It is not uncommon for some anime to have filler episodes once in a while, especially if it has a lot of episodes throughout its run. Whether this is done to provide content while waiting on a new manga chapter or story arc or to build up more to the climax, anime fans usually dislike fillers due to them slowing down the plot. Instead, they would much rather see action or events that are relevant to the main storyline.
On the other hand, fillers can be effective in helping an anime succeed if done correctly, such as providing relevancy to the plot or giving more depth to the characters and their relationships. Well-known examples of titles with lots of filler include Sailor Moon and Sonic X, both of which used the enemy-of-the-week filler method. Although this slow pacing has achieved success for both in terms of storytelling, the same cannot be said for Raven of the Inner Palace.
A Captivating Story Gone Wrong
Set in a fictionalized ancient China, Raven of the Inner Palace focuses on a young woman named Liu Shouxue, who has recently become the emperor’s Raven Consort. Despite this, she has never served or been in contact with him or even had to attend to performing nighttime duties. Instead, she confines herself inside her palace and is gifted with several mystical abilities, such as performing exorcisms or curses.
When the current emperor suddenly shows up, Shouxue is forced to come out and show herself to the other people living in the palace. Upon learning of their troubles, Shouxue, alongside the emperor, uses her abilities to help them in any way she can help them. However, the more they work together to solve the various cases, the more underlying trouble Liu draws to herself.
Why the Ghost-of-the-Week Plot Does Not Work
Airing as part of the lineup of the Fall 2022 anime season, with seven episodes already in tow, Raven of the Inner Palace has been largely using a weekly ‘ghost-of-the-week’ formula as a major part of its plot. Although this does showcase the extent of Shouxue’s magical gifts as well as her developing relationship with the emperor, it leaves out the bigger picture of the story, especially with what’s happening outside the palace and Shouxue’s history.
Due to the anime’s slow-paced structure, viewers have found themselves growing bored with it. With Shouxue only having to deal with a new spirit every time, each episode is starting to become a weekly disappointment for the series’ initial fans. This form of storytelling has shifted the historical romance drama anime to a more episodic stature, contrary to its intended serial format.
While the classic enemy-of-the-week narrative style has been received well in the past for other anime series, it is not always the way to go for every anime, especially if its plot has already been planned out. Given that Raven of the Inner Palace had its own comprehensive plot established in the beginning, there was no need for it to flesh itself out more with random spirits for Shouxue to combat. Unfortunately, this choice in pacing has only contributed to the anime’s other weaknesses, resulting in something of a flop.