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This Week in Anime - Raven of the Inner Palace Weaves a Beautiful Ghost Story




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FireChick
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Joined: 26 Mar 2006
Posts: 2392
Location: United States
PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 2:55 pm Reply with quote
Not gonna lie, it's wild just how invested I am in Raven of the Inner Palace. I mean, its art style is great but the actual animation isn't much, and I still have a hard time keeping up with the characters' different names (Both the ones on CR's subtitles and what's actually being said)...and yet it's just so intriguing to watch, and I actually care about all the characters and their plights. Though I disagree about the opening song. I mean, the song itself is fine, but the nasally vocals really clash with the show's overall tone and atmosphere. The ending song is much better IMHO.
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Andrew Cunningham



Joined: 01 Feb 2006
Posts: 443
Location: Seattle
PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 3:37 pm Reply with quote
I watched three episodes and concluded that this was probably pretty good as a novel, but this staff just weren't up to the task of adapting it. Every mystery depended on a huge text dump of history that wound up being just a bit too hard to follow with their lackluster presentation and that fact that only the Raven has a character design.

I also really hated that dude the emperor keeps around to yell at people and then get shushed. Him existing at all makes the emperor look like an idiot who can't train his people on when they should be reprimanding others. Rozemyne would never stand for that.
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SHD



Joined: 05 Apr 2015
Posts: 1752
PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 4:06 pm Reply with quote
Andrew Cunningham wrote:
I watched three episodes and concluded that this was probably pretty good as a novel, but this staff just weren't up to the task of adapting it. Every mystery depended on a huge text dump of history that wound up being just a bit too hard to follow with their lackluster presentation and that fact that only the Raven has a character design.

That's my takeaway, too. It has a tendency to tell and not show, which isn't terribly annoying most of the time, but in a recent episode they kind of speedran through the conclusions of two(!) stories in a single(!!) episode, both of which had been set up to be a lot more dramatic and important than they ended up being due to the rushed presentation.

Plus, most of the "investigations" are extremely simple and bare bones, and seem to be merely excuses to showcase palace characters and intrigue, to the point where I wish they'd just focus more on the latter... especially since they're trying to sell this connection between the emperor and Jusetsu (sorry, watching this without subs), and it's just not there because they have so little natural interaction where they could develop any chemistry. (I assume the LN has a lot of internal monologues that didn't make it into the show.) It doesn't help that while I guess the seiyuu for Jusetsu and the emperor do their best, they end up sounding so monotone most of the time when they are together, using the exact same "sombre and serious" tone, and a strangely even cadence.

Also, that bird is extremely annoying. I know it's supposed to be a comical mascot, but it sticks out like a sore thumb from the otherwise low-key style of the show. If only they had used actual bird sounds instead of some poor seiyuu doing her best cawing comically.

Anyway, despite all that, I don't think it's a bad anime, at least for now I'm watching it and enjoying it for what it is, which is kind of special for me, because ancient Chinese type fantasy romances are usually not my thing. But I kind of wish it was better.
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chrisb
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Joined: 07 May 2006
Posts: 617
Location: USA
PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 6:06 pm Reply with quote
Andrew Cunningham wrote:

I also really hated that dude the emperor keeps around to yell at people and then get shushed. Him existing at all makes the emperor look like an idiot who can't train his people on when they should be reprimanding others. Rozemyne would never stand for that.

The later episodes explain his behavior better. I hated him a bit too until they revealed why he’s so overprotective and abrasive.

FireChick wrote:
. The ending song is much better IMHO.

100% the ending song really matches the mood of the show. The scene where the emperor looks like he’s about to kiss the Raven Consort before passing out has a very cheesy but sincere sexy vibe thanks to the song playing.
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capt_cardor



Joined: 06 May 2007
Posts: 14
PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 8:32 pm Reply with quote
I am impressed. This is a perfect, in depth, understanding of the Raven anime. I think this is one of the best productions I have seen in my 27 years as an Otaku. Great work!
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phia_one



Joined: 15 Jan 2012
Posts: 1657
Location: Pennsylvania
PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 10:47 pm Reply with quote
Unless it crashes and burns, this show is my vote for Best Show of The Season along with Romantic Killer. It's one of those shows where I'm surprised when the ED starts because it felt like hardly any time passed at all.
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