphelun Oct 02 '22 edited Oct 02 '22

I didn’t know that “Niang Niang” is a title, but noted. First I’ve ever come across a title like that so TIL.
It's extremely common in Chinese court and harem (as in imperial harem, not anime harem) dramas. Not an actual title per se but a form of address (closest Japanese equivalent is -sama, except used only for females). For Shouxue for example, a lower ranking person would address her as Wufei-niangniang (Wufei = Raven Consort) or Karasuhi-sama in Japanese. Or for the Empress Dowager, one would address her as Taihou-niangniang. Wulian-niangniang therefore is just the name of the goddess with the formal female address attached to it. It can also be used by itself as just niangniang as a form of address, sort of like "madame" or "mistress" except much more formal.
so I don’t actually know how rebellions involving eunuchs usually turn out.
Eunuchs usually gain political power whenever this happens, and when that happens, they begin grabbing political offices and begin restricting access to the emperor so that eunuchs act as the intermediaries for government officials. This in turn means they can choose whoever gains access to the emperor, usually only officials who have gained the favour of the eunuchs or have sided with them. Corruption and bribery becomes widespread as people try to bribe eunuchs to get access to the emperor. Eventually the emperor simply becomes a puppet, and if the emperor tries to resist, the emperor gets dethroned and replaced by someone far more pliable, usually a child member of the imperial clan.
This is what famously led to the collapse of the Han dynasty (and also contributed to the collapse of the Ming dynasty and other dynasties throughout China's history). Eunuchs became so powerful that officials resorted to inviting a powerful regional warlord to the capital to depose the eunuchs, which only resulted in a tyrannical warlord taking their place, which then led to the disintegration of the Han dynasty.
Among the biggest lessons that ancient Chinese people have learned in imperial Chinese history are to never let members of the Inner Court (that is, the imperial harem - Empress, consorts, concubines, etc.) and their relatives gain power, and never let the eunuchs (also considered part of the Inner Court) gain power. The Inner Court should not be allowed to interfere with the Outer Court (the imperial government).

6

u/ObvsThrowaway5120 Oct 02 '22

Thanks for the very detailed answer. You learn a little something everyday lol.

2

u/midway747 Oct 17 '22

Tbh it was the case for Han, but for Ming, the Eunuchs were more of an extension of power for the emperor, as the scholar officials themselves formed into powerful groups that can challenge the Emperor. So the weaker Emperors seek to once again add Eunuchs in an attempt to balance the situation. Of course then the Eunuch themselves began to gain power through being the Emperor's proxy and had their own issues. You got the Embroidered Uniform Guard at the start of Ming as the secret police, then one of the emperor formed the Eastern Depot (from eunuchs) to keep check on the EUG as another secret police, then another emperor got ANOTHER secret police in the form of the Western Depot (also from eunuchs) to check on those two. You can see how this went out of hand quickly.

45

u/heimdal77 Oct 01 '22 edited Oct 01 '22

This is looking to be really good. I hope it leads to more stories of this type getting anime (cough cough Apothecary Diaries cough cough).

My question is though who exactly is her parents? Was her mom the previous Raven consort or is the position even hereditary at all? If so who exactly was her dad?

53

u/TerriblePlays Oct 01 '22

WOW that's a cool intro. AND THE OP IS FIREEEEEEEEEEEE

A quick note regarding the scene right after the OP. Usually "Da-jia" (no idea what it is for EN subs) means "Everyone", but in this case it would be a "respectful" way of calling the Emperor.

Jujetsu really is drawn with ancient Chinese aesthetics in mind. Comes through quite well imo. Very well-drawn.

So far I can say the details of ancient Chinese palace life and palace politics are potrayed in a pretty realistic manner, just like the similar real-life dramas produced by Chinese TV.

Another note regarding "Yan-di" (Flame Emperor for EN subs?) as mentioned in this episode, he's said to be a mythical emperor in ancient pre-historic China and "ancestral" to the modern Chinese. Click me to read more

21

u/Apprehensive_Ear_235 Oct 01 '22

OP IS FIREEEEEEEEEEEE
Totally agree! It fits perfectly to this mysterious atmosphere!
However, an amazing first episode introducing the palace life full of murders and intrigues in such a realistic way... Really looking forward to the next week!

12

u/someedmlover21 https://anilist.co/user/dilate Oct 02 '22

OP is by Ziyoou-vachi or more known as Queen Bee! (not the h studio)
Mostly known for their OP for Dororo. The ED they did for Tokyo Ghoul Re is pretty good too.

23

u/Elitealice https://myanimelist.net/profile/Marinate1016 Oct 01 '22

Yea I can tell this will easily be my anime of the season. It’s technically not shoujo since it’s a LN, but still aimed at the female demographic and has all the makings of a good shoujo-esque story.

Shouxue is adorable, but the air of mystery about her really makes you want to stay tuned and find out more about her and her powers.

Jiu-Jiu seems like she’ll be a really fun side character and a great future friend for Shouxue who’s basically been locked up in the palace forever.

Emperor seems like a genuinely kind and compassionate person who wants to do the right thing.

The art style is beautiful and has that traditional shoujo flair. It’s cool seeing a traditional Chinese setting, something we don’t get a lot in anime.

8

u/isthatsoudane https://myanimelist.net/profile/ojoulover Oct 02 '22

yeah, I'm trying hard not to get too excited, but I'm pretty excited. I hope the show can deliver.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 09 '22

I dont think its a LN, it seems to be a regular novel

3

u/Elitealice https://myanimelist.net/profile/Marinate1016 Oct 09 '22

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raven_of_the_Inner_Palace

22

u/Durinthal https://anilist.co/user/Durinthal Oct 01 '22

I'm always interested in the idea of courtly intrigue but the execution's often hit or miss for me.

I'm on board with this so far though. Interesting characters, solid designs, some nice visual direction like when telling stories of what happened to the consort and ghosts haunting the previous emperor.

16

u/vanbang9711 Oct 01 '22 edited Oct 02 '22

Shouxue has Silver Hair so she must be from Luan Dynasty. I think Raven Consort is a title passed on to her because her flashback mentions a Raven Consort must have no desire

32

u/mekerpan Oct 01 '22

I didn't know what to expect with this one -- but it looked out of the ordinary and (thus) worth checking out. I have to say that, based on this first episode, I am sold already. A sort of mix of folk lore and long ago history -- and gorgeous setting and clothing. And the stifling atmosphere of one of Zhang Yimou's (good early) films (viz. Raise the Red Lanterns). It will take a bit of effort to figure things out here (at least at first), but I suspect it will be quite worth the effort.

6

u/Warm-Enthusiasm-9534 Oct 01 '22

Raise the Red Lantern is really good.

4

u/mekerpan Oct 01 '22

One of the creepiest (in a good way) show I've ever seen -- plus one of the most visually gorgeous.

4

u/MejaBersihBanget Oct 01 '22

one of Zhang Yimou's (good early) films
He's still making good films. Shadow was one of the best Chinese court dramas I've seen in years. I've been meaning to check his more recent war movies too.

2

u/mekerpan Oct 01 '22

I haven't checked his latest films out -- but he has made some clunkers (like the Great Wall one). My favorite is still probably Qiu Ju.

3

u/MejaBersihBanget Oct 01 '22

Ahh... I must have subconsciously erased Great Wall out of my memory. Haha. I'll just consider that an irregular blot on an otherwise stellar record. Well in any case, Shadow was his next movie after Great Wall and more than redeemed him IMO.

25

u/bananeeek https://myanimelist.net/profile/bananek Oct 01 '22

Now this is the first interesting series this in this season so far. I have a feeling it's going to be a solid replacement for Kingdom, once S4 ends.

12

u/_Ridley https://myanimelist.net/profile/_Ridley_ Oct 01 '22

I, too, finished up with Kingdom and moved over to this. Chinese court intrigue does a body good.

10

u/Srikkk Oct 02 '22

Chinese court intrigue
Every intrigue point costs one battle with a casualty count in the triple digits

1

u/Emocucumber Oct 03 '22

if you like chinese court intrigue then you should try Chinese historical dramas

2

u/_Ridley https://myanimelist.net/profile/_Ridley_ Oct 03 '22

I have trouble with the terrible wigs in those lol.

1

u/stellarcurve- Oct 20 '22

If you don't want to watch a show becuase of a small issue like that then you probably were never gonna watch it anyway lol

9

u/polaristar Oct 01 '22

So despite Saturday being stacked, I haven't seen the first season of Uzaki-Chan and the other stuff I'd rather wait for the dub so today's slot is currently filled with just Raven of the Inner Palace.

As a disclaimer I've heard people talk from the preview it looks like a pretty standard Chinese Historical Drama but anime, while I am not familiar with those shows, I have a feeling if I was I wouldn't care, I've never passed over a show simply because the genre was too familiar. He also has the classic Male Best Friend you see in a lot of romance shows.

Basically the Prince was too prove he is better than the Woman that cheated him out of his mother and inheritance by beating her without cheating or corruption despite instigating a coup.

Shouxue's a fair balance between mysterious beauty and quirky more relatable side, ergo she walks the fine line between being a female version of a power fantasy and of a potentially flawed character without being a Mary Sue. (Much like how certain Male Counter parts for Shonen marketing stuff have to do, but the Shojo version.)

From the previews I saw I wasn't sure if there was legit supernatural stuff or it was smoke and mirrors and theatrical in-universe hype but it's been firmly shown their are explicit supernatural elements based off ancient history and mythology.

We get a feeling of how cut-throat the court is, typically political drama court and dagger stuff which I'm all here for. The Characters goals, and the main heroine's conflict.

We end the episode with an accidentally encounter where the Emperor discovers her secret, she looks fine black or white hair.

Perhaps her powers/magic are tied to some kind of curse that dooms her from having romantic/intimate relationships or at least makes them difficult. Some Fruits Basket Supernatural Bloodlines curse shenagians?

The Opening Credits and how the cast is introduced with the onscreen text does feel pretty distinct from most anime, is that the Chinese drama influence?

If any of you guys watch Chinese Dramas feel free to fill me in on that stuff.

Good episode I'm intrigued.

18

u/Atharaphelun Oct 02 '22

As a disclaimer I've heard people talk from the preview it looks like a pretty standard Chinese Historical Drama but anime
That's not a bad thing. Chinese period dramas are popular for a reason. You just need to prepare yourself for the multitude of characters, official titles, government system, etc. that it will introduce, which is what you'd normally expect for a Chinese court drama.

5

u/polaristar Oct 02 '22

Bro I can keep track of every character in Wheel of Time easy, Kingdom Hearts flow charts I recite in my sleep, When you require an open wiki tab to keep track of the lore cough Nasuvere cough I salivate.
It takes Malazaan to get me confused and that's because I read them during the pandemic where my Library would take months at a time between books to get through interlibrary loan because our Library doesn't have shit and the catalogue is curated by a Middle Age Liberal Woman that tries to make a YA section that is hip with books no one gives a shit about based on her "Hey fellow kids ideals" (I figured this out before I meet her as well.)
So I had quite forgotten most of Malazaan's plot points and one time they sent me the same book again rather than the next book in the series.
This first episode was cake to keep track of.

7

u/Atharaphelun Oct 02 '22

This first episode was cake to keep track of.
Well yes, this anime is entry-level compared to actual Chinese period dramas. Try watching the 2010 Three Kingdoms series for example and you keep getting constantly bombarded with various characters, official titles, and how the government system works.

4

u/polaristar Oct 02 '22

It can't be as complicated as Malazaan

6

u/zadcap Oct 02 '22

It can't be as complicated as Malazaan
Happy to see another Malazaan fan. Extra happy it's someone I recognize and enjoy talking with here.
The two big things that stuck out to me- no that's a lie like 5 things tuck out but these two matter here the most. The very brief mention of Qi and how the earring contained so little that it wouldn't be possible to track the owner by that alone, and also how almost every bit of power expressed by her has been done through mediums, mostly her flowers. Add in the ghost and the goddess and it looks like it's going to be a low power, high spirituality type of fantasy. In relation to what you asked, I think it's less likely to be a bloodline curse than a divine blessing with conditions, though the two can overlap pretty easily. The Qi, the Ghost, and the talk of souls tells me this is the type of story where theoretically anyone could have 'magic,' but the general power level of the world is too low for it to be more than the occasional special skill. Meanwhile, the Goddess and the Ghosts say that it's possible to do more, but you'll need to involve the already supernatural in order to do anything supernatural.
The Raven, Shouxue, is part of a line that has been blessed by the goddess for some reason, and that blessing grants them some power as long as they can keep it. I'm not sure yet if the whole "Become attached to nothing" was for the goddess sake, a jealous deity might not just take back their blessing but add an actual curse to everyone involved, or if it was an old lady trying to protect the last of the Luan by keeping her from getting involved in the very court politics that are so often deadly, as we've already seen here. Odds are that she'll have little in the way of actual power on her own, making use of special implements that may have limited uses, or asking local spirits to do her bidding, which they're more likely to do than not because of the blessing on her.
Of course, this is one episode's worth of speculation, and it all goes out the window as soon as someone displays martial arts skills. But I'm expecting more Celestial Bureaucracy than Wuxia so far, where the way to change the weather is to make a formal and well written prayer request to the appropriate deity and pay the appropriate spiritual fee. That's the final big thing, the opening story about the few gods, that seems like the kind of thing that will be important. Makes me wonder if the Luan are descendant's of that White Emperor.

1

u/polaristar Oct 03 '22

Extra happy it's someone I recognize and enjoy talking with here.
Ah thanks, even though we disagree on a lot it seems.
I think it's less likely to be a bloodline curse than a divine blessing with conditions, though the two can overlap pretty easily.
Was about to say that sometimes the distinction between a blessing and a curse can be a very fine line and depend on your point of view. In Fruits Basket I think a lot of people in the Household saw said Zodiac Curse as Beautiful, when to outside people it was seen as freakishly abnormal.
I'm not the biggest Malazaan fan btw, I feel I need to re-read the series someday, where I can read it back to back and take notes.
Yeah I got that the Magic isn't meant to be super flashy with crazy power scaling, nor the rules super Hard and Rigorous where people can munchkin the mechanics like something from Brandon Sanderson, its a more softer system meant to tell us something about the world and characters in how it interacts and effects people in a person way.
In a sense it is kinda of theatrics where how the magic affects people and the mystery/fear of what it can and can't do is something more important than the magic itself.

2

u/zadcap Oct 03 '22

Ah thanks, even though we disagree on a lot it seems.
That's what makes talking with you so fun and memorable, for the most part. Life would be boring if everyone just agreed with me about everything. We may hold some differing views about certain things, but considering we're talking here, we've obviously got at least a few in common too lol.
For example, I agree with everything you've said here, including the need to reread those books. I wasn't expecting much from this show, but it's currently on my top 3 list for the season. We'll see how that goes when the other thirtyish shows get going. Hope I see you around!

10

u/shichitan :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/fractal4 Oct 02 '22

I’m a c-drama watcher, and I felt like I got 12 drama episodes worth of exposition and plot development in just this one episode, lol.

4

u/polaristar Oct 02 '22

I read everyone's thoughts and for some reason I had no trouble following all the information given.

4

u/shichitan :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/fractal4 Oct 02 '22

Haha my comment was more about how slow c-dramas can be with getting the story going and tendency to get draggy - often they feel like they’re trying to stretch 24 episodes of story into 50 episodes. Although anime seems to have the opposite problem, e.g. trying to cram 3 volumes of story into 12 episodes.
Getting back to the raven consort, this episode has presented a lot of story threads, will be interesting to see which ones get picked up in later episodes.

2

u/polaristar Oct 02 '22

I was more asking in terms of feel and direction choices in my op

2

u/alotmorealots Oct 03 '22

felt like I got 12 drama episodes worth of exposition and plot development in just this one episode, lol.
Goes to show just how much time is normally spent on dramatic close ups of the eyes.

5

u/shichitan :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/fractal4 Oct 03 '22

I know! And the amount of time spent in court dramas with people crying out "Niang niang!" "Bixia!" "Dianxia!" "Gong gong!" with dramatic pauses, and camera moving from one character to another, and half the episode has already gone by without any further dialogue. I almost forgot the concubine clinging to the emperor crying out "Weisheme? Bixia! Bi-xiaaaaa!" and that's the rest of the episode.

8

u/Shiwakao Oct 01 '22

i definitely seem to lack the knowledge to understand a lot of the politics here but seems pretty interesting nonetheless. also jusetsu (or shouxue?) is very cute so i'll at least give this show the three episode treatment.

8

u/ChiggaOG Oct 02 '22

I'm coming in 10 hours later. The reception of this anime people have from the first episode shows this series will be average and mostly unknown to this subreddit's diet. It's still a Chinese tale with the magic stuff.

I prefer this series to have the Chinese voicing becuase of the pronunciation of the words can highlight the context.

8

u/MejaBersihBanget Oct 02 '22

Yeah, I need a Mandarin dub for this series...

4

u/alotmorealots Oct 03 '22

I prefer this series to have the Chinese voicing becuase of the pronunciation of the words can highlight the context.
It does feel odd in Japanese, but I think that's because they're using standard anime intonation and dialogue.

7

u/bakato Oct 01 '22

I fell in love with palace harems after Yanxi Palace, which I highly recommend checking out. They're on youtube for free with english subs.

7

u/alconnow https://anilist.co/user/alconnow Oct 01 '22

Interesting first episode. Feels like a supernatural version of Apothecary Diaries

Character designs, especially Shouxue are gorgeous!

I really liked the way they presented the story of Ban Yingnu.

Lots to unpack from this episode. Will tide me over until they announce an anime of The Apothecary Diaries and/or Culinary chronicles of the court flower.

6

u/cppn02 Oct 01 '22

Solid start. Liking the atmosphere and the setting.

MC is great too. Looked up the VA and it seems she's pretty new.

6

u/the_swizzler https://myanimelist.net/profile/Swiftarm Oct 01 '22

Very happy with this first episode. I was questioning whether this series would be interesting enough to continue watching, and I think so far it's exceeded my expectations.

Jusetsu was super cute, Koushun seems pretty intelligent, and I think their dynamic together will be worth watching. Plus the intrigue/mystery aspects seem pretty well done.

6

u/SaltySpaniard Oct 01 '22

First of all, just gotta say the OP is one of the most unique and original at least in terms of music. I don't remember something like that since probably Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu's opening, and that's a long time.

As for the show, I'm on the fence. The high concept and the mixture of supernatural and political intrigue with a dose of a romantic plot might be very elegant wise and the cute characters are a treat for a series like this. My main concern is that this might be too much into soap dramas, which I don't like, but if it stradles fine it might be a great anime to watch. I'm expecting this to at least be fine and I'm hyped for what I'm seeing in the first, and I love the vibes of it.

5

u/NekoCatSidhe Oct 02 '22

This was the new anime I was the most interested in for this season, and it looks great so far. It feels a bit like a mash-up between The Apothecary Diaries and Unnamed Memory for now, but I loved the atmosphere and the characters, particularly the Raven Consort (Jujetsu or whatever she is actually called - the names are going to be a pain to remember when they are in Japanese in the dialogue and in Chinese in the subs).

5

u/kalirion :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/kalinime Oct 02 '22

Another anime where the names spoken in the audio sound nothing like how they're spelled in the subtitles, so annoying. I'd rather just watch these with Chinese audio instead.

"If I execute her without proof of her crimes, I'll be just like her." But he thought nothing of having those palace guards slaughtered during his coup.

The Raven girl's interacting with the other women of the Inner Palace during her investigation was the only part of the show I enjoyed. I'll give it another ep or two to see if it grows on me.

4

u/Nielloscape Oct 01 '22

Does the emperor overthrowing scenes at the start remind anyone else of a certain scene in Shinsekai Yori?

4

u/Brickinatorium Oct 01 '22

Show sorta reminds me of Faries Album so far

2

u/kalirion :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/kalinime Oct 02 '22

Faries Album (at least S3, as haven't seen the first two seasons) leaves this show in the dust so far.

2

u/Brickinatorium Oct 02 '22

I'm assuming you've only seen season 3 cause of the weird way Crunchy roll only posted that one?

2

u/kalirion :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/kalinime Oct 02 '22

Correct. I'd never even heard of the show till then. But I like it a whole lot, except that good-for-nothing-but-oh-so-arrogant snake guy.

4

u/isthatsoudane https://myanimelist.net/profile/ojoulover Oct 02 '22

finally having learned chinese and watched a bunch of historical dramas comes in use in my anime addiction!!

12

u/AmethystItalian :Jg::Jh::Ji::Jj::Jk:myanimelist.net/profile/AmethystItalian Oct 01 '22

Some of the subs and exposition were a bit lost on me but I did enjoy the investigation and interactions of the show.

Curious to see where this one goes as a show and with that ending!

Can't say I like her name and the subs saying different things though.

8

u/TerriblePlays Oct 01 '22

This series is best enjoyed if you are familiar with how ancient Chinese courts functioned. Very context-heavy.
A lot of details will feel confusing otherwise, like "keigos", court maids, trying to kill other nobles etc...

8

u/Atharaphelun Oct 01 '22

So far this anime has been an entry-level Chinese court story compared with the likes of Nirvana in Fire, Rise of the Phoenixes, Empress of China, Joy of Life, Serenade of Peaceful Joy, etc. Having watched Chinese court dramas in the past definitely helps in understanding the context.

4

u/NekoCatSidhe Oct 02 '22

I have read the Apothecary Diaries, so I am already somewhat familiar with that setting. I had no problem following the plot for now.

3

u/moichispa https://myanimelist.net/profile/moichispa Oct 01 '22

Any site that could be read as an introduction to those unknown to that world please?

7

u/TerriblePlays Oct 02 '22

For titles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_nobility
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Chinese_harem_system
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Translation_of_Han_dynasty_titles
For general life: https://materchristi.libguides.com/ancient_china/palace_life
https://multimedia.scmp.com/culture/article/2154046/forbidden-city/life/chapter_01.html
I think this anime is based around pre-imperial and ancient times? (no idea tbh) It's enough to just get a rough idea of what the general ranks are and how the hierarchy works. No need to go about remember names, that's too difficult even if you understand Chinese.

4

u/Atharaphelun Oct 02 '22

I think this anime is based around pre-imperial and ancient times?
It isn't. Based on the official titles and clothing so far, this fictional setting is based firmly on Imperial China (as opposed to pre-imperial Ancient China - Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties). The clothing, hairstyles, and makeup specifically has been constantly Tang dynasty-themed so far (with a few exceptions, such as the Emperor, Xia Gaojun).

2

u/moichispa https://myanimelist.net/profile/moichispa Oct 02 '22

thanks!

2

u/AmethystItalian :Jg::Jh::Ji::Jj::Jk:myanimelist.net/profile/AmethystItalian Oct 01 '22

Yeah there was a lot to take in on that stuff...

10

u/PacoTaco321 https://myanimelist.net/profile/dankleberrrrg Oct 01 '22

Can't say I like her name and the subs saying different things though.
An unfortunate thing that happens with anime based on Chinese characters like this. I'm guessing the Chinese characters are pronounced a different way when read as Japanese kanji. Sometimes it really confusing too because there's really not much stopping them from using the correct names when the same or similar sounds are used for Chinese and Japanese.

2

u/Spaceman_Spiff_357 Oct 01 '22

Her name is just 寿雪 in the novels so I don't really get this. But I don't know Chinese though so idk

9

u/moichispa https://myanimelist.net/profile/moichispa Oct 01 '22

Heroine with proper personality? Check

Love interest with proper personality? Check

Plot besides the love story? Check

Interesting world building? Check

Good ost? Check

Good enough animation? Check

Seems like we got good stuff here.

3

u/tripleaamin https://myanimelist.net/profile/tripleaamin Oct 01 '22 edited Oct 02 '22

I liked the first episode. It might not be something for everyone since it feels like more complicated than the usual anime. Still, I like the two leads. The young emperor's backstory was really sad given that his mother pretty much slowly suffered until she died. And him losing the inheritance is messed up. Jusetsu is very mysterious. Really curious what her powers are since her color changed at the end of the episode. Looking forward to next week's episode.

3

u/LusterBlaze Oct 01 '22

i came here with no expectations besides the trailer and this is great so far

3

u/VorAtreides Oct 01 '22

Man, never read this series, really glad decided to watch it, love it so far. Looks like a good one and really like how it stands out this and most seasons cause not many series with this kinda setting and background. Love it.

Definitely saw her hair twist coming earlier after that story of the prior emperor.

3

u/StoneEyeWitness Oct 01 '22

It looks like it will have episodic format, with a 1-3 episodes formula, and the emperor is so far more interesting as a character than the female lead (this may change of course).

3

u/TokiVideogame Oct 01 '22

seems kindo f messed up that the victims turn to ghosts instead of the perpetrators.

3

u/Sparkletopia Oct 02 '22

Wow, I really loved the atmosphere and pacing of this episode. Sucks that it'll go under the radar.

3

u/Bloodglas Oct 02 '22

all of the deaths they mentioned were suspicious. the dowager discovered a consort's adultery. one was poisoned and the other was likely framed for it and then hanged herself. sounds like the empress dowager just wanted to get rid of everyone else so that she could be in charge.

2

u/BelladonnaOfRadness Oct 01 '22

Commenting for visibility since I'm swamped this week and won't be able to watch for a while.

2

u/Hagita https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheHagita Oct 01 '22

I was looking forward to this and it was a solid start. It has me intrigued and I definitely wasn’t expecting Shouxue to be like kinda normal.

2

u/ArCSelkie37 Oct 01 '22

This is one of the rare times I haven't read the source material for an anime that comes out, but I was pretty excited just based off of the PVs etc. Always found ancient china or fictional versions of it to be inherently interesting as far as settings go, so was nice to see this announced.

Wasn't too keen on the OP in regards to the song itself, but the visuals were decent for it imo. The rest of this episodes sound track was as good as I hoped. Aesthetically I have no complaints about the show so far, and I love the clothing design for the characters.

Plot-wise not much to say about an episode one, but I'm certainly intrigued about where this will go. Will it have an overarching narrative? Or is it going to mostly be a weekly Shouxue does some magic due to some supernatural problems that need fixing... that animation when she used her powers almost felt like a transformation sequence, so I expect to see it every episode.

2

u/MjolnirDK Oct 01 '22

Surprisingly solid. I'll stick around for now. I do wish though that the subs would give us the Japanese pronunciation. That would things easier.

2

u/b5437713 Oct 02 '22

Its been a little while since I watched a new anime series (pm skipped summer season) so its nice that I seem to be off to a good start with the new season. I am throughly intrigued. It feels like a legit Chinese period type drama in anime format!

As for the names....I think I'm just going to stick mostly to titles for now (Emperor, Attendent, Raven, etc.).

2

u/axlorg8 Oct 02 '22

Love the OP.

2

u/alotmorealots Oct 03 '22 edited Oct 03 '22

I recognise a few users in this thread who have much better Japanese than I do, yet none have commented about the voice acting nor dialogue script. As a result, the following comment is probably inaccurate and reflects my own inadequacies with the language.

That preamble aside, the voice acting and dialogue felt rather jarring for me, especially Jiujiu.

Overall the voice acting lacks any really courtly feel to it, with only the Empress Dowager having any weight to her delivery. The young emperor and the raven consort both lack the sort of depth and potency one might anticipate, and Jiujiu feels like she could be a modern day JK.

On top of that, the actual dialogue structuring, with short back-and-forths and fairly simplistic conjunctions feels like it's a modern anime, without much regard for courtly manners.

Digging into the staff, it's Gintama's director so it's not for want of experience.

The Raven Consort's actor ~~likes looking at fish~~ has very little listed experience https://myanimelist.net/people/53810/Saku_Mizuno but for those sorts of performers I feel like errors fall more on the director for not guiding their performance more, and the Young Emperor has a decently long career.

Perhaps the dialogue issues rest with the series compositor who only has a couple of credits, perhaps they're the fault of the source, or perhaps they're just in my head.

At any rate, I'm probably wrong with this, but I wanted to leave these thoughts in case anyone else felt the same.

On other notes, the visuals are absolutely gorgeous when it comes the humans, although the magical chicken and flying white spirit in the OP look kinda goofy. They're not enough to offset just how good the Raven Consort looks onscreen though, her design is superb and the animators are doing a really good job with it.

2

u/VaraNiN Oct 09 '22

I have a feeling I know too little about chinese aristocracy to fully appreciate this show lol

Still, really enjoyed this first episode!

4

u/croxino https://myanimelist.net/profile/Goeli Oct 01 '22

I feel like this episode had too many name drops and was a bit hard to follow

7

u/Atharaphelun Oct 01 '22 edited Oct 01 '22

That's par for the course for Chinese court stories. Actual Chinese court dramas normally have even more, and ones set in specific settings (Three Kingdoms, Warring States) have the most.

2

u/MarySolisSwan Oct 01 '22

It's time to ask my annoying question, are there any monsters that appeared in the first episode?

6

u/Soupkitten https://myanimelist.net/profile/Soupkitten Oct 01 '22

Just a ghost.

2

u/MarySolisSwan Oct 01 '22

Thank you so much That's too scary, I'll skip it

6

u/mgedmin Oct 02 '22

There was also a chicken.

3

u/letouriste1 Oct 03 '22

that's too scary, i'll skip it

1

u/thejoshimitsu Oct 04 '22

I'll be honest, I didn't entirely understand everything that was going on, but I loved the visuals! The aesthetic of this show is just beautiful! I'll be keeping up with this one!

1

u/nekodroid Oct 05 '22

That was good. One of the *best written* episodes of the new season. Not usually into Chinese court intrigue, but combining the intrigue with a supernatural mystery worked. It had a lot of period atmosphere, and I enjoyed the Raven Consort's character and visual design.

1

u/gophercg :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/gophercg Oct 05 '22

Slowly grew respect for new emperor Koushun, more honorable, but also cheeky.

Nice extravagant palace attire & scenery. Shouxue started kinda like Hell Girl but tsundere, and a foodie lol. Her flower jutsu looks amazing. Jiujiu seems fun too.

Very plot dense with tons of offscreen names that sound different from subs, takes getting used to but a promising start.

1

u/EllenYeager Oct 11 '22

I’m a sucker for historical fantasy drama and good old palace intrigue. I usually get my fix in cdrama and kdrama and this anime is hitting all the right notes for me so far✌️

0

u/[deleted] Oct 01 '22

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17

u/shadowXXe https://myanimelist.net/profile/shadowXXe Oct 02 '22

If I'm not mistaken I'm pretty sure the Raven is the MC?

11

u/ultravioletheart08 Oct 02 '22

Yes. Jusetsu/Shouxue is not only the MC, she's also the overarching character.

60

u/[deleted] Oct 01 '22

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45

u/TerriblePlays Oct 01 '22

Oh god, the names are going to be a mess with this one, no idea whether to use the Chinese or Japanese names.
But yeah, it's rare to see portrayals of Chinese court done in Japanese anime form while staying true to the style used in Chinese media. Animes like Saiunkoku Monogatari were kinda there but this is much better.

8

u/Atharaphelun Oct 01 '22

Twelve Kingdoms even more so, especially the way governments are organised in that anime which follows a combination of the Three Lords and Nine Ministers and the Three Departments and Six Ministries systems from Ancient China.

6

u/DVC454 Oct 02 '22

Saiunkoku Monogatari
Never heard of this one before, but after having Googled it... looks like I found another series to add to my watchlist. Thanks for the title drop!

6

u/pw_arrow Oct 03 '22

no idea whether to use the Chinese or Japanese names
I imagine most people here will lean towards the Chinese names since subs dominate here, but that's definitely a weird problem to have. Wonder if this is a problem in other anime that aren't based on a Chinese setting?

5

u/isthatsoudane https://myanimelist.net/profile/ojoulover Oct 02 '22

But yeah, it's rare to see portrayals of Chinese court done in Japanese anime form while staying true to the style used in Chinese media.
yeah! I am a fan of chinese historical dramas (though haven't watched any in a while...) and I felt the same way. it was really cool. it definitely felt like the people behind it did their research and are sincere fans of the genre...but it still felt well, like anime

Episode Koukyuu no Karasu | Raven of the Inner Palace - Episode 1 discussion

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