It’s the last Villainess Villainy post for the summer season, so we only have two shows for our troubles.
Though I Am an Inept Villainess Ep. 11
According to a flashback, Shu Gabi had no ill will toward the empress. She was actually glad to hear that the crown prince had been delivered safely. And yet, thanks to the empress’s cowardice, Kin Reiga was able to work her toxic influence on Gabi and poison the Noble Consort. Not only that, it looks like she may have cursed Gabi through a gift? I’m not positive on that, though. Regardless, at the end of the day, we have to take responsibility for our actions. Someone can convince you to kill, but you still have to take all the necessary steps leading up to the (attempted) murder. So no, Gabi is not absolved by this flashback, but I guess redemption is still possible. It falls in line with the recurring theme of this series… even if I still find it odd that Reirin was dead set on ferreting out the woman who had blackmailed Leelee (we now know it was Gabi). Also, I guess Keiga was a villainess after all. So are they gonna do anything about her or…?
Shin-u detains Gabi and leads her away, but their troubles aren’t over yet. Gyoumei’s emotional tantrum threatens to tear his own country apart. Apparently, his qi is inextricably bound to the weather, so when he’s being a whiny, lil’ manchild, storm clouds start brewin’. Reirin literally has to remind him to think of his kingdom and people. Again, am I really supposed to like this guy? I don’t understand the appeal. He’s such a loser.
In exchange for her forgiveness, Reirin makes several demands. First, don’t punish Keigetsu. For her, the ends justify the means. Sure, Keigetsu wanted to murder her, but it all worked out for the best! Yay! Second, factor in the empress’s opinion before punishing Gabi. Well, why wouldn’t you ask the empress for her thoughts on the matter? Third and most important, Reirin will only go back to being one of Gyoumei’s Maidens if he can spot the real Reirin when she and Keigetsu continue to swap bodies. I guess that’s one way to do it. For all intents and purposes, he’s still the crown prince. If he wants to take Reirin for himself, he could just do it. He has the mandate of heaven or whatever they call that bullshit. But they can push that off indefinitely — as long as it takes for this story to run its course. Reirin doesn’t have to commit to any particular love interest, because this story isn’t over (and there will probably be other love interests added to the mix).
In the aftermath, both Gabi and Keigetsu receive extremely lenient sentences. The latter basically got a slap on the wrist. Gabi will be banished to gods know where, but before she leaves, she and the empress make amends. The empress even gifts her a bow as a sign of protection or whatever. I dunno, I’m not really into eastern mysticism. Reirin and Keigetsu continue to swap back and forth, befuddling Gyoumei consistently. Guess he won’t be winning his cousin’s heart anytime soon. Meanwhile, Shin-u gets barely a footnote in this ending. That’s probably because it’s not an ending. The studio behind the show quickly announced on social media that the series would be continuing in January, so what we just watched was the first cour. As a result, the story teases us with a few new faces. First, Reirin’s brothers have come to visit. Second, shady men intend to do something to or with Keigetsu…?
Now that the first cour is over, how do I feel about the show? Well, if I had to pick one of the villainess shows to be my favorite, I guess it would have to be this one. But that doesn’t say much, now does it? Like I’ve said in the past, I wanted more survival elements to the story. I wanted to see more of Reirin trying to eke out a life as the despised Keigetsu. I enjoyed the short moments we had on the “farmstead.” It’s a shame that the girlies are somewhat back to the status quo. Sure, Reirin will hop into Keigetsu’s body every now and then to check up on her farm as well as Leelee, but you can be sure that this won’t be the focus going into the second cour. Also, if they’re really hellbent on adding a romantic subplot to this show, then please give someone other than Gyoumei some damn screen time. I think Shin-u was supposed to be his rival, but he just never had any real moments with Reirin. They barely interacted. Why is he suddenly interested in her now?
One thing for sure, stop using incense burners. According to this show, they’re nothing but bad news!
The Forsaken Saintess and Her Foodie Roadtrip in Another World Ep. 12
First, we have the adventuring, dungeon-diving part of the episode. As always, it’s utterly uninspired. The party works their way through a dungeon with infinitely spawning mobs, but thanks to Rin’s RV, they make it through relatively unscathed. Eventually, they battle a dragon, because of course they do. This is a generic fantasy setting after all. Finally, at the very end of the dungeon, they acquire one of the orbs that would’ve empowered the other saint. Speaking of which, we never get to meet this other party. If the show really wants us to take this half of the story seriously, don’t you think we should at least see whom Rin is up against? Hm… nah.
Second, we have the “foodie roadtrip” part. I think the problem is the word “foodie.” It throws me off. It makes me think that Rin would at least be adventurous. No, I’m not expecting 3-Michelin star cuisine, but I just thought a foodie roadtrip would be a little more daring than, say, oyakodon and miso soup. We then cap the series off with what might as well be Japan’s national dish: curry. Yes, Japan is known internationally for sushi, but I’d say curry is far more prevalent as a comfort meal. If the rest of the show had lived up to its bargain, I wouldn’t mind finishing on curry. But this anime played it way too safe on the foodie front. There’s a happy middle ground between what Rin serves up and the fallopian tubes in Iron Wok Jan.
Most of all, I just feel like the author never fully embraced the premise of the series. There’s a certain detachment from the food aspects that just screams, “Well, we have a guy get isekai’d and eat delicious food, but we haven’t had a girl do it!” For instance, whenever Rin’s party slays a monster, they magically turn into prepackaged cuts of meat, and I literally mean prepackaged. The cuts already come wrapped in butcher paper, which is ridiculous. We say we love food, but we reject the “messy” part of the process. As a result, they never have to butcher any of the animals they kill. We don’t get to see enough of the cooking either. Half of the time, Rin already has everything made and ready to go. Sure, this can easily be explained logistically. Half of the anime is about this pointless double saintess summoning plot, so something has to end up left behind on the cutting board. This anime tried to do two things and failed at both of them, but ultimately, I don’t think the author truly loves food. At the very least, their love is only skin deep, and that’s a huge indictment for a so-called foodie show.
