Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
LarSuz
the story behind this anime is genuinely captivating, and i really love the atmosphere it creates. the contrast shown at the beginning of each episode, between what the life of a raven consort is supposed to look like and what shouxue actually does with her position, is particularly beautiful to watch. there's something compelling about seeing her navigate a role that's traditionally associated with isolation and mystery while gradually revealing more of herself through her interactions with others. i also really appreciate that the characters generally look and act their age, which makes their interactions feel more natural and believable. the supernatural elements are another highlight for me, especially how they fit into the imperial court setting and give the mysteries a distinctive at…
Read at the sourceAnastasiyaV
I really enjoyed this anime, though I'd definitely call this an acquired taste. It's one of those shows where you can clearly feel the lower budget at times, especially through repeated animations and the holes within some parts of the plot. Although, these flaws didn't take away too much from my overall experience.
I really loved the visuals of this anime, especially the inclusion of traditional Chinese art in certain scenes, which added a very cultural and authentic vibe. The character designs were also amazing, especially the MC.
The storytelling gives off similar vibes to The Apothecary Diaries. There's the same investigative and detective themes where the MC is solving problems within a palace setting, and light, slow-burn romance between the FL and ML.
One downside though is tha…
Read at the sourcebleachbyatch
In the wake of the apothecary diaries success, I was looking for something to watch with the same vibes. Each episode plays out in the "monster of the week" style. Each is ultimately solved by team work, the emperor's resources and the consort's magical abilities. The stakes remain very low until the very last episode, less action and more emotional impact/moral.
The setting is rife with opportunities of political intrigue-themes of usurping, genocide, and a muddied royal bloodline. They don't really cash in on any of this drama. We don't really get to glimpse much of our characters. 12 or 13 episodes in and I still have only surface level information of their personalities and motivations.
It's unfortunate because the last 3 episodes of the series are good. I wish they had been building…
Read at the sourceDancingwind
Pardon my English.
Episode 1 to 5 contain some of the saddest storytelling I've ever seen in any anime. I think that's when the Raven of the inner palace is at its strongest. It kinda slows down a lil after episode 6 and it never really reaches the same emotional high.
All in all, pretty decent watch. The sound design is okay. I love the ED song more than I love the Op song. The characters are pretty decent. Most of them could've used a lil development (esp the euenichs). The animation is probably it's weakest factor but the storytelling definitely is good enough that you ignore the average animation.
(Only downside for me.. I wish they'd showed us more about the world and that map (opening shot of the opening theme) Shouxue also sees it in the storeroom)
Read at the sourceiprmisu
This was such a beautiful anime. The animation, the story, the music, I honestly have no complaints, only praise.
The characters felt so deeply human and resonated a lot with me personally.
The general themes (specifically death) and the kind of schema followed by the majority of the episodes (raven consort being made aware or seeing a ghost herself and working to set it free/send it to paradise) reminded me of ghost whisperer lol. The way death was weaved into the story and talked about overall made me hyperaware of my own for a while too, lowkey giving me a sense of dread and impending doom, but it's not a bad thing - rarely any work has ever stuck with me to the point of thinking over and over again about it. This is art, and has made me genuinely cry many times.
Overall, I would defi…
Read at the sourceMona-_-
I wish it were better. Fell very flat development wise, especially for the characters, and unresolved by the end.
The art style and animation in some key scenes was pretty, and I feel like there's something here but really was not fleshed out well enough to feel more than the one note and clichés the characters and story beats fell into. Also pacing felt off for what emotional and story development that did happen.
Can't really recommend or call it a must watch for all these things, but def a quick, easy watch if you're into this setting/story type.
Man, I really wish it were better. Someone please tell me if the source material is better fleshed out!
Read at the sourceCzj221
I feel teased. Although entertaining, I found myself left with more questions than answers at the end of the day.
With basically each episode introducing a new "mystery" for the Raven Consort to solve, it's hard to see exactly what the plot of the story is. Now, Apothecary Diaries follows this style to some extent as well, but the individual mysteries end up culminating into the larger plot. I felt no such direction from this series.
So while I did enjoy the mysteries, I feel the show is still lacking in many ways as a whole. It felt like a bunch of singles smashed into an album with no direction. Even more so when you add the fact that there is a surprising lack of depth to all of the relationships between the characters and the characters themselves really.
Either way, inner palace…
Read at the sourceDaemonLily
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 to rate 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 Sea…
Read at the source13ad
I really liked it! The drawing, the style, the characters' personalities, the plot. Of course, in essence, this is the beginning of the story, it is not a fact that there will be a continuation. But I read the novel in full, a wonderful novel.
The most interesting thing is that the main character chooses freedom, this is a story about a strong, self-sufficient woman. The painted devil has a nasty character, although living in captivity, it is not surprising that her nerves give out. She has the right to hate others, knowing her past and the empresses' appeal to her. And yes, this is not about active romance, there is some hidden romance here, this is about the formation of personality and about fate.
Koukyuu no Karasu reminded me of the trashy xxxHOLiC and the more watchable Natsume Yuuj…
Read at the sourceNemethBooshi
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 a big 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 2000…
Read at the sourceCaitlin08
If you have watched "The Apothecary Diaries" then you will see the two are similar but in comparison "Raven of the Inner Palace" is clearly lacking.
The art for the raven consort is beautiful compared to the other characters (mostly males) who have a plain design and seem completely expressionless most the time, the story line is good however it just feels a bit repetitive and as somebody else already said soulless, it just feels a little dull like it needs something more to it and i feel the characters need to have more expression as it's what makes us feel something and understand better.
I wish the problems with ghosts were more different and not basically the same or always being solved the same way as it got a little boring, it didn't feel mysterious at all they were solved within…
Read at the sourceValentine07
(Spanish review below)
It feels... soulless?
If you've already seen 'The Apothecary Diaries' or 'Yatagarasu', 'Raven of the inner palace' has more or less the same essence, setting, power games in palaces, and a detective context. BUT 'Raven of the inner palace' doesn't have a soul like the others.
It's repetitive. Each chapter is the same as the previous one and the situations are resolved in exactly the same way (it even has the same animation).
The animation isn't as good as in 'Yatagarasu' and 'The Apothecary Diaries'. It's average, as is the character design.
It was really boring to watch. At first I had hopes because it seemed interesting, but it's not or at least the repetitive aspect kills the entertaining part.
The characters are stereotypes without much more to offer. I don…
Read at the sourceBkfootlettuce
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 there is a second season I would absolutely watch it.
Read at the sourceDarklighted
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 felt too fast because each story was good and yet developed too fast.
Read at the sourcewhiteflame55
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 very beginning. 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…
Read at the sourcevanelya10
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 to consume.
Read at the sourceKozanS
Chinese (Chinese-inspired) inner palace (emperor's harem) setting has been getting popular in light novels and manga recently. This is the first anime based on the setting if I am not missing anything. If you are not familiar with the setting the inner palace is a restricted town where emperor's consorts and their attendants live. Each consort lives in a mansion (also called a palace), gets a title (Noble Consort, Pure Consort, etc) and has dedicated attendants. The inner palace also has a bunch of servants on general duties - laundresses, doctor(s), eunuchs as guards and to handle heavy work and so on. Emperor's mom (dowager empress) also lives in the inner palace, if alive. One of the consorts, usually the first one to birth a male child, will become the emperor. There is lots of plottin…
Read at the sourceAeroGunz
“Raven of the Inner Palace” is what happens when You have a really cliche premise and yet are able to make it rather enjoyable to watch.
We follow Liu Shouxue - a sixteen year old girl with a very unique set of skills and status. She is the “Raven consort” despite not doing a lot of consorting… or it would seem but the word has a different meaning that is more fitting. The reason she was chosen for the role is basically a really twisted turn of fate. Nonetheless she is shackled to her position and duty. Despite the fact that she was trained to live her life alone without any connections and wants, she pretty swiftly (counting in shows episodes that is) gatters a coterie of people who are more than willing to serve her and even act as her friends. So much for the asceticism part, at least…
Read at the sourcemrfried
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 grow through 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 murd…
Read at the sourceMury0kush0
To all the shoujo-josei fans, koukyuu no karasu is a gem you wouldn’t want to miss especially if you like historical supernatural genre. The show is set in ancient China, I believe, which is evident by their names and dress code and even artstyle but I hope that doesn’t deter you from giving it a try.
The storyline is pretty good although I expected it would get into backstories etc more deeply. It is basically a suspense/fantasy/horror genre in a traditional setting where the raven consort solves the cases with her powers.
I do think there have been many drawbacks, for example, it seemed they reused the same animation sequence for all her lotus powers which seemed like it was simply plastered there, but if you don’t pay much attention to it I don’t think it’s an issue.
Apart from that t…
Read at the source
