I really want this anime to have more than one season. Please, anime gods, let this happen.
How’s this for an understatement: The first few episodes of Yatagarasu were good.
Example: In the very first episode, the empress gives the daughter of the Eastern house the name/alias “Asebi”. “Asebi” is the Japanese word for “the lily of the garden” or simply “lily.” It is written in Japanese as “horse intoxicating plant.”
Horses eat this plant and behave like they are drunk. So why did the Empress give her this name? She uses it as a jab at the Crown Prince.
(Source: Crunchyroll)
“This girl is like a lily and like the horse you are, you’ll get drunk on her.”
In one “simple” scene, the depth of the scheming in the royal house is revealed. And Asebi is caught right in the middle.
This is not the only instance where court politics and family dynamics intertwine.
Episode 2 was a delight. We get a glimpse into the character of the protagonist. Our main character, Yukiya, is first presented as a well-known troublemaker, creating chaos where there is none.
He gets into a squabble with some “court ravens”, ravens who serve in the royal court. The court ravens, in typical snobby entitled fashion, eat at a local restaurant and refuse to pay up. Yukiya confronts them, they gang up on him and beat him up.
Coincidentally, these court ravens are here with the lord of the North, the ruler of the entire region. So when an assembly is called, the court ravens and Yukiya attend. Yukiya uses the opportunity to expose the entire narrative.
The court ravens are reprimanded and Yukiya catches the attention of the Crown Prince’s brother, Natsuka, who then recommends him as an attendant to the Crown Prince.
The episode reveals the strong intent the North has to marry into the royal house and along with Natsuka’s support, they hope Yukiya’s presence can help bolster their claim to the Crown Prince.
In the latter half of the episode, we see another side to Yukiya. Yes, he is bold—he confronted the court ravens and got beat up for it; he is smart—he used the meeting to reveal the rotten behaviour of his assailants.
But he is also loyal.
As the second and adopted son of his clan, he should have no claim to his father’s fief but he is of a different lineage. One superior to his older brother. So if he decides to lay claim to his father’s land, there is a chance he will gain backing and lead the clan into a succession dispute.
But Yukiya is loyal. And ready to (brutally) correct anyone who accuses him of treachery.
The episode ends with Yukiya’s travel to the Center (the region where the royals and other nobles live) and his first meeting with the Prince.
For the songs… The opening song is okay. It’s titled “poi” and is by Saucy Dog.
To be honest, I am hardly impressed by anime openings anymore. Naruto, AOT and Tokyo Ghoul have set an unmeetable standard in my brain. So my assessment might be a little too harsh.
The ending song by Akiko Shikata, “Tokoshie”, was a little better in my opinion and more suited to the genre than the opening.
I sincerely hope you aren’t tired of the phrase “character development” because I’m going to abuse it.
Episode 3 dives more into Yukiya’s character. He reminds me so much of my little sister. After I was done watching this episode, I had to call her and tell her about her anime twin.
In this episode, we see more of his interaction with the Prince and the Prince’s only other attendant, Sumio.
In their first interaction, the Prince presents Yukiya with an inconsiderate list of tasks to accomplish. Understandably, Yukiya is angry as he just arrived and the tasks are too much for a single person to complete (although I felt it was some sort of test). Notably, the Prince’s poetry teacher arrives with materials to study and exercises to complete.
As time passes, we see Yukiya complete all his tasks. Diligently but grudgingly, he goes back and forth, watering the plants, cleaning out the stables and washing up. But he doesn’t do the poetry assignment. With this, we see another facet of Yukiya. He has a moral code. He is proud, and lazy but diligent.
Straight up, he tells the Prince that he won’t do the poetry assignment and the Prince cracks a smile. The ruse is revealed. The Prince was testing Yukiya’s personality. As snobby ravens from noble houses are often the ones selected to be the Prince’s attendants, they often find ways to wiggle out of their tasks. Hiring other people, feigning illness and the sort.
Yukiya remains honest.
The fact that he doesn’t do the Prince’s homework tells us (and the Prince) that he is principled. While previous attendants lost sleep composing poems, Yukiya believes that the Prince should do his work or own up.
So Yukiya gains the Prince’s trust and is welcomed into his confidence.
Together, they head up the mountainside to…spy on the Cherry Blossom palace? The Prince reveals that there is an assassin in the palace. Is that the reason for his avoidance of the ladies? I don’t know. But the duo get careless in their spying and the guards catch them. Well, not them, as the Prince pushes Yukiya and makes him take the blame.
After he is almost killed by the guards and subsequently rescued by Sumio, Yukiya quite adeptly apologizes for the Prince’s absence in the palace. Then he says something of note. The Prince has sent personal letters of apology to every lady.
No one has received them except Asebi to Yukiya’s shock. From there, the episode focuses on the ladies in the Cherry Blossom palace. As I noted previously, the Asebi girl is useful because her ignorance allows the writer to advance our knowledge of Yamauchi and the intrigue surrounding the ascension rite.
I am, however, beginning to find her annoying. She reminds me of Yona from Akatsuki no Yona (which incidentally was produced by the same animation studio). I can only hope she has a similar character growth arc.
The episode ends with the imperial council being called.
I’m still hoping to see the significance of the title “A raven does not choose its master.”
Episode 4 begins with the imperial council gathering at the “purple hall.” They are gathered to “discuss” the legitimacy of the second Prince’s claim to the throne. Obviously, this is a ploy to disinherit the Prince. The emperor and Natsuka (the older brother) are in attendance.
x
The purple hall is locked upon the arrival of the Prince and Yukiya but the Prince whispers “open” to the door and it opens. Is this part of his powers as a true kin’u?
I recalled that in the very first scene of the first episode, he commanded Yukiya, a little boy then, to forget and Yukiya did. So does this mean that the Prince can command everything (living and non-living) to do his will?
If that’s the case, then he is pretty terrifying. And plain pretty too (did I forget to mention he has purple eyelashes).
The Prince does something ballsy here and drags the emperor out of his chair and throws him to the ground. Says something like “Thank you for keeping my seat warm, Dad,” and settles down. The Prince then announces that he will pick a wife and ascend to the throne in a year to the shock of the entire council. The scene ends with Natsuka vowing to take action before the year runs out.
(Source: Crunchyroll)
Our lovely Prince decides the best way to cool down after his announcement is to…visit the red-light district. To Yukiya’s dismay and discomfort. After a night of…rest, the Prince and Yukiya start their journey home. Just as they are about to leave the district, some ruffians encircle them and demand the Prince’s sword. The Prince agrees and tosses the sword. As the blade glides in the air, Sumio swoops in, snatches the sword and cuts off the arm (or should I say “wing”) of one of the assailants. Swoonworthy moment right there.
The would-be assassins are picked off by Sumio but before they can get some answers out of the ruffians, they choke and die, evidently poisoned.
Yatagarasu then presents us with an important bit of character description. After the assassination attempt, Sumio and the Prince discuss the attack calmly, cycling through the list of their opposers and trying to figure out who would launch such a brazen attempt on the Prince’s life.
Yukiya watches them through increasingly fading eyes, hyperventilating until he faints.
The difference in upbringing is stark. Despite his sharp tongue and wits, Yukiya is a “hill raven,” unfamiliar with the cunning and dangers of the court while the Prince grew in the bosom of treachery. One gets used to assassination attempts.
At the end of the episode, in a semi-tender moment, the Prince offers Yukiya the position of aide. Yukiya initially refuses. No surprise there. He wants nothing to do with the court and its dangers. After a little nudging (and a little strong-arming), he acquiesces. Conditionally, though, as he still wants to return to Taruhi after the year elapses.
(Source: Crunchyroll)
My thoughts so far
Yatagarasu is a good show. I have been constantly analysing it from different angles, trying to fault it but that’s the simple truth. The anime is solid. It has all the ramifications of an epic-like story with the number of characters, worldbuilding and pacing. The number of plotlines also allows for a well-developed story. I hope that the animation studio continues to do this show justice.
For the characters… Well, the blurb identifies Yukiya as the main character and I like that. If you’ve read my previous post, you’ll know how much I love unwilling heroes and that is what Yukiya is shaping up to be.
I like the Prince well enough. I feel he can be a little insensitive. The way he treated his father was frankly shocking but well, resentment can be a powerful emotion. Natsuka is a character I have yet to figure out. I feel there is more to him than these first four episodes have shown us and I can’t wait to see more.
Asebi… I hope her character gets better, truly. I want a Yona-like transformation for her. Moving from a naive, airheaded, unconsciously self-serving individual to one that is more selfless, stable and well-rounded.
Now, part of me wonders: Aren’t you overhyping this anime? What if it doesn’t turn out as cracked up as you paint it to be?
Yes, that has been a worry of mine ever since I started recommending this show to everyone on the street. I might be overhyping it or it just might not be some people’s cup of tea. Still, Yatagarasu is one of the best animes this year has to offer (even when you include the new seasons of blockbusters like MHA and Demon Slayer).
And I really hope it gets the recognition and renewal it deserves.
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