I may have mentioned this, but over the last year my ability to keep up with new anime was severely disrupted due to health issues, so when it was time to prep for an anime convention I had a lot of catching-up to do. Usually when I end up in this situation, sacrifices must be made. There are always anime that I wanted to watch but didn’t have time to cram into my schedule, and I’ll realistically probably never get back around to them again. On the other hand, there are almost always some series that I take a chance on and end up loving. Raven of the Inner Palace was one such series.
Though on the surface, an anime series with supernatural elements focusing on a young woman and aimed at women viewers isn’t such a surprising “like” on my part, I find that Chinese-style fantasy sometimes has a secondary barrier to entry simply because I’m not as familiar with that cultural context (honestly it’s simply a “me” problem). In my opinion, though, the strength of the story, especially as it relates to the protagonist’s growth in her relationships with others, transcends whatever other various personal challenges I might have with the material.
Deep within the inner palace lives the Raven Consort, Liu Shouxue, a young woman who is not obligated to the duties of a typical royal consort. She utilizes mysterious supernatural arts and takes on whatever tasks are asked of her. One day the emperor seeks out her help in regards to figuring out the origins of a jade earring. Following this, the two begin to develop a friendship as Shouxue learns more about the circumstances regarding the emperor’s ascent to the throne.
What I appreciate about this series is how well it balances its episodic content – most episodes involve Shouxue dealing with an immediate spiritual situation – with its ongoing story of palace intrigue. As I mentioned above, one of the more satisfying aspects of the story is how Shouxue is forced to open-up to others. Her role as the Raven Consort would seem to require a certain amount of isolation, and yet the emperor, and later various other characters, find their way into her business and eventually become friends and relationships. Shouxue’s somewhat standoffish personality begins to feel charming. And this is all on top of solving ghost-related issues around the palace grounds.
The only actual issue I have with the series is that it’s extremely open-ended and the conclusion to the season feels a little shoehorned in because of it. The sad fact is that, more often than not, anime aimed at women isn’t assured any sequels or continuations, so it’s difficult to know whether or not I should hope for any more (or just go read the novels instead). But I do think it’s important to appreciate what we do get when we get it, and a cool, supernatural series with interesting characters is worth celebrating.
Raven of the Inner Palace is available to watch on Crunchyroll.