#she is basically an otome isekai mom

[zeivira]

Well, maybe not literally, but you get the memo.

Wilhelm, do you think she decided to go to the Whale Hunt because she wanted you to be a DICK

[pruneunfair]

Rating FL's part 3

Shuri

12/10: I just started reading A step mothers marchen (and it's probably gonna take a while to finish it since Bato doesn't have a full English translation) but from the few chapters I read I agreed with fans of the book that Shuri is without a doubt one of the best FL's. There's actual development between her and the step-children and she succeeds at being relatable without making her too overpowered.

Athanasia

7/10: Okay while I don't really care too much about WMMAP, I still think that for one of the first most popular otome isekais Athy was a pretty good protagonist and most of my complaints about her are mostly just ant hills. I don't have much to say on Athy other then she's a good start for OI protagonists but could be a little better.

Aisha

9/10: Is she generic? Yes, does that make her a bad protagonist? No. I don't understand what people mean when they say Marianne overshadows her unless they're talking about the fandom specifically because as someone who also really loves Marianne, she barely shows up on screen so to say that she overshadows Aisha just because Aisha is a typical sweet saintess heroine is stupid. Sometimes ITLA can be a little on the nose with how nice she is but I still find Aisha pretty well made.

Sienna

9/10: Okay I officially love manhwa where the maid is the protagonist instead of a noblewoman and as short as the manhwa she's from is, I still think she's a sweetheart. My only complaint is that the story keeps randomly inserting sad backstory memories so you feel bad for her, like one minute she'll be doing something ordinary and then next she's basically just like "This reminds me of when my step-mom hit me with jumper cables after I spilled one drop of tea." And then it goes back to the present within one panel.

Hae Soo

6.5/10: I'm sorry but people meat ride her WAY too much. She's not a terrible FL but there is so much better and she's really not all that because you can kinda tell by the way that she's the only female character thats likable and with that bodytype that she's just a self insert character.

Ruby

8/10: For once we have a piece that actually looks into the typical white lotuses point of view, Like Helena except way darker when it comes to backstories. I like that Ruby is shown to be more emotional cause I never liked how a lot of manhwa imply that emotions=crybaby FL, it all depends on how it's handled and I think thr author was very respectful when it came to her abuse and ED. However like Sienna there are times when the author is trying too hard and ends up forgetting certain parts of Ruby's trauma. For example they mentioned early in the chapters that Ruby's beloved older sister had died but it's barely mentioned in the future on how it affected her, so it ends up feeling like it was just a way to feel bad for her even more.

Aria

6/10: so on one hand I'm really glad that Aria is actually evil instead of the comic just saying " Oh no! She's not evil! She's too nice for that" because if villainess is gonna be in the title then she should keep some of her villainous traits, but I really don't know if I should see her as super smart if all her enemies are too stupid to combat her, it makes Aria look really stupid when she got killed in the first timeline if they're so bad at crimes.

Eris

10/10, Love my girl Eris! Kill the villainess was great for a lot of things, a knight for the ML instead of the prince, the ogfl not being a white lotus out to ruin Eris's life, and morally corrupt villains that felt like obstacles, but what they did the best was the FL because Eris actually retains her goal on going back to her world instead of shrugging it off and going to sleep because you know most people would be freaking out if they woke up as a historical woman in a time period where women had no rights and it was easy to die after getting sick once.

Roxana

9.5/10: She's overrated but that doesn't make a character bad by default. When I finally read Roxana after seeing the hype I could understand why they loved Roxana so much. Now as much as I don't like evil protagonists who don't suffer consequences, the story makes up for it by being self aware that the Agriche family are a bunch of lunatics with the exception of Roxanas mom and her late brother. Being chaotic is simply part of the plot so I don't think it's fair for me to fault it. That being said as much as I loved her I do think that her takeover during the end chapters shouldn't have been done and done so easily and quickly.

Verta

7/10: similar to Roxana, Depths of malice is self aware that Verta is a terrible person even though she has a tragic backstory, it's only an explanation for why she's like this not an excuse. If you know me, you know I love the white lotus women so seeing one as a protagonist was something extraordinary since I thought everyone but me and a select few hated two faced women. She only really earns a 7 because as good as she is, there are better ones.

[natsspammityspamspamham]

I read a bunch of isekai manga of the villainess subgenre so you don't have to!

Bro, procrastinating during finals season looks different for everyone. Ugh... Okay, so I'm going to go through some of the ones that have already been adapted into anime and what I think of them.

Hamefura

Hamefura is the pioneer of this subgenre of a subgenre when it comes to getting an anime adaptation. This show is what taught me that the whole "isekai" and "villainess" genres were not inherently bad if adapted correctly; in fact, they can be quite good! With an enjoyable cast and an amusing setting, this anime is a lot of fun to watch, and it's no wonder that it keeps getting continuations.

Akuyaku Reijou nano de Last Boss wo Kattemimashita

It's not good after episode 5. I went off about it here. Just read the manga or watch the first five episodes and dip. You're not missing anything.

Manga Territory

Akuyaku Reijou no Tsuihougo!

Ah yes, this is the one that started off this rabbit hole of absolute terror. If you want more information about it, I did talk about it here when asking what the reception of it was (in case people really wanted it scanlated). Anyways, it's cheesy and corny, but the voice-over comic sold me on it. I like how they really incorporate her previous life into the decisions she makes, but they should probably explain why she's so dense to romance (or whether she's rebuffing him), in my opinion.

The decision on whether I'd want it scanslated will probably be determined by both reception and how the story moves (because if they ain't together within the next few chapters, I'm leaving. Sayonara losers)

Tensei Majo wa Horobi wo Tsugeru

This one was fun and all, but it felt really standard out of the batch. It also borrows a ton of ideas from Akatsuki no Yona. While it's about as plain as the previous entry, I actually read this one last, so along with the parody, I got this one. Speaking of Akatsuki no Yona, here are some similarities: Special girl has her life turned upside down by a tragic event and has difficulties with trauma. Boy (non-dragon) comes in and takes her to some place different. Dragon boys start showing up and being added to the... what is now a harem I guess. It's like "Hold on. I've got an idea. Akatsuki no Yona mixed with isekai. The girl is a previous hikikomori too." I mean, I will give credit where it's due, the art is good, but I just feel like reading it was just a deja vu experience.

I find it funny how two male leads in media I've consumed recently have identified as "mothers" of the MCs. Does this mean that girls want someone that will essentially be a mom to them?

Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijou.

Now this is a good parody, but I'll have to get back to everyone if it ends up keeping my interesting. Unlike all of the other entries, this one doesn't have a huge "plot". It's basically just a girl pining for the villainess of an otome game, and the result is a mushy, corny, cheesy pile of "What the heck? That's cute!" It does exactly what it needs to do, and the art is amusing! I also appreciate the approach of "Imagine having an otome game where you're not interested in the guys but a side character"

Seijo no Hazu ga, Douyara Nottoraremashita

This one was saved for last because it was a darn blast. This one has the weakest, most disproportionate art I've seen in a while in a manga (where frames don't really move). Unlike manga such as Mob Psycho which has an art style that complements the disproportion, this one does not. The characters look like their eyes need to be reoriented sometimes. Or maybe just start again? But man, what it lacks in art it makes up for in story and humour. This may be listed down as a romance, but it takes a good 16-18 chapters to really get going, but it isn't one of those "slow burn" sort of things. It progresses when it wants to progress, and when it doesn't (or even when it does), it will just full-on mock the situation its in with a heroine who reacts in a way that we probably just might. Also, the fake marriage in this one makes a lot of sense from a plot standpoint. Overall, it was enjoyable and stuck out from the rest, but the cover art is extremely misleading (it makes you believe it will be what it is essentially trying to parody sometimes).

I'm looking forward to that villainess anime with the tsundere and whatnot, so I'm going to read that (hence, I'm reading everything else). I was half-asleep when writing this and reading some of these, so this may have skewed my perception.

[otakween]

Head Start at Birth - Chapters 1-10

This one popped up on MAL suddenly because the JP title begins with a "0." Always excited to read/watch something new for a change, but this looks kinda bottom tier. Not only is it an incredibly generic plot, but its adaptation is a short episodes anime 😬

ALSO, this manga is being sold in the west as chapters and in the Webtoon style? I'm old school and kinda hate this. Why can't I just buy volumes?

Ch. 1

Oof this is so generic. I'm trying to give it a chance but the cliches are too much. The art is...fine but not very memorable. At least it's in color.

The mom got over her 3 year old making land management recommendations waaaay too quickly.

>_> Is that much older looking dude the love interest? I'm gonna throw up.

Lilia was 30 when she got isekai'd so I guess I'm supposed to be the target audience here? I feel like if I was in her position I wouldn't be like "YEAH, LET'S LEVEL UP!" I'd be like "YEAH! A CHANCE TO BE A KID AGAIN AND GOOF OFF!"

I feel like they vaguely implied that the mom is an evil capitalist (monarchist?) since she won't give people tax relief. That could be something interesting to explore...

Ch. 2

Reslar (the dragon) sounds suspiciously close to Rizzler lol

They introduce 3 age appropriate boys and then she immediately falls for the older guy. I get that she has the mind of a 30 year old but it's still weird. They'll probably go the "he waits until she's older" route. Whatever -_-

I was pleased that Lilia's parents stayed on her side as she was slightly rude to the royals. Their loyalties are in the right place at least.

Why does every shoujo isekai gotta be fixated on otome games and villainesses? It's honestly so bizarre how keyword obsessed media is these days...

Ch. 3

Yeah so, this is a romance isekai where the MC is 5 and the love interest is 15 🙄 I get that it's kinda based on the olden days when engagements like that were normal due to political marriages, but still. We don't really need to be romanticizing this stuff nowadays, right? Especially when it's a fantasy world where everything's made up and the points don't matter. Oh well.

This situation reminds me of The Familiar of Zero when Louise had a much older fiancé. Although in that series I think it was kind of portrayed as a little creepy/unsettling. Wow never thought I'd be praising The Familiar of Zero as a more progressive option 😅

I do appreciate that the dad (Guy) is ride or die for his daughter, but the joke about him thinking she'd been raped was a little tasteless.

We have yet to see what the plot of this series is going to be. Is it going to follow the romance angle mainly or is it going to be more about Lilia's personal development?

Ch. 4

Lilia's mom looks a lot like she stepped out of Umineko no Naku Koro ni. It's probably just the cravat lol.

We learn about Elrich's tragic backstory (his parents were executed for treason). Unfortunately, it didn't really make him a more interesting character. I had hoped he'd have at least some sort of reaction to the engagement but he's pretty much just "bland perfect husbando" so far.

The sex fantasy was something I could have lived without. Straight to jail.

Hopefully we can get an Elrich chapter here and there to flesh him out. I don't care how much he looks like Lilia's fave otome game character.

Ch. 5

I was wary of the parents at first, but they seem to actually be really good parents? Also, Lilia's mom is super politically smart too (girl boss lol). I guess the doting dad thing is basically just a stock character, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Glad the spirits get to show some actually emotion for once (well, Reslar does anyways).

I do like that Lilia is more focused on her ambitions than Elrich. She just happens to also be really horny for Elrich lol (I'm sorry...that's how it's portrayed).

Ch. 6

Okay, I'm kinda getting into this >_> it's just shoujo isekai brain rot basically but the art is so cute and it's been a long time since I've read a manga in full color

Dressing in your fiancé's color is so romantic ;w; (although I guess people don't always have signature colors irl lol).

The dynamic between mom and Lilia both being badass boss babes gives me Yor/Anya vibes because of the ages haha.

That gothic look with the princess curls was serving (werk)

Ch. 7

Urgh my anime arch nemesis appears...head pats. I don't think they're cute at all, I think they're weird and demeaning. (Even if I was 5 years old I think I'd be like "get your hand off my head" lol). I still don't know if this is a thing Japanese people do IRL or not.

Lillia being instantly OP at everything she tries is pretty boring, this manga could use more conflict right about now.

Ch. 8

I like the princes' names (Isaac, Leonard, and Ferdinand). IDK if it would be better or worse if Lilia went for one of them instead. You can't win with rebirth scenarios lol

Ch. 9

Wtf, the spirits get ikemen versions? I can get on board with that actually. Some of my OCs are fantasy creatures with human versions actually...

"This is like having a sister" (file under: objectively weird things to say about your fiancé)

I can relate to Lilia's inability to relax. Productivity is fun to me 😅

Ch. 10

Still no ikemen Reslar, I'm surprised by the mangaka's restraint lol.

Wait how did people even learn about Lilia's dissertation? I thought they were keeping it on the down low.

The hedgehog spirit was cute. I'm glad they spared it lol

Lilia's spirits are just as OP as her of course -_- -yawn-

Well this was pretty forgettable, but it's a fluffy popcorn kinda read, so I'm not complaining. It's a bit unnerving having no idea how long a series will stretch to in these early stages. Hopefully this isn't a 100+ chapters one...

[prettyboyhowl]

Happy Pride Month!! Queer Media Recommendations from yours truly

Disclaimer: These are just things I personally liked and wanted to share. You might not like them and that's ok!

Her Tale of Shim Chong (webtoon by Biwan, Seri) - A retelling of the Korean folk tale 'The Tale of Shim Chong'. I love this webtoon. The character development is great and I really loved its take on the original folk tale (which I recommend checking out first if you read this). There are some twisted moments - it's not dark/grim but it's not super light/fluffy either. The story gripped me the whole way through though and the ending is superb (in my opinion). Also the art and colours are very pretty.

Mom I'm Gay (webtoon by Boreum) - Features a boy and girl who are childhood best friends, and both gay. I like this one because it focuses more on their relationship with their families, in particular their mothers, and how their views change. It's not that long, but overall it's sweet and touching, and best of all, has a happy ending. I read it here.

Desert Hearts (1985 film directed by Donna Deitch) - 'A love story about two women, made entirely independently, on a shoestring budget, by a woman.' - from Kanopy, the platform I watched it on. It follows the relationship between a professor staying in a ranch while her divorce is processed, and the ranch owner's daughter. It's set in 1959 Nevada, and there's a jukebox soundtrack (i.e. the vibes are immaculate). There's some drama and yearning, but I liked the way the romance developed, and how it ended (also the outfits hello??).

Happy Together (1997 film directed by Wong Kar-Wai) - mild spoiler alert: it does include the song of the same name! Set in Buenos Aires, it depicts the last days of a turbulent relationship between two men from Hong Kong. This film is very much 18+, so please be careful if you do watch it. (It literally opens with an explicit scene asldkj) It starts in black and white but soon switches to colour -all the settings and shots are beautiful (very aesthetic, very visually pleasing), and I really liked the dialogue and banter between the characters.

I also watched this one on Kanopy. (It's a good platform for classic and indie movies, all those really artsy films that watching them make you feel like a movie connoisseur... more importantly it's free to access, you just need a uni account or public library account. I've found some good movies through it so I recommend checking it out!)

I Favor the Villainess (web novel by Inori) - A girl wakes up as the heroine of an otome game, but (as the title suggests) she likes the villainess. There are also a few trans characters in this that appear in later chapters, central to the plot. What I love about this one is how it feels like there's a lot of influence from the author's own personal thoughts and experiences. The depth of the characters, the setting, the twists and turns... Despite starting out really light-hearted, there were surprisingly serious moments which ended up leaving a deep impression on me.

In looking it up to check the author's name, I found out there's another series now from the villainess' point of view, so I'll be reading that asap haha.

The Owl House (cartoon by Dana Terrace) - What's not to love about The Owl House. Basically a western isekai with fantasy and a magic school, and the most loveable cast of characters. Watching this as the first season was being released, the development of Luz and Amity took me by surprise ngl, but they are simply adorable. The only enemies to lovers you'll ever see me recommending.

On the theme of cartoons, we also have Kipo with Benson and Troy (also adorable, and absolute banging soundtrack to go with), and The Legend of Korra (Korra and Asami, it's lacking in the show but there's more of their relationship + other LGBT characters in the comic books that continue from where the show ended).

Wandering Son (Hourou Musuko) (anime/manga by Takako Shimura) - About two students questioning their gender identity, and their journey as they grow up. Heartwarming, but a bit more serious with a more thoughtful and slightly heavy tone. I liked how it portrayed the growth and development of the two main characters as they go through their own individual discoveries of themselves. I haven't seen the anime but I read the manga back when I was still in high school (it's been a while haha).

[moonsinkfoxgirl]

One day I’m going to sit in my room reading a light novel, as I do, and my mom will enter the room, not see the cover, therefore not notice that it’s one of ‘those anime things‘ and ask what I’m reading, as she does, because she’s curious whenever I read books, and for a brief moment I will consider explaining to her that:

There is an anime genre called ‘isekai‘, that means ‘other world‘ and usually it’s about boys who somehow die and get reincarnated into a video game fantasy world so they can live our their power fantasy, but I don’t really read/watch those since, as a girl, male power fantasies don’t appeal to me.

There is a genre of video games that aren’t quite games called visual novels and they’re basically fancy picture books with anime art and usually they’re about romance, and the genre aimed at girls is called ‘otome games‘, which are often about a girl who goes to a magical, somewhat medievalish school and they can romance various cute / hot / prince-like boys who are often also literal royalty. But I don’t really read/play these either, since, being gay, those don’t quite appeal to me.

There is a subgenre of isekai called ‘otome isekai‘ where instead of it being a male power fantasy it’s about a girl/woman, getting reincarnated into one of these otome games, but usually not as the heroine (since that would kind of just retread the otome game plot) but instead as the villainess character, which is common side-character-trope who is a bully and/or competing love interest in an otome game. I don’t really read/watch much of those either, since most of them are also too straight for me.

But this light novel, the one I’m actually reading is an otome isekai where the subversive trope isn’t that the girl is reincarnated into the villainess, no, she is the heroine, but instead it’s gay and she is in love with the villainess, and that’s why (*shows her the cover*) the girls on the cover are kissing, and that’s what I’m reading, mom.

I will briefly consider saying all that but figure that’s too complicated, so I will just lift the cover and shrug as she awkwardly says ‘ah, one of those anime thingies‘ and leaves.

[metalandmagi]

Summer 2020 Anime Worth Watching!

Apparently it’s time for the summer anime season, even though it feels like time is meaningless at this point. But somehow, there are still new shows coming out, so if you’re looking for something to watch when you’re stuck at home, here’s a list of the first impressions I got from this season. I don’t really know if it’s going to be worth it, considering how the spring season delayed so much, but here we are. 

As always, not all of these are available on Crunchyroll, but I’ll put a * next to the ones that are.

And if you’re looking for a bit more variety, I have lists for 2019 and the rest of this year’s seasons too...because remember when there was good anime being released instead of just everything being an ecchi or a second season?

2019 master list

My master list for every season of 2020 anime

New Shows!

*The God of High School: An over the top action anime consisting of one big tournament arc! It follows a group of teenagers competing in the epic “god of high school” martial arts tournament to determine the best fighter in the country. Following in the footsteps of Tower of God, this is the newest “crunchyroll original” that is being adapted from a South Korean webcomic. You can tell from the first episode that this will be a spectacle with crazy characters and lots of wild action and humor!

Great Pretender: When a Japanese con man pickpockets the wrong person, he ends up hopping on a plane to Los Angeles and getting wrapped up in a scheme with a sassy Frenchman named Laurent...who basically runs the mafia. There’s humor, there’s plot, there’s great characters, and it’s kinda gay. It’s an exciting original anime from studio Wit, so the animation is bursting with character, and both the music and the general vibe remind me a lot of Baccano or even Lupin III. And since it takes place in America with several foreign characters, there's hilarious English and accent shenanigans abound! The bad news is it’s still in Netflix jail, so if you want to watch it legally you’re kinda stuck for now. 

Japan Sinks 2020: A giant earthquake hits Japan, and a family must cope with the mayhem together. Because what the hell else could possibly go wrong this year? This is a new series (based on a novel) made by Masaaki Yuasa, the guy behind Ride Your Wave and Walk On Girl, if that tells you anything about the style of this anime. I’ve only watched the first two episodes so far, but I heard it goes from being a gripping realistic disaster series to a balls to the wall adventure. To be honest, disaster shows/movies freak me out, and this one is pretty devastating so far, which is a testament to how well it's made. But I appreciate that they include glimmers of hope when they’re needed. The best moments are the quiet ones that focus on the actual people and the narration that juxtaposes the time periods. There’s so much atmosphere, and the music really enhances the experience. And it’s all out on Netflix now, with a dub and a sub!

Deca-Dence: When humanity has been pushed to the edge of extinction by monsters called the Gadoll, the rest of civilization is forced to live in enormous mobile fortresses and send groups out to battle the unknown monsters. So basically like Mortal Engines but the fortresses can turn themselves into giant fists and punch the monsters. We follow a girl named Natsume who wants to be one of the soldiers who fight the Gadoll, but she is constantly rejected because of her prosthetic arm. So she ends up with five years of cleaning duty supervised by a stern but mysterious badass named Kaburagi. I honestly don’t care at all about the plot of the anime, because for me the characters are what drives everything, and these character dynamics are great. I’m not going to say it’s the most original story, but I think it’s fun so far. 

*Rent-a-Girlfriend: A typical harem/romance anime that follows the world’s most annoying protagonist named Kazuya. After Kazuya is dumped by his first girlfriend, he seeks out a rental girlfriend out of self pity….BECAUSE APPARENTLY THAT’S A REAL SERVICE THAT EXISTS IN JAPAN?! Like you can actually rent moms/dads/girlfriends/boyfriends and so on. Anyway, his fake girlfriend is the picture of anime waifu perfection...until Kazuya starts being his typical asshole self and she reveals her true nature of being an absolute sass master who don’t take no shit from no boring ass main character. Shenanigans happen and the two of them end up having to pretend they are in a real relationship. And I’m just calling it now...Kazuya’s grandma is the real best girl of the series. If you want a harem that’s actually funny and doesn’t mind roasting the protagonist, give this one a shot. Although I wish this were just a straight up romance instead of a harem because there is no way in hell that any girl, let alone more than one would want actually to date this guy. 

Next Seasons and Continuations!

*Fruits Basket 2019 (Season 2): Thank goodness Fruits Basket wasn’t delayed or cancelled last season because sometimes I feel like it was the only thing getting me through the spring. I’ve ranted about how good it is enough by now. If it can’t brighten your year, then nothing will. Just watch it if you haven’t already. 

*Re:ZERO-Starting Life in Another World (Season 2): Subaru is still trapped in another world, and he’s still as angsty as ever, but that’s not going to stop him from constantly putting himself through hell when he keeps dying horribly every time he needs to reset the timeline! There are mysterious new villains, nobody knows who Rem is (again) and I think there’s a plot somewhere under all the suffer porn. Seriously though, this show is pretty cool (even if I was two years late to the party). It’s one of the most interesting isekai anime I’ve ever seen, and it feels like it’s acting as a deconstruction of the genre, kinda like how Madoka Magica is for magical girl anime...both shows certainly have enough crying. The story is weird but interesting, the world building is cool, the villains (and sometimes the heroes) are batshit crazy to watch, and I like its moments of humor. 

No Guns Life (season 2): The story of Juzo, the hard boiled detective who plays by his own rules continues in the second season of No Guns Life. In case you missed the first season, this is a mystery/action anime that feels like an old noir film had a cyberpunk baby. There’s underground conspiracies, there’s interesting side characters, and...oh yeah the main character has a gun for a head. That’s right. we came to see a bara detective with a literal gun for a face, but we stayed for the world building and mysterious plots!

*Fire Force (Season 2): I’m going to be honest here, I really didn’t know if I should include this one or not. I have a major love hate relationship with Fire Force, but I figured there may be other people out there who would like it more than I do. So in case you missed the first season, this show follows a group of firefighters who puts out fires caused by spontaneous combustion using a mixture of guns and super powers. It was created by Atsushi Ōkubo, aka the guy who made Soul Eater. So it’s bound to be amazing right?

Not necessarily. Strap in for this one lads. 

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed with this show overall. Its main characters just aren’t that interesting most of the time, it can’t decide on what kind of show it wants to be, and so much of it just dragged for a good part of the series. I don’t know if it was a problem of pacing or if the plot was just that uninteresting for a while. The first couple episodes set up a very unique plot, filled with intriguing moral dilemmas. And then it proceeded to abandon everything interesting in favor of badly timed fan-service. It just couldn’t strike the balance that Soul Eater had between its humor and its sincerity. If they wanted to make an ecchi show, they should have just made one instead of inserting the same overplayed scenarios into every episode. I don’t care if a show has fan-service as long as it fits the tone, or if it only has certain episodes dedicated to playing up the humor. But Fire Force has a habit of just inserting it wherever it wants regardless of what’s actually happening in the episode. Also, some of the humor revolves around one of the main female characters who has a really messed up self image because she’s slightly more muscular, and not a tiny delicate flower like some of the other girls. Not going to pretend that doesn’t bug me. 

But that doesn’t mean there is nothing good about it! If there wasn’t, I wouldn’t have finished the first season, and I wouldn’t be including this one. So far, the second season has actually been funny because it made the first episode more like filler, instead of cramming in too much plot all at once. And to the surprise of no one, the animation is absolutely god tier. I wish it was being used for something other than clumsy fan-service, but it’s still really something to see. The world building is super creative and 100% my aesthetic, and there were a couple side characters I really loved later in the series (Benimaru). And I did like the twists and turns the series took later in the season when it actually focused on the conspiracy behind the fire force and the cult. When it follows the mysteries it sets up, it’s more fun to watch. Who would have thought? 

TLDR: There’s good stuff and there’s bad stuff. This show is really something you have to watch for yourself to decide if it’s going to be worth it. I’m going to at least try the second season, because I want to see where this goes, but it’s on thin ice. 

Honorable Mentions

Isekai edition! Both of these came out last season, but I hadn’t mentioned them when I made my spring list. But they’re both getting dubs now so I’m still counting them.

*My Next Life as a Villainess- All Routes Lead to Doom!: A twist on the isekai genre where our main protagonist wakes up as a character in her favorite otome game...only to find that she’s actually the bitchy rival side character who ends up either dead or exiled in every route of the game. So naturally she does everything she can to prevent this by becoming a sweet and caring supporting character...who inadvertently makes every single other character in the game fall in love with her. I ignored this show for the first few episodes because I need another isekai in the world like I need a hole in the head, but after hearing everyone rave about it, I caught up with it in no time. It’s a fun take on the otome game tropes, and it manages to be funny and sweet while not committing to any particular pairing.

*Ascendance of a Bookworm (Season 2): That’s right, it’s another isekai where an adult is reincarnated into the body of a child in a fantasy world. But this time, it’s a nerdy girl whose entire purpose in life revolves around reading books (can relate). However, when our main character Mine is thrust into this fantasy world, she quickly realizes that this particular fantasy setting is a little too...medieval  for her tastes...meaning a family of commoners like hers would have no clue how to read and books are only meant for rich people or the church. So of course Mine has to figure out how to either get her hands on some books or make them herself. This is a super cute show that I waited a long time to finally watch, and since the second season is finally being dubbed I wanted to shout it out. It’s just a wholesome isekai version of Dr. Stone. There’s no real action, but it’s a relaxing watch if nothing else. 

Well, there you have it. Hopefully nothing else gets delayed or cancelled because it’s pretty slim pickings as it is. And before anyone asks, I didn’t include GIBIATE because I thought it was a massive disappointment that somehow made a time travel horror anime plot boring. There’s also My Teen Romantic Comedy Snafu, but it’s been 5 years since I watched the other seasons and don’t remember anything about it. But there’s that too in case anyone is a fan of the series and didn’t know it got another season. 

See you next season…if the world is still here by then?

[drink-n-watch]

  It was snowing yesterday but today is sunny and warm. Seems the universe is confused in my little corner. We’re also slowly considering unquarantining in these parts which I am a little unsure about. I understand the economic pressures but we aren’t exactly in clear waters yet. If you are someone who has to go back to work physically, you have my sympathy, and thanks for keeping things going. I’m going to stick around my home a bit longer. I get sick really easily and there’s no point in clogging up our healthcare system if I don’t have to. 

How about you Crow? How’s the weather and the news where you are?

  We had a hard freeze last night, which is really unusual for Ohio. Though weather extremes are becoming a bit more frequent… We’re talking about reopenings, too, and like you, I am concerned. My wife sent me a great discussion of the topic by someone who’s not only credentialed, but who is really lucid and articulate! Basically, I’ll work from home as long as they let me. I, too, have no desire to clog up the health care system.

Let’s talk about more pleasant things. And what could be more pleasant than My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!? It’s a trick question, don’t worry about finding an answer.

I’m not entirely sure a show like Villainess can have filler episodes but if so, I would say this was one. It’s the middle of the season and I figure the series wanted to take a little breather with this small collection of vignettes. Everything was in tone with the show but it’s the type of episode you can skip and not really miss anything. Except for the very end but we’ll get to it.

This said, just because I didn’t think the episode served much narrative purpose, doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. It was a nice little vacation and it’s always lovely to see these characters. Any opening thoughts Crow?

Alan, Mary, and Nicol had some interesting moments in this episode. I’ll be interested to see if you mention them! I’ve been trying to get a handle on what Nicol’s thinking, and we might have gotten a peek!

Full disclosure, I don’t really have much to say about this one and even though I just finished watching it, I’m going over my screencaps to remember what happened.

I think my favourite part was the opening tag. There is something so fun and so “Catarina” about having a fake snake artisan make her replicas and then practicing the throws with the actual thing. For someone so oblivious, Catarina sure is prepared. And I adore her poor exasperated maid! And her mom. Catarina is in fact a lot like her isekai mom despite having different sensibilities and I like that a lot!

That little scene where the maid and mom were reflecting on how much better everything became after little Catarina planted her forehead on the paving stones was really interesting. I figured the maids and butlers would have been happier with Catarina’s change. I didn’t realize that even mom (and apparently dad) felt so much better off, too! So far, it’s like Catarina is making the world a lot better! Though a few ominous hints showed up later in the episode. Well, as ominous as this show can be.

The lake scene was fine. It was cute and Marie got to throw in some yuri. I realize that although we see him often, Geordo doesn’t ever get the chance at any proper development. 

His biggest development? I am starting to feel sorry for him! Nicol even said that his smiles are more open and honest now that Catarina’s with him. But no one’s letting him be alone with her. Not Keith, and not Mary. Mary in particular seems to be getting kind of fierce! Gotta say I am a fan.

However I did call it last week when I said they might want to give Nicol some air time. This was more fun than I thought it would be. To me, all the boys’ character designs are pretty much equal and it’s just a question of your particular hair colour preference, but that show has made it clear that Nicol is supposed to be much more attractive than, everyone really… Still I always sort of forget about it and seeing Catarina physically swoon was pretty funny! I’m also starting to dig the running joke about how inexpressive Nicol is.

Don’t get me wrong, he still doesn’t stand a chance. However, I’m glad that he went from an unrealized prop supporting character to a slightly developed one.

I’ll give him credit. What he said to Catarina and how he said it was really romantic! I thought it was hilarious how Sophia urged him on, then was shocked to find Catarina practically catatonic in reaction to his near confession!

And then we had Alan’s time in the spotlight, both as the vignette was about him and as he quite literally was in the spotlight. From what we know of Fortune Lover, this is probably the biggest sign that he is no longer the same character as in the game. That Alan would never have had all the attention on him like that, and even enjoyed it. 

I guess it indirectly speaks to the growth in Geordo’s character as well, since he’s letting his brother take the glory and not interfering in any way.

That was a great scene, wasn’t it? I could even feel the romantic tension when Alan’s eyes locked with Catarina’s! So could Mary, too, I think — or at least she suspects.

Often these types of episodes will have something to tie back into the main plot and get the viewers excited again about the ongoing narrative. This episode was no exception. At the very end, we got a small flash of Catarina’s previous life while discussing Fortune Lover with her classmate.

Her school friend is really cute. My favourite design and I’m sorry we see her so rarely. 

It’s really common practice for dating sims to have a secret or true route that is unlocked only once you’ve finished all the other routes. Frequently that route will not be openly advertised although most experienced otome players will spot it right away. More recent games also have DLC routes that come out later. It’s a smart business model. That’s what was implied in Catarina’s memory. I think Sirius is the unlockable character. That line about him not liking anyone was given way too much importance for it to just be random dialogue.

And it’s clear that Catarina has gone from rival to MC, so guess she could play that route. What do you think Crow?

I think you’re on to something. The scene was really prominent, and his expression too neutral to be trusted. And did you see the crowd of young women glaring at him as he watched Catarina join Geraldo to dance? They were furious. I think there’s some trouble brewing there, in fact.

Though with the caliber of people surrounding Catarina, I think she’s safe.

I’m impressed by the staying power of the premise. Sure, the series is somewhat repetitive, but 6 episodes in and I’m still really enjoying it. The charming cast helps that a lot, but the story itself has more to offer than I would have thought. Way to go!

Even the repetitive jokes, like Catarina completely misunderstanding why Keith and Geraldo were fighting over the boats, still works. The setup is clean, the characters are true to themselves, and the timing is good.

I think we need to keep an eye on Mary, though. Looks like she’s starting to feel a bit desperate — and that some of her plans are starting to go awry. I wonder what part that’ll plan in the coming episodes?

      My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! ep 6 – The Devilish Count Makess His Move It was snowing yesterday but today is sunny and warm. Seems the universe is confused in my little corner.

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 11/15/19

Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter, Vol. 5 | By Reai and Suki Umemiya | Seven Seas – We actually get a welcome reminder that Iris is a “reincarnated into an otome game” heroine in this volume, something that’s mostly been ignored aside from her accounting skills. But when her younger brother tries to apologize to her for what happened at school, her Japanese self wants to forgive him but the “Iris” part of her just can’t. It’s well handled. Elsewhere, Iris is going around looking into Yuri and also threats to her kingdom, and it’s starting to get her into trouble. She’s also falling for Dean, despite trying to have nothing to do with romance again. We end with a cliffhanger involving excommunication! Still a lot of fun—I’d love to read the novels. – Sean Gaffney

Anne Happy, Vol. 10 | By Cotoji | Yen Press – This final volume doesn’t really “wrap up” the main plot—there is no magical anti-bad-luck MacGuffin that can fix things. We do get a very small flashback of their teacher which shows that she had perhaps worse circumstances than the rest of them, but has learned to keep happy and carry on, so to speak. Which is the moral of the series, really—smile even though life is bringing you down. Hibari is the one who needs that lesson here, as a chance at a family reunion is once again fouled up by her parents’ busy lives. That said, we do see here that luck can also be changed through determination, which is nice. And is that some slight yuri at the end? Anne Happy was never anything but fluff, but it was highly entertaining fluff. Good ending. – Sean Gaffney

Dreamin’ Sun, Vol. 10 | By Ichigo Takano | Seven Seas – Well, I did it. I persevered to the end and finished Dreamin’ Sun. To the end, I never was fully convinced by the relationship between Shimana and Taiga, and that includes the big finale here, in which the gang is able to get Taiga’s dad to stop meddling in his son’s affairs—we never really get a good explanation why Taiga has remained under his thumb for so long—and thus Taiga is able to go to college (alongside Shimana) and finally pursue his dream of becoming a teacher. They also get married and I must boggle at the detail that they do so after having only kissed once, two years ago. I don’t expect realism in shoujo romance, but I guess my credulity has its limits. I did like Zen and Saeko, though. In the end, this never came close to measuring up to orange. Oh well. – Michelle Smith

Durarara!! re: Dollars Arc, Vol. 5 | By Ryohgo Narita, Suzuhito Yasuda, and Aogiri | Yen Press – Izaya is setting up his plots again here, when he’s not fighting with his sisters, but the real villains this time around are Ruri’s psycho fans, who bat Shinra bloody and also attack Anri. Fortunately, she is saved by her two best frie3nds. Unfortunately, one of them, Mikado, is revealed to now be the leader of the Blue Squares, much to Masaomi’s horror. You know all this from the light novel and the anime—once again the manga gets third place. Still, some of the fight scenes are good, and if you’re looking for a manga version of the story, this is that. Damning with faint praise. We’re still only up to book eight or so, too. You really should try the light novels, which have now finished. – Sean Gaffney

Fruits Basket Another, Vol. 3 | By Natsuki Takaya| Yen Press – The first chapter of this final volume once again irritated me for burying me in next-gen cast all at once (along with Hiro’s sister, who again is not a main character so gets to be seen). It gets better as it goes along, with a serious look at not letting your parents’ abuse become your own fault. Sawa, it turns out, is connected to the Sohmas in a far more serious way than she remembered, and one flashback scene verges on terrifying. (Shiki says “she slipped on snow,” but that’s not what we see.) Notably, the situation is not resolved—she’s still living with her mom in the end—but then, we also learn it didn’t resolve itself for the Furuba cast either—Ren is making Shiki’s life miserable, because she’s like that. As such, this justifies this spinoff’s existence—barely. – Sean Gaffney

Fruits Basket Another, Vol. 3 | By Natsuki Takaya | Yen Press – In this final volume, we learn more about Sawa’s psychotic mother, including that she had some involvement with the Sohma family in the past. When Sawa asks about this, with much dread, Mutsuki reveals the full story and that everyone knew who she was all along. In fact, Shiki was central to this past event and, with Ren continuing her reign of terror he felt kinship with Sawa and worried about what had become of her. The Sohmas were indeed trying to help her, but they were also trying to help Shiki, too. In the end, this did come around to being genuinely compelling and I wish there were more, because as Sawa notes, she still hasn’t made it out of her horrible situation. If only we could’ve been spared one last appearance by Takei-sensei. Sigh. – Michelle Smith

High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even in Another World!, Vol. 5 | By Riku Misora and Kotaro Yamada | Yen Press – The start of this book gives all the fanservice that four was missing and more, as we get naked massages before a bath. Half of this is tolerable, as Ringo tries to find it in her shy self to go on a date with Tsukasa, and we get her tragic past, which (surprise!) involves a lot of child abuse. The second half involves making more medicine since the penicillin isn’t prevalent enough—time for sulfa drugs. Sadly, there’s an evil doctor who’s in the way, so our heroin doctor, um, lobotomizes him? And this is presented as good and/or humorous? Yeah, OK, I’m out. This was a mildly entertaining take on the isekai fantasy with an entire group of OP geniuses, but what the hell? – Sean Gaffney

An Incurable Case of Love, Vol. 1 | By Maki Enjoji | Viz Media – Several of Enjoji’s manga series are now available in English, but An Incurable Case of Love is actually the first that I’ve read. Five years ago, Nanase was inspired to go into medicine after meeting an attractive and accomplished young doctor in the hopes of meeting him again. Unsurprisingly, Tendo’s not quite the person she expected him to be when she finally gets the chance to work with him. In reality, her idealized prince has a harsh and exacting personality. Even though Nanase’s original motivation for becoming a nurse was perhaps less than pure, and while it may not be immediately obvious to some, she really does take both herself and her chosen profession seriously. Had it been otherwise, I don’t think I would have liked the manga, but the first volume is a largely enjoyable start to the series and I’m always glad to see more josei being translated. – Ash Brown

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Part 4: Diamond Is Unbreakable, Vol. 3 | By Hirohiko Araki| Viz Media – One of my initial exposures to Araki’s aptly named manga series JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure was actually through a tangentially-related work, Rohan at the Louvre, which features the character Rohan Kishibe, a rather intense genius manga creator. Rohan made his first appearance in Diamond Is Unbreakable, so I’ve been looking forward to his introduction since I started reading the series. His debut happens towards the end of this particular volume, following several other short story arcs including one, much to my delight, that proves any manga can indeed be a food manga. This volume has a fair amount of humor to go along with its strange brand of horror and absurd action, too. As a whole, this part of the series comes across a bit more episodic and perhaps slightly more comedic than its predecessors. I’m enjoying Diamond Is Unbreakble in all of its glorious ridiculousness a great deal. – Ash Brown

My Hero Academia SMASH!, Vol. 2 | By Hirofumi Neda| Viz Media – I don’t think I reviewed the first volume of this gag series spinoff to the famous shonen manga, but that’s a shame, as it’s really well handled. The gags are personality-based, and the series is not afraid to veer totally away from the source material when needed—half the sports festival is different events, and some battles that don’t lend themselves to gags are omitted. And then there’s Gran Torino, who does not live up to the adorable tsundere granddaughter teaching Izuku in his dreams. There’s a lot of great Uraraka stuff here, for her fans, and a lot of great Yaoyorozu gags as well, though her fans may be a bit annoyed at how socially inept she’s shown to be. Basically, this is hilarious. – Sean Gaffney

Our Wonderful Days, Vol. 1 | By Kei Hamuro | Seven Seas – Given the cover art and the magazine that this ran in, I was expecting that I’d be reading about the lead couple on the cover. And I am, and they’re both cute—I like the fact that, despite having the “serious black-haired girl” personality type, Mafuyu is the only one whose grades are bad. But I’m actually more drawn to the other couple, Nana and Minori, best friends to main girl Koharu, who live in an apartment together to attend school and behave exactly like a married couple without actually being one. How yuri this will get is still unknown—so far we’re still at “I may like her”—but if you like your slice-of-life high school with a dash of sweet and cute, this will put a smile on your face. – Sean Gaffney

Shortcake Cake, Vol. 6 | By suu Morishita | VIZ Manga – I really loved how this volume of Shortcake Cake portrays Ten’s reaction to Chiaki’s surprising confession. She tries to let him down gently, and is upset about hurting her friend and conscientious about not leading him on. It’s not played for the drama of a love triangle—it’s just sad. And yet, she still does like Riku very much and wants to let him know that her feelings have changed, but now the Chiaki situation has made everything more complicated. Some really cute scenes ensue, but actually most of the volume takes place in Ten’s head as she worries and overthinks everything. We’re halfway through the series at this point and, though it seems like she and Riku will officially get together in the next volume, that’s a lot of time for things to go wrong somehow. Man, I love Margaret shoujo. – Michelle Smith

Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san, Vol. 2 | By Honda | Yen Press – The second volume of Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-san is much like the first, with Honda covering more aspects of the bookselling business, including the talented distribution chief with a knack for anticipating what will sell, dealing with “harmful publications,” wholesalers who never supply as many copies as are requested, the difficulty in promoting books that are receiving high-profile adaptations (particularly when bonus items feature popular idols), and dealing with a customer who happens to be a yakuza. It’s pleasant, but I was kind of bummed to learn that after Honda published the chapter about customer service training, she got in some trouble with her bosses and now has to get their approval for everything she writes and worries about being fired. That’s a shame. – Michelle Smith

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 4 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – If I didn’t know better, I’d swear that this series was going to end with the next volume. The reason for that is a very surprise mutual confession between our two leads, something which I was not expecting to happen for at least a dozen more volumes. It is really well handled, though, and shows that these two shoujo protagonists are actually smart enough to pick up on signals. We also get some backstory for one of Zen’s two guards, Mitsuhide, who is asked by Zen’s older brother to watch over him and therefore must gain the trust of someone who doesn’t trust very easily—and even when he does, he seems to be betrayed. Zen and Shirayuki are very good for each other, and I’m excited to see where this goes. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 4 | By Sorata Akiduki | VIZ Media – This volume almost feels like a final volume, what with Zen and Shirayuki affirming their feelings for one another and their determination to stay by the other’s side, come what may. The final page seems to suggest a happy ending. Except this is volume four and there are 21 volumes so far. Maybe this was the point where the series changed magazines? In any case, it’s a very nice volume, with Shirayuki showing her willingness to act in Zen’s stead when his station prevents him from doing so—and giving us a glimpse of the upbringing that led to her always trying hard and being independent—as well as a revealing flashback to six years ago when Zen’s friend betrayed him but he found a new person to trust in Mitsuhide. I really enjoy this series! – Michelle Smith

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 11 | By Rei Toma | Viz Media – There’s some gorgeous art here, which is good as it may take the mind away from the fact that this is really drawn out for a finale. The basic premise—send Asahi back and the water dragon dies—is obvious, despite Asahi’s protests, and you get the sense that the other gods will eventually do something about it, but it does take forever to happen, with lots of longing pages with no dialogue. Also, how does Asahi return to her normal life so quickly? Still, it’s a happy ending, and the last two pages of the “afterword” 4-kon section make up for it with a hysterical deconstruction of why the Water Dragon won the romance war and Subaru did not. Despite not quite sticking the landing, this was a very good series. – Sean Gaffney

By: Ash Brown

[pruneunfair]

How I think the OG stories of otome isekai would be viewed if they were real.

Sodom and the holy grail (How to get my husband on my side)

From the tidbits of the og story we get, Sodom and the holy grail focused more on politics then romance with the plot being about rebelling against Ruby's father and other corrupt church members, Rudbeckia would be a minor antagonist in the way of the main ship of Izek and the FL Freya and as we are told, the entire Borgia family would've been killed off by Izek after Rudbeckia poisons Ellen. It'd probably be well liked for focusing more on gritty politics and tragedy than shojo romance and as far as we know, Freya wouldn't be a terrible FL since the narrative would have no reason to make her awful: 8.5/10

May rest be at your side (the tyrants only perfumer)

there isn't a lot revealed about this one, only that Ariel was the villainess and the og fl would show up on time instead of waiting to make her big entrance. It looks like a basic rofan so I'll just guess it'd be an underrated and cliché story: 5/10

Snow white (not sew wicked step-mom)

Its literally just another iteration of snow white, so it would have all the basic stuff in snow white. The apple, evil step-mom, magic mirror, dwarves, and a healing kiss. Plus some historical points for the fact that the cannon ending for Abigail in the og story was being forced to dance with burning hot shoes which was how the evil queen died in the Grimms brother version. :7/10

Lovely princess

As the title implies, Jennette is a lovely princess along with her sister Athy. It's been described as a basic unoriginal found family tale with Jennette being loved by everyone including her murderous father with a backstory that she had a wicked mother who used magic to have Jennette. It ends with Athy being unjustly executed for the false crimes of poisoning Jennette while the latter lives on with a happily ever after. This would probably be universally despised if it were a real story for the bullshit reason Athy was killed off and the lack of care for it: 2/10

Lady Lily (the villainess maker)

Its another basic damsel in distress and Prince charming tale that's canonically a dumpster fire since it was written by a 14 year old, from what I could remember Charlotte invents a new form of skirt/dress for women to wear at balls and she catches the eye of a few men, it's so terrible that it ceases to function and ends up in a loop if things dont go according to how they are supposed to, so it's basically the average wattpad fanfic. 1/10 for being such an inconsistent mess the villainess maker plays into how stupid it is.

I don't think this one ever got a name but it's the og-story from Today the villainess has fun again

Iris is a poor Viscounts daughter who sets out on her own and becomes a maid. After a while of hardwork, she finds herself back into regal life after the crown prince and Reilynns fiance takes a liking to her, from there Iris has multiple men to choose from and along the way she opens up a perfume store I think?. This sounds like the type that would do so well on a webtoon but everywhere else would roast the shit out of it and side with Reilynn. 3/10

The flower from another world (divorcing my tyrant husband)

The FL Aisha travels to another dimension where she meets the Emperor and they fall in love. The "villainess" Robelia gets shoved to side and dies while Alexandros makes Aisha the empress. I feel like if this were a real manhwa, they'd probably vilifiy Robelia to justify Aisha butting into another relationship but as is, this story would probably also be despised for its treatment of Robelia. 1/10

Bridgette wants to be happy (Seducing the villains father)

The og plot was Bridgette as the FL and her love interest learning to heal from the traumas of the past that affected their parents lives. Characters would be mostly different since Yerenica and Erudian would be dead and Soleia may not even be a main character, that would be her son Dekalb. So we are talking a tragic story with a happy ending. This sounds like something I would actually read and I can see it being popular if it were real. 9/10

Stop obsessing over me brother! (Not your typical reincarnation story)

Self explanatory. I feel like this would just be some weird as step-bro fetishist crap judging by the title and the fact that Killian and Cliff really are Rhyses de-facto older brothers. Edith really did this one a favor by stepping in: 0/10