Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
Doodles
Apr 14, 2001

gimme the GOD drat candy posted:

granny's 100% a pimp,
Big pimpin'

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

gwrtheyrn
Oct 21, 2010

AYYYE DEEEEE DUBBALYOO DA-NYAAAAAH!

GateOfD posted:

Tbf, at her level, she will be spending her time doing the same stuff as a lady in waiting, but for the real courtesans. She won’t be good enough to entertain people personally for a while given she doesn’t really have any other talents other than medicine. Can’t play board games, dance or play music.

Now the real question is, will the board game in the anime be shogi or xiangqi? Need a tiebreaker on this matter

Pewdiepie
Oct 31, 2010

I watched an episode of this then I turned on frieren instead (has an actual budget).

gwrtheyrn
Oct 21, 2010

AYYYE DEEEEE DUBBALYOO DA-NYAAAAAH!
Yeah, but have you considered

Doodles
Apr 14, 2001
Constantly.

GloomMouse
Mar 6, 2007

I feel like it's spending the money/time where it needs to tbh

Brutal Garcon
Nov 2, 2014



Kwyndig posted:

Yeah her kidnappers clearly knew nothing about her as a literate, trained apothecary goes for way more than a random peasant girl, which is what they sold her as.

The real question I have is how random thugs have managed to sell(? they're taking some of her wages by posing as family? doesn't she need to be cooperating with this?) a lower-middle-class urban citizen to the state without getting Very Executed.

(Also what year it is. They have chocolate, but it's expensive. If I knew more about historical military uniforms I could probably do better.)

Kwyndig
Sep 23, 2006

Heeeeeey


Fantasy China be hosed up yo. This sort of thing, while not commonplace, did happen during Chinese history, the need for servants was sometimes so great kidnapping was the preferred method and the authorities looked the other way because people weren't exactly beating down the doors to sell themselves into palace life.

Brutal Garcon
Nov 2, 2014



Also their emperor's wives keep almost getting murdered, so maybe this government is just generally not very good at things.

Is Catcat's new boss meant to be Japanese? She's the only person I noticed whose name isn't pronounced like (a Japanese VA's attempt at) modern Chinese.

Edit: Ignore this, her servants said something about being from the west

Brutal Garcon fucked around with this message at 18:09 on Oct 24, 2023

golden bubble
Jun 3, 2011

yospos

Brutal Garcon posted:

The real question I have is how random thugs have managed to sell(? they're taking some of her wages by posing as family? doesn't she need to be cooperating with this?) a lower-middle-class urban citizen to the state without getting Very Executed.

(Also what year it is. They have chocolate, but it's expensive. If I knew more about historical military uniforms I could probably do better.)

The novel and manga make it very clear it's not any specific historical dynasty, but a fantasy world that mashes influences from all of them. So you can think of it as some sort of Tang-Song-Ming mish mash blender.

Paracelsus
Apr 6, 2009

bless this post ~kya

Brutal Garcon posted:

Is Catcat's new boss meant to be Japanese? She's the only person I noticed whose name isn't pronounced like (a Japanese VA's attempt at) modern Chinese.

Edit: Ignore this, her servants said something about being from the west

I think she's meant to be a Uighur analogue.

mikemil828
May 15, 2008

A man who has said too much

Brutal Garcon posted:

The real question I have is how random thugs have managed to sell(? they're taking some of her wages by posing as family? doesn't she need to be cooperating with this?) a lower-middle-class urban citizen to the state without getting Very Executed.

(Also what year it is. They have chocolate, but it's expensive. If I knew more about historical military uniforms I could probably do better.)

In this version of Fantasy China, it is illegal to sell kidnapped people however it is legal to sell children.

gimme the GOD DAMN candy
Jul 1, 2007
it's hard to enforce that when "hey, these guys kidnapped me" is not considered valid evidence. women have very few rights, and poor women from the red light district have even fewer. maomao's paranoia about being noticed is actually a very realistic survival strategy.

GateOfD
Jan 31, 2023

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 28 days!)

Don’t sneeze on the 4 main concubines though.
They mentioned the emperor didn’t pick and Empress Consort yet, but the Empress does hold strong power. And history has shown them to very much influence the current emperor in matters

gwrtheyrn
Oct 21, 2010

AYYYE DEEEEE DUBBALYOO DA-NYAAAAAH!

Brutal Garcon posted:

Also their emperor's wives keep almost getting murdered, so maybe this government is just generally not very good at things.

Is Catcat's new boss meant to be Japanese? She's the only person I noticed whose name isn't pronounced like (a Japanese VA's attempt at) modern Chinese.

Edit: Ignore this, her servants said something about being from the west

Look, if you're looking for consistency in how names are read in this series, there should be a character named "Ramen"

kirtar
Sep 11, 2011

Strum in a harmonizing quartet
I want to cause a revolution

What can I do? My savage
nature is beyond wild

Brutal Garcon posted:

Also their emperor's wives keep almost getting murdered, so maybe this government is just generally not very good at things.

Is Catcat's new boss meant to be Japanese? She's the only person I noticed whose name isn't pronounced like (a Japanese VA's attempt at) modern Chinese.

Edit: Ignore this, her servants said something about being from the west

I believe at this point Jinshi the only other character that we've met where the name isn't just the on'yomi reading. Most of the others I can think of are cases where the reading is similar to the Chinese ones, but it may be Romanized based on Japanese (e.g. Pairin vs Bai Ling).

Xelkelvos
Dec 19, 2012

Kwyndig posted:

Fantasy China be hosed up yo. This sort of thing, while not commonplace, did happen during Chinese history, the need for servants was sometimes so great kidnapping was the preferred method and the authorities looked the other way because people weren't exactly beating down the doors to sell themselves into palace life.

Families are more than willing to sell their spare kids for service though as Mao Mao's maid friend was, but certainly no one is volunteering. The servants do get some kind of salary with a portion sent back to their family (or "family" in Mao Mao's case).

Something that is common knowledge, but isn't discussed until later is that is relevant to the setting and idk if it's a real spoiler or not is they do have a service term and once it's done, they're let go unless there's another job lined up in the palace for them. It's something not unlike knowing the typical terms and conditions of indentured servitude.

Saoshyant
Oct 26, 2010

:hmmorks: :orks:


Xelkelvos posted:

Something that is common knowledge, but isn't discussed until later is that is relevant to the setting and idk if it's a real spoiler or not is they do have a service term and once it's done, they're let go unless there's another job lined up in the palace for them. It's something not unlike knowing the typical terms and conditions of indentured servitude.

It's mentioned in the very first episode: Maomao says her servitude term ends in two years, so she'll be keeping her head down until it's over.

Doodles
Apr 14, 2001
She did say in the first episode that she was only stuck there for two years before they would let her go, but of course, that was before she saved the life of the princess and became a lady-in-waiting. No idea what her service contract is now.

golden bubble posted:

some sort of Tang-Song-Ming mish mash

TING TANG WALLA WALLA BING BANG :derp:

Clarste
Apr 15, 2013

Just how many mistakes have you suffered on the way here?

An uncountable number, to be sure.

gimme the GOD drat candy posted:

it's hard to enforce that when "hey, these guys kidnapped me" is not considered valid evidence. women have very few rights, and poor women from the red light district have even fewer. maomao's paranoia about being noticed is actually a very realistic survival strategy.

I mean, if you were a kid sold by your actual parents, you'd probably say the same thing if you thought it would get you out there. Just for practical reasons it makes sense for the authorities to not take the kids' complaints too seriously.

GateOfD
Jan 31, 2023

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 28 days!)

they get paid, fed and a place to sleep.
and considering the parents that sold them probably couldn't afford them anyway, its actually a much better place than their actual home.

Brutal Garcon
Nov 2, 2014



kirtar posted:

I believe at this point Jinshi the only other character that we've met where the name isn't just the on'yomi reading. Most of the others I can think of are cases where the reading is similar to the Chinese ones, but it may be Romanized based on Japanese (e.g. Pairin vs Bai Ling).

Ah, I was just going off "does Chinese have these sounds?", should've checked how their names are actually written.

Kwyndig
Sep 23, 2006

Heeeeeey


GateOfD posted:

they get paid, fed and a place to sleep.
and considering the parents that sold them probably couldn't afford them anyway, its actually a much better place than their actual home.

In contrast, the pay is lousy, the food is basic, and there's no privacy. While it's better than starving in a shack with your six siblings it's not a huge step up. Plus there's the threat of being executed for pissing off the wrong people.

Argas
Jan 13, 2008
SRW Fanatic




Everything has tradeoffs.

drilldo squirt
Aug 18, 2006

a beautiful, soft meat sack
Clapping Larry
Am I the only one confused about the chocolate as an aphrodisiac, did she add something else I missed? I like chocolate but it has never made me want to bone.

Rody One Half
Feb 18, 2011

It has absolutely been used as one historically/popularly. It doesn't ACTUALLY do anything so far as I know, but it's a belief people had/have.

Kwyndig
Sep 23, 2006

Heeeeeey


It has a stronger effect on people who don't eat sweets. But yeah, while historically it's been used as such, there's no scientific evidence of it having more than light aphrodisiac properties.

Rody One Half
Feb 18, 2011

FWIW, the stuff Maomao made was also boozed to hell.

Southern Cassowary
Jan 3, 2023

hell hath no fury like a maomao ignored

GloomMouse
Mar 6, 2007

Maomao sharing powerful secrets

Xelkelvos
Dec 19, 2012

Rody One Half posted:

FWIW, the stuff Maomao made was also boozed to hell.


Here's the ingredients from the manga

The ingredients in the other manga seems to omit the spirits for some reason.

Both go over the same things, but the bread used is a little different between the two and the anime's version is closer to the manga it's not adapting (basically just a tray of bao she finds) rather the one it is (a large loaf of sorts cut up).

7c Nickel
Apr 27, 2008
Chocolate IS a mild stimulant, but less so than the tea they drink.

Xelkelvos
Dec 19, 2012
I feel like they had a different studio for this new episode. Some of the cuts seem animated differently from the first three episodes. Mao Mao baring her fangs in this ep was good though.

kirtar
Sep 11, 2011

Strum in a harmonizing quartet
I want to cause a revolution

What can I do? My savage
nature is beyond wild

GloomMouse posted:

Maomao sharing powerful secrets

At least it means Gyokuyou gets some sleep.

Snowglobe of Doom
Mar 30, 2012

sucks to be right

GloomMouse posted:

Maomao sharing powerful secrets

For someone who is trying not to bring herself to the Emperor's attention, rescuing one of his favourite concubines from the brink of death and also teaching her special maneuvers was entirely the wrong move, lol.

Xelkelvos posted:

I feel like they had a different studio for this new episode. Some of the cuts seem animated differently from the first three episodes.

It felt like certain gestures were rotoscoped, they looked surprisingly natural

Xelkelvos
Dec 19, 2012

Snowglobe of Doom posted:

For someone who is trying not to bring herself to the Emperor's attention, rescuing one of his favourite concubines from the brink of death and also teaching her special maneuvers was entirely the wrong move, lol.

It felt like certain gestures were rotoscoped, they looked surprisingly natural

The food tasting scene definitely seemed rotoscoped, but I'm sure a bunch of others are too and it's gonna be a little disappointing if the animation quality stays like that.

I'm sure she'll get the chance to bestow her "knowledge" to the other concubines just so that one doesn't get too much of an advantage.

Paracelsus
Apr 6, 2009

bless this post ~kya

Snowglobe of Doom posted:

For someone who is trying not to bring herself to the Emperor's attention, rescuing one of his favourite concubines from the brink of death and also teaching her special maneuvers was entirely the wrong move, lol.

She already had the Emperor's attention, failing to save Lishu was not really an option. The Emperor speaking to a commoner servant directly to ask something of her is already a major lowering of himself, and even if he as decent of a guy as you could reasonably get given his position, that is not a situation where you fail to deliver.

GateOfD
Jan 31, 2023

by Fluffdaddy

(and can't post for 28 days!)

lol Maomao being tossed out with a boing boing each time was great

kirtar
Sep 11, 2011

Strum in a harmonizing quartet
I want to cause a revolution

What can I do? My savage
nature is beyond wild

Paracelsus posted:

She already had the Emperor's attention, failing to save Lishu was not really an option. The Emperor speaking to a commoner servant directly to ask something of her is already a major lowering of himself, and even if he as decent of a guy as you could reasonably get given his position, that is not a situation where you fail to deliver.

I would note that it was Lihua not Lishu.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

gwrtheyrn
Oct 21, 2010

AYYYE DEEEEE DUBBALYOO DA-NYAAAAAH!

drilldo squirt posted:

Am I the only one confused about the chocolate as an aphrodisiac, did she add something else I missed? I like chocolate but it has never made me want to bone.

The placebo effect is a hell of a drug

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply