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- Region:Japan
- Type:TV
- English name:Karasu wa Aruji wo Erabanai / Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master
- Official name:烏は主を選ばない
- Chinese name:乌鸦不择主
- Other names:良禽不择木 / 乌鸦姬不选择主人 / Karasu wa Aruji o Erabanai
- Premiered:April 6, 2024
- Status:Finished Airing
- Tags:Fantasy / Suspense / Historical / Source novel
- Original author:阿部智里(文藝春秋刊)
- Director:京極義昭
- Scenario:山室有紀子
- Storyboard:京極義昭 / 川面真也 / 鈴木薫 / 児谷直樹 / 影山楙倫
- Co-director:古川順康 / 川面真也 / 児谷直樹 / 加藤敏幸 / 影山楙倫
- Character design:乘田拓茂
- Music:瀬川英史 / 磯部愛美 / 丹下雄二 / 中野勝博 / 池田裕貴
- Studios:Studio Pierrot
- Producers:NHK / NHKエンタープライズ / ぴえろ
- Copyright:©阿部智里 / 文藝春秋 / NHK・NEP・ぴえろ
- Family:Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master
- Rating:12+
Karasu wa Aruji wo Erabanai
In a world of yatagarasu (three-legged crows of Japanese myth), Yukiya is the lackluster second son of a regional lord in the Northern House's territory.
His younger brother has overtaken him in academics, and he is no good at sword battle, either, not that this ever bothers him.
So it comes as a shock to all when this boy, who claims to have no ambition whatsoever, is the one chosen to attend the Crown Prince, Nazukihiko, in Court.
What awaits Yukiya and his new master is intrigue, betrayal, murder, a mysterious drug, and invasion from an unexpected enemy.
Note: The first episode received an early screening at a special event on March 17, 2024 at NHK Fest in Tokyo.
The regular TV broadcast started on April 6, 2024.
Tags
PV EpisodesTiles view / List view
Main EpisodesTiles view / List view
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EP1 - A Lady Out of Place
The yatagarasu race is led by the kin'u, also known as the Golden Raven. When his son, the future kin'u, is ready to take a bride, noblewomen from the Four Houses are sent to the Cherry Blossom Palace to compete for the honor of his hand in marriage.
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EP2 - The Blockhead Second Son
A clash with other young noblemen plucks 13-year-old Yukiya out of the backwater village of Taruhi and into royal service. The Northern House wants an agent in the Prince's household, but is the blockhead Yukiya up to the task?
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EP3 - A True Golden Raven
The Prince immediately buries Yukiya under a mountain of chores. Can the blockhead keep up with a workload that crushed all his predecessors? And why does the Prince seem so intent on avoiding his potential brides?
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EP4 - An Imperial Council
The lords of the land meet to reconsider the succession. The Prince crashes the council, but his brash approach may do more harm than good. How does Yukiya fit into his plan, if he even has one?
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EP5 - A Purge
The Prince loses a fortune at dice and leaves Yukiya as collateral. While working as a drudge in the criminal underworld, the boy witnesses a deadly meeting. Meanwhile, the ladies of the Cherry Blossom Palace prepare for Tanabata.
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EP6 - A Tanabata Invitation
The ladies of Cherry Blossom Palace eagerly expect the prince for Tanabata, a celebration too important to miss. The Princess calls on Asebi to perform, giving her a chance to prove herself—or add to her string of public embarrassments.
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EP7 - Falling
The Prince unexpectedly calls in at the Southern House's palace and finds his brother there. Meanwhile, Lady Shiratama puts a proposal to Lady Hamayu about an alliance of sorts between the Northern House and the Southern House.
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EP8 - The Intruder
Samomo's death rocks Cherry Blossom Palace. Suspicions and accusations fly, even before a midnight intruder adds fuel to the fire. And while the bodies pile up, the Prince makes a journey incognito.
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EP9 - Lady Raven
In the wake of a bloody disturbance, Shiratama's breakdown exposes Hamayu's past. How will the other ladies receive their rival's story? And do any of them truly have a say in the events unfolding around them?
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EP10 - Assassinating the Prince
A wounded Atsufusa calls for the Prince, offering vital intelligence. But what could be worth risking another ambush to hear? When the Prince ignores Sumio's advice, Yukiya's wits become his only lifeline.
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EP11 - The Loyal Retainer
Yukiya is shocked to discover that the Prince always knew about his noble heritage. As recriminations fly, Rokon takes the boy to meet a man who tests his understanding of loyalty and what it means to serve.
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EP12 - To Choose a Consort
At long last, the Prince arrives in Cherry Blossom Palace. Announcing that the time has come to choose his consort, he calls on the ladies one by one. But is his goal as simple as he claims?
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EP13 - Ravens Shouldn't Wear Kimono
The Prince confronts Asebi with her correspondence and unravels the last mysteries of Cherry Blossom Palace. But did she act with malice, or merely naivety? And with no other would-be consorts left, does it even matter?
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EP14 - The Taboo Elixir
Yukiya savors lazy days with his family in Taruhi until a maddened raven interrupts the harvest. A strange new drug is depriving yatagarasu of their senses, and the power to take human form.
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EP15 - The Girl Who Lived
Yukiya and the Prince find a remote farming village devastated by vicious monkeys. A lone girl survives the attack, but is she the innocent victim she seems? Yukiya suspects an even darker side to this unprecedented disaster.
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EP16 - Wisteria Arrows
Yukiya flies Koume to her home in the Center, but finds a group of toughs waiting to grab her. What does their mysterious leader know, and does the Prince dare to cross him in the midst of a crisis?
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EP17 - King of the Underground
Yukiya agrees to accompany Natsuka to the underworld. The negotiation threatens to fall apart when Sakuō appears and offers Yukiya a chance to learn more about the monkeys. However, to do so, he must take a great risk.
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EP18 - The World Outside
Yukiya must find the way out of the tunnels with Wakamiya, which turns out to be more difficult than expected. However, he finally learns the truth about Yamauchi - and the world beyond its borders.
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EP19 - A Well Run Dry
The missing water merchant is found at last—as a mutilated corpse bearing a written confession. The Prince rushes to investigate the dry well at the root of his strange story, but Yukiya isn't ready to clear Koume of suspicion just yet.
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EP20 - The Golden Raven
Koume confronts her mother and learns the truth about the monkeys' yatagarasu collaborators. Yukiya and the Prince race to the scene, but can they undo the damage done by Yukiya's rash judgment?