I’ve loved this so far, my only criticism is that I think it’s going to eventually become a “the independent girl who rejects the man matures and eventually becomes a subservient woman” outcome. Which is essentially Japan’s “Rebellious headstrong young girl grows out of it, gives up on having a future and grows into her womanhood eventually wanting to settle down and start a family”.
I’m hopeful that it won’t do that, but I’m not confident that they’re not slowly building her up to have a crush on him and real romantic feelings. I would much prefer her to just remain rebellious or even be outright gay, but I think that’s unlikely.
Imagine if right wing conservatives in the west had a kink for feminists growing out of it and slowly turning into trad women.
Anyway, besides this issue I’m concerned about I do genuinely really like it. It’s executed very well. The setting is interesting especially with the hefty humanisation of the concubines and sex workers.
I dunno, just based on the past few episodes I think it’s gonna be more “male lead opens up and shows more emotional vulnerability, MC gradually lowers her emotional defenses, and they begin a relationship based on mutual respect without either of them having to give up their careers/aspects of their personality” which is still cishetero as fuck but better than most portrayals of romance.
That’s only marginally better. I’d rather it just continue being episodic sherlock holmes solves a daily mystery in old china. It still ultimately changes course to a traditional values thing.
I get the feeling that this show was written by a cis woman for cis women, with a large part of the vicarious escapist fantasy of being the only feminist in ancient china is landing the hot eunuch boyfriend
Mmmmmm maybe. Plausible. Still ends up being “the feminist who behaves combatively with men ends up falling to the hot guy’s wily charms and giving in to the natural feminine heat aching in her womb”(yes i’m aware how uncomfortable that is to read) though even if written by a woman. It makes it marginally better but is still something worth criticising as a trope, at least imo.
I’ve loved this so far, my only criticism is that I think it’s going to eventually become a “the independent girl who rejects the man matures and eventually becomes a subservient woman” outcome. Which is essentially Japan’s “Rebellious headstrong young girl grows out of it, gives up on having a future and grows into her womanhood eventually wanting to settle down and start a family”.
I’m hopeful that it won’t do that, but I’m not confident that they’re not slowly building her up to have a crush on him and real romantic feelings. I would much prefer her to just remain rebellious or even be outright gay, but I think that’s unlikely.
Imagine if right wing conservatives in the west had a kink for feminists growing out of it and slowly turning into trad women.
Anyway, besides this issue I’m concerned about I do genuinely really like it. It’s executed very well. The setting is interesting especially with the hefty humanisation of the concubines and sex workers.
I dunno, just based on the past few episodes I think it’s gonna be more “male lead opens up and shows more emotional vulnerability, MC gradually lowers her emotional defenses, and they begin a relationship based on mutual respect without either of them having to give up their careers/aspects of their personality” which is still cishetero as fuck but better than most portrayals of romance.
That’s only marginally better. I’d rather it just continue being episodic sherlock holmes solves a daily mystery in old china. It still ultimately changes course to a traditional values thing.
I get the feeling that this show was written by a cis woman for cis women, with a large part of the vicarious escapist fantasy of being the only feminist in ancient china is landing the hot eunuch boyfriend
Mmmmmm maybe. Plausible. Still ends up being “the feminist who behaves combatively with men ends up falling to the hot guy’s wily charms and giving in to the natural feminine heat aching in her womb”(yes i’m aware how uncomfortable that is to read) though even if written by a woman. It makes it marginally better but is still something worth criticising as a trope, at least imo.