Konnichiwa Hivers, it's me, your ridgette again! So for today, I'm going to share a review about an unusual consort who lives deep inside the palace. This anime caught my interest because its setting is similar to the Apothecary Diaries. The story happened in the ancient Chinese dynasty, where a kingdom ruled by the emperor thrived. There are also a lot of consorts involved in it, and what really made me watch it was the mystery cases in every episode, which is also similar to Apothecary Diaries—only that the mysteries are all related to supernatural stuff. I thought the story would just be exclusive to solving the supernatural cases, but actually it's a lot more than that. Let's delve further as we sneak a peek at who really is the unusual consort hidden in the depths of the inner palace: the raven consort.
About the Anime
Raven of the Inner Palace (Kokyu no Karasu) is a josei anime that premiered in the fall of 2022. It aired from October 1, 2022, to December 24, 2022. It's under Bandai Namco Pictures, and its genres are fantasy and mystery. The main themes of this anime were historical and mythological. It has 13 episodes, and it's an adaptation of a light novel written by Kouko Shirakawa.
Living deep in the inner palace, Shoxue, the current raven consort, lives a solitary life in the gloomy palace of Ye Ming. Having XingXing, her irritable niaobu, as her only company, she has been completely devoid of any human companion since her predecessor died. Since she doesn't go outside her palace, most of the people were completely ignorant of who she was. A lot of rumors surround the raven consort; some say that she's a female hermit, and some even say she's a ghost, while others believe that she's a hundred-year-old lady. But the truth is, she was just sixteen years old.
Although she lives in the depths of the inner palace, the raven consort doesn't perform nighttime duties, for unlike other consorts, she has special duties. With her mysterious arts, she can look for lost things, cast death curses, and perform exorcism. One night, the emperor decided to visit her for a request, but upon hearing it, she decided that her service wouldn't be necessary for such a matter, so she dismissed him immediately. Surprisingly, the emperor came back in the morning to persuade her again, but this time he brought something. Seeing the steaming hot baozi, Shoxue was left with no choice but to examine the said possessed earrings—the thing that somehow led them to discover a grotesque murder.
This seemingly unfavorable meeting somehow became the foundation of growing interaction between the unusual consort and the emperor. Intrigued by the mystery that shrouds the raven consort, the emperor seeks to know her more, but unraveling her identity wasn't merely knowing who she is. Mystery and secrets piled up to the point that even with his position as Emperor, he still can't figure out who truly is the raven consort. Finding solace in her company, the emperor vowed to know her more and to discover the reason for her seemingly forced solitude. Determine to free the cage raven, he does everything in his power to unravel her nature—only that in that process he also discovered that he himself was caged as well. Can he really free her? Or will they end up being shackled by the secret he shouldn't have discovered?
After watching it, I can't totally describe what I felt. I don't feel empty, yet I don't feel satisfied with its ending either. For me, it's an end that makes you yearn for season two and, at the same time, not. It probably doesn't make sense, but I have mixed emotions about it because, honestly, I wasn't expecting to be that good. Like I said, what makes it appealing to me at first glance is its Apothecary Diaries-like setting. I'm completely unaware of its story, so I was really expecting that it would really be similar to Apothecary Diaries, which obviously became my standard in historical anime that involves ancient Chinese dynasty lore.
Unexpectedly, they're both similar and different in many ways. Similar because both involve mystery in their genre, which focuses on the mysterious cases that happened inside the palace. Different because the cases that MaoMao had solved can be explained both scientifically and logically, but the cases that Shoxue had solved were purely supernatural. MaoMao relied on her knowledge and deduction skills, while Shoxue relied on her skills in performing various mysterious arts. Although both female leads are different in their own ways, they're both like cats: hostile at first glance but caring and protective towards the people they value.
The mystery that shrouds the raven consort was well-written. I didn't really expect her character background to be that overarching. Further, the way I am clueless on what exactly the raven consort's job is somehow built anticipation in me, so when the reason for the existence of the raven consort's position was narrated, I was left in a daze, both in amazement and melancholy. It's gratifying and heartbreaking to the point that I want to share it, but I don't want to spoil that much.
This anime is mostly episodic, ranging from small mysteries and short narratives that propelled the characters forward to their development to the narration of major character backgrounds. Although it was episodic, you can definitely learn more about the background of the characters through its extensive plot and wholesome character developments. The plot is overall interesting, yet I'm looking for something more specific. It's kinda loose, but I guess I would have understood the ambition of it if its light novel was adapted completely.
Lastly, as for its visuals, its art style isn't really that unique, but what really distinguished it from other anime was the artistry in narrating the back stories of the supernatural cases. It was really fascinating to watch because the art style during the narration of backstories is different and definitely appealing. Also, the part where the raven consort uses her mysterious arts was animated beautifully. Although it isn't an action-genre anime, the action scenes were still smoothly executed, both fluid and well-made.
Overall, I rate it 8/10 because I know the plot will have more specific ambition if the source material is adapted. Despite my initial uncertainty about it, this anime really proves to me that I shouldn't judge a book by its cover. So if you're looking for a mystery anime with a subtle hint of romance and drama that was set in the ancient Chinese dynasty, then Raven of the Inner Palace is definitely a must-watch!
Before I end this review, I gladly share with you its trailer, so—
That's all for now, Hivers. I hope you enjoy reading my anime review. See you next time on my next blog!
Arigatou and tanoshinde ne minna-san~
The pictures that didn't have a source were from the screenshots of the anime's episode, while the last picture was edited in Canva.