AeoNea

Despite all the complaints about this show, there is so much to appreciate about it. The number one thing that the writers tried to stay true to was historical accuracy. The events that had occurred stayed as true as possible to the actual achievements of the Kublai Khan and the Song Dynasty. It baffles me that some people actually say that it insulted the Kublai Khan at all, especially when they make him look great while being fairly historically accurate. They even got little details like the young Emperor calling Jia Sidao his ‘teacher’ just like the actual young emperor did back then. I agree, that there is a bit of a lack of personality when it comes to Marco Polo and the actions of some characters, but honestly, the people who complain about how boring the show is are just complaining because it’s not Game Of Thrones. They are right, it isn’t. It is a totally different vibe and the two should not be compared. Especially when Marco Polo is based on actual events and GOT is going off of George R. R. Martin’s made up world. If you actually think about it, the actions that the characters would make are ones that are accurate to the historical culture as well. The characters in Marco Polo do everything they can for the benefit of the whole, whereas in GOT, the characters are extremely selfish to their own smaller causes. Sure, MP may not a as twisty-turny as GOT, but MP is the only show that I’ve seen lately that isn’t filled with drama just to be dramatic. Don’t get me wrong, I love Game Of Thrones with a burning passion. I’ve read almost all the books. But, not every show that is set in the pre-modern days and has political intrigue is going to be like GOT. That would be ridiculous and I would give up on the genre all together.

Anyway, the production value on the show is fantastic. So much so that it rivals GOT (one of the top shows with the highest production values now) and maybe even can beat Game Of Thrones out. Never before have I seen this much attention to detail and grandeur in a TV show. There are so many variables when it comes to recreating these set designs and costumes and they displayed every one of those details beautifully. One thing is for sure though, they do crowds better that anyone on TV. 

What also made me happy was that there were actually Asian people playing Asian people and there were only few white actors, just like it would have been. Despite all that, even the European actor is from the correct European country, instead of making him British. I mean, it was a bit infuriating to me that the accents were mixes of Chinese, Chinese-American, and unidentifiable. But alas, this is made by Westerners. I’ve always hated that in every foreign depiction of ANY country in Europe and Asia all have British accents. What’s wrong with actually speaking Chinese or Italian? I didn’t know we hated reading subtitles so much. And even when they’re speaking English, it’s with a British accent. There are such things as French accents and Italian accents and Chinese accents. But, no. Everyone has to be British or American in order for the Westerners (who apparently can’t read or understand anything other than themselves) to be able to comprehend. It ruins the credibility of any movie or show and just irritates the hell out of me.

The accent thing is one sin that I will reluctantly forgive, but will forgive because the actors are awesome. My favorite performances are done by Benedict Wong (Kublai Khan) and Joan Chen (Empress Chiabi). Oh my god, I cannot adore them enough. In my opinion, the only reason that the other actors were seen as bad was because of the accents seemed a bit awkward, but whatever. 

I probably haven’t gone over everything that could have been gone over, but here’s the bottom line: 

I didn't actually notice before, but now it makes so much more sense. They'd make jokes about this in a lot of anime as well, and if you aren't familiar with current Japanese life, media and tropes then those jokes go right above your head. This makes me feel so much better. More on blood types and personalities below :D