Hope you enjoy my reaction to the first episode!! I’m loving the art so much already, obsessed with the colours and detail on all the flowers ughhh it’s so pretty 😩
The author of this series really does their homework as most of the medical and herbal aspects are extremely accurate. White face powder was common in those times, not just in Asia, but Europe as well. And it was usually white because of the lead it contained. Queen Elizabeth I was said to be very conscious of scars that she received from surviving smallpox as a child and caked her face in white powder to hide them. It ended up being her undoing because the longer you use it, the sicker you look, so the more of it you use in a vicious cycle.
Gyokuyou's (Pink haired consort) VA also voices Anya Forger and Frieren. Such a great range. I'm so glad you're enjoying it. So much to catch on rewatches too and we all know how much you enjoy that type of stuff. :)
Jinshi's assistant was scanning the girls and noticed Maomao's skirt had seam going up the back of her skirt (where she tore the strips for the messages). That plus her reaction to the message clinched her identity.
This show is gold from start to finish, so buckle up for the ride! I know you've looked some of this up already, and you've definitely watched episode 2, but here are some tidbits: The specific setting is based on the Forbidden City where the Emperor of China lived with family, Queens, concubines, and princes. If you weren't a royal you didn't belong there, hence "Forbidden". Concubines and 'princes' (the many Emperors of China swung in various different directions) lived in their own mini palaces on the grounds, and there as even a section for those who had fallen or lost the Emperor's favor called "Cold Palaces". "Maomao" literally means "Cat cat". She is given a nickname later of "XiaoMao", meaning "Little cat/kitten". One weird little detail I found funny is that there are times when you can read tablets, and it's usually scribbles but sometimes when you're supposed to be able to read the names it will be in proper Chinese. However, the note Jinshi holds up, "You with the freckles can stay", is supposed to be able to be read by a Japanese viewing audience and is thus written in Japanese. While a lot of names are very Chinese like Hongniang, Pairin (Mandarin would be 'Bailing'), Yinghua, and Maomao (tho no one would ever call their kid 'Cat cat'), "Gyokuyou" is a very foreign sounding name. This probably ties into her very exotic appearance compared to everyone else. Maomao's voice actress is Yuki Aoi, who is an absolute powerhouse and voiced tons of characters. In a series with a bunch of great characters and great actors, she still carries the show on her tiny shoulders (Aoi is a petite lady like Maomao).
Yaaaaaay, i was one of those recommending it, im so glad i can follow you trough this series. Loved your Frieren reaction too. Edit: Freckles were a super no-no back in those days, like think about geishas painting their faces literally white, that was the beauty standard.
Freckles come from sun exposure (basically a suntan concentrated in specific spots), so in East Asia they, like a darker skintone from the sun, were seen as a sign of being peasant class. A more voluptuous body type, for many women, likely would've been a childhood nutrition issue, so there would've been a class dynamic to that as well.
Excellent show, thrilled that we get to watch you hyper-analyze it because yeah it’s layered as hell Also I think the woman who knocked the flower off the windowsill was a lady-in-waiting of the concubine, not the concubine herself, but I may be mistaken
It's technically a historical fantasy. So it's a setting that's not supernatural and based a lot on real stuff, but it's in a ficitonal location/world. It's very much a mix of different Chinese Dynasites in look, I think mostly teh Tang and Ming, but also much later in history than those Dynasties go (they refer ot something of the setting's New World here and there well after China had actual stuff from there.) And looking forward to you covering this. You have good insights on the shows youw atch and it's fun to watch. Enjoy yourself! Beware of spoilers though, some folks be assholes.
Fun fact the girls actually looked almost identical in the manga, when he tried to figure out who could read, so technically it only looked obvious in the anime
Yeah the Borderlinegirl get the attention (im talking about mao mao so dont be confused oO!) Well written Anime rly nice OST and waiting for the second season :D
How old is Maomao? Most people will tell you "17 at the start of the show". I don't. We are told, for the first time, she is 17, in episode 10, which happen 11 month after the start of the serie. So 17 is possible but, as far as the anime tell us, not a certainty. But, at the youngest, she could be 16. Also this is a fictional world, but strongly based on Imperial China (15/16 century?)
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Hope you enjoy my reaction to the first episode!! I’m loving the art so much already, obsessed with the colours and detail on all the flowers ughhh it’s so pretty 😩
On another reactor's channel, some commenter called it House, MD… it's just here it is for Ming Dynasty
FYI: there are currently 15 Light Novels, and this is basically 1 Cour of eps per novel. So the twenty-four episodes cover LN Volumes 1 & 2.
@@originaldcjensenI almost said something very similar! And that’s sort of how I described it to people I’m recommending it too 😂
This, Frieren, and Delicious in Dungeon aired back to back and are all excellent in their own unique ways. Hope you enjoy!
The author of this series really does their homework as most of the medical and herbal aspects are extremely accurate.
White face powder was common in those times, not just in Asia, but Europe as well. And it was usually white because of the lead it contained. Queen Elizabeth I was said to be very conscious of scars that she received from surviving smallpox as a child and caked her face in white powder to hide them. It ended up being her undoing because the longer you use it, the sicker you look, so the more of it you use in a vicious cycle.
Gyokuyou's (Pink haired consort) VA also voices Anya Forger and Frieren. Such a great range.
I'm so glad you're enjoying it. So much to catch on rewatches too and we all know how much you enjoy that type of stuff. :)
@@a2daj OH that’s awesome! She does have amazing range wow, and yes I’m really enjoying it! It’s beautiful
Jinshi's assistant was scanning the girls and noticed Maomao's skirt had seam going up the back of her skirt (where she tore the strips for the messages). That plus her reaction to the message clinched her identity.
Pay attention to all the small things, many of them come back in later episodes as a pay off. It's an incredible show and worth watching. Enjoy!!!
This show is gold from start to finish, so buckle up for the ride!
I know you've looked some of this up already, and you've definitely watched episode 2, but here are some tidbits:
The specific setting is based on the Forbidden City where the Emperor of China lived with family, Queens, concubines, and princes. If you weren't a royal you didn't belong there, hence "Forbidden". Concubines and 'princes' (the many Emperors of China swung in various different directions) lived in their own mini palaces on the grounds, and there as even a section for those who had fallen or lost the Emperor's favor called "Cold Palaces".
"Maomao" literally means "Cat cat". She is given a nickname later of "XiaoMao", meaning "Little cat/kitten".
One weird little detail I found funny is that there are times when you can read tablets, and it's usually scribbles but sometimes when you're supposed to be able to read the names it will be in proper Chinese. However, the note Jinshi holds up, "You with the freckles can stay", is supposed to be able to be read by a Japanese viewing audience and is thus written in Japanese.
While a lot of names are very Chinese like Hongniang, Pairin (Mandarin would be 'Bailing'), Yinghua, and Maomao (tho no one would ever call their kid 'Cat cat'), "Gyokuyou" is a very foreign sounding name. This probably ties into her very exotic appearance compared to everyone else.
Maomao's voice actress is Yuki Aoi, who is an absolute powerhouse and voiced tons of characters. In a series with a bunch of great characters and great actors, she still carries the show on her tiny shoulders (Aoi is a petite lady like Maomao).
Yaaaaaay, i was one of those recommending it, im so glad i can follow you trough this series. Loved your Frieren reaction too.
Edit: Freckles were a super no-no back in those days, like think about geishas painting their faces literally white, that was the beauty standard.
the color palette of this anime is S tier 😻
Freckles come from sun exposure (basically a suntan concentrated in specific spots), so in East Asia they, like a darker skintone from the sun, were seen as a sign of being peasant class. A more voluptuous body type, for many women, likely would've been a childhood nutrition issue, so there would've been a class dynamic to that as well.
Excellent show, thrilled that we get to watch you hyper-analyze it because yeah it’s layered as hell
Also I think the woman who knocked the flower off the windowsill was a lady-in-waiting of the concubine, not the concubine herself, but I may be mistaken
we don't see much of the emperor but he seem like a rather cool guy for someone raised like a god among mortal...
His father, though. Yeesh.
Actually quite a green flag for an emperor. Definitely the opposite of his father
@@moondaughter1004I agree, his dad was-- let’s just ignore that thing
Love to be back after the frieren finale
Maomao is goated ngl
It's technically a historical fantasy. So it's a setting that's not supernatural and based a lot on real stuff, but it's in a ficitonal location/world.
It's very much a mix of different Chinese Dynasites in look, I think mostly teh Tang and Ming, but also much later in history than those Dynasties go (they refer ot something of the setting's New World here and there well after China had actual stuff from there.)
And looking forward to you covering this. You have good insights on the shows youw atch and it's fun to watch. Enjoy yourself! Beware of spoilers though, some folks be assholes.
Commenting for engagement and I hope my favorite fellow Choso fan is doing well! 😂
@@Kleed44 thank you I appreciate it!!
Fun fact the girls actually looked almost identical in the manga, when he tried to figure out who could read, so technically it only looked obvious in the anime
Yeah the Borderlinegirl get the attention (im talking about mao mao so dont be confused oO!) Well written Anime rly nice OST and waiting for the second season :D
More reactions from this anime
How old is Maomao? Most people will tell you "17 at the start of the show". I don't. We are told, for the first time, she is 17, in episode 10, which happen 11 month after the start of the serie. So 17 is possible but, as far as the anime tell us, not a certainty. But, at the youngest, she could be 16.
Also this is a fictional world, but strongly based on Imperial China (15/16 century?)
Let’s see only people allowed in Rear Palace are Eunuchs, Consorts and female staff, and Emperor Kin.
Hhhhmmm