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EP. REVIEW: The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess


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Nojay



Joined: 20 Jan 2016
Posts: 112
PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2023 5:51 pm Reply with quote
The hair dryer seems to be the first thing the reincarnated thaumaturge invents in most isekais.
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NG_Chloe



Joined: 29 Jul 2021
Posts: 140
PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2023 6:29 pm Reply with quote
This isn't really a Villainess anime TBH. It has a scene that's LIKE a scene where a Villainess gets called out, but it's clear that Euphie is innocent, been framed, etc. Euphie isn't even really written as a Villainess, she's written as someone whose very proper to a fault, so the comparison is simply based on the one scene being similar to a scene in a Villainess series.

By this logic, Rising of the Shield Hero is now a Villainess series, because the scene where Naofumi is called out for something he didn't do is similar to the scenes where a Villainess is called out, except Naofumi is a dude.
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Richard Eisenbeis
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 17 Dec 2018
Posts: 88
PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2023 7:51 pm Reply with quote
NG_Chloe wrote:
This isn't really a Villainess anime TBH. It has a scene that's LIKE a scene where a Villainess gets called out, but it's clear that Euphie is innocent, been framed, etc. Euphie isn't even really written as a Villainess, she's written as someone whose very proper to a fault, so the comparison is simply based on the one scene being similar to a scene in a Villainess series.

By this logic, Rising of the Shield Hero is now a Villainess series, because the scene where Naofumi is called out for something he didn't do is similar to the scenes where a Villainess is called out, except Naofumi is a dude.


Let's break down some of the common tropes of an otome game-style "villainess" shall we:

*Child of the Prime Minster (or other prominent noble)
*Is engaged to the Prince from a young age
*Goes to a magic academy
*Is the “prefect young noble woman”
*Works hard
*Is super talented in magic
*Cares about appearances
*Confronts new “commoner” student for breaking the rules of polite society
*Is publicly accused of bullying the “commoner” student by the Prince and other prominent young nobles.
*Is publicly dumped at a ball by the Prince who then announces his love for the “commoner” student.

Euphyllia matches every single one of those criteria. The original Katarina Claes hits most of them (My Next Life as a Villainess). So does the original Liselotte (Endo and Kobayashi Live!). So does Aileen (I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss). So does Angelica (The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs). So does Claire (I'm in Love with the Villainess). So does Iris (Accomplishments Of The Duke's Daughter). So does Scarlet (May I Ask For One Final Thing?). I could go on but I'm sure you get the point.

Whether Euphyllia is evil or not matters very little. All villainess stories twist the formula in one way or another. The fact of the matter is that she has been placed into the villainess role when it comes to the archetypical story. Thus, as she is one of the two main protagonists, this is a villainess story.
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RenimLS



Joined: 26 Mar 2014
Posts: 112
Location: North America
PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2023 8:07 pm Reply with quote
Nojay wrote:
The hair dryer seems to be the first thing the reincarnated thaumaturge invents in most isekais.


Hair dryers, shampoo, mayo, A/C, and refrigerators/ice boxes seems to be high on the list of first things isekai'ed people try to develop. Well besides soy sauce if it doesn't already exist. Dahlia in Bloom one of the first things the female lead developed with her father's help was a hair dryer spoiler[the prototype her father kept also doubled as a flamethrower.]
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ATastySub
Past ANN Contributor


Joined: 19 Jan 2012
Posts: 637
PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2023 8:13 pm Reply with quote
As Nick put it in the preview guide thread
lossthief wrote:
Nobody is saying Euphyllia is villainous or behaves as such. What they're saying is that her story in episode one - where she is cast as a bully and manipulator by her fiance and his new love interest - is very similar to a number of otome villainess stories. And just like most of those stories, we the audience know she's not a villain, and are invited to sympathize with her for being mistreated and misunderstood. That's pretty much exactly Eileen's first arc in the beginning of I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss is about. The whole appeal of these stories is taking a character archetype and giving them they nuance and sympathy they typically aren't in other media. Euphyllia herself doesn't need to be a literal Villainess in a game world to be working in the same general space.

Being able to call simple parallels what they are isn't some grand stretch of logic unless you're missing the point by acting like a checklist of things matters and not the reasoning and vibes behind the storytelling.
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maximilianjenus



Joined: 29 Apr 2013
Posts: 2858
PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2023 9:44 pm Reply with quote
yeah, the villainess not being evil has become pretty common nowadays, it adds nuance, in one of the Cinderella Isekai, the evil step mother is immediately rationalized by now having to take care of an extra kid that is not even hers after the father dies, and the evil step sisters not only see how much Cinderella complicated life for their mother, they are ugly-normal and Cinderella is beautiful, thus she is treated with certain privilege they have never had.
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Aerdra



Joined: 02 Feb 2022
Posts: 320
PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2023 9:45 pm Reply with quote
NG_Chloe wrote:
This isn't really a Villainess anime TBH. It has a scene that's LIKE a scene where a Villainess gets called out, but it's clear that Euphie is innocent, been framed, etc. Euphie isn't even really written as a Villainess, she's written as someone whose very proper to a fault, so the comparison is simply based on the one scene being similar to a scene in a Villainess series.

I think the villainess genre has evolved to the point that the "villainess" actually being evil is not a requirement; in fact, in most villainess stories, the "villainess" is not evil, because of one or more of the following:
1. The reincarnated person assumes the role of the would-be villainess and changes her behavior to not be evil.
2. The reincarnated person interferes with the story so that the would-be villainess doesn't have the opportunity to turn evil.
3. The so-called villainess is simply misunderstood.

Episode Review wrote:
Euphyllia is right. The scariest thing about her “villainess condemnation” is that all those who tarnished her reputation did so with no malice. They honestly thought they were doing the right thing.

「得てして正義感に酔いしれた者は、注意が見えなくなる者ではあるが…」
"Those who are intoxicated by their own sense of righteousness do tend to become blind to what happens around them..."
What the king said was a little less direct than I'd like, but it's still worth saving and repeating.
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Key
Moderator


Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18136
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2023 12:45 am Reply with quote
This one is unquestionably my favorite new series of the season so far, and it's not even close. The thorough character study about Euphyllia's position and how she feels about all of this was an unexpected treat, and keeping her as more of the viewpoint character than Anisphilia was definitely the right call; Anis's rampant enthusiasm and quirkiness is more easily understandable to anime fans, and her situation requires a lot more context. I also greatly appreciate how shrewd Anis is about all of this. For all of her craziness and seeming spur-of-the-moment antics, she is good at analyzing the situation quickly and has thought a lot more of this through than any initial impression might imply. Wouldn't doubt that creating an item that would affirm all of Euphyllia's training and efforts to this point was a very deliberate choice on her part. Also like how the series is allowing a view into the thoughts of Grantz as well; that's a touch you don't commonly see in this kind of fare. Eagerly looking forward to where this goes next.

Review wrote:
If you think about it, in a medieval setting without advanced science, you've got to figure that dying in childbirth is quite common.

Estimates on childbirth mortality rates for the mother prior to the 18th century average around 2% for any given birthing, with around 5% of women (1 in 20) estimated to have ultimately died in childbirth. The figures are even higher if deaths from complications (like postpartum infections) are figured in as well. Though I didn't get the impression that the danger factor was at all part of Anis' thought process on the matter. . .
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Penrhos



Joined: 09 Jun 2021
Posts: 167
PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2023 7:36 am Reply with quote
This is one of my top new shows this season and is adapting the LN pretty well.

Princess yuri-munchkin is a great character and the story is far more complex than it first looks.

It's not a Vileness rehash and the engagement cancellation is not what it seems - from a relationship point of view all the parties involved should be far happier going forwards (loveless political marriages suck) . The fact that it was done publicly is an effective character assassination for Euphyllia - she's lost everything she's been brought up to be in one foul swipe and she's become an outcast just like our oddball princess.

You could remove the Isekai angle and it'd still work - Non-magical princess striving to advance inclusive technology against a established magic-based fuedal establishment.

The political and social ramifications for the cancelled engagement in Ep.1 will rumble on for the entire season (and beyond).
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meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3442
PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2023 11:18 am Reply with quote
Quite liked episode 1, but ouch episode 2 was slow and pointless. It feel like they took 3 scenes with about 5-7 minutes of contents and stretched that out for an entire episodes and sprinkle some fan service. So they had to continuously talk in circle and at the end of the day I feel like I know almost nothing new from ep 2 and someone could accidentally skip it and wouldn't even notice.

Prince break of the engagement: knew that from 1
Princess is kinda weird, no magic but make fancy gadget: again from 1
Duke daughter genius but never hit it off with prince: 1
Princess strained relation with king, but w/e she renounced the throne: 1 1 1 1
Princess plan to make duke daughters hers: 1

Only things that was added in 2 was the yuri element, but its possibly bait and completely ignore the question of if the duke daughter is even interested in women, but if it does go the yuri route I'm sure the duke daughter will just be whatever the show needs her to be.

Also the princess just showed up to the party motherfucking flying and left that way too! Nobody would talk about the prince engagement being broken off when someone has discovered flight!
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John the Dark Lord



Joined: 19 Jun 2020
Posts: 231
PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2023 11:49 am Reply with quote
meiam wrote:
Quite liked episode 1, but ouch episode 2 was slow and pointless. It feel like they took 3 scenes with about 5-7 minutes of contents and stretched that out for an entire episodes and sprinkle some fan service.


The other way around actually. Episode 1 was nearly entirely anime original stuff. The LN and manga started with the engagement being broken scene. Episode 2 was faithful to the source material.
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Folcwine P. Pywackett



Joined: 21 Feb 2017
Posts: 99
PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2023 12:05 pm Reply with quote
Key wrote:
This one is unquestionably my favorite new series of the season so far, and it's not even close. The thorough character study about Euphyllia's position and how she feels about all of this was an unexpected treat, and keeping her as more of the viewpoint character than Anisphilia was definitely the right call; Anis's rampant enthusiasm and quirkiness is more easily understandable to anime fans, and her situation requires a lot more context. I also greatly appreciate how shrewd Anis is about all of this. For all of her craziness and seeming spur-of-the-moment antics, she is good at analyzing the situation quickly and has thought a lot more of this through than any initial impression might imply. Wouldn't doubt that creating an item that would affirm all of Euphyllia's training and efforts to this point was a very deliberate choice on her part. Also like how the series is allowing a view into the thoughts of Grantz as well; that's a touch you don't commonly see in this kind of fare. Eagerly looking forward to where this goes next.


Whole heartedly agree with Master Key's observations here and they say it much better than I could. Magical is fast becoming my number 1 of the season.

But what the frack? Everytime two men or two women show affection for each other, then out comes the "Oh, yuri bait!!! That's just so gay!" as if affection between and among human beings can only be sexual? Come on! That's not even real.

And in EP 3 here, the King makes an outstanding quote about Human nature, spoiler["Those who are intoxicated by their own sense of righteousness do tend to become blind to what happens around them.....".] In a land peopled by those blinded by hatreds, who can see?
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Saeryen



Joined: 26 Aug 2020
Posts: 850
PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2023 12:48 pm Reply with quote
This anime is so sweet! Episode 3 is the best one yet.
spoiler[I love the name “Arc-en-ciel,” it’s such a pretty word!]
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meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3442
PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2023 3:43 pm Reply with quote
John the Dark Lord wrote:
meiam wrote:
Quite liked episode 1, but ouch episode 2 was slow and pointless. It feel like they took 3 scenes with about 5-7 minutes of contents and stretched that out for an entire episodes and sprinkle some fan service.


The other way around actually. Episode 1 was nearly entirely anime original stuff. The LN and manga started with the engagement being broken scene. Episode 2 was faithful to the source material.


Hum that's interesting, they should have severely cut short ep 2 then since they covered all of it with their anime original scenes.
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Dayraven



Joined: 21 Jul 2021
Posts: 168
PostPosted: Sat Jan 21, 2023 8:13 am Reply with quote
Quote:
Thus, as she is one of the two main protagonists, this is a villainess story.

The Japanese term that is usually translated as ‘villainess’ is ‘akuyaku reijö’. The title of this series calls Euphillya a ‘reijō’, which is the same term minus the villain bit. It’s specific enough that I think you’re meant to see a connection.
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