This makes me want to animate that part of The Horse and The Infant with the popular designs for the characters mentioned.. and by animate I mean maladaptive daydream
Honestly, I don't think EPIC fans mind how long reactions are lol. We are getting fed and love to consume all sorts of EPIC content, no matter how long. Though, I am aware that I don't speak for all of the community
Honestly it's even the contrary, when reactions are long it means either they are knowledgeable about the music, the story, or writing itself, it's not just someone listen to the music(albeit interesting as well) it's a whole ass commentary and highlight Jay's quality of work
I usually don’t enjoy when people pause much in commentary videos, but when that person has knowledge on the topic like this amazing TH-camr does, I eat the videos up! I absolutely love it 🙈
I heard that Jorge tried to use the original Odyssey structure at first, starting with Telemachus, but then decided to change it, because more linear structure worked for the musical better. But we still will get some reminiscence of that flashback thing later! There were a lot of creative liberties taken in order to tell the story the way Jorge intended, but what I particularly love about this musical is that even when there are deviations from the Odyssey, they are often in line with some other myths or, like, mythological tropes in general, like this thing with Zeus coming with the prophesy. I am excited to see what you would say about the rest of it!
@@anareaty Oh yeah I can totally understand changing the structure to suit the medium change - it’s hard to tell a story in flashback, especially the way The Odyssey does it lol
You'll find the Winions (Epic's fanbase) are a very active, very chatty, and very hungry bunch. Who happily gobble up people's reactions and thoughts on the musical. (Probably because we can't hear it for the first time anymore, so have to get that first time thrill vicariously now.) And yes, Luke Holt does a wonderful job as Zeus. Can't wait for you to see how the characters progress. (Luke is definitely one of my fave voices in a very stacked cast.)
Aha, so THAT'S what Winions means! I couple people had mentioned it and I was frowning like...there's an inside joke here I'm missing lol. I had a feeling it might refer to something in the musical I've not yet encountered 😆
Please! Pause and yap all you want! It is infinitely more interesting than just staring at the screen! I love watching reactions that take the time to break down what they find especially interesting or captivating about Epic: The Musical, whether it be the music, storytelling, or the source material lore. I almost always learn something new and gain an even better appreciation for this musical.
Oh and a few thing's about epic: - Every character has their own instrument. For example, Penelope has a violin and Odysseus has an acoustic guitar or sometimes an electric guitar. You'll find out in which situations each guitar is played. - When a mortal character sings and has background vocals, it means those voices (like the soldiers or the crew) are actually present and singing. However, if it's a divine character, those voices don't have to be characters present in the scene. The immortal can just summon them to make a point -they are also A LOT of recurring motifs in epic that a always fun to analyse
Tiny correction, Penelope’s instrument is the Viola! It sounds very similar to a violin, but it doesn’t have the high E string and instead has a low C string. (Fun fact, this gives it the same tuning as a cello except an octave up!) They are also a bit bigger than violins giving them a deeper resonance :]
The Agamemnon slander from the get go, truly the proof you've immersed yourself in this story. As a big Illiad head, my hatred for that man is large and loud. XD
I have just been WAITING for someone with a lot of knowledge on The Odyssey to react to this!!! I have had a passing love for mythology for many years, so while I'm in no way an expert, I am a nerd with lots of fun facts. Obviously i don't begrudge anyone for not being a mythology nerd, but it was *so* satisfying to see you hear that eagle and immediately go "Ah, Zeus", along with the billion other things that are just easy to miss if you aren't familiar with the source materials. It's gonna be so cool to see this whole show through your perspective!
Haha, Zeus and his dramatics -- just HAS to use an eagle screech to announce himself. Although, mythology-nerdy fun fact: what I mention about Iphigeneia and her death is actually part of an incident referenced as "the omen of the eagles" in Aeschylus' tragedy, AGAMEMNON, which is linked with "the will of Zeus." Eagles are such a dead giveaway for Zeus to us mythology nerds lol
@@madNbooks This is exactly what I'm talking about! I knew about their association with Zeus but I had no idea about the connection through the story of Iphigenia! That is so cool! Looking forward to learning more from these videos in the future :D
This exactly! Hi! It is a, a fellow nerd! I love mythologies, and Greek mythology was my obsession during middle school to early high school. I was waiting for someone with knowledge to react to EPIC.
Haha, I can't make guarantees they'll all be this long -- there was just SO MUCH to talk about with all the names and context here! -- but I have a feeling future videos will all be...reasonably lengthy as well if they continue anything like this one 🤣
This! This is the first reaction video I’ve seen where the person knew 1) it was an eagle and 2) that meant sky daddy. Granted I haven’t seen a ton of reaction videos but I was always yelling at these parts like I’m watching Jeopardy
This is honestly quite incredible. Labeling yourself as simply a 'Classics Nerd' is a disservice to your expertise because this has got to be one of the best reactions/analysis of EPIC that I have seen. And I've been a fan of EPIC for 3 years now! I genuinely can't wait to see more from you.
Thank you -- that's kind of you to say! I don't think I'd ever feel able to label myself as anything more than a Classics Nerd or even a Classics Enthusiast just due to having grown up with a genuine and accredited Classicist who...like when I tell you my grandfathers knows SOOOO MUCH MORE than I ever could, it's not an exaggeration. So I guess it's all a matter of perspective, haha
You should react to some of the songs with your grandfather, that would be SO cool! Like, obvs catch him up to it but it would be really great to see him react to some of the most plotheavy, more mythologically accurate songs (like Polyphemous or Scylla)
Hi, just wanted to let you know this is actually an old version of the The Horse and The Infant and the Troy Saga! Jorge, the writer and voice of Odysseus, actually completely recomposed the first sagas due to legalities issues and took the original first two sagas off platform. This video is from before then, I noticed the backing vocals were different and went to check the video itself. For the Troy and Cyclops saga you'll want to look for videos only a few months ago, not years! :) (Of course you don't have to switch to the new version, but Jorge and the cast put so much effort into completely remaking the first two sagas whilst also working on the next sagas at the same time without receiving a cent from the original two sagas.)
I'd had no idea when I first listened, but thanks to you and a bunch of the others here, I've been made aware! I've now ensured that I'll be listening to the remastered versions of the first two sagas from here on out! I love how everyone is so helpful and informative on things like this that I'd literally have no idea about otherwise. As a creative myself, it brings me such joy seeing this kind of passion and effort to support the creators of the project!
@@madNbooks You summoned the winions and we are here to help you along the way. The fanbase name won't make sense now but it will be revealed in time. Just know we got you and will deluge you with fun facts and point out little hidden gems along the way.
It gets weirder. The house of Atraides is cursed..correct me if I'm wrong..because Tantalus decided to test the omniscience of the gods by cooking his son Pelops into a stew and feeding it to them..one of the fates reassembled Pelops and Tantalus was punished in Hades with a lake that receded when he tried to drink from it and fruit hanging just out of reach
@kenzgitz9884 yup - it all goes back to Tantalus killing Pelops, and is compounded upon by Pelops killing his future father in law after winning a Chariot race against him via some…let’s say sneaky shenanigans and deals made with a servant of that house lol. The whole bloodline is a disaster 🙃 I remember writing a paper about the tragedies AGAMEMNON and HIPPOLYTUS in university and I rooted it in the whole idea that this bloodline was such a mess 😅
I must say I am extremely impressed by your knowledge of greek mythology, but as a fan of Iliad first and the Odyssey second, I must say was really looking forward to the moment you noticed the infant was Astyanax. As you mention, Neoptolemus is often cited as the killer of Hector's son, but on the Iliupersis (attributed to Arctinus of Miletus) it is Odysseus himself who yeets the baby from the wall of Troy, while the mother, Andromache, watches as she's being taken away.
@@IrethEdelstein I am also very partial to The Iliad - though I read it after The Odyssey, I always go back to it. Something about the story being framed around Achilles’ rage is so engrossing! I had to go double check myself to make sure it wasn’t just The Trojan Women that had Odysseus killing Astyanax - that’s just the only one that sprang to mind - and I saw mention of the Illiupersis, but didn’t want to mention it in the video if only because my knowledge of it is so scant it’s negligible haha. Also I was almost disappointed in myself for not immediately guessing the infant would be Astyanax; you can literally see my brain working to try and figure it out until they mention it and I was like OH, OF COURSE 😅
I think it's awesome that you're giving so much explanation for the Odyssey and in-depth analysis! You've drawn a crowd, the EPIC fans latch onto every drop they can get (especially now that it's been concluded). A couple insights though; 1: Jorge does take a decent chunk of creative freedom with the story of EPIC, so there's definitely some stuff that's widely known to be changed from the original and 2: The version of Horse and the Infant that you listened to is actually the old version. When the cast recorded the 1st and 2nd sagas, they did it with a studio that never actually paid them, so the songs were rebuilt. I think it'd be great if you listened to the updated versions from here on out!
@@raes_creativity Oh, wow, I wasn’t aware of that! I’ll try to find more recent lyric videos in the future - worst case scenario, I pull up the lyrics somewhere separately and simply play the music without it being a lyric video 👍🏼
@@madNbooks that's the best way to do it, listening to the songs from the official channel and reading the lyrics. Later you can check the animatics of each song (there are some official shorts and fanmade long videos). My advice is to take the fanmade animatics as the artist's interpretation, not like cannon from the author.
@@madNbooks SAME lmao. Like I've always been the biggest Zeus hater, but then Epic happened, and I was like.... "uhm listen-" and I'm now the biggest Zeus fan (in Epic at least).
Absolutely fascinating to listen to you go through it. Also, if you like Zeus's voice now (sung by Luke Holt btw), look forward to Thunder Bringer (in the Thunder Saga)
Just a few things 1) as you get farther into the story don’t be surprised if things arent as “on point to the myth” as this first song. There are some things Jorge had to change in order to make the story flow properly. But all the important points are still the same. 2) I would recommend doing whole sagas per video because a lot of the songs for each saga play off of or are a part 2’s too one another, we as viewers totally don’t care about the length of the videos 3) I absolutely love how much you know about these stories
Ik u mentioned struggling with posting on here but you've already drawn too big and needy of a crowd lol we're gonna need reaction/analysis on every song now please and thaaank youuu (and then if/when ever ur ready, the animatics!!! 😍🤩)
I've been dying for a classicist who actually knows the stories to react to EPIC. I obviously don't mind people having only a vague idea of the story/connection through stories like Percy Jackson, the Spongebob Movie, etc. but I love the connections you made and the lore/story you dropped - it helps add to and flesh out an already great story, in my opinion. Can't wait for more of your reactions, I'm going to subscribe so I can follow along as you experience EPIC, because even if you end up not liking it for some reason, your knowledge of the classics makes the reactions so fascinating.
Jorge actually put a short out warning young listeners to NOT use EPIC as a "CliffNotes" version of the Odyssey. He described the project as a "re-imagining" of the story of Odysseus...and boy, were there some changes. This is its own version, not an adaptation but more of a project "inspired by" the Odyssey. It's fun having a familiarity with the story because of all the references that Jorge does include.
Really? As a fan of the Classics, that makes me really happy to hear. I think something like this could -- like Percy Jackson for some -- be a great gateway into the original stories for people who enjoy them.
I would call Epic: the Musical a retelling more than an adaptation. I would also check out the final live stream that Jorge did because there are some art pieces that Jorge commissioned, so they are considered “canon” to the musical and I think really add to the story.
I'd say that retellings fall under the kind of...super big and broad umbrella of adaptation, but there's definitely nuance to discuss there. I'm gonna keep this nugget in the back of mind as I continue on 😁
I'm really enjoying your reaction, and don't feel bad at all for pausing often, you always have very interesting stuff to say and I'm learning a lot! Really excited to see your reaction to the rest, I'll make sure to keep an eye out for them!
Yes!! Someone who knows the story! I'd recommend listening to all of the songs without visuals since you know the story. Then once you've listened all the way through you can do reactions to the animatics. The animatics are amazing and add so much for those who don't know the story well
You have summoned the Epic fandom, and lemme tell you, they are hungry, and you are feeding them well with this. Don't worry about going on too long, we are thriving with all the cool knowledge you have to share!!
Something I really like about ancient literature (like the homeric epics) is the use of nested storytelling (stories that include the telling of a story); we have the narrator telling us the story of Odysseus, then inside this story Odysseus narrates part of his story, and I'm pretty sure we go down more levels, Odysseus will narrate some other character narrating a story to him (ex. Circe might tell Odysseus about some incident that happened on her island) so you would have the narrator narrating how Odysseus narrates how Circe narrates her story. A great example of this is early in Apuleius' Metamorphosis (aka the Golden Ass) Lucius is both our main character AND the narrator. He explains how he was on the way to Thessaly when he met a wayfarer named Aristomenes who warned him to not get involved with witches and witchcraft, so he asks Aristomenes to explain, Aristomenes then tells a story about how he ran into an old friend named Socrates (not the philosopher) who was in a miserable state, and asked him how he ended up like this, then Socrates tells a story of how he ended up gettimg involved with a witch and how it ruined him Yes, a random event has us go 3 narrators deep, Lucius narrating Aristomenes's recounting of the story Socrates had told him.
Yup, so many of the ancient stories love to use a story within a story within a story -- that and also always dropping something story-wise early so that it can be repeated or echoed later on. That also makes me remember when studying Latin we'd also look at in Roman poetry how the writers would literally nest words within each other or shift them around in the sentence to create that effect physically. At the time I thought it was cool, but also was letting out a string of curses inside 'cause I'd be hunting through lines and lines of the text just to find the subject of the piece because the writer had done something like that.
@madNbooks A related but distinct thing is what we find in works like the Canterbury Tales, the Decameron, and 1001 Nights (aka Arabian Nights) These are all essentially short story anthologies, but they each have a frame narrative. In CT we follow a group of pilgrims who start a friendly storytelling competition and so the pilgrims take turns telling their stories (and if I'm not mistaken the raunchiest story is that of one of the two nuns) The Decameron has 10 young nobles from Florence waiting out the Black Death in a rural villa because. They are bored and tell each other stories to pass the time. 1001 Nights features a bitter Sultan, his first wife had cheated on him and so he decided that he would marry a new virgin every day and put her to death after a day (leaving him freshly widowed and in need of a new wife). His new bride has a plan though, she tells a very engaging story but cuts it off on a cliffhanger to continue the next day, that way her husband has to let her live to have her finish the story... Every night she finishes the previous story and segues into a new story to leave on a cliffhanger... She keeps this up for 1000 nights before running out of stories. By the end she hopes her husband has grown fond enough of her to desist from his rapid serial monogamy plan that she had thwarted for so long. I think 1001 Nights has some of these nested stories we find in Classic literature. I am sure there are other such anthologies from all over, these are just the ones I am specifically aware of.
I’ve had so much fun getting reactions from people who have a solid understanding of music theory and unpacking that, and I’m THRILLEDDD to have someone who really understands the myth. Please, do all the pauses! This is so much fun.
Lol yeah we're a handful of generations too late for that whole...misadventure of an adventure 😂 And yeah it's absolutely BONKERS how much child-killing and child-eating goes on in Greek mythology 😬
Alright, I'm in. This is incredible! I wanna see this musical broken down by the most qualified nerd ever. I knew Jorge pulled from multiple sources for his myth, but the nitty-gritty details that reference those myths that can be analyzed, I am so excited to know more about them from someone who has studied them directly. Also, you have summoned the EPIC fanbase to your channel, there will be a tidal wave of them (me included, i guess?) and I hope it settles well and you get people interested in all the things ya do here. Try to not get caught up in the numbers of eyes watching you, but keep doing what you're doing already, this is wonderful. Take your time to make these videos, don't rush. You cannot over-analyze this concept album enough, trust me. Side note/recommendation, if you can, try and listen to the Troy and Cyclops Sagas that were released by Jorge Rivera POST July 4th, 2024. Those re-recorded versions of the album were made entirely by him and his team, the previous editions do not directly support him, and they just don't sound as good. I don't know exactly where to see lyric videos for Jorge's versions, but I'd go looking for em if you want a overall better experience listening to the music. Textually the same, but textureally better. Like a sandwich made at home with love vs a sandwich served at a restaurant with no care. Same ingredients, but... this metaphor got stretched too much, like this comment. I love yapping. I'll patiently wait for your next analysis! Cheers!
Thank you so much -- honestly everything you wrote is really sweet and made me so happy I decided to film, edit, and upload this. I debated about it a lot. Also thank for giving me a solid date for which to listen to the rest of the next two sagas. I saw others commenting about production/studio shenanigans and so was trying to figure out how I'd be able to differentiate between the "old" and "new" versions, but having a date helps so much! I think I'll end up going to Jorge's YT page and using his playlist he has for all the songs. I initially didn't because they don't have lyrics, but I think that'll be the best way going forward ☺
Oh hello there! Welcome to EPIC! 😁 In case you're interested, the Ithaca saga release stream has the full musical in one place, with primarily lyrics onscreen and occasional commissioned canon animatics. It's really well put together, and it has the cast interacting with it, which is really cute 🥰
This is something i think you will find interesting going forward with the musical, all the gods/being who aren't fully mortal/monsters all have the ability to summon a back up chorus, all mortals their background vocals have to come from others physically there. I felt it was a really good way to signal to the audience exactly who are gods.(Also if others are there)
as a person with a BADDDD greek mythology hyperfixation, its so exciting to have someone also into greek mythology react to this musical and talk about the myth AAAAH!!
6:07 Hehe diplomatic mission, ma'am not only are you a classic nerd and a theatre kid you are also a prophet. also do try to react to animatics as well after you react to the entire musical bc it gives you a whole new perspective, and I know it did for me 7:54 The ticking sound of a clock or a piano means that Athena is watching or is nearby in this musical everyone has their own instrument which makes it easier to recognise them separately, Odysseus's instrument is a guitar the type of guitar changes according to his mood for example, angry or being strategic: electric guitar acoustic guitar?: for a sombre mood also you are amazing at this so excited for the next video
Thank you so much! I had a feeling Jorge was pulling a leitmotif thing with instruments and characters/situations, so I don't sound super confident about it in the video as it's only the first song, but glad to know my instinct was right on the way Jorge was linking characters with instruments and melodies! Not every composer takes this route, but I do love when they do it and do it well!
Let's go, finally someone talking historically about the Odissey and confirming to us how much Jay knows his mithology. It will also be interesting to see your input in the parts where he changed it to serve the purpose of the storyline. I'M HERE FOR IT. EPIC fans, get your popcorn and let's go.
i think my favourite thing abt this opening number is its basically taking you by the hand and going "listen to me. listen. this is greek myths. youre gonna have to get cool with some fucked up shit if you want _anyone_ to root for."
I thought it would be best to mention this because I haven't seen anyone else do it yet, but I would definitely recommend watching the rest via one of the many playlists of animatics people have made! They give a lot of context as to what's going on in certain scenes, and Jorge actually collaborated with quite a few to make some visuals for the later sagas. I can understand if you'd mostly want to focus on the lyrics though. Some parts just might not make as much sense without actually seeing what's going on, especially when the sound design is vague :)
Ok, so so so, this is actually the OLD version of the song. There was a whole thing with the first 2 sagas being re-recorded because the old studio tried to claim full copyright and tones of other stuff. It was super crappy. So, I would say if you want lyrics AND the most updated songs, you should absolutely watch Jorge's live streams. They're all up on his channel
Hiii!! I have been searching for someone with knowledge on the Odyssey reacting, this is so good! Most people reacting are more musically inclined, so it's both refreshing and really nice to see a person with knowledge on the book talk about that aspect, too. I feel like most of us knows the basics, but not enough to really understand all the themes. Thank you for this reaction and your addition to the fandom! Welcome, Winion.
First of all, welcome to the Epic community, hope you enjoy it here! Second, I absolutely recommend hearing the songs with animatics, a lot of the action scenes in the musical have musical cues and it's much easier to understand what's going on lol (and the fandom did maje some amazing stuff, I recc Gigi, Xinena Natzel, Duvetbox and Anniflama as some of the bigger animatic creators in the fandom) Third, I also recommend listening to the newest version of the Troy and Cyclops sagas songs because the crew had some legal issues where they were not getting paid by the studio and so they had to redo them all over again, and (in my opinion) they sound cleaner and in some cases more emotional. As a Winion (Epic fan), I love to hear your thoughts on the story as someone who clearly knows their stuff about the original epic, so do the videos as long as you want/need! Once again, welcome to Epic the Musical (prepare your tissues)!
Yup -- I moved on to the remastered versions for the next song after lots of people here were nice enough to tell me about the legal shenanigans that happened with the studio. Totally had no idea before then, but I'm all about supporting the creator, so I've moved to the new versions now. Currently I'm just going to do a textual run-through, but I will look at the animatics in my own time afterwards. If the people really want to see it, after I finish the musical, I can film my reactions to some/any of the animatics I choose to watch.
I am amazed by your knowledge of greek mythology! I have been waiting for someone like you to react to this musical. I love that you also studied adaptations. You are in for such an epic (lol) ride!!! can't wait to see your journey !
This was a really nice reaction! Loved your commentary and look forward to hearing your thoughts on some deviations to the myth further along in the musical. Especially with you having a background in adaptation!
I'm very curious to see what more deviations there are ahead! I just hope that people will be understanding if I end up being critical of any down the line 😅
This was such a fun video to watch! Small note but the first two sagas were redone due to issues with labeling company and they had to be rereleased. I believe you just listened to the old version so if you want to listen to the most official versions, look for lyric videos posted after July 4th, 2024 when the Troy and Cyclops Sagas were released under Jorge and his own company. There are slight musical differences to them just due to him gaining more experience and having more of the musical complete at the time for greater call backs or what not. Can't wait for more!
as someone who has always wanted to deep dive into greek mythology, but just never found the time to let myself do it, YES, PLEASE KEEP YAPPING!!! I feel like I miss so many subtle hints towards the source material in this musical, and I've been DESPERATE for a reactor to point everything out and explain. Hope you continue with these reactions!!
Haha, I'm sure I'll miss some -- and some that can even be interpreted from multiple avenues -- but I'll definitely do my best to keep pointing out things I notice along the way!
Fun fact: due to legal troubles, the first two sagas of epic (9 songs) had to be re-recorded. The re-recordings are generally better quality than the originals and have more emotional performances, so try to find videos that use the new audio instead of the old audio.
As someone with only a surface level of knowledge of the myths, I am so exited to see more of these reactions - Its interesting to learn more about the background of the songs
Completely unrelated to the video (banger btw!! I loved hearing from actually informed sources how does the musical compared to the original story) but IS THAT WINKLEMON ON THE TOP OF THE SHELF?!?!?!? I know what you are 🏴☠️
I just want to say, I love how much you pause to break down the song/story and share your thoughts! That's what I'm here for! If I didn't want the song interrupted I'd just relisten to it for the millionth time.
I think something else kinda messed up, In (I think) book 6 of the Illiad when Hector visits Andromache and Astyanax before he goes to fight, he prays to Zeus to protect Astyanax and to let him grow up to be someone his mother could be proud of.
Gonna thread my reply because I’ll forget what I wanted to comment on if I wait, but: absolutely stick to lyric videos for act 1 at least! People who really know the Odyssey don’t tend to get confused (except maybe by the flashback sequence at the last song of Troy Saga, sometimes). Act 2 is where there’s a biiit more deviation so visuals might be more helpful there, but you can always decide when you get there! (You can also always listen to it, and if you go “wtf is happening” you can then pull up an animatic)
I did manage to find an example in the classic lit of Odysseus killing Astyanax: from Illupersis, the Sack of Ilium, Fragment 1 synopsis translated by H. G. Evelyn-White - Proclus, Chrestomathia, ii: “The Greeks, after burning the city, sacrifice Polyxena at the tomb of Achilles: Odysseus murders Astyanax; Neoptolemus takes Andromache as his prize, and the remaining spoils are divided.” (And in fragment three of the Sack of Illium: “Scholiast on Euripedes, Andromache 10: The Cyclic poet who composed the Sack says that Astyanax was also hurled from the city wall.”) I don’t know if that’s what Jay was drawing on, since going with the Iliupersis is getting a little niche, or if he just made an adaptation call… but it’s cool that it does have some basis in the literature! ETA ……and if I had listened for literally TWO SECONDS LONGER I would have heard you mention that there’s a version where Odysseus is the one who kills Astyanax, whoops
@@liminalpsych Lol, all good! Trust me, I had to go back and double check myself - hence the hard cut there, because I went to scan my shelves and do a quick search to make sure I wasn’t imagining stuff. Yeah the Illupersis is actually quite a deep cut given that it is in fragments; it’s actually classified as a “lost epic” because I think we only have like a grand total of 10 lines from it left to modern history. But, thankfully, there are so many versions of the myths from ancient sources, that I was at least able to cite the one I’m most familiar with and could see why Jay(? OMG have I been making a faux pas by using his first name? I didn’t know he might prefer a nickname lol) would choose to have Odysseus be the one to commit the murder of Astyanax. It seems clearly like a piece laid on the board for the inner/moral journey Odysseus will go on throughout the musical :)
@@liminalpsych Also, thanks for the advice on animatics and lyric videos for future videos - I’ll have to keep that in mind for if I do get a little lost at any point!
@@madNbooks hahahaha oh don’t worry about Jorge and names. He has…… a lot of nicknames. All of which he’s given himself. Jorge and Jay are the most commonly used (I used “Jay” because it’s quicker to type), but the *funny* ones he’s used in videos are stuff like… Mr. Jalapeño, Jimbo Pimbo, Jorgenborg Borgonbong, Jorgy Gorgy….. I kid you not. XD (there’s an ongoing list on the epicthemusical fandom wiki)
This was all really fascinating and really cool to hear you share your knowledge on the mythology and its comparison to Epic. I can already tell that I’ll be very impatient for videos…lol. I would recommend possibly using the live stream version of the cast that includes the animatics. There is some context during the instrumental sections of the songs that makes the experience better, in my opinion at least.
Haha, well I'll do my best to keep them at a steady pace -- depending on how much I have to say per saga, I'm not entirely sure how each saga will get spaced out. I mean, this video was meant to cover the entirety of the Troy Saga but ended up being so long when just covering the first song, I decided to split it up. I'll keep what you said in mind about the live stream version; I do want to try to avoid animatics if only because I know I'll get distracted by the visuals -- ADHD problems -- and I'd like to try to avoid that as much as possible. But, we'll see!
@@madNbooks dont worry, the animatics don't play for the whole song, the creator commissions snippets for certain parts of the song and really enhances the experience. also, there are some character moments presented visually that the creator was not able to convey musically but makes up for visually.
I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS, i am obsessed with Epic but am not particularly educated on the original myths, so this is so awesome and i hope you go on to do the whole musical! I'll be watching every video!
I REALLY look forward to your reactions to some particular songs. Fun fact: you can tell which reactors have read the Odyssey by how they react to (spoilers)
You have already given me some context that helps with one of the lines from the last saga with your discussion about "diplomatic missions" and I can tell I will love this reaction series!
Opening the floodgates of fans upon yourself! Love your breakdown and expansion/explanations, and looking forward to following along with this. So glad you are going off just the lyrics and audio!
It’s gonna be so good to watch through with someone who has a deep knowledge of the Odyssey already. Will be wonderful to see where it fits into the book and where Jorge pulls from other epics. Can’t wait to see your reaction to certain songs in the Ocean Saga and Wisdom Saga. If you do the music only first, highly suggest watching through, then watch the “livestream” for the Ithaca Saga release for the canon animatics. 😊 Also to add, i love how you even go into what you consider might be Luke Holt’s (the voice of Zeus) training. He did a really good interview with Peter Barber and talks about a lot of things including how he came to the voice, and what his training is among a lot of other stuff. You might be surprised by his natural speaking voice. 😊
Thanks! One of my aunts actually studied opera for many years, so the "classical training" sound is one that I can usually pick up on pretty easily, especially with male singers. There's something about the texture and timbre that makes itself suuuuper known in the lower registers. I'm going to go find that interview and put it on my list to watch later -- thanks for recommending it! 😁
I've loved watching the Epic reactions from those that have a musical background but THIS is what I have been waiting for. I cannot wait to see the rest of your reactions.
I will second so many of the comments here. The epic community almost universally loves to hear the strange bits, unique insights, and (yes) all the yapping you could do. I personally have seen Writers react to see the story structure, music engineers react to the composition, and even just some common "never heard this story before" react and just feel the emotions with no idea what's coming next (One genuinely had no idea if Odysseus gets home or not, so certain points really hit hard!). It's all very fun, and very nice to see the different things different people see!
This is such an interesting video. It goes far more in depth than some other reactions that I’ve watched. I hope you end up reacting to the rest of the musical, because I’ll totally watch-however long it takes
Absolutely down for all the hyper fixation neurospicy ramblings! Your a joy to listen to. Looking forward to keeping up with your journey through the musical!
Yes!! So excited!! I would love to see you react to and Nerd out to the rest of the musical!!!! Edit: WOW!! The views have doubled in 12 hours!!! I love seeing the fandom summoned!!!!
I’ll just say this as a disclaimer Epic is an adaptation from The Odyssey, but despite it being layout Odyssey plot line it still is its own story. Therefore parts of Epic will follow its own story rather than adhering to The Odyssey 100%. Just so you know.
i wouldn't mind a 1 hour long (or more) about you yapping. i love epic the musical and i have read a shorter version (for high schoolers) of the oddysey but im interested in reading another translation. this is helping me to having more hype for my future read !!
Highly recommend the translations of either Robert Fitzgerald if you want something more poetic in its language, or Robert Fagles for something in a very dynamic but kind of straightforward writing style. Also a bonus is the audiobooks of both: Fitzgerald's translation is narrated by Dan Stevens and Fagles' translation is narrated by Sir Ian McKellen!
@@madNbooks I'm a sucker for Fitzgerald's translation, but I'd be lying if I said making a choice between Dan Stevens and Sir Ian McKellen wasn't a difficult one when I was looking up audio versions.
I am for sure a new fan of yours! As a fellow classics nerd, i have enjoyed your reaction so so much! (And you are also super cute) If I may recommend, react to the animatics(a lot of them have captions to follow the lyrics better) cause it give a lot kore insight to what might be happening "in the play" as this is a concept album! Either way, I loved your reaction!❤
I love your yapping about the mythology! Please don't hesitate to pause in the following reactions! Also, plss continue reacting, i very much look forward to it☺️
oh my god, please please PLEASE do the series like this where you go into detail about the backstory over each song one by one. Im OBSESSED with how youre doing it
So excited for this!!!! I’m also a pretty big Greek mythology/odyssey fan and personally I find Epic to be a great balance of hitting key story beats while also being a really enjoyable musical narrative
Just an FYI that you listened to the original version of The Horse and The Infant! Jorge had some issues with I believe the label they were released under and as such completely redid the first two EPIC sagas!
I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to have found you and this. I only have a very cursory knowledge of The Odyssey, but I'm obsessed with Epic, the Musical and can't wait to horde all this additional knowledge onto my current hyperfixation 😅 I cannot tell you how fast I hit subscribe after watching this! ❤️ Can't wait for the rest of the videos. 😊
Happy to see more reactions not using the animatics! Don't get me wrong I love a lot of the animatics immensely but I think its so interesting to see the deeper analysis based on solely the music without distracting visuals. Also the livestreams while they could be a compromise just uhhh a lot of Jorges creative visions visuals wise really doesnt speak to me personally I'll say it like that 😅😅😅 Lotsa love to the animators though theyre great
Ooooo i hope you keep on going with these!!! Love seeing more people experiece EPIC, especially from someone who has amazing knowledge on the story (can't wait to learn new things!). No need to listen to me, but maybe a good way to react would be listening through the whole song at first with no pause, then go back and replay it with pauses? Regardless, no matter what approach you take, im sure most folk are just eager for another person to join in on the EPIC discourse :D
I've seen reactions from experts in vocal analysis, musical theatre folks, authors and storytellers, and other mythology nerds (who addressed these topics more generically). I really appreciate your breakdown descriptions including other background characters and themes. As you move through, there will be more self-contained songs and stories that are more divergent from the original so you may find more and less reasons to pause. But don't stop or hold back what you bring is fresh, and i am thrilled to see you bring it through. Just FYI, Jay uses a lot of inspiration and tropes from video games and anime. This reflavors and rewrites to catch a new audience so there are things that i cannot wait to see your interpretation.
Jorge's official livestreams have lyrics, stage directions, and some visuals in certain parts. I suggest this moreso for the stage direction part that may provide more context than just lyrics
Love the mythology talk and breakdown. I studied it for fun when I was younger but have forgotten a lot of details and you talking about it brings a lot back!
The funniest part to me is how a lot of people think "little Ajax" is like a kid that just happens to be at war with them. It always cracks me up.
"Little Ajax will stay back" because if he enters Troy then Athena will be very angry
Omg I just imagined that scenario and cracked up 🤣
@@madNbooks Gigi's animatic of the horse and the infant portrays him as a short little dude who pops up over a wall when the line is said lol
@@haz6908 🤣
This makes me want to animate that part of The Horse and The Infant with the popular designs for the characters mentioned.. and by animate I mean maladaptive daydream
Honestly, I don't think EPIC fans mind how long reactions are lol. We are getting fed and love to consume all sorts of EPIC content, no matter how long. Though, I am aware that I don't speak for all of the community
i have a literal 21 hour (probably) playlist for sleep
Yes you are right
Here to second this!!
Honestly it's even the contrary, when reactions are long it means either they are knowledgeable about the music, the story, or writing itself, it's not just someone listen to the music(albeit interesting as well) it's a whole ass commentary and highlight Jay's quality of work
I usually don’t enjoy when people pause much in commentary videos, but when that person has knowledge on the topic like this amazing TH-camr does, I eat the videos up! I absolutely love it 🙈
Commenting for the 600 subscribers, "SIX HUNDRED MEN"
I sense an inside joke that’s waiting for me in the future because that’s A LOT of men 😱
@@madNbooks 😉 you'll get there very VERY soon
@@madNbooksmaybe even 2 songs away soon!
I heard that Jorge tried to use the original Odyssey structure at first, starting with Telemachus, but then decided to change it, because more linear structure worked for the musical better. But we still will get some reminiscence of that flashback thing later!
There were a lot of creative liberties taken in order to tell the story the way Jorge intended, but what I particularly love about this musical is that even when there are deviations from the Odyssey, they are often in line with some other myths or, like, mythological tropes in general, like this thing with Zeus coming with the prophesy. I am excited to see what you would say about the rest of it!
@@anareaty Oh yeah I can totally understand changing the structure to suit the medium change - it’s hard to tell a story in flashback, especially the way The Odyssey does it lol
Fits well for an adaptation
I love seeing someone who knows so much about the Odyssey react to Epic, can't wait to see more! "Unless you're Agamemnon" lol
Agamemnon: the human embodiment of "family problems" lol
@@madNbooks assamemnon
And then we have his brother who's completely different 😂@@madNbooks
@@madNbooks yeahh you were a bit generous with "family problems" that "catch up to him at home" lol
@@dwell7315lol just a smidge 😂
You'll find the Winions (Epic's fanbase) are a very active, very chatty, and very hungry bunch. Who happily gobble up people's reactions and thoughts on the musical. (Probably because we can't hear it for the first time anymore, so have to get that first time thrill vicariously now.)
And yes, Luke Holt does a wonderful job as Zeus. Can't wait for you to see how the characters progress. (Luke is definitely one of my fave voices in a very stacked cast.)
Aha, so THAT'S what Winions means! I couple people had mentioned it and I was frowning like...there's an inside joke here I'm missing lol. I had a feeling it might refer to something in the musical I've not yet encountered 😆
@madNbooks It's kind of both. There are winions in the musical too. It's a whole thing.
@@madNbooksSo the Winions are
A). The fans
B). The children/servants of Aeolus
C). The Lotus Eaters
Please! Pause and yap all you want! It is infinitely more interesting than just staring at the screen! I love watching reactions that take the time to break down what they find especially interesting or captivating about Epic: The Musical, whether it be the music, storytelling, or the source material lore. I almost always learn something new and gain an even better appreciation for this musical.
Oh and a few thing's about epic:
- Every character has their own instrument. For example, Penelope has a violin and Odysseus has an acoustic guitar or sometimes an electric guitar. You'll find out in which situations each guitar is played.
- When a mortal character sings and has background vocals, it means those voices (like the soldiers or the crew) are actually present and singing. However, if it's a divine character, those voices don't have to be characters present in the scene. The immortal can just summon them to make a point
-they are also A LOT of recurring motifs in epic that a always fun to analyse
Tiny correction, Penelope’s instrument is the Viola! It sounds very similar to a violin, but it doesn’t have the high E string and instead has a low C string. (Fun fact, this gives it the same tuning as a cello except an octave up!) They are also a bit bigger than violins giving them a deeper resonance :]
@bakingkitty1034 ops I must have misheard or misremembered it, thank you for the correction!
The Agamemnon slander from the get go, truly the proof you've immersed yourself in this story. As a big Illiad head, my hatred for that man is large and loud. XD
Lol I mean he really is just soooo easy to shade 😆
We Are All Hate Agamemnon
I have just been WAITING for someone with a lot of knowledge on The Odyssey to react to this!!! I have had a passing love for mythology for many years, so while I'm in no way an expert, I am a nerd with lots of fun facts. Obviously i don't begrudge anyone for not being a mythology nerd, but it was *so* satisfying to see you hear that eagle and immediately go "Ah, Zeus", along with the billion other things that are just easy to miss if you aren't familiar with the source materials. It's gonna be so cool to see this whole show through your perspective!
Haha, Zeus and his dramatics -- just HAS to use an eagle screech to announce himself. Although, mythology-nerdy fun fact: what I mention about Iphigeneia and her death is actually part of an incident referenced as "the omen of the eagles" in Aeschylus' tragedy, AGAMEMNON, which is linked with "the will of Zeus." Eagles are such a dead giveaway for Zeus to us mythology nerds lol
@@madNbooks This is exactly what I'm talking about! I knew about their association with Zeus but I had no idea about the connection through the story of Iphigenia! That is so cool! Looking forward to learning more from these videos in the future :D
This exactly! Hi! It is a, a fellow nerd! I love mythologies, and Greek mythology was my obsession during middle school to early high school. I was waiting for someone with knowledge to react to EPIC.
This is the second one by an Odyssey fan I've seen
There's a long-bearded man who knows a lot about the Odyssey and reacts to all sagas. I don't know the name of his channel, but he is really good!
there will be creative freedoms taken for this musical, just so you know
Oh, I’m sure there will be! I’m curious to see what will be tweaked and adapted 😊
Jay was very honest about that.
@@madNbooks Also be prepared for some video game and anime inspirations in those changes 😅
I HAVE BEEN WISHING FOR A CLASSICIST REACTION TO EPIC!!! I have my popcorn ready! I am SO down for a 20 minute breakdown of every song!
Haha, I can't make guarantees they'll all be this long -- there was just SO MUCH to talk about with all the names and context here! -- but I have a feeling future videos will all be...reasonably lengthy as well if they continue anything like this one 🤣
@madNbooks I am so down to hear everything you want to say on this musical!
For a moment i read it too fast and i thought you said a “classist” reaction to epic lmao
Most viewed video: 30K -- 8 years ago. This video: 5K views -- 2 days ago.
Welcome to the Epic community!
When I tell you my eyes went WIDE at seeing the flood of comment notifications for this... 😂😅
I cannot say just how happy it made me that you heard the eagle cry and IMMEDIATELY knew what was coming too
@@felixhenson9926 That eagle screech makes every Greek myth head immediately whip around like OH NO. ZEUS IS HERE 🤣
This! This is the first reaction video I’ve seen where the person knew 1) it was an eagle and 2) that meant sky daddy. Granted I haven’t seen a ton of reaction videos but I was always yelling at these parts like I’m watching Jeopardy
This is honestly quite incredible. Labeling yourself as simply a 'Classics Nerd' is a disservice to your expertise because this has got to be one of the best reactions/analysis of EPIC that I have seen. And I've been a fan of EPIC for 3 years now! I genuinely can't wait to see more from you.
Thank you -- that's kind of you to say! I don't think I'd ever feel able to label myself as anything more than a Classics Nerd or even a Classics Enthusiast just due to having grown up with a genuine and accredited Classicist who...like when I tell you my grandfathers knows SOOOO MUCH MORE than I ever could, it's not an exaggeration. So I guess it's all a matter of perspective, haha
You should react to some of the songs with your grandfather, that would be SO cool! Like, obvs catch him up to it but it would be really great to see him react to some of the most plotheavy, more mythologically accurate songs (like Polyphemous or Scylla)
Hi, just wanted to let you know this is actually an old version of the The Horse and The Infant and the Troy Saga! Jorge, the writer and voice of Odysseus, actually completely recomposed the first sagas due to legalities issues and took the original first two sagas off platform. This video is from before then, I noticed the backing vocals were different and went to check the video itself.
For the Troy and Cyclops saga you'll want to look for videos only a few months ago, not years! :)
(Of course you don't have to switch to the new version, but Jorge and the cast put so much effort into completely remaking the first two sagas whilst also working on the next sagas at the same time without receiving a cent from the original two sagas.)
I'd had no idea when I first listened, but thanks to you and a bunch of the others here, I've been made aware! I've now ensured that I'll be listening to the remastered versions of the first two sagas from here on out! I love how everyone is so helpful and informative on things like this that I'd literally have no idea about otherwise. As a creative myself, it brings me such joy seeing this kind of passion and effort to support the creators of the project!
@@madNbooks You summoned the winions and we are here to help you along the way. The fanbase name won't make sense now but it will be revealed in time. Just know we got you and will deluge you with fun facts and point out little hidden gems along the way.
@@golvic1436 I am always here for fun facts!
22:36 😧 I wasn't ready for this whole family tree drama (but im so here for it, omg)
The Greek myths are the kings of family drama lol
It gets weirder. The house of Atraides is cursed..correct me if I'm wrong..because Tantalus decided to test the omniscience of the gods by cooking his son Pelops into a stew and feeding it to them..one of the fates reassembled Pelops and Tantalus was punished in Hades with a lake that receded when he tried to drink from it and fruit hanging just out of reach
@kenzgitz9884 yup - it all goes back to Tantalus killing Pelops, and is compounded upon by Pelops killing his future father in law after winning a Chariot race against him via some…let’s say sneaky shenanigans and deals made with a servant of that house lol. The whole bloodline is a disaster 🙃 I remember writing a paper about the tragedies AGAMEMNON and HIPPOLYTUS in university and I rooted it in the whole idea that this bloodline was such a mess 😅
I must say I am extremely impressed by your knowledge of greek mythology, but as a fan of Iliad first and the Odyssey second, I must say was really looking forward to the moment you noticed the infant was Astyanax.
As you mention, Neoptolemus is often cited as the killer of Hector's son, but on the Iliupersis (attributed to Arctinus of Miletus) it is Odysseus himself who yeets the baby from the wall of Troy, while the mother, Andromache, watches as she's being taken away.
@@IrethEdelstein I am also very partial to The Iliad - though I read it after The Odyssey, I always go back to it. Something about the story being framed around Achilles’ rage is so engrossing! I had to go double check myself to make sure it wasn’t just The Trojan Women that had Odysseus killing Astyanax - that’s just the only one that sprang to mind - and I saw mention of the Illiupersis, but didn’t want to mention it in the video if only because my knowledge of it is so scant it’s negligible haha.
Also I was almost disappointed in myself for not immediately guessing the infant would be Astyanax; you can literally see my brain working to try and figure it out until they mention it and I was like OH, OF COURSE 😅
Ngl I finished watching the video and went “NOOOOO WHERE’S THE REST” I love love LOVE your analysis, please continue with the reactions!
true !!
SAME. Subscribing to see the rest :)
I think it's awesome that you're giving so much explanation for the Odyssey and in-depth analysis! You've drawn a crowd, the EPIC fans latch onto every drop they can get (especially now that it's been concluded). A couple insights though; 1: Jorge does take a decent chunk of creative freedom with the story of EPIC, so there's definitely some stuff that's widely known to be changed from the original and 2: The version of Horse and the Infant that you listened to is actually the old version. When the cast recorded the 1st and 2nd sagas, they did it with a studio that never actually paid them, so the songs were rebuilt. I think it'd be great if you listened to the updated versions from here on out!
@@raes_creativity Oh, wow, I wasn’t aware of that! I’ll try to find more recent lyric videos in the future - worst case scenario, I pull up the lyrics somewhere separately and simply play the music without it being a lyric video 👍🏼
@@madNbooks that's the best way to do it, listening to the songs from the official channel and reading the lyrics. Later you can check the animatics of each song (there are some official shorts and fanmade long videos). My advice is to take the fanmade animatics as the artist's interpretation, not like cannon from the author.
@@madNbooks I think the accurate lyrics are in Spotify 🤗
@@LizaaFernandoyep
13:25 ME EVERY TIME! LUKE’S ZEUS IS SO AAAAAAAH (IM SAPPHIC BUT SOMETIMES MEN ARE NICE)
RIGHT. Like, look, if they've got a voice like that, I'm sat to listen...even if they're Zeus 😉
@@madNbooks SAME lmao. Like I've always been the biggest Zeus hater, but then Epic happened, and I was like.... "uhm listen-" and I'm now the biggest Zeus fan (in Epic at least).
@@jimjimcherie Look, we listen and we don't judge because pretty voice is pretty 😉
@ 100% Luke's voice is just something else. Can't wait for you to hear Thunder Bringer and God Games, his voice in those??? MAAAAAN
Absolutely fascinating to listen to you go through it. Also, if you like Zeus's voice now (sung by Luke Holt btw), look forward to Thunder Bringer (in the Thunder Saga)
Oh goodness... 😲
@@madNbooksHe gets even growlier during the end of God Games in the Wisdom saga
@KSClaw, Preach Brother!
I'd love to see your reaction to Neal Illustrator's Thunder Bringer animatic. So, so good.
Just a few things 1) as you get farther into the story don’t be surprised if things arent as “on point to the myth” as this first song. There are some things Jorge had to change in order to make the story flow properly. But all the important points are still the same.
2) I would recommend doing whole sagas per video because a lot of the songs for each saga play off of or are a part 2’s too one another, we as viewers totally don’t care about the length of the videos
3) I absolutely love how much you know about these stories
Ik u mentioned struggling with posting on here but you've already drawn too big and needy of a crowd lol we're gonna need reaction/analysis on every song now please and thaaank youuu (and then if/when ever ur ready, the animatics!!! 😍🤩)
Definitely cant wait till she watch the animatics 🤩🤩
I've been dying for a classicist who actually knows the stories to react to EPIC. I obviously don't mind people having only a vague idea of the story/connection through stories like Percy Jackson, the Spongebob Movie, etc. but I love the connections you made and the lore/story you dropped - it helps add to and flesh out an already great story, in my opinion.
Can't wait for more of your reactions, I'm going to subscribe so I can follow along as you experience EPIC, because even if you end up not liking it for some reason, your knowledge of the classics makes the reactions so fascinating.
Jorge actually put a short out warning young listeners to NOT use EPIC as a "CliffNotes" version of the Odyssey. He described the project as a "re-imagining" of the story of Odysseus...and boy, were there some changes. This is its own version, not an adaptation but more of a project "inspired by" the Odyssey. It's fun having a familiarity with the story because of all the references that Jorge does include.
Really? As a fan of the Classics, that makes me really happy to hear. I think something like this could -- like Percy Jackson for some -- be a great gateway into the original stories for people who enjoy them.
I would call Epic: the Musical a retelling more than an adaptation. I would also check out the final live stream that Jorge did because there are some art pieces that Jorge commissioned, so they are considered “canon” to the musical and I think really add to the story.
I'd say that retellings fall under the kind of...super big and broad umbrella of adaptation, but there's definitely nuance to discuss there. I'm gonna keep this nugget in the back of mind as I continue on 😁
I'm really enjoying your reaction, and don't feel bad at all for pausing often, you always have very interesting stuff to say and I'm learning a lot! Really excited to see your reaction to the rest, I'll make sure to keep an eye out for them!
Yes!! Someone who knows the story! I'd recommend listening to all of the songs without visuals since you know the story. Then once you've listened all the way through you can do reactions to the animatics. The animatics are amazing and add so much for those who don't know the story well
You have summoned the Epic fandom, and lemme tell you, they are hungry, and you are feeding them well with this. Don't worry about going on too long, we are thriving with all the cool knowledge you have to share!!
Something I really like about ancient literature (like the homeric epics) is the use of nested storytelling (stories that include the telling of a story); we have the narrator telling us the story of Odysseus, then inside this story Odysseus narrates part of his story, and I'm pretty sure we go down more levels, Odysseus will narrate some other character narrating a story to him (ex. Circe might tell Odysseus about some incident that happened on her island) so you would have the narrator narrating how Odysseus narrates how Circe narrates her story. A great example of this is early in Apuleius' Metamorphosis (aka the Golden Ass)
Lucius is both our main character AND the narrator. He explains how he was on the way to Thessaly when he met a wayfarer named Aristomenes who warned him to not get involved with witches and witchcraft, so he asks Aristomenes to explain, Aristomenes then tells a story about how he ran into an old friend named Socrates (not the philosopher) who was in a miserable state, and asked him how he ended up like this, then Socrates tells a story of how he ended up gettimg involved with a witch and how it ruined him
Yes, a random event has us go 3 narrators deep, Lucius narrating Aristomenes's recounting of the story Socrates had told him.
Yup, so many of the ancient stories love to use a story within a story within a story -- that and also always dropping something story-wise early so that it can be repeated or echoed later on.
That also makes me remember when studying Latin we'd also look at in Roman poetry how the writers would literally nest words within each other or shift them around in the sentence to create that effect physically. At the time I thought it was cool, but also was letting out a string of curses inside 'cause I'd be hunting through lines and lines of the text just to find the subject of the piece because the writer had done something like that.
@madNbooks A related but distinct thing is what we find in works like the Canterbury Tales, the Decameron, and 1001 Nights (aka Arabian Nights)
These are all essentially short story anthologies, but they each have a frame narrative.
In CT we follow a group of pilgrims who start a friendly storytelling competition and so the pilgrims take turns telling their stories (and if I'm not mistaken the raunchiest story is that of one of the two nuns)
The Decameron has 10 young nobles from Florence waiting out the Black Death in a rural villa because. They are bored and tell each other stories to pass the time.
1001 Nights features a bitter Sultan, his first wife had cheated on him and so he decided that he would marry a new virgin every day and put her to death after a day (leaving him freshly widowed and in need of a new wife). His new bride has a plan though, she tells a very engaging story but cuts it off on a cliffhanger to continue the next day, that way her husband has to let her live to have her finish the story... Every night she finishes the previous story and segues into a new story to leave on a cliffhanger... She keeps this up for 1000 nights before running out of stories. By the end she hopes her husband has grown fond enough of her to desist from his rapid serial monogamy plan that she had thwarted for so long.
I think 1001 Nights has some of these nested stories we find in Classic literature.
I am sure there are other such anthologies from all over, these are just the ones I am specifically aware of.
I’ve had so much fun getting reactions from people who have a solid understanding of music theory and unpacking that, and I’m THRILLEDDD to have someone who really understands the myth. Please, do all the pauses! This is so much fun.
18:56 - not to be mistaken for the other golden fleece 😂 Also the amount of child-eating in greek myth is kind of nuts.
Lol yeah we're a handful of generations too late for that whole...misadventure of an adventure 😂 And yeah it's absolutely BONKERS how much child-killing and child-eating goes on in Greek mythology 😬
Alright, I'm in. This is incredible! I wanna see this musical broken down by the most qualified nerd ever. I knew Jorge pulled from multiple sources for his myth, but the nitty-gritty details that reference those myths that can be analyzed, I am so excited to know more about them from someone who has studied them directly.
Also, you have summoned the EPIC fanbase to your channel, there will be a tidal wave of them (me included, i guess?) and I hope it settles well and you get people interested in all the things ya do here. Try to not get caught up in the numbers of eyes watching you, but keep doing what you're doing already, this is wonderful. Take your time to make these videos, don't rush. You cannot over-analyze this concept album enough, trust me.
Side note/recommendation, if you can, try and listen to the Troy and Cyclops Sagas that were released by Jorge Rivera POST July 4th, 2024. Those re-recorded versions of the album were made entirely by him and his team, the previous editions do not directly support him, and they just don't sound as good. I don't know exactly where to see lyric videos for Jorge's versions, but I'd go looking for em if you want a overall better experience listening to the music. Textually the same, but textureally better. Like a sandwich made at home with love vs a sandwich served at a restaurant with no care. Same ingredients, but... this metaphor got stretched too much, like this comment.
I love yapping. I'll patiently wait for your next analysis! Cheers!
"When does a Ripple become a Tidal Wave?
When does an Upload become a Craze?"
You know the rest
@@thebitten1 when does a man become so VIRAAAAAAAAAAL!!!
Thank you so much -- honestly everything you wrote is really sweet and made me so happy I decided to film, edit, and upload this. I debated about it a lot. Also thank for giving me a solid date for which to listen to the rest of the next two sagas. I saw others commenting about production/studio shenanigans and so was trying to figure out how I'd be able to differentiate between the "old" and "new" versions, but having a date helps so much! I think I'll end up going to Jorge's YT page and using his playlist he has for all the songs. I initially didn't because they don't have lyrics, but I think that'll be the best way going forward ☺
@@madNbooksthe ones on Spotify are the new ones just so you know
Oh hello there! Welcome to EPIC! 😁
In case you're interested, the Ithaca saga release stream has the full musical in one place, with primarily lyrics onscreen and occasional commissioned canon animatics. It's really well put together, and it has the cast interacting with it, which is really cute 🥰
This is something i think you will find interesting going forward with the musical, all the gods/being who aren't fully mortal/monsters all have the ability to summon a back up chorus, all mortals their background vocals have to come from others physically there. I felt it was a really good way to signal to the audience exactly who are gods.(Also if others are there)
as a person with a BADDDD greek mythology hyperfixation, its so exciting to have someone also into greek mythology react to this musical and talk about the myth AAAAH!!
6:07 Hehe diplomatic mission, ma'am not only are you a classic nerd and a theatre kid you are also a prophet.
also do try to react to animatics as well after you react to the entire musical bc it gives you a whole new perspective, and I know it did for me
7:54 The ticking sound of a clock or a piano means that Athena is watching or is nearby
in this musical everyone has their own instrument which makes it easier to recognise them separately, Odysseus's instrument is a guitar the type of guitar changes according to his mood for example,
angry or being strategic: electric guitar
acoustic guitar?: for a sombre mood
also you are amazing at this so excited for the next video
Thank you so much! I had a feeling Jorge was pulling a leitmotif thing with instruments and characters/situations, so I don't sound super confident about it in the video as it's only the first song, but glad to know my instinct was right on the way Jorge was linking characters with instruments and melodies! Not every composer takes this route, but I do love when they do it and do it well!
@@madNbooks Anytime! 🤗
Let's go, finally someone talking historically about the Odissey and confirming to us how much Jay knows his mithology. It will also be interesting to see your input in the parts where he changed it to serve the purpose of the storyline. I'M HERE FOR IT. EPIC fans, get your popcorn and let's go.
i think my favourite thing abt this opening number is its basically taking you by the hand and going "listen to me. listen. this is greek myths. youre gonna have to get cool with some fucked up shit if you want _anyone_ to root for."
Which is definitely crucial for those unaccustomed to the "everybody is messy AF" world of Greek myth lol
I thought it would be best to mention this because I haven't seen anyone else do it yet, but I would definitely recommend watching the rest via one of the many playlists of animatics people have made! They give a lot of context as to what's going on in certain scenes, and Jorge actually collaborated with quite a few to make some visuals for the later sagas. I can understand if you'd mostly want to focus on the lyrics though. Some parts just might not make as much sense without actually seeing what's going on, especially when the sound design is vague :)
PLEASE YAP MORE, A CLASSICIST REACTING TO EPIC IS WHAT I’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR AAAAAA DNJSJSJDJSJSH
Ok, so so so, this is actually the OLD version of the song. There was a whole thing with the first 2 sagas being re-recorded because the old studio tried to claim full copyright and tones of other stuff. It was super crappy. So, I would say if you want lyrics AND the most updated songs, you should absolutely watch Jorge's live streams. They're all up on his channel
Hiii!! I have been searching for someone with knowledge on the Odyssey reacting, this is so good! Most people reacting are more musically inclined, so it's both refreshing and really nice to see a person with knowledge on the book talk about that aspect, too. I feel like most of us knows the basics, but not enough to really understand all the themes. Thank you for this reaction and your addition to the fandom! Welcome, Winion.
First of all, welcome to the Epic community, hope you enjoy it here!
Second, I absolutely recommend hearing the songs with animatics, a lot of the action scenes in the musical have musical cues and it's much easier to understand what's going on lol (and the fandom did maje some amazing stuff, I recc Gigi, Xinena Natzel, Duvetbox and Anniflama as some of the bigger animatic creators in the fandom)
Third, I also recommend listening to the newest version of the Troy and Cyclops sagas songs because the crew had some legal issues where they were not getting paid by the studio and so they had to redo them all over again, and (in my opinion) they sound cleaner and in some cases more emotional.
As a Winion (Epic fan), I love to hear your thoughts on the story as someone who clearly knows their stuff about the original epic, so do the videos as long as you want/need!
Once again, welcome to Epic the Musical (prepare your tissues)!
Yup -- I moved on to the remastered versions for the next song after lots of people here were nice enough to tell me about the legal shenanigans that happened with the studio. Totally had no idea before then, but I'm all about supporting the creator, so I've moved to the new versions now.
Currently I'm just going to do a textual run-through, but I will look at the animatics in my own time afterwards. If the people really want to see it, after I finish the musical, I can film my reactions to some/any of the animatics I choose to watch.
@madNbooks that's totally okay! You should enjoy it the way you like, we'll enjoy it (and the extra OG knowledge) with you!
I am amazed by your knowledge of greek mythology! I have been waiting for someone like you to react to this musical. I love that you also studied adaptations.
You are in for such an epic (lol) ride!!! can't wait to see your journey !
This was a really nice reaction! Loved your commentary and look forward to hearing your thoughts on some deviations to the myth further along in the musical. Especially with you having a background in adaptation!
I'm very curious to see what more deviations there are ahead! I just hope that people will be understanding if I end up being critical of any down the line 😅
This is the exact kind of insights I hoping for in a reaction/listen to video. Can't wait to learn more!
This was such a fun video to watch! Small note but the first two sagas were redone due to issues with labeling company and they had to be rereleased. I believe you just listened to the old version so if you want to listen to the most official versions, look for lyric videos posted after July 4th, 2024 when the Troy and Cyclops Sagas were released under Jorge and his own company. There are slight musical differences to them just due to him gaining more experience and having more of the musical complete at the time for greater call backs or what not.
Can't wait for more!
as someone who has always wanted to deep dive into greek mythology, but just never found the time to let myself do it, YES, PLEASE KEEP YAPPING!!! I feel like I miss so many subtle hints towards the source material in this musical, and I've been DESPERATE for a reactor to point everything out and explain. Hope you continue with these reactions!!
Haha, I'm sure I'll miss some -- and some that can even be interpreted from multiple avenues -- but I'll definitely do my best to keep pointing out things I notice along the way!
Fun fact: due to legal troubles, the first two sagas of epic (9 songs) had to be re-recorded. The re-recordings are generally better quality than the originals and have more emotional performances, so try to find videos that use the new audio instead of the old audio.
As someone with only a surface level of knowledge of the myths, I am so exited to see more of these reactions - Its interesting to learn more about the background of the songs
Completely unrelated to the video (banger btw!! I loved hearing from actually informed sources how does the musical compared to the original story) but IS THAT WINKLEMON ON THE TOP OF THE SHELF?!?!?!?
I know what you are 🏴☠️
AND DDEONGBYEOLI TOO
@@magikgarcia3408 8 MAKES 1 TEAM!! 🏴☠️
I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one who noticed them hahaha
I just want to say, I love how much you pause to break down the song/story and share your thoughts! That's what I'm here for! If I didn't want the song interrupted I'd just relisten to it for the millionth time.
I think something else kinda messed up, In (I think) book 6 of the Illiad when Hector visits Andromache and Astyanax before he goes to fight, he prays to Zeus to protect Astyanax and to let him grow up to be someone his mother could be proud of.
Gonna thread my reply because I’ll forget what I wanted to comment on if I wait, but: absolutely stick to lyric videos for act 1 at least! People who really know the Odyssey don’t tend to get confused (except maybe by the flashback sequence at the last song of Troy Saga, sometimes).
Act 2 is where there’s a biiit more deviation so visuals might be more helpful there, but you can always decide when you get there! (You can also always listen to it, and if you go “wtf is happening” you can then pull up an animatic)
Don’t apologize for pausing, pause and go into so much detail about all the things! I love how much info and context you’re adding to all of this.
I did manage to find an example in the classic lit of Odysseus killing Astyanax: from Illupersis, the Sack of Ilium, Fragment 1 synopsis translated by H. G. Evelyn-White -
Proclus, Chrestomathia, ii: “The Greeks, after burning the city, sacrifice Polyxena at the tomb of Achilles: Odysseus murders Astyanax; Neoptolemus takes Andromache as his prize, and the remaining spoils are divided.” (And in fragment three of the Sack of Illium: “Scholiast on Euripedes, Andromache 10: The Cyclic poet who composed the Sack says that Astyanax was also hurled from the city wall.”)
I don’t know if that’s what Jay was drawing on, since going with the Iliupersis is getting a little niche, or if he just made an adaptation call… but it’s cool that it does have some basis in the literature!
ETA ……and if I had listened for literally TWO SECONDS LONGER I would have heard you mention that there’s a version where Odysseus is the one who kills Astyanax, whoops
@@liminalpsych Lol, all good! Trust me, I had to go back and double check myself - hence the hard cut there, because I went to scan my shelves and do a quick search to make sure I wasn’t imagining stuff. Yeah the Illupersis is actually quite a deep cut given that it is in fragments; it’s actually classified as a “lost epic” because I think we only have like a grand total of 10 lines from it left to modern history. But, thankfully, there are so many versions of the myths from ancient sources, that I was at least able to cite the one I’m most familiar with and could see why Jay(? OMG have I been making a faux pas by using his first name? I didn’t know he might prefer a nickname lol) would choose to have Odysseus be the one to commit the murder of Astyanax. It seems clearly like a piece laid on the board for the inner/moral journey Odysseus will go on throughout the musical :)
@@liminalpsych Also, thanks for the advice on animatics and lyric videos for future videos - I’ll have to keep that in mind for if I do get a little lost at any point!
@@madNbooks hahahaha oh don’t worry about Jorge and names. He has…… a lot of nicknames. All of which he’s given himself. Jorge and Jay are the most commonly used (I used “Jay” because it’s quicker to type), but the *funny* ones he’s used in videos are stuff like… Mr. Jalapeño, Jimbo Pimbo, Jorgenborg Borgonbong, Jorgy Gorgy….. I kid you not. XD (there’s an ongoing list on the epicthemusical fandom wiki)
This was all really fascinating and really cool to hear you share your knowledge on the mythology and its comparison to Epic. I can already tell that I’ll be very impatient for videos…lol.
I would recommend possibly using the live stream version of the cast that includes the animatics. There is some context during the instrumental sections of the songs that makes the experience better, in my opinion at least.
Haha, well I'll do my best to keep them at a steady pace -- depending on how much I have to say per saga, I'm not entirely sure how each saga will get spaced out. I mean, this video was meant to cover the entirety of the Troy Saga but ended up being so long when just covering the first song, I decided to split it up. I'll keep what you said in mind about the live stream version; I do want to try to avoid animatics if only because I know I'll get distracted by the visuals -- ADHD problems -- and I'd like to try to avoid that as much as possible. But, we'll see!
@@madNbooks dont worry, the animatics don't play for the whole song, the creator commissions snippets for certain parts of the song and really enhances the experience. also, there are some character moments presented visually that the creator was not able to convey musically but makes up for visually.
Your reactions are the best ❤ I am falling in love with you over your emotional intelligence! Thank you for making these!
I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS, i am obsessed with Epic but am not particularly educated on the original myths, so this is so awesome and i hope you go on to do the whole musical! I'll be watching every video!
Your intro alone sold me on your reactions. I'm here for it. I'm. Looking forward to following your journey.
Oh man, this was SO wonderful! I can’t wait for your reaction to Just a Man!
I REALLY look forward to your reactions to some particular songs.
Fun fact: you can tell which reactors have read the Odyssey by how they react to (spoilers)
You have already given me some context that helps with one of the lines from the last saga with your discussion about "diplomatic missions" and I can tell I will love this reaction series!
Opening the floodgates of fans upon yourself!
Love your breakdown and expansion/explanations, and looking forward to following along with this. So glad you are going off just the lyrics and audio!
Lol, I really did, didn't I? Had no idea the response would be so entusiastic!
I am absolutely the intended audience for this series, very excited to follow along with the reaction and analysis
So so so excited for more reactions to EPIC from you!
It’s gonna be so good to watch through with someone who has a deep knowledge of the Odyssey already. Will be wonderful to see where it fits into the book and where Jorge pulls from other epics.
Can’t wait to see your reaction to certain songs in the Ocean Saga and Wisdom Saga.
If you do the music only first, highly suggest watching through, then watch the “livestream” for the Ithaca Saga release for the canon animatics. 😊
Also to add, i love how you even go into what you consider might be Luke Holt’s (the voice of Zeus) training. He did a really good interview with Peter Barber and talks about a lot of things including how he came to the voice, and what his training is among a lot of other stuff. You might be surprised by his natural speaking voice. 😊
Thanks! One of my aunts actually studied opera for many years, so the "classical training" sound is one that I can usually pick up on pretty easily, especially with male singers. There's something about the texture and timbre that makes itself suuuuper known in the lower registers. I'm going to go find that interview and put it on my list to watch later -- thanks for recommending it! 😁
I've loved watching the Epic reactions from those that have a musical background but THIS is what I have been waiting for. I cannot wait to see the rest of your reactions.
I will second so many of the comments here. The epic community almost universally loves to hear the strange bits, unique insights, and (yes) all the yapping you could do. I personally have seen Writers react to see the story structure, music engineers react to the composition, and even just some common "never heard this story before" react and just feel the emotions with no idea what's coming next (One genuinely had no idea if Odysseus gets home or not, so certain points really hit hard!). It's all very fun, and very nice to see the different things different people see!
This is such an interesting video. It goes far more in depth than some other reactions that I’ve watched. I hope you end up reacting to the rest of the musical, because I’ll totally watch-however long it takes
Just found my next obsession. I loved the entire breakdown
Love this, please continue! And ramble on mythology as much as you like -- you're bringing something unique to the table!
Absolutely down for all the hyper fixation neurospicy ramblings! Your a joy to listen to. Looking forward to keeping up with your journey through the musical!
Yes!! So excited!! I would love to see you react to and Nerd out to the rest of the musical!!!!
Edit: WOW!! The views have doubled in 12 hours!!! I love seeing the fandom summoned!!!!
PLEASE don't stop yapping!! 🙏 we love hearing your thoughts! your mythology knowledge and the connections you make are so interesting!
Please talk this much about every song. I love hearing all your insights!!!
Love how all us nerds come together in amazing phenomenal ways
I loove you actually going into the connections of the myths and bloodline etc! Please keep doing that through this ❤
Another Winion! Welcome!
Winions are what the epic fans are called.
I’ll just say this as a disclaimer Epic is an adaptation from The Odyssey, but despite it being layout Odyssey plot line it still is its own story. Therefore parts of Epic will follow its own story rather than adhering to The Odyssey 100%. Just so you know.
Oh I'm aware -- I studied adaptation, so I don't expect a 1:1, especially when changing mediums from an epic poem to a musical
@ aight cool just wanted to make sure, so there wasn’t any confusion.
This is amazing watching someone who was raised basically in this world react to Epic. I can’t wait for more!
I really appreciate the analysis and backstory you're giving us here! Can't wait to see your thoughts on the rest of the story!
Glad you picked this up! Please watch the entire musical!
i wouldn't mind a 1 hour long (or more) about you yapping. i love epic the musical and i have read a shorter version (for high schoolers) of the oddysey but im interested in reading another translation. this is helping me to having more hype for my future read !!
Highly recommend the translations of either Robert Fitzgerald if you want something more poetic in its language, or Robert Fagles for something in a very dynamic but kind of straightforward writing style. Also a bonus is the audiobooks of both: Fitzgerald's translation is narrated by Dan Stevens and Fagles' translation is narrated by Sir Ian McKellen!
@@madNbooks I'm a sucker for Fitzgerald's translation, but I'd be lying if I said making a choice between Dan Stevens and Sir Ian McKellen wasn't a difficult one when I was looking up audio versions.
@@Macabrellian Lol, right? It's totally being caught between Scylla and Charybdis...but in a not bad/fatal way lol 😅
I am for sure a new fan of yours! As a fellow classics nerd, i have enjoyed your reaction so so much! (And you are also super cute)
If I may recommend, react to the animatics(a lot of them have captions to follow the lyrics better) cause it give a lot kore insight to what might be happening "in the play" as this is a concept album!
Either way, I loved your reaction!❤
Please continue your analysis. Please do all of this.
I mean all of Epic, I love the more.. Mythos minded vibe.
Gonna let your reactions marinate so I can bingewatch them later, love the explanation and insight you have
"Diplomatic mission" yeah you could say he was held down for a bit.
I love your yapping about the mythology! Please don't hesitate to pause in the following reactions! Also, plss continue reacting, i very much look forward to it☺️
oh my god, please please PLEASE do the series like this where you go into detail about the backstory over each song one by one. Im OBSESSED with how youre doing it
So excited for this!!!! I’m also a pretty big Greek mythology/odyssey fan and personally I find Epic to be a great balance of hitting key story beats while also being a really enjoyable musical narrative
Just an FYI that you listened to the original version of The Horse and The Infant! Jorge had some issues with I believe the label they were released under and as such completely redid the first two EPIC sagas!
I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to have found you and this. I only have a very cursory knowledge of The Odyssey, but I'm obsessed with Epic, the Musical and can't wait to horde all this additional knowledge onto my current hyperfixation 😅 I cannot tell you how fast I hit subscribe after watching this! ❤️ Can't wait for the rest of the videos. 😊
Happy to see more reactions not using the animatics! Don't get me wrong I love a lot of the animatics immensely but I think its so interesting to see the deeper analysis based on solely the music without distracting visuals.
Also the livestreams while they could be a compromise just uhhh a lot of Jorges creative visions visuals wise really doesnt speak to me personally I'll say it like that 😅😅😅
Lotsa love to the animators though theyre great
Def looking forward to more!! I love seeing all these different perspectives on this musical
Ooooo i hope you keep on going with these!!! Love seeing more people experiece EPIC, especially from someone who has amazing knowledge on the story (can't wait to learn new things!).
No need to listen to me, but maybe a good way to react would be listening through the whole song at first with no pause, then go back and replay it with pauses? Regardless, no matter what approach you take, im sure most folk are just eager for another person to join in on the EPIC discourse :D
I've seen reactions from experts in vocal analysis, musical theatre folks, authors and storytellers, and other mythology nerds (who addressed these topics more generically). I really appreciate your breakdown descriptions including other background characters and themes. As you move through, there will be more self-contained songs and stories that are more divergent from the original so you may find more and less reasons to pause. But don't stop or hold back what you bring is fresh, and i am thrilled to see you bring it through.
Just FYI, Jay uses a lot of inspiration and tropes from video games and anime. This reflavors and rewrites to catch a new audience so there are things that i cannot wait to see your interpretation.
Jorge's official livestreams have lyrics, stage directions, and some visuals in certain parts. I suggest this moreso for the stage direction part that may provide more context than just lyrics
Love the mythology talk and breakdown. I studied it for fun when I was younger but have forgotten a lot of details and you talking about it brings a lot back!
I can't wait for the next reaction this musical is sooo good it's nice to see the opinion of someone who knows a lot about greek mythology!
Your reaction and insights are amazing! Love seeing it, please keep up the reactions! Eagerly awaiting more!