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Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: I'm in Love with the Villainess
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Seagloom
Posts: 298 |
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I'm glad the conversation in episode #3 was included in some form. Still prefer the novel version, but they did a good job adapting this scene.
After what happened years back with a Seven Seas editor cutting this context from the story until a backlash led to it being restored in later editions, I worried the anime would be similarly trepidatious about this story's queer content. It's what sets this series apart and elevates it. Now I can rest easier and just enjoy the ride. |
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Fluwm
 Posts: 1020 |
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I wasn't aware that'd happened... it's a helluva thing to cut because, as simplistic as it is, the very explicit and direct and uncompromising queerness of the series is, as you said, pretty fundamental to the story, elevating what would otherwise be just-another-disposable-Isekai into something genuinely worthwhile. Speaking of just-another-disposable-Isekai, man, I'm reading through the 5th LN today and it's almost impressive just how much this series jumped the shark. This kind of insane scale inflation would make even Akira Toriyama blush. |
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Seagloom
Posts: 298 |
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They cut a portion of it at least. Enough that it ruined any recontextualization of Rei's behavior. As a result some readers wrote her off as another Kuroko and never made it past the first volume. I remember being baffled at the time; knowing that while Rei is a polarizing character the hate seemed disproportionate compared to how she was received in the WN community. Once translation inconsistencies were discovered in several Seven Seas novels, the backlash got so bad the author was being pestered about it directly on social media. Anyway, it fortunately looks like this adaptation isn't going that route. I was worried since this series gets a little too real one too many times compared to say, MagiRevo, which doesn't bluntly mention real world social issues. Then there was what happened with "Witch from Mercury" after it aired. I can't take anything for granted when it comes to anime. LNs and manga are generally less risk-averse in comparison. |
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Florete
Posts: 381 |
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I actually didn't think this series would get an anime at all despite its decent popularity because of how unapologetically gay it is. Glad it did, though. It's a rare example of a yuri with a real plot beside the yuri, which I desperately need more of. I suspect this season will adapt volumes 1 and 2 (out of 5) of the novels, which was the original end of the story anyway and works nicely as a conclusion. There probably won't be a second season. |
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LegionWrex
 Posts: 22 Location: Canada |
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I think Episode 3 is easily the strongest one yet and is probably what has fully sold me on this being a yuri to watch. There is a frankness to how it's discussing LGBTQ+ issues and they do a very good job explaining it to straight/cis people without talking down either, which while some may think is unneeded I think considering how queer people are still struggling for acceptance in Japan this is going to strike a cord.
Some of the joke pacing is a little wonky but honestly I can forgive that since I'm chuckling often. It's never laugh out loud funny like 100 Girlfriends or Vexations (or even Shangri-La Fantasy for the gamers like me) but I am consistently smiling and chuckling which is clearly what it's aiming for. |
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EmperorBrandon
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 2215 Location: Springfield, MO |
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I'm doubting it will adapt all of the second volume of the novel, as much as I'd really like it to eventually. The anime seems to be adapting the manga primarily, which from what I can tell, is not quite that far yet. Also, the anime does not seem on pace so far to surpass the manga in only 12 episodes. |
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Florete
Posts: 381 |
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The anime's version of that scene is actually very similar to the original Seven Seas cut of it. What was removed was some internal monologuing from Rae about how queer people are portrayed in media in our world/her past life, which wouldn't have translated well to the screen. None of that made it to the anime, as far as I can tell. |
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TarsTarkas
 Posts: 5935 Location: Virginia, United States |
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You are probably right, but I hope there will be a second season. |
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Terraziel
Posts: 78 |
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I'd go further, if they get the original end out of the way I hope there won't be a second season, because the story turned to garbage quick sharp. Someone up thread said it jumped the shark, but that is being far too nice. As to the cutting or not of queer content, personally i can understand why an editor would want to cut it. It's not because of the content itself it's because of the presentation, A conversation between characters on the topic is one thing, but there is a bunch which is basically just author insert monologue with no attempt to make it part of the story. |
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Fluwm
Posts: 1020 |
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lol, yeah, I definitely do not want to see the second arc animated. It's not completely without merit... but, uh, yeah. It ain't great. I'm also really not a fan of the whole spoiler[incest] thing, though admittedly that's also a (smaller) aspect of the first arc, too.
I really hope we don't get an original ending here -- the first arc is only two light novels, which should be easy to fit onto your typical 12-episode season. Though the pacing so far is a bit slow.... though in the end I suppose that just means they'd cut even more. I am curious about whether the anime'll ever go into more detail of Rei's backstory -- I can't remember if that came out in the first or second arc, but I suspect it was the former -- as it's pretty important for her character but also very implicitly critical of modern Japanese culture, even if it does lose a bit of the weight it otherwise would've had by veering into the spoiler[Oops! All gay!] trope (maybe there's a more common name for that, but I'm sure y'all know the one I mean from that). But if they don't finish the arc, there's no way the show'll have anything approaching a satisfying conclusion. There's a lot of foreshadowing for where the story is going, and none of it is particularly subtle. |
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EmperorBrandon
Encyclopedia Editor
Posts: 2215 Location: Springfield, MO |
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The scene in the anime is pretty much an adaptation of the manga's version, including the part (which is original to the manga if I'm not mistaken) where spoiler[Claire reacts to the two girls gossiping about Rae.] |
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darkchibi07
 Posts: 5511 |
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I have to admit I was thrown off about the gay conversation since I felt there could have been a transition scene between that and the Thane antics. For example, have Misha enter the scene and ask Rae to join her for tea and then say, "...there's something I want to ask you about." It's a minor technical thing, but it did feel a bit abrupt between those two scenes.
Otherwise, really liked how frank the conversation is and the little unintentional payback Claire made against those gossiping girls who are badmouthing Rae. I, too, am very curious about Rae's background. |
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Kelohmello
Posts: 15 |
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It rubs me the wrong way that in the third episode Claire gets berated as being discriminatory when all Rae had done up until that point is justify that reaction. Rae using the King's game as an excuse for physical contact with her, obviously blackmailing her dad so that she can force her way into her life as her maid, then using her position as a maid to ogle her in her underwear or otherwise outright naked... Claire's reaction makes perfect sense. She said she felt that way in the previous episode too, before Rae explicitly came out as gay.
This is a problem I have with most of these Narou-kei Isekai stories. Wish fulfillment is god, so the protagonist, an avatar for the author and viewer, gets to do what they want. Every other character is an NPC, no more than a tool for that wish fulfillment. So in this case, Claire has no agency and expressing a modicum of discomfort with the protagonist's advances gets her scolded and taught a lesson. But Rae gets to be sympathetic for her misfortunes with romance in that exact same scene. The story hinges on her being allowed to do as she pleases and having the audience cheer her on. Am I the only one that feels this way? You can't just play the harassment for a joke and then suddenly ask the audience to take Rae seriously only when it benefits her character's portrayal. You have to properly address what's wrong with what she's doing as well. Either everything has consequences befitting the intended tone of the scene or nothing does. |
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Traptrix Lover
Posts: 104 |
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No, it's a common critique I see on these forums about isekai series and the way the protagonists act and how the audience is expected to cheer for their behavior rather than chastise them. Although I think in this case a lot of the people who usually complain about that kind of thing are giving this show a free pass because it's about female wish-fulfillment rather than male wish-fulfillment, specifically yuri wish-fullfiment. Some of the comments in this thread have alluded to that it would just be another disposable isekai series without that angle to distinguish itself from it's peers. |
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oilers2007
Posts: 125 |
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I don't see why censorship of the American version would affect an anime produced in Japan. Seven Seas edited quite a lot of of their manga and light novels at that time.. and still do, apparently. I'm not sure I've ever seen it leaked back into Japan and made them censor the original Japanese broadcast outside of Pokemon. |
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