Among the royal court, there is an individual feared as much as revered: the Raven Consort Ryuu Jusetsu. Residing in her jet-black palace and isolated from the emperor, she is the subject of countless rumors. Claimed to possess mystic abilities, she is said to take on any request—from finding lost items to inflicting curses. While some call her an immortal sage, others believe her to be a terrifying revenant. But such comments fail to faze Jusetsu, who prefers to spend her days in quiet solitude. That is, until the emperor, Ka Koushun, barges into her court and asks for her assistance with a mysterious case.
The young emperor's request requires Jusetsu to step out of her palace for the first time. Despite Ka Koushun's frequent visits annoying her to no end, she cannot bring herself to turn him away. Her predecessor's teachings echo in her ears: the Raven Consort is destined to remain forever alone and never desire anything. Yet Jusetsu finds herself making the first of several bonds when she asks Jiujiu, an innocently inquisitive court girl, to be her sole attendant.
Together, they begin fulfilling requests from the people of the palace. However, unknown perils lurk in the outside world, and drawing attention to herself may bring Jusetsu face-to-face with a past that is better left undisturbed.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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KANLen09
"Deep in the inner palace, there lives a consort known as the Raven Consort. She holds a special position, and despite her "consort" title, she does not perform night-time duties. Though she lives there, it is said that she can perform mysterious arts and even gain some friends along the way, but she has no contact with the emperor, nor kneels before him. Such is the Raven Consort." The Fall 2022 season has seen quite a diversity of shows, but one show that I really AM desperate to talk about is Koukyuu no Karasu a.k.a Raven of the Inner Palace, novelist Kouko Shirakawa's only work (barring her 2 one-shotLNs released in 2015 and 2016), because this show isn't really that much discussed about outside of the anime and seems to have flown under the radar for such a hyped season as this. If I can really esteem what it means to be a standout show, this anime would be one in the most stereotypical, but MYSTERIOUS way possible that it can only really pull off.
The original LN that spans 7 volumes and serialized from April 2018 to April 2022 under Shueisha's Orange Bunko imprint that targets the Shoujo demographic, that I can say that no matter the Shonen or Shoujo reading the LN or watching the anime, it's really very intriguing to say the least. For one, the setting is in Ancient China, a very large contrast to the generic Isekai where every town looks the same no matter the layout, and even the characters are Chinese-ified with their Kanji-like names, which is also a standout that usually with translations, the romaji is often generally used. But in this show, staying true to the Chinese names literally amps the setting that it's based upon, creating a work that's detracts from what we are so used to towards the Japanese context. And as an Asian Chinese myself, it's definitely a welcome surprise given that Chinese historical dramas were somewhat of an influence in my growing-up years, and in trying to respect the source material that it's based upon, this just brings a smile onto my face. You don't really see such dedication in drawing the line between Japanese media and dutiful Chinese cultures and customs, and its kudos to whoever in Crunchyroll was doing the translations for the show.
In the context of Chinese literature, the source material's setting is very similar to that of the Qing Dynasty, where there're classes of people separate by the positions/ranks that they are held to, and this is most certain for the Raven Consort Liu Shouxue a.k.a Ryuu Juusetsu herself because of the rule that emperors could not even contact her. Despite the entire system being somewhat of a harem-ish context, that is not the highlight for both the source material and the anime, though the emperor Xia Gaojun a.k.a Ka Koushun is somewhat of an oddity, almost as if like he's intentionally trying to break the Consort's customs by leaning onto a semi-cordial relationship with the latest 16-year-old successor. The Raven Consort can perform mysterious arts, such as calling forth spirits of the deceased and exorcising and purifying them peacefully, accompanied by a yellow chicken (the "Watchman of the very first Raven Consort Niao Lian"), a lady-in-waiting (Jiu-jiu) and a few servants (Gaojun's Wei Qing a.k.a Ei Sei and Shouxue's Wen Ying a.k.a On Kei) inside her residence, and despite her tsundere attitude, she cannot resist when being served her favorite food, baozi.
That being said, this show feels like your typical historical fantasy show with hints of mystery and the supernatural with the "mystery of the week" segments as we see the locked-up Raven Consort converge with the other palace ministers and servants around her to solve the mysteries surrounding the Ye Ming Palace, growing as the stories grow and tally along with character development to boot. I especially like how the stories are being told here: if you're an Asian like me, you would've noticed that the stories are shown akin to a wayang kulit style, which is a traditional form of puppet-shadow play that's originally found in the Java and Bali cultures in Indonesia. It really gives the stories the feel of a rich, but tainted history, and most importantly, adjective into the historical context that the series is based upon. Stories ranging from the daily mundaneness of life filled with the occult (e.g. ghosts) to the Raven Consort's past of generations alike, it's really that engaging. Though the one weakness that it has is its case use of repetitiveness to showcase ghost sightings but in different layered forms from murder to suicide, it can wear down the viewer when the "plot" feels disconnected at times.
Aside from the production looking a bit low-budget, BN Pictures did their best at adapting the source material, and this is due in part to the long-time veteran director Chizuru Miyawaki, whom you might know her as the director of the GOAT comedy anime of all time: Gintama. Being a director in this kind of setting takes a much more superlative ideal since Kouko Shirakawa's novel is actually quite unique by Japanese standards, so having to imagine all that and working to the best through translation, is a tough job, but nothing too short of the acclaimed director herself being not just a director knowing comedy, but in resourcefulness and stylishness. It may not win awards in the production department, but for how the anime turned out, it was style over substance, and I'm acceptable with that if it was intended to be shown this way.
For a unique series, you gotta have a unique OST, and what we got here was truly something else. Ziyoou-vachi, or Queen Bee as the rock band is called, has definitely brought its "fashion punk" song into the series, and if you know any better, their Anisongs featured in Tokyo Ghoul:re and the 2019 remake of Dororo will get you up to speed. I LOVE the heck of how ancient, mythical-feeling Queen Bee's OP is, and with the sense of allure that's the gift that keeps on giving, with Avu-chan's MYSTEEEEEEEERIOUS~~~ singing vibe of majestic beauty. Definitely one of the better surprising OPs of the season. This is the same for krage's ED being just what I expected if you have to have J-Pop soul invicted into the typical Chinese drama. It's a very different feeling of having a triple-layered song of Japanese, Chinese and English lyrics infused to what should a solemn song, but just like Queen Bee's OP, it's just mesmeriziing in the most magisterial way possible, and it's powerful enough to convey emotions. What an OST that I'm worthy to put this above all else as one of the absolute best of the season.
I can understand why a show like this is very hard to recommend, especially if you're the type that doesn't care for surface-level drama but make no mistake that this is as close to a typical Ancient Chinese-ified drama as it can if it were made in a Japanese dub kind of way. And that to me, is a win in experiencing the same thing but in a different medium, that it feels better than watching the typical Chinese drama that I'm so bored with over the years being so devoid of creativeness.
I honestly don't know...try this show for yourself and see how it does to you. But I can definitely say that I've enjoyed the show much more than I initially did.
ApplePieHunter
“Raven of the Inner Palace” was definitely one of the most surprising animes of the season. I went in with low expectations and a negative outlook but left feeling like I had an exhilarating trip through Chinese folklore. This is especially shocking considering I have a personal dislike of all things historical. Although I wouldn’t give “Raven of the Inner Palace” anime of the year or even the season, it ended up outclassing the majority of shows I’ve binged (and forgotten about) throughout 2022. So today, I want to talk about the 3 biggest features that make “Raven of the Inner Palace” stand out, andhow these features come together to create a wonderful and unique historical experience that anyone can enjoy.
MYSTERIES AND SECRETS - A fantastic balance between the mystery of the Raven Consort and Shouxue.
One of my favorite aspects of this anime is how well-written the mystery behind the main character is. Shouxue, also known as the Raven Consort, is in a constant struggle between the responsibilities of her position and her human desire to live a fulfilling life. The thing is, we don’t initially know what the Raven Consort’s job really is and why it exists. Likewise, no one, not even Shouxue herself, is sure what her fulfilling life looks like since she never sought human desires until now.
In order to answer these questions, the show gives Shouxue a personal journey in the form of helping people around the inner palace. Whenever some new magical case or request is made, we see Shouxue learn more about others, establish relationships, engage in new activities, and, most importantly, make character-revealing choices. Her stance on important human aspects like love, death, friendship, and other topics is not just stated out loud in boring dialogue, but shown in tense, action-filled moments. This manner of character development lets us strongly connect with Shouxue and understand who she is, fundamentally, as a person. Likewise, these moments also develop, in a compelling manner, the mystery behind the Raven Consort. In particular, this mystery is built off Shouxue’s character development, allowing us to see how the two sides of her life clash and cause inner conflict.
So each week I would find myself tuning in to answer some of my burning questions. Who is Shouxue as a person? What exactly is the Raven Consort title and where did it come from? Why is Shouxue trapped by this role? Can she ever find a happy balance between her duties and her desires? And with each week, I was never disappointed in how I got those answers.
PLOTLINES - Interesting, but lacking ambition in key moments.
As stated before, “Raven of the Inner Palace” uses the day-to-day duties of the Raven Consort to explore the mystery surrounding Shouxue. These duties usually entail smaller mysteries and short stories that push the characters forward in their development. Although the stories around ancient Chinese folklore were interesting and well-told, I sometimes found myself disappointed by the lack of ambition in major plotlines.
Occasionally, Shouxue would be forced to deal with a problem that directly connects to her past or to her responsibilities as the Raven Consort. These personal stories have great potential to push the anime to grim places, exploring more controversial events seen in the darker side of humanity’s history. However, right before this push is made, we get our resolution too soon and avoid the real depth of the topic. In particular, I was disheartened by how quickly we “finished” the arc that had an antagonist directly related to Shouxue’s past, which had some serious morally dark topics.
While I don’t think this lack of ambition ruins or takes away from the show as a whole, I often found myself wondering what could have been if we had an extra episode or two dedicated to these personal plotlines. Maybe we will see these things brought up again if the anime gets a Season 2, but for now, I’m going to have to be satisfied with what was given.
ARTISTIC EXPRESSION - It goes to show that budget is always beaten by creativity.
Now I’m not 100% certain on this, but I’ve heard here and there that “Raven of the Inner Palace” had a lower budget than most animes of this year. If this is the case, then I applaud Bandai Namco for such an excellent visual and auditory adaption. Even if the budget was infinite, the creative choices made during adaption beat out any flashy and showy style that you just throw money at.
When telling the folklore and mini-stories, “Raven of the Inner Palace” employs historical theatrics that feels fitting for the era and tone. These theatrics do a better job of engrossing the audience in the story and time period than the standard filter screen flashback. Likewise, the color palette and musical choices give me the feeling of walking in a museum and learning about the history behind each display. It’s all so thematically appropriate that I could immerse and interest myself in a time period hundreds of years before my birth, something I never expected considering my rather negative bias towards media involving history.
But when it’s time for significant action and magic, I feel like I’m watching a show of high budget and quality. The visuals for Shouxue’s magic or a eunuch's swordplay are fluid and well-made. The music does an excellent job of amplifying the emotion of the scene. And finally, the show is not afraid to show blood as a way of reaching through the magic and grounding the audience back in the harsh reality.
FINAL VERDICT - “Raven of the Inner Palace” is seemingly niche and unappealing, but it turns out to be surprisingly well-made and definitely worth the 3-4 hour watch.
Don’t make the same mistake I almost made! Put aside your preconceptions of historical shows and ancient storytelling so that you can give this anime a fair shot. It has such an enticing mystery with one of the most interesting main characters I’ve watched this season. It’s also a refreshing change from the overabundance of Isakeis and RomComs seen in the market, which I think should already be enough to convince most anime enjoyers to give it a shot.
dead_user_123454
Koukyuu no Karasu/Raven of the Inner Palace is based on the light novel series of the same name by Kouko Shirakawa, which was recently licenced by seven seas entertainment. Volume 1 is scheduled to be released in 2023, Theme of this series is based on ancient china, Raven of the Inner Palace is indeed a unique story filled of mystery, fantasy, and history. Deep within the inner palace lives a special consort who does not serve the emperor despite her position, known as the Raven Consort. Some claim she is an elderly woman, while others claim she is young and beautiful. So, Main Protagonist of thisseries is Liu Shouxue (Ryuu Jusetsu), the Raven Consort of the Inner Palace, She is young and beautiful, For a price, her dark arts have the ability to cast deadly curses, exorcise ghosts, and locate missing objects.
I loved watching Shouxue ,her backstory is quite painful, It was said from the start that Raven consort has to live her life alone, and she can’t leave the inner palace.
And our Male lead is the young emperor, Xia Gaojin, Raven consort has never met emperor before, Story starts when the emperor seeks out the Raven Consort to use that magic.
The animation was beautiful and clean, especially the magical elements, it also contains some fantastic visuals with an interesting & engaging plot.
I was excited for this series since the first PV came out, I loved this anime from the start and we don't get much josei shows, some say that this show also falls under the shoujo genre.
Additionally, there is a teeny bit of romance between them, they are aware of one another. Sometimes, we saw Shouxue blush when she unintentionally touched the emperor, but most of the time, she was rude to him and it was fun watching her when she talks like this to the emperor XD.
And I loved watching Shouxue when she used her hair ornament to cast magic, it was beautiful. The characters are unique, and you'll get to learn about their fascinating backstories filled with mystery, And all the side characters are also likeable.
I also loved the opening and endings of this show.
Raven of the inner palace is one of the underrated gem of this season, It was one of the seasons's best show for me.
Hope you enjoy watching it.
Marinate1016
In an era of repetitive battle shonen and wish fulfilment fantasises, it’s so nice to see that Josei stories are still alive and well. None have been better in recent memory than Kokyuu no Karasu. A wonderfully crafted tale of loss, grief, acceptance and friendship and my pick for anime of the season. Fall 2022 was packed. It was without a doubt one of the best seasons in the past few years, but despite all the big name titles this season, Kokyuu was without a doubt the best show for me. I knew it from episode one and even spoke about it at length in aYoutube video previewing the season.
My initial attraction to the series was the setting. We don’t often see Japanese anime take place in ancient China with a focus on mythology. It’s a time period and location with so much rich history and it’s really cool to see that touched on in an anime. Even though the world of Kokyuu is fictionalised, it very clearly borrows a lot of things from ancient chinese mythology and I loved seeing those themes explored.
The show does a good job of presenting us with an interesting mystery to solve every week. Shoxue, the MC is able to use her abilities to help the emperor solve murders, disappearances etc., and I enjoyed not only seeing those crimes solved, but also seeing how much Shoxue grew as a person over the course of the series. She’s been through so much in her life and at such a young age too. The friendship that she and the emperor formed through their mutual grief and experiences was really heartwarming. The fact that it stayed platonic as well is a huge plus. I think it’s actually way harder to write a good male/female friendship in fiction than it is to just ship characters because of their proximity to one another. The fact that we see a healthy friendly relationship between the two was really nice. Josei/Shoujo stories in general tend to be more mature and handle women better than in shonen and you see that on full display in this series with the complexities and multi-dimensionality of the characters.
In terms of the cast, I am always of the opinion that quality is greater than quantity. The show doesn’t have too many characters to the point you’re overwhelmed or anything. Those that are in the story are really well written and add to the story. Shoxue is one of my fave MC’s of the past couple years. Cute design, funny, brutally honest, etc. The other characters like Jiu-Jiu, the Eunochs, Emperor, etc etc were all really fun and I could not help but get attached to them. The show honestly had a soap opera type of feel, which is pretty common in Josei and I mean that in the best way possible. In the same way you might tune into Days of Our Lives or a telenovela to see how your fave characters are doing, you have that same feeling here which is really the mark of fantastic writing.
Kokyuu no Karasu may not get the attention that bigger name series will get, but it is without a doubt the best show for me in Fall 2022 thanks to its mature writing, loveable characters, unique setting and captivating story. It is a must watch for any josei/shoujo fan, anyone who values well written female characters and organic, realistic friendships. Or those looking for something new and different to watch.
WritaHolic
Koukyuu no Karasu isn’t exactly incredible, but it still provides the Fall 2022 season with a solid breath of fresh air. In many ways, Koukyuu no Karasu reminds me of Production IG’s xxxHOLiC. Slice-of-life, supernatural mysteries with Asian folkloric influence and a tinge of gothic horror? Check. A main character who develops slowly but surely across the series as they struggle to find their identity and self esteem? Check. A relationship that’s cute and constantly shipped but has about 0.1% likelihood of becoming canon? Check. Of course, xxxHOLiC and Koukyuu no Karasu differ vastly in setting, and that’s one of the latter’s greatest strengths. Koukyuu no Karasuis set in ancient China, which makes it stand out from the current, all-too common Western-RPG-inspired anime. The animation and art, while appearing rather low-budget, take inspiration from Chinese traditional art and are quite enchanting to look at—I could stare at that one magic peony animation forever, and that's not even mentioning the beautiful animations which take their influence from traditional puppetry. The soundtrack and sound design also take some (albeit vague) traditional influence, and really help create an immersive experience (and the OP and ED are bangers, too).
Koukyuu no Karasu also has decent pacing, in spite of its mystery-of-the-week format. Each mystery contributes more information to the story, and although there are two very clumsy exposition dumps regarding the lead character, they’re spaced well enough within the anime’s setup. Although the anime leaves off with obvious loose ends for a sequel, this first season doesn’t feel fruitless; a lot of characters show lasting development by the final episode. That said, the pacing still leaves a lot to be desired, and the plot leaves too many things unresolved to feel complete.
I would recommend everyone to watch this one, because it's a breath of fresh air that's really flown under the radar, but I know the genre makes it more difficult to get into. Still, if you’re a fan of traditional aesthetics like I am and you don’t mind some inconsistently-paced, sort-of slice-of-life, you’ll probably like Koukyuu no Karasu. There are just two things to consider before watching. One: due to setting, the characters’ names are Chinese, but the Japanese dub uses Japanese pronunciations for the names, which can cause a lot of confusion—it may be worth waiting for a Chinese dub, unless you want to memorize twice the number of names. Two: the anime plays around quite a bit with OP and ED placement, so you’ll want to watch everything all the way through, even if the ED starts playing two minutes in. Take those to heart, sit back, and enjoy some nice anime aesthetics with a decent story and solid characters behind them.
vanelya10
If you are looking only for romance be prepared to be disappointed. Its not your typical romantic historic anime but it is worth watching. I am really glad to see the main female protagonist show so much strenght and wisdom troughout the episodes. I really like her powers and how she manages to maintain herselft as an independent character even if she has some weak moments, it makes her more natural. Love this type of each story episode and it was nice seeing such great animations moments and how they manage so create some beautiful scenes. F For 13 episodes its an easy going but enchanting anime toconsume.
DaemonLily
I can see why people are comparing this anime to Apothecary Diaries... however, I feel that the people comparing the two don't realize nor understand the complete and utter difference in the plot and story of the two. Indeed, the setting of Imperial China is similar if not roughly the same... though the entire point of the anime is vastly different between the two, and it is an insult to say that one is undeserving of recommendation when that is far from the truth, especially if you are one who fails to even grasp the depth and meaning of both of them - only torate it due to "shallow perceptions" of each.
Personally, I believe it has a much better plot and story than Apothecary Diaries, although the animation is certainly not as good. While I am currently watching Apothecary Diaries Season 2, the story for it is not quite as interesting. I also prefer the music for Raven of the Inner Palace, since it definitely portrays more soul - especially the ending song. I mean, just read the lyrics to it. Listen to the singer's voice as she pours emotion into it.
This isn't to say that Apothecary Diaries lacks in emotion or feeling... I find that it also has a fair bit of interest concerning that. However, it certainly isn't as "deep" as Raven of the Inner Palace is. Apothecary Diaries has more HEART to it, though Raven of the Inner Palace, I believe, has more SOUL. To put it in other terms... you could consider Apothecary Diaries to be the anime that EVERYONE loves, while Raven of the Inner Palace is the anime that only a few select can truly appreciate and understand.
All in all, Raven of the Inner Palace deserves a Season 2. There is no argument about that.
Note: Don't misunderstand me... I've rated both this and Apothecary Diaries as 9. However, I simply adore them for completely different reasons.
AkiraChinami
Change isn't easy. It's even less so when the subject of that change is an institution that has been in place for centuries. The role of the Raven Consort has been entrenched within the inner palace for at least a thousand years, and it is going to take more than one creepy guy embodying a god of death to undo it. But everything that has happened to Shouxue and Gaojun in this season has been in service of changing the role of the Raven Consort; from his unseemly interest in her (at least as far as others are concerned) to the slow reveal of hertrue purpose, the stage has been set for them to make meaningful changes.
That's what this last episode is largely in service of. We can see the small cracks beginning in the prison that holds the Raven Consort, namely the preconceptions and misconceptions everybody has about who she is and what she is supposed to be. The old priest who was in love with Shouxue's predecessor is perhaps the person with the most reason to resent the rules that seem unable to be broken. He saw being chosen by the goddess Niao Lian as forcing her into a prison, one which precluded her having any relationship with anyone at all. He resents Shouxue for proving that that is not true; she has ladies in waiting, eunuchs, and above all the emperor. Even if she did not set out to form these bonds, they have changed her, and that means that the role of the Raven Consort is not nearly as immutable as he and others before him believed it to be. It's the disconnect between Winter King and Raven Consort, and an example of how these women have had their power curtailed. They were allowed to maintain it, but only at the cost of being human.
Even if she hasn't made a conscious decision to change this, Shouxue is well on her way to disproving the idea that the Raven Consort is Other. She has stopped rebuffing Gaojun and begun to seek out friendships among the other women of the inner palace. It's a slow process, and it won't be an easy one; she has spent too long believing what the former Raven Consort told her. But as the conclusion of the episode seems to imply, the change from Raven Consort to Winter King is within her grasp, waiting for her somewhere beneath the sea.
Whether that is a metaphor for the hidden depths within Shouxue or a more literal statement of where the power of the Winter King took up residence is unclear; perhaps even the sanity of the banished goddess is what is waiting for her to find. It's also clear that the story is far from over – the talon marks that have appeared near the wound Gaojun received from the owl are very worrying, especially since we saw that image of an owl's wing appearing from his arm. There are too many centuries of ill will and sorrow for anything to resolve as quickly as we might like, but I still think that this is more of a hopeful ending than anything we otherwise might have expected. Even if further tragedy awaits, Shouxue now has the tools and the inner strength to move forward, to say nothing of the backing of those she has realized she may rely on. Once again, that is what the swapping of the opening and ending themes for each other shows us: one part of the tale has ended, and a new one is just beginning. While we can hope that we will get to see it unfold on the screen, at least we have the assurance that we can read the novels, which have been licensed for English release by Seven Seas.
The world is undoubtedly mysterious, and full of things we cannot fully understand. But when we start to learn what lies behind what we have always considered truths, we begin to find our own strength to change what others believe is firmly established. Shouxue has begun that journey. I wish her the best of it.
Bkfootlettuce
The art style and character design was truly beautiful. I found the show very captivating and it held my attention well which can be rare. I loved the side characters, storyline, and how each episode there was a new mystery to unfold. This show felt as if there was a lot of effort put in from the writers and animators which really made it special. I started this show thinking that it was a romance, but nothing fully blossomed in that department. When I finished it, I double checked to find that it’s not actually categorized as a romance so that makes sense. If thereis a second season I would absolutely watch it.
mrfried
I normally binge watch anime, watching the entire season in 2-3 days but with Koukyuu no Karasu I found myself taking my time, and just make it 'last' For me this is an easy 10/10 It focuses on supernatural events, mysteries and also intrigues, as such it is heavily story and character focused, it takes time to develop and build up to a lot of its mysteries, while mixing in shorter supernatural stories that last an episode or two. And because it's not some shounen action and doesn't seek to be dynamic and is instead focused on the characters and how they evolve and growthrough the events, many people will likely find it to be slow and boring.
The writing is superb, with the mysteries, while many centre around unravelling the circumstances of death that have occurred, it is not a murder mystery, and it is not seeking to find 'who done it' and have the perpetrator then face justice, but is instead seeking to unravel the truth behind the circumstances of the death so the soul can then pass on peacefully. These stories are satisfying, but are not the main focus, which is where the writing really shines.
The main focus is on "who is the Raven Consort" and the relationship that forms between her and the Emperor. How she has built up many walls to hide and protect her different secrets, and how as she forms different bonds and learns to trust others, some of those walls come down and some of those secrets get revealed.
The characters are without a doubt the best part of the anime, they are so well written, so well developed, they have histories / backgrounds that affect who they are, and we see them grow throughout the series, the way characters interact differently with different characters, their different interests and personalities, and most importantly, the fact that they aren't perfect, that they still fall short and still make mistakes, which makes them feel more 'human' as characters.
The animation is solid, it suits the style or the series, it looks beautiful at times, and the character designs are strong.
the OST is good, and the ED is just stunning to the point that I would never skip it.
If I have any issue with the anime, then it's with the OP song, and this is just a personal thing, not that the OP song is bad, instead it's quite good, and when on the final episode it was used at the ending, I thought it made really good ED music, but for the OP, it just didn't work for me.
But if my only complaint that I have is that I personally find that the OP music makes better ED music that OP music, then I really can't not give this a 10/10
As said, some people may find it slow, I personally had no issues with the pacing. I can see why some people may not like this because it is so character focused, but for me, that is exactly what makes it so good.
Mcsuper
After watching this show, I can confidently say these aesthetics were among my favourites of the year. The character designs were amazing, especially for Shouxue/Jusetsu, but for most of the characters as well. It captured the spirit of a period drama quite well, though I’m not sure the episodic nature of the show really helped it. While the world-building was really quite superb, there could have been more that could have been done to make this even better, perhaps more episodes would have flesh this world out even more. STORY: In a way, it felt like a “mystery of the week” type of series, with a newconflict being introduced almost every episode, and the episode ending off in the conflict being resolved. With many mysteries packed in one show, the quality of each mystery ended up being quite hit or miss, as some stories were very engaging, while some did not interest me at all. There simply felt like there was a lack of time to flesh out each story to make it memorable, so it felt rather rushed at points, with the more lore-heavy stories. If you’re a fan of period dramas though, you’ll probably like this quite a bit.
ART:
I loved the art style, and it was probably the most beautiful work I’ve seen from Bandai Namco Pictures, although the animation itself wasn’t all that standout with the limited movement at times.
MUSIC:
The music was quite nice, especially the OP and ED, which both were very memorable. The soundtrack itself is decent, fitting for the style of the show.
CHARACTERS:
While I admired the character designs, the characters themselves for the most part did not feel very intriguing to care about to a high degree. Shouxue was probably the most standout of the bunch, as she explored the meaning of what the Raven Consort is and her past, while needing to help others with their problems. The emperor, Gaojun, just doesn’t feel like an emperor you’d often see in period dramas, but he was a fine character, although I wish we knew even more about him after the first few episodes. The side characters have their moments in the story, but other than a select few, there weren’t many memorable things to take away from them.
ENJOYMENT:
Bit of an up and down series for me. I wish I could have liked this more.
THEMATIC EXECUTION:
Once again, the execution is a hit or miss as well. Some of the stories were executed beautifully, while some went by too quick for me to care. The emotional weight is good at times, and meaningless at others. I wish it was a bit more consistent.
OVERALL:
I did like enough of this show to give it a light recommendation, and if you enjoy Chinese period dramas, you might enjoy this show as well. Overall, just too much crammed into a show to make it meaningful, so it had its ups and downs, but in terms of how it looks, it looks very nice. It’s perhaps a hidden gem worth your time if you enjoy this genre.
Firechick12012
Man, the fall 2022 season has put out a lot of female-led anime, hasn't it? And a lot of said female lead characters are actually treated with respect and important to the plot rather than just simply being eye candy. I mean, we got stuff like Bocchi The Rock, Gundam: The Witch From Mercury, Do It Yourself!!, and the subject of today's review, Raven of the Inner Palace. I don't really remember how I first discovered this, but thought the premise seemed interesting. Parts of it reminded me of Saiunkoku Monogatari, which is also a Japanese-animated Chinese period drama, though Raven of the Inner Palaceis more of an episodic mystery series. We don't get a lot of Japanese-animated shows about Chinese characters much anymore, though I think part of that is because China has started putting out their own donghua in recent years, so Raven of the Inner Palace is a breath of fresh air in an era saturated with nothing but isekai stuff. But I woefully underestimated just how invested in this show I'd wind up being, because Raven of the Inner Palace is a damn fine anime.
In a fantasy version of imperial China, deep in the inner palace, rumors tell of a mysterious consort known as the Raven Consort. Despite her title, she doesn't serve the emperor, and legends say that she can wield mysterious arts to fulfill any request, be it finding lost items or putting curses on people, all for a fair price. Xia Gaojun, the newest emperor, visits the Raven Consort, a young woman by the name of Liu Shouxue, with intent to find information on someone who died. Neither Gaojun nor Shouxue know that their fated meeting will become a taboo that will not only overturn history, but expose the truth behind just what the Raven Consort really is.
As far as animation goes, Raven of the Inner Palace has a very subdued yet pleasing art style. It's not exactly the flashiest or most dynamically animated show out there, and compared to other shows coming out around the same time as this, one could easily call it subpar. But what Raven lacks in dynamicism and vibrancy, it manages to make up for with good, down-to-earth character designs and creative storyboarding. While the series is very dialogue heavy and relies quite a bit on telling rather than showing, probably to save on animation costs, Raven manages to get creative with it by making use of cut-out shadow puppet imagery whenever a character repeats stories told them by others. To quote another reviewer, they bring the tales to life, cleanly splitting reality from legend and showing how rumors oversimplify and contort, turning people into archetypes. The series also spends a lot of time exploring the nature of rumor and how it clashes with reality, so it’s wise of the adaptation to highlight those divides in its visuals. The character designs are also pretty distinct as well, with the outfits fitting the time period without going overboard with ornamentation. Shouxue in particular is drawn with a particular delicacy that really highlights her ethereal nature in lieu of the fact that she's just a teenage girl thrust into a destiny she didn't quite want.
Speaking of the characters, the main cast is delightful to watch. All of them have their own distinct personalities and goals, and subtly change and develop over the course of the series. Shouxue in particular is the main backbone of the series, and the producers were careful to empathize that even though she's both revered and feared as this mysterious sorceress, she's still just a teenage girl trapped in a patriarchal society full of power imbalances, court politics, and generational oppression. Though she's been trained since childhood to act a certain way, whether to keep herself safe or hide her inner turmoil, Shouxue is still shown as being a compassionate person who willingly goes out of her way to help others, even at personal cost, so any loyalty and praise she does receive actually feels earned here. This is in stark contrast to another series that came out in the same season, Bibliophile Princess, which seemed way more interested in shilling the main character Elianna as this awesome Mary Sue who can do no wrong while never letting her do anything herself, outright removing important aspects of her personality that made her feel more well-rounded, and claiming she supposedly did a lot of awesome things while never bothering to actually show her actually doing them on screen.
Raven's story, themes, and their execution are much better handled here than Bibliophile Princess. In the latter, any attempts the show made at political intrigue fell completely flat because all of it mainly consisted of women being ridiculously petty and catty towards Elianna, often for really stupid reasons, and their stories made no effort to even be somewhat subtle or compelling in any way. Elianna's views were never challenged, its themes were surface-level at best, and none of the other characters had much personality or depth beyond their main archetype. Raven goes out of its way to show how strict monarchies, their ridiculous policies, and systemic failures hurt people, both rich and poor, even for generations, which can lead to a culture of constant deceit and backstabbing, among many other things. Sure, I bet there are other series that have tackled similar premises, and executed them better in some cases, but really, what was the last anime that's about Chinese court drama and politics that came out in the last thirty years? The only one I can think of off the top of my head is Saiunkoku Monogatari, which aired from 2006-2008 over the course of 78 episodes. If there are others that came out after that, do feel free to correct me, but in this era of non-stop isekai saturating the anime market, it's honestly refreshing to see an anime like Raven of the Inner Palace in this day and age.
That being said, as much as I want to praise this anime as being the best thing ever, several things hold it back. For one: the opening theme song. The song itself isn't bad...but the guy they brought in to sing it has this really obnoxious voice that not only clashes with the show's tone and atmosphere, but is just really annoying to listen to. I almost feel like the opening theme would have been better off if they had gotten someone with a nicer voice to sing it. The ending theme is much better in this regard and fits the feel of the show much better, as does the rest of the soundtrack. Also, show, was it really necessary to repeat the same narration at the beginning of literally EVERY SINGLE EPISODE?! We get it! We know what the Raven Consort is! We don't need to have that opening narration bashed into our heads in every episode, for God's sake! Your viewers are smarter than you make them out to be! Plus, there's one character who initially starts off as a villain, but after a certain point, the show hastily tries to write him as a tragic victim out of nowhere, seemingly forgetting about his previous malicious actions, making it really hard to sympathize with him. Furthermore, the anime ends on a fairly open-ended note, and it only covers a few volumes of the light novels. Luckily, Seven Seas announced that they're going to release the light novel series in North America in 2023, and since it's complete at seven volumes, you'll be able to read the entire series when it all comes out.
Raven of the Inner Palace isn't necessarily the flashiest anime, and we all know it'll likely never reach the level of popularity other series like Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen, Spy x Family, and Demon Slayer achieved, but if you're into court dramas and artsy mysteries, or just want a Saiunkoku Lite, definitely give Raven of the Inner Palace a shot. I did, and I don't regret it one bit.
Beqkixbecca
Raven of the Inner Palace has been by far, the most underrated anime of the season. Fortunately enough, those who have picked it up have enjoyed it completely and had zero regrets. Honestly, this historical/mystery anime had me refreshing Crunchyroll every Saturday. What this anime includes: - Solving a new mystery all in one or two episodes. - FL grows from an isolated person to someone who starts to care for those around her. - A dash of romance between FL and Emperor. - Great music choice and the animation was phenomenal. The plot of the story is about a special consort, The raven, whohas high power in the Inner Palace without having to do "nightly duties," or have to bow to the Emperor. This special consorts name is, Shouxue or Jusetsu. She has the ability to cast curses, call forth the dead, exorcise ghosts, and solve any mystery that someone may request in exchange for having her freedom. Shouxue had difficulties forming bonds with others due to her previous teacher, that passed down her title to her, informed her to never get close to anyone. Due to these circumstances, those who served in the Inner Palace never paid much attention to her until the Emperor starts to visit her with new mysterious to solve. Within time, she begins to start forming friendly relationships with many others along the way which also includes a relationship that starts to blossom between FL and the Emperor. (It is a slow burn type of love.) Through the help of clues given to her by those around her, she is able to solve every mystery with the help of her new friends and the Emperor.
Characters: 8/10
Story line: 10/10
Animation: 9/10
Music: 7/10
Vampiremirror
A slow atmospheric story that is less interested inserving justice, and more about finding personal peace and rememberance for victims and their loved ones. Many have described this show as a magical detectiv story set in a chinsese court drama. While that is not a wrong description, it's not the core of the story. There is little care taken in solving the mysteries or clever tricks from our investigators. Very little action in general. Instead this show leans back and talks more about the lives the victims lead. What role they played in the inner palace or their familiy, how the situations they found themselvesin turned against them.
The story focuses a lot on the family and loved ones they left behind, and how they deal with their loss, often allowing them to find true catharsis.
My biggest gripe with the show, is that you can tell that a lot of storys and romance parts are clearly shortened or cut to fit the short story format. This seems to be an adaptaion of a pretty detailed book, and i imagine it tells these storys even better.
NemethBooshi
After The Apothecary Diaries, I wanted to watch more anime similar to it. The show's rating and lack of online interest made me skeptical but I gave it a shot nonetheless. I'm happy that I did. Chinese palace dramas are essentially a genre onto themselves so if that doesn't sound appealing to you then this is an easy skip. For those who do, this anime still stands out for its supernatural twist. By the end, I actually found that the show was more xxxHolic than The Apothecary Diaries. There's a beautiful simplicity to the art but the animation is serviceable at best. I don't consider that abig detraction due to the show's light use of action and its relaxed pace. I do begrudgingly admit that for a show that came out in 2022, it looks and feels like an anime that came out in the late 2000s/early 2010s- that might actually be a positive for some fans.
The first ten minutes of the first episode is all you need to decide whether this show is for you or not.
NekoCatSidhe
This was an excellent, but underrated anime. There are not many fantasy anime with a Chinese Court Setting, so as a huge fan of the Apothecary Diaries manga, I really enjoyed that one. It had a great atmosphere, soundtrack, and main character, and I loved the episodic supernatural mystery-solving part of the show Shouxue is the Raven Consort, a powerful sorceress living in the imperial palace with the status of a Consort of the Emperor without the "nighttime duty", that people come for help in case of supernatural trouble or mystery. The show starts when she meets Gaojun, the young Emperor who just came in powerafter a coup, after he want her to help a ghost move to the afterlife. There are actually a lot more to Shouxue powers than Gaojun and even Shouxue knows about, and the horror of Shouxue situation is slowly revealed over the rest of the show, but I won't spoil things.
Shouxue is an interesting character, switching between being brash and confident and being conflicted and vulnerable, as befit a strong-minded sixteen year old girl given huge supernatural powers. She doesn't want anyone help, but slowly opens up to other people over the course of the show. She is a strong female protagonist, but also a very human one, and the highlight of the show.
Apart from this, I loved the supernatural aspect of the show. It had a mysterious, dangerous and melancholic aspect to it that greatly contributed to the atmosphere of the show. On the other hand, the pacing of the show was often rather slow and episodic, which not everyone will like.
I don't know if we are going to get a second season, but the original light novels are going to get translated in English soon. I hope they are as good as that anime was.
I wish that show was more popular, since it was very much the hidden gem of the season for me. But I guess that the Chinese court setting was too unusual to be popular here, unless you are already a fan of the Apothecary Diaries. Despite all the complaints about isekai dominating everything, people don’t seem to check non-isekai fantasy shows.
TheRomkey
Absolutely loved this entire show. It is a product of its genre, but in my opinion encapsulates the best elements from that genre to create an excellent, captivating story. Anyone looking for a shoujo anime where the women are kind to one another, there is a budding love story which doesn't feel forced or contrived but shows two people getting to know one another and build deep love and respect over time, the artwork is beautiful and which has an underlying supernatural mystery to be solved, this is a show for you. Each episode is better than the next and I have fingers crossed for asecond season.
Darklighted
A heavily underrated anime in my opinion. Can't help myself but compare it to "The Apothecary Diaries". I love both anime and I can see why the second is more popular, but "Raven Of The Inner Palace" is simply more deep. The series might lack some things, perhaps there are not as many memorable characters, and the stories don't have a major impact on the world, not to mention that the first few episodes can be a bit boring. But after the ep. 4 or so it gets way better, deeper and sometimes even dark. They could've actually make the series longer, the pace felttoo fast because each story was good and yet developed too fast.
whiteflame55
On a visual level, it's certainly pretty and detailed, and the characters look and act distinctively, particularly the lead. I think the titular Raven, Shouxue, shows some excellent character development over the run of the series, both through her own personal changes and through the development of who she is and how she fits into this world, especially with her supernatural elements. There's also a lot to love about the setting. Much like a more recent series that I loved, Ōoku: The Inner Chambers, this deals in the elements of the inner palace and how they interplay after a coup de etat at the verybeginning. It's a solid premise for what could have been, and at times was, a very interesting show.
So, why am I struggling? There are two problems.
First, the pacing. This is a very oddly paced series, chiefly utilizing a sort of mystery of the week format. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, as the show does a good deal to make sure we understand the passion of both the living and the dead in these cases, but since many of them are resolved in short bursts and most of the characters involved in them are one-offs shown for only a little while in that one episode, it's hard to get the sort of investment that you would from, say, The Apothecary Diaries. Instead, what these serve as are little ways to advance Shouxue's character and those directly around her, which is fine, but it makes the actual mysteries feel a bit empty. It doesn't help that larger elements of the series - a certain group of white-haired characters, a conspiracy around a pair of kings, and the supernatural Raven - seem to ebb and flow at various points in the series, disappearing for large chunks of it and leaving me wanting. And to top it off, far too much of this feels like it's very easily resolved. The new emperor can just do a lot without repercussions or broader concerns. Maybe that's appropriate given how long the various Raven Consorts have been around and the fact that they've largely just been set aside, but it begs the question of why this virtually impossible to accomplish for so long. It's essential to the plot and it just leaves me confused.
Second, I think this series is trying to spread itself too thin. I like when it gets personal or political. I would have loved to learn more about how Chinese leadership/society has been transformed by the presence of actual magic in their midst, the knowledge that real, verifiable ghosts are around and that supernatural threats are real and deadly. There's not a lot of that, this is much more localized, but at the same time it's not. By the end of the story, this becomes an issue of almost literal gods and a world much bigger than the palace. And then it just kind of... moves on. There's a sense of inevitability through the plot, including a scene where Shouxue is shown suffering from a monthly affliction that is clearly excruciating and a strong degree of certainty regarding her fate. That's all very big, and arguably could have been a better focus of the series. I still like what we got, but the attempt to tell multiple stories simultaneously just leaves too much in the way of plot threads dangling.
In many ways, this reminds me of Ancient Magus' Bride, and I think like that series, I could appreciate it more if its mysteries are teased out and more time is spent exploring this world. Sadly, a single short season isn't enough to make the most of this plot. If a S2 should arrive, I'll be ready to watch for more, but I can't say this wowed me as much as I'd hoped.
