An Observation Log of My Fiancée Who Calls Herself a Villainess Ep. 1: Being obsessed with a video game saves the day

Oh good, it’s another villainess show with a twist. This time, however, the villainess can’t rid herself of the prince. But why would she want to? Isn’t the villainess supposed to try and steal the prince away from the heroine? Well, in her previous life, Bertia was a big fan of Cecil’s route (yes, of course, she’s a Japanese girl who has been isekai’d). The fictional version of him had helped her through some rough times. As a result, she’s content to fulfill her role as a villainess in her second life even if it means he gets to live happily ever after with someone else, i.e. the heroine. She’s willing to sacrifice her own happiness for him, which is a bit disturbing if you think about it. I mean, you gotta be able to separate fiction from reality. For instance, just because Bertia claims to be the villainess doesn’t mean she has it in her to actually become one. She’s not an inherently bad person, and thus Cecil has no reason to annul their engagement. In fact, this story is being told from the prince’s perspective, and he finds her utterly fascinating.

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The Ramparts of Ice Ep. 1: I need a little less ice and a little more fire

From the looks of it, Koyuki, our protagonist, was bullied and teased relentlessly in elementary and middle school. She was even ostracized because a girl got jealous. Even now, jerks will target her (though this will likely happen to any girl or woman just trying to mind her business in public). As a result, she has developed a defense mechanism; she projects an icy exterior that keeps others away. I’m glad the series decided to literally show us what the rampart might look like. Y’know, just in case the metaphor hasn’t sunk in.

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First impressions: Even more reincarnations, a detective who keeps dying, and two girls bond over a guy

What did I do to deserve yet another anime series about teen boys being reincarnations? Seriously, which powerful but spiteful deity did I cross?

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Haibara’s Teenage New Game+ Ep. 1: Maximum cringeworthy

Haibara, our main character, admits that he’s got a stable job at a decent company, and this allows him to live out an ordinary, “gray” life. Basically, he’s got it better than a lot of folks out there. Nevertheless, he wants a do-over, because he has regrets from high school. But this is such an anime thing, isn’t it? There’s this pervasive implication that adolescence is all there is to life. Who cares about adulthood when your childhood sucked! A lot of people want a do-over due to their current situation. Maybe they didn’t study hard, so they’re stuck in a shitty career. Maybe they fooled around too much, so now they gotta pay child support to five baby mamas. Maybe they didn’t take good care of their health, so now they have onset diabetes. Stuff like that, y’know?

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