English Dub Review: Raven of the Inner Palace: “Siblings”

Overview: Shouxue (Alexis Tipton) confronts Feng Xiao Xue and the Magpie Consort as her, Gaojun (Christopher Wehkamp) and the gang discover the haunting truth behind the court lady’s murder. 

Our Take: The core theme of this episode is, you probably guessed it, that of siblings. First, of the Magpie consort and her deceased brother. Like most of the people Liu has helped throughout her journey, it is a saddening story of how grief weighs heavily on individuals, forcing them into terrible circumstances in the lengths they will go to find peace. While this case does not offer anything new formula wise, it continues the series’ lineage of those tales in the terrible fate Qin Huiyao is dealt in death, and her older brother, in being a gruesome, zombified shell of his former self, that is both emotional and tragic. One that was birthed into existence by the Owl’s involvement. 

With Wen Ying hurt, it drags out Shouxue’s predictable main character tendency to go on a guilt trip, forcing her to confront Feng Xiao Xue. What transpires is a massive lore dump that is a daunting amount to sift through in an island of the gods and his role as an executioner. The story attempts to give him a personal stake in his quest to kill Shouxue as a means of setting his sister, Niao Lian, the goddess and spirit within her, free. 

Despite all the information overload, there are surprising twists and turns throughout like the Niao Lian being sealed within every Raven Consort with it being an explanation for her extreme pain along with the flowers having been revealed to be hurting her all along as poison. With her sister’s spirit continuously trapped, it does help build Feng’s hatred for the Consorts. However, with there being so much information to take in coupled with no characterization or backstory given for Feng’s sister personally thus far, it is disorienting and does not completely hit the mark. Although Feng not killing the court lady that befriended him is a subtle, solid way of distinguishing him as more than just a bland antagonist, one that has a conscience of some kind. 

Gaojun intervening in their conflict is a nice way of showing how well he knows Shouxue and how she acts to protect others, despite how foolish it may be. On that note, it is refreshing how he challenges that mindset, albeit briefly. Xing-Xing turning out to be Liu’s familiar, and the upper hand in destroying Feng’s clay vessel, is a strong touch in how committed her feathered friend has been to her. 

It will be interesting how Raven of the Inner Palace wraps up the conflict with Xiao as his true form remains from The Palace of Seclusion, but more importantly, if the narrative can create a satisfying conclusion to Shouxue’s evolution of fostering meaningful friendships.