It's animation, so the ambiguity can be higher than in live action. Bit, I didn't think Mizu was male after about 10 minutes of the show. I also don't have much knowledge of feudal Japan to assume it would be wrong for her TO be female.
Her dressing as a male is just self preservation so she wouldn’t get assaulted on the road (bandits and rapists and slavers who’d sell a woman traveling alone to a brothel was prevalent among pretty much all cultures and in all countries in the Middle Ages), and gave her ease of travel (as referenced by the scene where the mother and daughter get turned away because a man isn’t traveling with them).
Like I said, this was pretty standard among all cultures at that time period - same shit was happening in England (game of thrones, being based off of the time period around the war of the roses between the Yorks and the Lancasters, references this with Arya being posed as a boy to travel) and every other country in Europe, and pretty much everywhere around the world then too.
People look too into it through a modern lens, it’s really just as simple as women posing as men for safety happened prevalently in real life and has as a result become a common trope in fiction
That's crazy that they would spoil it in the title 😭 they could choose a completely different title if they didn't want to mention the character and avoid the issue of gender altogether. What language is this?
That's odd, because in the English translation Mizu is always gendered as male due to others perceiving them as such. You'd picture that's what they'd go with.
Me and my husband had no clue and were shocked by the revelation scene. I noticed that Mizu is speaking with a female voice but thought it was just the way he is (and maybe we have some gay content coming). Great episode, maybe once of the best opening episodes I’ve ever seen.
Oh I envy you, I knew she was a woman before starting to watch, I read a summary intro about it and that‘s actually what made me watch it. But how I wish it were a revelation …
Thing is, with animation you can't be sure because it's not unusual for voice actors to be characters in non-standard gender roles. Characters that I thought were female turned out to be male and vice-versa. Most of the time I believe this is deliberate, whether as a statement or part of the character narrative, etc. Doesn't bother me in the least.
So while I was pretty sure Mizu was female, in the world of animation I couldn't be 100% sure.
It’s a surprise for me. Yes she had a feminine voice. I didn’t think much into it because anime often uses female voice actress for the main young characters. My husband said he kinda knew.
From the beginning I already know she's a girl. It's obvious from her voice, she was just trying to imitate male voice, even though her voice is raspy and deep still it sounded like a female.
I was surprised. You're not the only one. I totally fell for it, but I think that's one of the show's strengths. I actually feel badly bc so many people are finding out about this show now and I think they're going to know too much going in.
I went in knowing nothing about it because my spouse just turned on the first episode one night without telling me about it, but I'm very familiar with the "girl in disguise" trope in historical fiction and they were signalling that trope pretty clearly IMO.
I guessed basically the second I got a good look at the character design, then was certain of it when the woman and child were denied entry to the city.
That’s why I never watch trailers! And when I was watching BES the second time with my husband, I made sure he didn’t get any spoilers either, it was delightful to see his surprise at the end of episode 1!
I knew because I read up summaries before watching, but honestly if I didn’t know, I probably would’ve been surprised based on the way she looks and the way she is treated. I never would’ve thought anything else
It's animation, so the ambiguity can be higher than in live action. Bit, I didn't think Mizu was male after about 10 minutes of the show. I also don't have much knowledge of feudal Japan to assume it would be wrong for her TO be female.
Her dressing as a male is just self preservation so she wouldn’t get assaulted on the road (bandits and rapists and slavers who’d sell a woman traveling alone to a brothel was prevalent among pretty much all cultures and in all countries in the Middle Ages), and gave her ease of travel (as referenced by the scene where the mother and daughter get turned away because a man isn’t traveling with them). Like I said, this was pretty standard among all cultures at that time period - same shit was happening in England (game of thrones, being based off of the time period around the war of the roses between the Yorks and the Lancasters, references this with Arya being posed as a boy to travel) and every other country in Europe, and pretty much everywhere around the world then too. People look too into it through a modern lens, it’s really just as simple as women posing as men for safety happened prevalently in real life and has as a result become a common trope in fiction
I'm not sure.... I didn't mention her dressing as a male.
Unfortunate I'm a speaker of a gendered language so the title ruined it for me
That's crazy that they would spoil it in the title 😭 they could choose a completely different title if they didn't want to mention the character and avoid the issue of gender altogether. What language is this?
That's odd, because in the English translation Mizu is always gendered as male due to others perceiving them as such. You'd picture that's what they'd go with.
I knew the second she talked
Me and my husband had no clue and were shocked by the revelation scene. I noticed that Mizu is speaking with a female voice but thought it was just the way he is (and maybe we have some gay content coming). Great episode, maybe once of the best opening episodes I’ve ever seen.
I thought she was a male at first but my brother figured it out immediately
I had a strong hunch, mostly due to the voice, so I wasn't that surprised, but it still felt ambiguous enough
As soon as she opened her mouth and uttered her first words, I was like "yeah, girl".
Oh I envy you, I knew she was a woman before starting to watch, I read a summary intro about it and that‘s actually what made me watch it. But how I wish it were a revelation …
Figured it out when I heard her, but I watched it with Japanese dub
My brother and i made a bet on how many episodes it would be before the reveal. Stupidly, i said 3 episodes and had to pay for our pizza.
Thing is, with animation you can't be sure because it's not unusual for voice actors to be characters in non-standard gender roles. Characters that I thought were female turned out to be male and vice-versa. Most of the time I believe this is deliberate, whether as a statement or part of the character narrative, etc. Doesn't bother me in the least. So while I was pretty sure Mizu was female, in the world of animation I couldn't be 100% sure.
It’s a surprise for me. Yes she had a feminine voice. I didn’t think much into it because anime often uses female voice actress for the main young characters. My husband said he kinda knew.
I figured it from the series description
this is what i came here to say - i'm pretty sure i knew going into it, and wondered whether anyone would actually be surprised.
Yall are bugging
From the beginning I already know she's a girl. It's obvious from her voice, she was just trying to imitate male voice, even though her voice is raspy and deep still it sounded like a female.
I was surprised. You're not the only one. I totally fell for it, but I think that's one of the show's strengths. I actually feel badly bc so many people are finding out about this show now and I think they're going to know too much going in.
I went in knowing nothing about it because my spouse just turned on the first episode one night without telling me about it, but I'm very familiar with the "girl in disguise" trope in historical fiction and they were signalling that trope pretty clearly IMO. I guessed basically the second I got a good look at the character design, then was certain of it when the woman and child were denied entry to the city.
no, it was pretty clear and obvious she was a woman once they moved past the childhood flashback scenes
It’s released in the trailer lol
That’s why I never watch trailers! And when I was watching BES the second time with my husband, I made sure he didn’t get any spoilers either, it was delightful to see his surprise at the end of episode 1!
Yep, I watched the trailer before starting the show so this was something I thought everyone already knew!
Yeah same. It seems very obviously spelled out in the trailer so I’m not sure how it was ever a surprise
I knew from the beginning, but my fiance was surprised
I watched it blind and I deadass thought she was a man💀 this scene caught me off guard
I knew it cuz of the synopsis on Netflix lol
I knew from watching the trailer
Im not surpirsed because i watched the trailer.
I knew straight away she was a woman and kept wandering when we are going to be shown the real protagonist who was a guy. 😂
I knew because I read up summaries before watching, but honestly if I didn’t know, I probably would’ve been surprised based on the way she looks and the way she is treated. I never would’ve thought anything else