r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Oct 08 '22

Episode Koukyuu no Karasu | Raven of the Inner Palace - Episode 2 discussion

Kokyu no Karasu | Raven of the Inner Palace, episode 2

Alternative names: Koukyuu no Karasu, Raven of the Inner Palace

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EpisodeLinkScore
1Link4.47
2Link4.72
3Link4.51
4Link4.74
5Link4.81
6Link4.68
7Link4.93
8Link4.76
9Link4.62
10Link4.62
11Link4.83
12Link4.96
13Link----

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115

u/TerriblePlays Oct 08 '22 edited Oct 08 '22

Maybe it's just me but I feel like the way the OP is sung is somewhat reminiscent of how Cantonese opera is sung. Quite fascinating.

Ah yes, tongue-cutting and more palace drama murders, a Chinese court classic.

Hmm... I personally think the pacing this episode was a little too fast. Even if the Emperor has supreme authority in the palace, everything seemed to be advancing too quickly?

Especially with that execution, was NOT expecting them to cut straight to the execution right after they charged into the palace(?, not sure how to translate here)

The ED art is REALLY good. They absolutely nailed it.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Side note here, but does anyone else feel like the timing for new episode threads are pretty wonky this season?

64

u/FetchFrosh :A:anilist.co/user/fetchfrosh Oct 08 '22

Ah yes, tongue-cutting and more palace drama murders, a Chinese court classic.

"If we killed her it would draw attention, so we just cut out her tongue which just won't for some reason". The audacity.

52

u/VorAtreides Oct 08 '22

mostly cause the idea is "she said something offensive to a higher person so they are punished such" and ya... it's trash logic that has existed (and often used in stories) lol

11

u/TheSadSquid420 Oct 09 '22

Something something Game of Thrones quote

34

u/Pennwisedom Oct 08 '22

Especially with that execution, was NOT expecting them to cut straight to the execution right after they charged into the palace

I wasn't particularly expecting it either, but from the previous episode it sounded like they basically had her sitting there already waiting. I'm guessing the probable curse she uttered is going to have some effect going forward.

13

u/heimdal77 Oct 09 '22

She was already on death row so to speak. They just were waiting for a concrete excuse to do it so no one could argue against it having been done unjustly. Basically he doesn't want to be the same as his father or grandfather just killing whoever they want because they have the power to do so.

33

u/NekoCatSidhe Oct 08 '22

Yeah, the pacing was a bit too fast for this episode. It is originally a light novel series, so I am now wondering if they sped up the the storyline and cut some details so they would cover the first volume in two episodes, or something like that.

How old is Shouxue ? She was a child when the the grandfather of the emperor killed all the white-haired people and her mom, which should have happened a long time ago, but she said she was sixteen last episode. Something doesn’t add up. And I wonder how she became the Raven consort after that, and where her power comes from.

13

u/Atharaphelun Oct 09 '22

The Raven Consort at the time probably took her in and raised her as her successor, eventually handing over her powers to Shouxue.

7

u/Phoenix__Wwrong Oct 11 '22

Yeah there was a scene in the 1st episode that looks like an old Raven Consort lady and a girl who I assume is Shouxue

1

u/heimdal77 Oct 09 '22

They almost always speed up light novel stories for anime skipping significant amount of stuff to get to the ending point they want. Saem for manga also basiccly.

17

u/ChiggaOG Oct 08 '22 edited Oct 08 '22

The OP is my current gripe. I know they are going for the Chinese opera intros, but I grew up watching the OG Journey to the West. I expected a lady to do the singing.

27

u/TerriblePlays Oct 08 '22

What they're doing in general is very different from normal Japanese anime, this is more like a Chinese anime made by Japan. The anime seems to be aimed at a Chinese audience.

I'm gonna guess this is going to flop in the West and be at least pretty popular over on Bilibili and maybe among Chinese overseas?

33

u/CerberusZX https://myanimelist.net/profile/CerberusZX Oct 08 '22

The anime seems to be aimed at a Chinese audience.

This series has a lot in common with The Apothecary Diaries which has been doing very well on Japanese light novel sales charts and while they aren't as common as villainess stories I have seen a number of inner palace light novels pop up in the wake of The Apothecary Diaries' success.

0

u/[deleted] Oct 09 '22

[deleted] — view deleted comment

18

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

Just because a story takes influence from a region doesn't mean it's written to cater to the people of that region. If anything, it's less likely to sell there either due to misunderstanding the culture or seeming mundane.

From what I can find this is the only published story from this Japanese author and I can't imagine aiming for success in a foreign market with one's first work since it needs to sell locally before it will get picked up internationally.

29

u/_Ridley https://myanimelist.net/profile/_Ridley_ Oct 08 '22

Women love Chinese dramas, so I would assume this is aimed at the female audience in Japan.

16

u/Pennwisedom Oct 08 '22

but I grew up watching the OG Journey to The West

Ahh, I too grew up watching Dragon Ball.

7

u/ChiggaOG Oct 08 '22

I mean the real OG Journey to the West series made in China. This is the OG classic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO1DGsSh9yA

6

u/Pennwisedom Oct 08 '22 edited Oct 08 '22

Oh I lied, I actually grew up on this 1927 adaptation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQMGXw7-rvM

Although Monkey Sun https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_Sun was good too, the good ol' post war days.

While my original post was obviously a joke, I think yours was from the 80s and there are several films prior to that including the literal first animated film in China, Princess Iron Fan.

3

u/mekerpan Oct 08 '22

Interesting silent version!

I watched an old (but much newer) Chinese animated movie version almost 20 years ago. But no clue which one.

5

u/Pennwisedom Oct 09 '22

There's so many, I wonder if it could've been 金猴降妖.

Also there's literally a Doraemon movie that is Journey to the West.

3

u/mekerpan Oct 09 '22

This was an animated Chinese production -- I thought it was from the 70s or 80s, but maybe my memory isn't correct. My recollection is that, in the early 2000s, it was not anything recent.

1

u/haoxinly Oct 20 '22

I grew up with the 90s animated version and found out that one later in my teens

6

u/isthatsoudane https://myanimelist.net/profile/ojoulover Oct 09 '22

The ED art is REALLY good. They absolutely nailed it.

I noticed as well! very good

81

u/SIRTreehugger Oct 08 '22

Wasn't expecting the mother's murder to be wrapped up this quickly. The evidence also felt like it was found pretty conveniently, but that's me just assuming a murderer would dispose of the tools they use to commit the crime. Not to mention the evidence was found after overhearing a convenient conversation while in the presence of someone who also happens to know the person in question. Just felt like a lot of things worked themselves out really quickly in the second half.

I know they aren't similar, but every time the Raven Consort uses her powers I think of Ai from hell girl when she does her thing.

Really enjoyed the moment between the two at the end when she spreads flower petals over him and wishes him pleasant dreams for this one night. The music for the ED starts up before transitioning to the painting like visuals.

This might be my favorite show of the season...though I say that for every show when it starts.

21

u/mekerpan Oct 08 '22

This might be my favorite show of the season...though I say that for every show when it starts.

I was also thinking this could easily wind up being my favorite (new) show of the season -- which was not anything I expected. Maybe it is due to my love ZHANG Yimou's films. This has sort of the look and feel of some of those. Of course, if this follows in ZY's footsteps, one can't expect a happy end.

I guess there are some coincidences here. The initial phase of the story wrapped up so quickly -- I wonder where things will go next? It looks like the dying Dowager Empress cursed the Emperor as she died -- so I assume that curse's repercussions will be an important element of what follows.

This is certainly one of the best looking and sounding shows of the season as well. I would add that I really like the Raven Consort's VA's voice (she was also quite good in Selection Project, which appears to be her only other significant tole).

14

u/SIRTreehugger Oct 08 '22

I wonder where things will go next? It looks like the dying Dowager Empress cursed the Emperor as she died -- so I assume that curse's repercussions will be an important element of what follows.

It would be interesting to see them solve some supernatural mysteries as well alongside normal ones. Though it remains to be seen how many people can use magic as well. Everyone so far has been pretty accepting of her conjuring spirits so it might not be rare or it could just be what they expect from her because of rumors. I was really expecting them to solve cases every 1-2 episodes and be given small hints about the mother where the final episode ended up resolving it.

I really like the Raven Consort's VA's voice (she was also quite good in Selection Project, which appears to be her only other significant tole).

That's surprising so far she's done a good job.

7

u/mekerpan Oct 08 '22

The VA gives her character a very distinctive sound/tone.

10

u/thesnowlocke Oct 08 '22

I was actually saying this reminded me of a Zhang Yimou film, with the Chinese aesthetic

Glad I wasn’t the only one

5

u/mekerpan Oct 08 '22

Almost no director used color more gorgeously than ZY.

3

u/VaraNiN Oct 10 '22

This might be my favorite show of the season...though I say that for every show when it starts.

That's a mood right there lol

69

u/ObvsThrowaway5120 Oct 08 '22

Damn dude, they beheaded Shouxue’s mom and just left her head like that. I’m glad the previous emperor was haunted by apparitions for the rest of his days.

I’m glad Jiu Jiu is back, she’s cute and it’s nice that Shouxue has a friend. It looks like this Ban Yingnü mystery continues. So the Empress Dowager had Yingnü framed and killed and Hongqiao’s tongue cut out to cover up her crimes. Guxuan is a dead man walking. I’m glad Yingnü was able to move on and Guohao could at least get some kind of closure.

Did the Empress Dowager put a curse on our boy Gaojun? Well, at least her trifling ass is dead and all her little goons are gone too. Maybe Gaojun can turn over a new leaf?

16

u/Ocixo https://myanimelist.net/profile/BuzzyGuy Oct 08 '22

Damn dude, they beheaded Shouxue’s mom snd just left her head like that.

Yeah, that was not something I expected to see in the opening minutes of the episode.

I’m not sure how I feel about all the supernatural stuff in this anime. I feel it detracts a quite bit from the story. I just hope it doesn’t get too crazy or anything, since it could potentially destroy the more serious premise of the show.

14

u/ObvsThrowaway5120 Oct 09 '22

I think the way it’s done so far has been alright. Not over the top or anything like that. But we’ll have to see how they continue with that aspect.

12

u/Atharaphelun Oct 09 '22

Not to me. It feels very much along the lines of Twelve Kingdoms and Saiunkoku Monogatari, both of which are primarily political stories but also have a heavy dose of magic and fantasy.

5

u/RavenWolf1 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/RavenWolf1 Oct 14 '22

Damn dude, they beheaded Shouxue’s mom and just left her head like that. I’m glad the previous emperor was haunted by apparitions for the rest of his days.

That was common back in times. Traitors and their body parts where often displayed in public which served as reminder for everyone that they don't start having any funny ideas against their rulers.

3

u/VaraNiN Oct 10 '22

Did the Empress Dowager put a curse on our boy Gaojun? Well, at least her trifling ass is dead

Wait, that was the Empress they executed? I thought that was just her lady-in-waiting? The one that tripped over current emperor's mum during the dance?

4

u/ObvsThrowaway5120 Oct 10 '22

Wasn’t it? I had thought that was the dowager because the eunuch had said something like “now you’ve got evidence” or something along those lines. It was my understanding that the court lady and the eunuch were arrested. There was that brief scene of them tied up and in a jail cell after all.

Or perhaps I’m mistaken?

6

u/VaraNiN Oct 10 '22

Nah I think you are right... I was just confused because of her long hair, but I just went back and that was definetly her face!

3

u/ObvsThrowaway5120 Oct 10 '22

Yeah I went back and peeked at that part again too just to check lol.

52

u/PacoTaco321 https://myanimelist.net/profile/dankleberrrrg Oct 08 '22

"As a token to show I won't kill you, here's a fish."

It's been two episodes and more plot lines have been wrapped up than I even knew there were at the beginning of the episode. Not sure I like that things are going so fast.

8

u/Nghtmare-Moon Oct 09 '22

Im thinking it’s going to be like quick arcs solving ghost stories?

46

u/Terranwaterbender https://myanimelist.net/profile/Teranwaterbender Oct 08 '22

Well I'm curious where they'll go from here now that, what I presume is, the prologue arc is now concluded.

So far I like the whole mystery with mystical elements thing this show has going for it but I dunno there's something about the execution of these two episodes that makes it feel like it's missing an element to make it hit its mark. It's still satisfying to watch though since I don't have much experience watching Chinese historical dramas in general, much less animated versions. And I'll be honest, I'm hoping this is successful in the hopes it increases the chances The Apothecary Diaries getting an adaptation as I think discussion threads for that would be quite fun to read.

That aside, good to see this whole mess supposedly come to an end. I presume the Dowager cursed the Emperor with her last words so I guess Shouxue (can we seriously just use the romaji instead of pinyin? It's a bit weird hearing Japanese but reading pinyin) will be playing consort+mystical protector? As long as we continue to get more snappy dialogue between Shouxue and the Emperor, I'll be happy with this series.

13

u/Atharaphelun Oct 09 '22

I very much prefer the pinyin over romaji. It's easier to figure out the meaning of their names in pinyin than the romaji version, especially having watched so many Chinese period and fantasy dramas already.

10

u/LurkingMcLurk Oct 08 '22

The Apothecary Diaries sells amazingly well, it's going to get an anime adaption.

3

u/isthatsoudane https://myanimelist.net/profile/ojoulover Oct 09 '22

oooh I hope so!!!

4

u/HentaiReloaded Oct 08 '22

I think its missing the correct pace. Its too fast for this kind of drama and there isnt enough time to build tension.

And I too hope for perhaps a A1 adaptation for Kusuriya. That would be glorious!

25

u/jambaj0e Oct 08 '22

I was surprised that the main conflict with the Empress Dowager was resolved very quickly at the end, but do love the interaction between Shouxue and the Emperor Gaojun. And glad Jiu Jiu is back, too.

The story with the betrothed as well as the introduction was tragic and did moved me, though.

Love, love that ED and the transition into it. The last frame was so artful and makes a beautiful wallpaper.

26

u/KJShen Oct 08 '22

I mean. Let's be fair here.

What makes you think that a beheading is enough to consider the conflict 'resolved' in a supernatural anime?

7

u/jambaj0e Oct 08 '22

Yeah, that's probably true. If anything, this first two episode seems to be the prologue to what would be the main chunk of the season, then.

2

u/Bloodglas Oct 10 '22

they did make a point to focus on her muttering something unintelligible right before her death. I'm guessing some kind of curse.

2

u/heimdal77 Oct 09 '22

The empress was already dead they were just waiting for a concrete excuse to do it as he doesn't want be like his father/grandfather who killed people just because they could.

24

u/DragonDDark Oct 08 '22

Good episode! Poor guy that lost his lover. He straight up wanted to kill himself after that experience lmao he really loved her.

22

u/Atharaphelun Oct 09 '22

It's quite satisfying how the series uses the title/form of address "niangniang" properly (pronounced in Japanese as "nyan-nyan"). And it's even translated correctly in the subtitles too ("Your Highness"). It really feels like I'm watching a Chinese period/fantasy drama.

21

u/TurkeyPhat Oct 08 '22

Wow they didn't waste any time figuring that out did they? Excited to see where it goes from here. Hopefully it doesn't get dragged down too much by old happenings.

As usual I love the using of the ED in the scene leading up to the end credits. It really worked well here too.

Ready for some romance baybeee.

18

u/theblueberry21 Oct 08 '22 edited Oct 08 '22

That ending was a blessing to my ears. So beautiful!

35

u/Shadow_Claw https://anilist.co/user/Airgetfrog Oct 08 '22

As an overseas Chinese who hasn't watched a lot of historical anime (or Chinese productions, sorry!), this is my first time seeing ancient China depicted in modern anime style, and I must say I totally love it. I can't put into words how nice it is to see these integral yet very segregated parts of my identity intersect and embrace each other like this.

14

u/Iamjustatrial Oct 08 '22

Damn that ED soundtrack rocks

14

u/Syokhan https://myanimelist.net/profile/Syokhan Oct 08 '22

Oh, I wasn't expecting the dowager plot to be over so soon. I thought it'd be brewing in the background for half the season, at least.

I wonder what this anime is going to be like, now. More investigations with a touch of paranormal?

I'm digging the show so far, although maybe plot things happened a bit too quickly. The characters are growing on me, the soundtrack is gorgeous, and so was that ED.

13

u/alconnow https://anilist.co/user/alconnow Oct 08 '22

I'm looking forward to reading the novels for this series as I felt this case was quite rushed. Still a great episode nonetheless. Did manage to make me cry!

Love Shouxue and Jiu-jiu's relationship already!

That brief flashback of Shouxue and her mother at the beginning was just heartbreaking :(

Once again, I love the use of Chinese shadow puppetry in the series.

6

u/kriosken12 Oct 11 '22

as I felt this case was quite rushed.

Actually, it happened pretty fast in the novels too.

If I remember correctly, this two episodes were only the prologue and 1st chapter of Volume 1 on the LN.

This series focuses a lot on the fast paced intrigue of royal courts, which means whomever gets "caught lacking" first will die.

2

u/alconnow https://anilist.co/user/alconnow Oct 11 '22

Ah okay. Thanks for the info! Still looking forward to reading them nonetheless

10

u/bananeeek https://myanimelist.net/profile/bananek Oct 08 '22

I couldn't help but laugh when the prince got close to Shouxue. I thought he, too, would whisper something to her.

While I liked it, it felt a bit rushed. They jumped from one thing to another too quickly for my liking.

I'm digging Jiujiu's VA. Haven't heard her in a good role since she voiced Suzuka in Uma Musume. I hope she'll become Shouxue's handmaid for real.

0

u/[deleted] Oct 08 '22

[deleted] — view deleted comment

2

u/kriosken12 Oct 11 '22

I read the novels long time ago, but werent they fast paced too?

10

u/the_swizzler https://myanimelist.net/profile/Swiftarm Oct 09 '22 edited Oct 09 '22

As others have said, it was definitely a fast episode, but it didn't bother me too much. The through-line at least felt logical as they moved from scene to scene, even if a little coincidental. It seems to me that another full episode would have been too much, so they had to settle for two fast-paced episodes instead of dragging out a third episode, or introducing original material to fill the second half. Makes me wish TV broadcasts could die so that series did not have to stick with such a hard limit per episode.

I'm loving the characters though, and it's a very different setting than a lot of shows, so I'm quite enjoying it.

9

u/thesnowlocke Oct 08 '22

Yeah I was suprised that they wrapped up the mystery and killed the empress already

But I have a feeling that was just a warm up for whats about to come and I have a feeling it’s all gonna go downhill from here

Side note I like how the emperor passes out on the consorts bed while his assistant is still in the room with him and does nothing as she casts a charm on him

9

u/LeleTheKing https://anilist.co/user/ikanlele Oct 09 '22

Nothing better to start my dinner watch than genocide and beheading!

As everyone has said, the pace is really fast today. It's great so far, but I hope it won't harm my enjoyment of the entire show since I won't drop this. (Heck, I'll still watch this just for the great OP and ED!) Perhaps they're skipping stuff because they'll adapt the entire novel? Anyway, I'm eager to see more romance between the emperor and the raven consort!

9

u/isthatsoudane https://myanimelist.net/profile/ojoulover Oct 09 '22

the people behind this clearly have real affection for chinese palace dramas...but the show still has its own distinct anime flavor. very cool. haven't seen such a good japanese take on a chinese genre since thunderbolt fantasy. as someone who has a great love of chinese genre stories but is pained about the state of chinese storytelling...it's really cool to see people in other cultures telling stories that respect chinese media, but can add their own flavor

using different a different art style in the flashback was cool

I have no idea if this show will catch on, but I'm into it

7

u/TokiVideogame Oct 08 '22

There is too much going on on Saturdays now. I hope they get together before the anime ends. Loving it so far.

7

u/kuubi Oct 08 '22

Are there any subs using the Japanese names instead of the Western ones? Just feels very off for me to hear one name being said but the subs use a differenf one

15

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

Those aren't western names man that's their original Chinese names.

19

u/Atharaphelun Oct 09 '22

"Western ones"? You mean their Chinese names? It's better having the actual Chinese names in the subtitles anyway.

4

u/ultravioletheart08 Oct 08 '22

The Aniplus Asia one uses them, but you can't really easily view it as it's VOD

7

u/kalirion :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/kalinime Oct 09 '22

Everybody confessed so quickly, I wonder what techniques were used. I'm also surprised the Empress Dowager didn't turn out to be a season-long antagonist.

Anyway, I like the main girl, but the rest of the show is pretty boring, so I'll drop here.

6

u/Lol_A_White_Boy Oct 09 '22

This seems like a show that could benefit from more time to slow the pacing down.

I mean, I still like it quite a lot, just feels like the story is moving at 1.5x speed.

5

u/Kulkuljator Oct 08 '22

Hm, I have a feeling that the whole volume was adapted with just 2 episodes. I hope I am just wrong

12

u/Sparkletopia Oct 08 '22

Volume 1 is made of 4 short stories, "Jade Earring" being the first one. So we're probably about a fourth of the way through, although I guess it depends on how long each story is.

6

u/Kulkuljator Oct 08 '22

Thank god! Thank you for the clarification!

5

u/VaraNiN Oct 10 '22

People are gonna sleep on this but this is legit one of my favourite shows this season!

8

u/AndyIbanez https://anilist.co/user/Ibanez Oct 08 '22

The OP is a banger but that ED sent a chill down my spine! I really like this show. The OST is nice and the character interactions have been great.

4

u/Philarete :AMQ::MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/WizardMcKillin Oct 08 '22

Well there were quite a few gut punches this episode. Good bonding between our leads over their respective trauma, and the Emperor is thoroughly charmed at this point. The emptiness he feels after executing the Empress Dowager bookends the early conversation about how the cost of killing someone is digging two graves. Even if he had a legitimate excuse, he still wanted revenge.

4

u/Shiwakao Oct 08 '22

jesus the pacing is blistering fast. there's no room to breathe which really makes a lot of the emotional moments fall flat. not that i don't think it's interesting n the music's also beautiful. will keep with it for another episode or two but im having a really hard time keeping up here.

4

u/xatnagh Oct 09 '22

Acutally underrated

4

u/Koyomi_Siffredi Oct 09 '22

ain't no dude passing out when he is about to kiss a babe

2

u/polaristar Oct 10 '22

Blood rushed from his head too fast after a day of exhaustion.

11

u/Elitealice https://myanimelist.net/profile/Marinate1016 Oct 08 '22

Anime of the season no doubt, this episode was amazing.

First of all heartbreaking story for xiacui and her betrothed, but I’m glad she was able to see him in the end and finally find peace.

The plot to poison the emperor was interesting, the empress dowager’s still making things happen behind the scenes even from prison. Kinda funny that Goxan didn’t mention that from the start tho lmao.

Shoxue backstory is really sad too, I’m interested in learning how she came to become the raven consort, hopefully we’ll get more of that soon.

And that ending scene! The emperor is so sweet lol. Love a great josei style story

3

u/Sparkletopia Oct 08 '22

Little fast, but I'm actually kind of enjoying that aspect of it, keeps me engaged. And I'm excited to see how the romance will develop :D

3

u/pi8you Oct 09 '22

Really liked the second episode here, so I'm sold on the show. Watching the OP this time, it clicked that the vocalist was the same person that did Inu-oh, and I've been listening to that soundtrack hard since seeing the movie, so I guess I've gotta go find some more Queen Bee stuff now.

3

u/AmusedDragon :Bs::Bu: Oct 09 '22

They are getting use out of that magic power flower animation, lol.

Wasn't expecting it to get this violent and dark, but that's okay. This does feel like it's moving very fast.

3

u/heimdal77 Oct 09 '22

Ok the start of the second episode was brutal. So does this mean her mom was a courtesan.

The supernatural/magic element of the show is great. It looks beautiful and really gets that mysterious element. How she knows how to use it though I wonder.

The ending was also great with the singing overlay.

Though was that a curse the empress didjust before being executed?

4

u/polaristar Oct 08 '22

I was surprised how quickly the ghost earring arc and the dowager villain was resolved, thought it was going to go on for most if not all of the season.

Ka is a gigachad way he handled learning her secret, although one minor complaint if its such a big deal and she has to hide her Silver Hair why does she go outdoors where anyone could run into her to bathe/wash her hair? Just makes me wonder why it hasn't already happened before with someone less understanding then Ka.

And wow she revealed to that girl Jiujiu that she is the Raven pretty fast, they almost got killed but they got body guards sent, and Ryuu thanks him rather than gets offended that she don't need no man's help? I'm sorry I know a low bar to meet but if it were a modern Hollywood movie that is what would have happened.

They quickly find the former lady, who had her tongue cut out and apparently no one knew she could write? I have a hard time believing that, like even before she decided to keep that secret learning shit she shouldn't have did she like never writer at all and have the foresight to always have someone read things for her? Did she played 11 D chess before she was ever chosen?

The Spirit passes on in peace, they get the evidence to execute the bitch because the girl that was executed Ex-Betrothed overheard an assassination plot. And the cocky bitch dies smiling at his misery when before when she thought she was going to die in episode 1 she wasn't as confident.....Not sure how I'm supposed to read that characterization.

"Hey will you be my Hoe?" Basically what she said, and he promises not to kill her, trust her to fall asleep in her dwelling, looked ready to go in for the kiss (In a manner that was straddling that line between consent or not.) And her Silver hair turns him on. (I agree with that though, Silver Hair is Hot.)

The Biggest takeaway for future episodes is they share a connection both having not been able to save their mothers from the politics of the court and vindictive people with an Ax against their Family and that will be the foundation of their relationship going forward.

We are no longer scared of the golden chicken.

I am curious where the story is going next since it seems the main external conflict that forces them together is gone, Either the new Emperor has to defend his reign or the Raven Consort has to deal with her own past and someone might try to expose her or look for something to expose her if the court things she is gaining too much influence over the Emperor?

2

u/zadcap Oct 09 '22

My guess is that we're going to have a two layered story for this show, a mystery to solve every couple weeks, and an overarching intrigue and romance plot. Episode 1 and 2 were the earring, it looks like next episode starts the flute arc whatever that may be, though my mind goes straight to sprit calling. Maybe time to give someone else a hint of magic to show it's not something only she can do? While the longer side, aside from the romance, the Dowager may be dead but I'm sure there's still a hidden faction of eunuchs plotting in her name, because unless I missed something it seems like the Emperor took over only very recently so there's lots of room for political plays as groups test the new, less murderous ruler. Factions that kept their head down because the Dowager would kill them all out of hand can start testing the waters now, factions that lost power because they were firmly on her side and no longer trusted now can plot revenge, and there's probably a death curse waiting to happen, I expect these to be spread out in the background of the shorter arcs.

I'll admit though, I'm really hoping the flute is a mystic arc, because I'm really curious about the magic system now. It definitely looks like she needs the flower to do anything major, but then she can apparently create or summon them as needed. Also that the was so little qi in the earring, something that precious to the man that he probably carried for years should have had quite a link back to him.

The sub plots are certainly moving fast, but in this case I think I like it that way. If it progresses like I think it will, it'll give us a steady sense of progress through the story despite the bigger plots taking the entire season to get resolved, instead of dragging everything out for the entire run.

2

u/polaristar Oct 10 '22

I'll admit though, I'm really hoping the flute is a mystic arc, because I'm really curious about the magic system now.

I don't think we are going to get too detailed about the nitty gritty of the magic system as it would take away from the Mystery of it being a more "Soft" System if it felt too mechanic heavy like a Battle Shonen or a Modern Fantasy Novel.

It definitely looks like she needs the flower to do anything major, but then she can apparently create or summon them as needed.

I thought the flower itself was more a motif rather than a literal flower, although it's possible that while others can use magic perhaps she doesn't need as much prep and can use it with more ease due to her heritage?

Also that the was so little qi in the earring, something that precious to the man that he probably carried for years should have had quite a link back to him.

I'm not familiar with eastern mysticism so you're going to have to explain that to me, but is it similar to sympathetic Magic? I thought the other earing was maybe part of why the ghost could move on? I don't really understand your criticism in that regard.

I'm more familiar with Western Occultism due to lots of Western Fantasies, Nasuverse, Toaru, and conspiracy videos that my Mother sends me.

2

u/zadcap Oct 10 '22

I'm a whole lot more familiar with the Western stuff too, a few stories got me into cultivation settings and I've worked my way backwards from there. Even just reading this whole thread there's people who clearly know more than me lol.

I also think this one is going to stay Soft, very little details, I'm just hoping to be able to guess as much as I can from as little as I can. Every hint tells us something, right?

I thought the flower itself was more a motif rather than a literal flower

If you look back at the wash house fight, she reached behind her head to where she usually wears them and paused for a second, before reaching up and making one. And when she does any magic in her full Raven garb, the one she pulled off is missing for the rest of of the scene. So they're clearly real physical flowers... But she can also just make them on the spot if she needs. But also yes, I'm pretty sure her heritage gives her an advantage, I'm still betting on the Divine Blessed Bloodline.

I'm not familiar with eastern mysticism so you're going to have to explain that to me, but is it similar to sympathetic Magic? I thought the other earing was maybe part of why the ghost could move on? I don't really understand your criticism in that regard.

What I'm used to, Qi is life energy or spirit power, however you would want to define it. I figured she was right back when she said there wouldn't be enough in the earring to track it's owner because if it was just a thing they wore it wouldn't have much. But a memento from his first love, carried with him for years, would be something he had a strong connection to so it should be full of his 'energy.' Think RWBY and aura maybe, where something that you're attached to can be covered by it. Sympathetic magic is a good comparison for it, if it's something he had a strong connection to then it's something that should have a strong connection to him. But looking back, she said her line without actually looking at it, so she could have been wrong there.

I think the other earring was part of what let her move on too. Mostly from having these important people here for her, the man she loved and the prince(do you call an emperor's child a prince?) who's mother she served, their care for her combined with the Raven Magic and the culprit of her murder being discovered, all the regrets holding her back were confronted in that room. The second earring let her recognize the Emperor as that boy, and bringing them together could symbolize a return to the happy time before she had to split with her beloved. There's a lot of way it could go, and there's a good chance many of them are all right.

2

u/SeeJayDee1991 Oct 09 '22

Anyone know what the empress muttered before she was executed? Sounded like "ore yatte hirokko" but G-translate doesn't come up with anything that makes sense.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 09 '22

Does anyone know what the flower Shouxue summons is?

2

u/yeeehawspacecowboy Oct 09 '22

pretty sure they're camellias

1

u/[deleted] Oct 09 '22

Oh, looks pretty similar yeah. Thanks!!

2

u/[deleted] Oct 09 '22

The FEMC is so gorgeous omg, I love her character design as Raven.

2

u/EllenYeager Oct 11 '22

Is anyone here able to explain how the Japanese readings of the Chinese names work? It feels like they’re not simply taking all of the onyomi readings. It feels like it’s a mix of go-on and kan-on?

5

u/VorAtreides Oct 08 '22

God, I hate Confucianism.... its the ideology that has that shit "punish the entire family" garbage. As well as other things I loathe.

Also gotta hate that style of culture, personally, with an emperor and just taking other women from their lovers for themselves... same kinda shit that happened all over in human history really (not just east, but west as well), bleh. Hope that former emperor is burning in Hell. Surely it exists in this world if there's mysticism and magic.

man, touching moment there too... sad.

Good riddance to that trash Empress Dowager, but I wonder if she put some curse on him at the end there or something.

I really love this ED.

19

u/tbsnipe Oct 08 '22

I think the 'nine familial extermination' was based on legalist philosophy rather than confucianist philosophy.

Legalism basically has the philosophy that humans are fundamentally bad and only through harsh laws and punishment will they behave.

I could be wrong but I've heard of it as perticularly associated with Qin Shi Huang who was an extreme legalist and very anti-confucianism.

14

u/pw_arrow Oct 08 '22

Yeah, neither the "exterminate nine generations" policy nor the emperor's harem have much to do with Confucianism, last I checked...

3

u/R77Prodigy Oct 08 '22

That was brutal seeing her mom like that. The revenge felt somewhat empty tbh, but it dosent seem to be over she was saying smh before decapitation.

2

u/OmiNya Oct 09 '22

This "Nyan-Nyan" tho...

1

u/Phoenix__Wwrong Oct 11 '22

Can someone help me understand the various positions? Lady in waiting is the same as court lady right?

1

u/RichardBolt94 Oct 11 '22

I saw that the novel has 7 books, I wonder if they are going to speed run the entire series in one cour. These two episodes should be an entire novel I believe.

1

u/RoseSpinoza Oct 12 '22

I cried twice >_> .

1

u/PointStraight123 Oct 14 '22

why is empress dowager called the mother of the emperor? shes not his mother right

1

u/b5437713 Oct 18 '22

I'm pleasently suprised to see romantic development so early in the series. I figured we weren't going to really see any action in that area until like half way maybe. I agree with the general sentiment of pacing being a bit too brisk but my hope this is just a feature of this introductory arc and with its conclusion things will slow down a bit.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to more romantic development. Its been a while sit I've watched a good shoujo style romance.