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Welp, that's no ordinary earring. It looks like this episode has a taste of mystery to its story. I find it both eerie and also mysterious since it connects to an event many years ago. I kinda like the style they narrated the background story tbh.
Also, I hope Jiujiu starts to learn how to defend herself. Seems like she's the type of character that always needs someone to save her.
Jiujiu's getting harassed by a big yellow cock, certainly not something i thought i would see waking up this morning.
I really like the rookie VA for the main girl, Ryuu herself also seem interesting, and her heritage ... Sure the show looks nice and the mistery is there, but i hope this won't end up like all those chinese historical palace dramas with idol actors. But for now i'm very intrigued, it also is more darker than i would imagine for a show like this.
I don't remember the anime from last year I think that had really cool main character in terms of how she looked. Rest of it was mid.
Too early to say with this show, but the main character looks cool, but for example the emperor looks derpy (like most male characters in the show). I didnt hate the plot, but there was really no hook at the end of this episode like last one so I probably forget to watch more lul
Still, main character visuals and VA are both 10 out of 10.
I'm looking forward to seeing how Shouxue became the Raven Consort. At first I thought someone else knew of her secret to protect her and dye her hair when she was a child. However, she probably learned over time to dye her own hair. With this case closed, the emperor finally got his revenge but what's left for him now. The silenced words from Empress Dowager has me worried.
On another note, the animation based on Chinese shadow puppetry plays is interesting.
Definitely want to see more of that.
Notice: I read most manga in Japanese now so I'm not sure where you can read in English. Sorry in advance.
The backstory with her mother is surely tough, but she couldn't do anything as a child...
The prince finally got his revenge for the murder of his mother but this is not what will bring her back :S
Also that last scene, well I'm not too surprised xD
I wonder what did the woman whisper before being decapitated, definitely looked like some curse or spell
Oh and the beginning of the episode was brutal, a child seeing their mother's severed head like that...
The mystery was solved and the emperor was saved from the assassination.
White-haired Jusetsu was very beautiful. I understand the reason why she needed to paint dye her hair black.
That was a rough backstory for Jusetsu, with her mother being killed like that then seeing her severed head on display. Looking forward to seeing where this show goes next now that this jade earring mini-arc is finished.
People on MAL refuse to actually enjoy watching anime.
Your taste in anime isn't a personality trait.
MAL is literally just anime Twitter as its own website lol.
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
i feel like an old geezer who watches soap operas all day when saying this, but i really like where this show is going. The pace of the mystery is really good, along with some good ol' shoujo.
this and bocchi the rock are probably my two favorite dark horses
Unlike some others, I would've gone nuts if they did not conclude the "case" in 2 eps. You can stretch out other later cases through more than 2 eps sure, but for an introductory "case" where we're still not sure about the background/lore it needs to be wrapped up in two eps max. So I'm satisfied in that sense.
I AM surprised the Empress Dowager, whom I thought would be the big/final boss of the whole thing, was dealt with already. Although I'm sure she silently cursed him at the end. And with the series having magic/ghosts undertones all over it not surprised if that 'silent curse' comes back in some form or another later.
And I don't know about anyone else, But it's endlessly going to bug me that the names they actually "say" does not match the names used in the subs AT ALL. UGH WHY?
Not to mention it already confuses/annoys me that the names alone are trying to be Chinese-ish but everything else is obviously Japanese.
This continues to be intriguing, with the dark backstories of Jusetsu and the Emperor as well. The emperor got his revenge of the Empress Dowager, but what did she utter? A curse perhaps? Dark parting words? It definitely worries me.
What goes around comes around, the emperor helped the ghost and by doing so he found evidence for his mother's death. Both cases were solved and they found some closure, bittersweet as it may be.
I like the mystery vibe of this show and I'm really curious to know the source of Jusetsu's power. Prolly has something to do with the previous dynasty.
Wonderful episode. First story wrapped up nicely and seems like a little romance may be in the air. I wasn’t expecting so much background to be revealed so early, but so far I’m really liking this. Looking forward to see where the story heads to next.
I’m really liking this show. One thing I’m a little confused with. I see some posts saying the woman that was executed at the end was the Empress Dowager but I thought that was her lady-in-waiting, not the Empress Dowager. I’m I completely wrong?
So her mother was a prostitute, huh. What a brutal way to die though, killed for no reason other than looking a certain way. Must suck for any people unlucky enough to be born albino during this time period, or any senior citizens that live long enough to get white hair.
For better or worse, the thing about historical dynasty changes is that the previous ones usually get the same treatment as the last one, as will the next one after. Nonetheless, I'm glad the crown prince dude finally finished the job of executing his evil serial killer-stepmother empress. I hope he kills her dickless-men eunuchs as well, plus his father the emperor if he's still alive (just rewatched the episode and see that he was assassinated by the empress), for having killed the raven consort's mother and entire kin. The curse she likely laid right before her death is worrisome though. Maybe the prince could use the former court lady's fiance as a vassal or something since he seems like he'd be someone loyal, especially since he helped solve his fiance's murder, and give both of them some closure. I think the prince is going to need all the allies he can get, with how cut-throat royalty tends to be.
One curious thing I noticed is that the murdered consort lady's ghost was wearing a jade earring. It can be assumed she died wearing her last worn outfit, which was that red outfit. But she apparently gave her remaining earring to the prince shortly before she was strangled to death. So that's either a discrepancy, or the ghost's appearance is determined by several factors pertaining to her soul, which would explain her changing from a vengeful ghost to the more purified one after the two earrings were reunited, prior to entering the inner palace. But maybe I'm just overthinking it.
I really want them to feature that pudgy pet chicken more. It's freaking adorable. The cute bird is a nice break from all the murders and other cruelty that's common place in this story's historical setting.
Listening to the ending theme gave me an eargasm. Was that a little bit of Chinese I heard in the chorus? Maybe I'm mishearing things.
Edit: Looks like I was right that it was a little bit of Chinese lyrics in there, and a few times at that. I found out from the official Music Video that just dropped today (Oct 15, 2022):
...where she said "You are my everything (it's true)" with "It's true" being in English.
I also never knew that the singer was also half Chinese too from her mother's side, so that's a neat bit of fun trivia. The description of that video even includes the lyrics too:
Subtitled in English / Courtesy of Chinese Character Curtain
Natsu no Yuki
Lyrics: Fumito Iwai, krage
Composed by Fumito Iwai
Arranged by Fumito Iwai
The snow that piles up and piles up and piles up
To my destiny dyed all black
The sun that gradually shines through
The warmth of summer that melts away
The dream you saw as you slept forever
What I can do to make it come true
I'll help you, it's true
wǒ xiǎng yāo bāngzhù nǐ
(I want to help you)
As the sun shines in the deepest darkness
Because you made a wish for me
You gave me
A bouquet of light that even now
Connecting the seasons that will never intersect
Proof of the pain
I wonder if I can be the snow falling in summer
I cried alone and you named my tears
You named it "kindness" for me
You are my possession it's true
nǐ shì wǒ de suǒyǒu
(You're all I have)
The sun that spills like a bundle in my palm
Because you lit up my world
You gave me
The bouquet of light
Touching the seasons that will never reach me now
Proof of the pain
Will I see you again someday, somewhere?
Seasons go around in reverse
Yururi snow rises into the sky
如果時光能返回
rúguǒ shíguāng néng fǎnhuí
(If I could turn back time)
Can I reach you just a little?
I want to see you, but I can't
I'll sing you a summer song
Bloomed endlessly
The flower that never withers, the flower of oath
Ah, the world without you
Proof to live on
You gave me
Even now, the bouquet of light
Connecting the seasons that will never intersect
Proof of the pain
Awesome. Telling her back story was the right choice. From the 1st ep where they show her mother I thought she was also a consort. But this took a fully different approach. Damn.
Im glad they solved the Mystery. Sad themed Episode tho. I'm happy that the ghost could passed on! And the promise he made to her was touching. I wonder what's the meaning behind the fish trinket?
And I swear all the work and animation they put into her magic is just amazing!
Twenty-four minutes is inadequate for such beautiful story telling. The Raven Consort is the best of the fall season so far. What mysteries await us next week?!
The ancient kingdom culture that is full of treason and drama. Make them dislike you and your head will be gone
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That was fantastic! I loved the whole thing.
It felt like I had watched a feature length movie. The plot and characters were excellent. The fast pace was unnoticeable.
Quite a violent period in history there but still I really enjoyed it. I can’t wait for more!
the tone really solidified itself to be a more serious one, and a lot of the questions I had last episode were answered this one. The over arching plot has also been established, as well as the romance. Amazing episode, can't wait for more.
Man that first minute of this episode hurt to watch.
The earring matter was solved nicely and so was the execution of the empress. The scene where the ghost turns normal and does that finger kiss thing made me cry lol.
The ED is such a banger.
This can be a contender of AOTS for me. Loving it very much. Looking forward to next episode.
The end of an era. Thank you Wit, Mappa and Isayama.
Feeling half happy, half sad.
CHT13 said: I’m really liking this show. One thing I’m a little confused with. I see some posts saying the woman that was executed at the end was the Empress Dowager but I thought that was her lady-in-waiting, not the Empress Dowager. I’m I completely wrong?
Again, what an awesome and amazing episode.
Successfully lived up to my expectations, ep 2.
Ending was so sweet and heart-warming.
10/10 for ep 2 again.
Looking forward to saturday again <3 .
the conflict and the drama was appearing, its structure quiet well.
the ending song is good, the way they use the ost good too.
it has a potential to be one of my top tier anime, but we'll see.
CHT13 said: I’m really liking this show. One thing I’m a little confused with. I see some posts saying the woman that was executed at the end was the Empress Dowager but I thought that was her lady-in-waiting, not the Empress Dowager. I’m I completely wrong?
That's how I understood it as well.
I thought it was the Empress Dowager as the Emperor said that he had been plotting his revenge against her for ages (because she killed his mother) and now that she was dead he felt empty.
As expected from anime directed by Miyawaki Chizuru, it’s so poorly directed.
I couldn’t fathom why Bandai Namco still hires her, even Gintama turned to worse under her.
CHT13 said: I’m really liking this show. One thing I’m a little confused with. I see some posts saying the woman that was executed at the end was the Empress Dowager but I thought that was her lady-in-waiting, not the Empress Dowager. I’m I completely wrong?
That's how I understood it as well.
I would’ve been surprised if they killed off the empress dowager that fast. I have a feeling she’s not going to be killed so easily. We shall see.