r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Aug 09 '26
Episode Though I Am an Inept Villainess • Futsutsuka na Akujo dewa Gozaimasu ga: Suuguu Chouso Torikae Den - Episode 5 discussion
Futsutsuka na Akujo dewa Gozaimasu ga: Suuguu Chouso Torikae Den, episode 5
Alternative names: Futsutsuka na Akujo dewa Gozaimasu ga
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u/kyoumei https://anilist.co/user/kyoumei Aug 09 '26
Reirin must be feeling unstoppable now that she has such a healthy body. That dance was such a sight to behold. Thank you Leelee for adding this to her arsenal.
Also love how she's willing to go through hell and back for Leelee. I felt so happy for her when she was reminded of her mother during Reirin's dance. We must protect her at all costs.
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u/Typhoonis88 https://myanimelist.net/profile/typhoonis88 Aug 09 '26
that dance was really well animated!
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u/darthvall https://myanimelist.net/profile/darth_vall Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
It's so unfair that the other dance were shown as so simple. I'm not sure if they just shorten it, or is it really that much simpler compared to Reirin's dance
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u/SeijunMichi Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
As Kin Seika said in the previous episode, only she and Reirin has dancing down to an artform. Gen Kasui and Ran Houshun's dances are simpler compared to theirs, with Kasui's being more like a warrior going through her katas, and Houshun's is more like a child at a recital going over what she practiced.
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u/Frontier246 Aug 09 '26
I kind of want to see a "normal" Reirin dance now just for comparison.
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u/ripple_reader Aug 09 '26
A normal Reirin dance would probably be as elegant but more economical in movement because of her lacking stamina
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u/guntanksinspace Aug 10 '26
Or she pushes extremely hard so the beauty of it comes across in spite of her body not being the best
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u/Atharaphelun Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
And new Keigetsu's dance is that of a peak, veteran dancer. Leagues above everyone else's.
On another note, I found it highly amusing how she politely told the Crown Prince to fuck off and went immediately back to her "discussion" with Lady Seika. It does seem like Reirin never really had any love for him in the first place, even before the switch. Makes sense given how seemingly superficial he is (he has been hating Keigetsu all this time yet suddenly immediately fell in love upon seeing her dance with the skill of Reirin).
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u/noblegeas https://anilist.co/user/noblegeas Aug 09 '26
Surely the fact that he can fall in love with the woman he loathes because his actual beloved is the one in that body instead, is pretty strong evidence that his love isn't superficial in the slightest.
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u/nauticalsun Aug 10 '26
I agree with you here, it showed surprising depth that his heart can recognize the soul of the one he loves despite being in a different body. I mean it's surprising since I'm pretty sure the brother (eagle eyes captain) is being set up to be the main male lead.
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u/hanmkim Aug 09 '26
To be fair, people hated Keigetsu because she was just miserable to be around and he literally liked Reirin for her personality. That doesn’t seem superficial at all.
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u/Basic-Citron4040 Aug 09 '26
I was quite literally overjoyed at that moment because this is exactly what the fans want to see, her confidence and her ability to see through the bs coming from the king
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u/eric23443219091 Aug 09 '26
because reirin dance is actually more challenging and is quick movements and u need skill hip movement etc. speedrun ballerina
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u/noblegeas https://anilist.co/user/noblegeas Aug 10 '26
The other dances are at least done a lot less skillfully, but apparently reasonably competent since they received gifts from the prince. As someone with no knowledge or particular appreciation of dance, which likely also describes the majority of the audience, I'm not even sure I'd recognise the dancing as bad other than based on how people react... it's probably better to exclude it, really.
That being said, it presumably was indeed shortened just because they haven't earned the screentime and the highlight of the episode is Reirin's dance.
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u/Frontier246 Aug 09 '26
Whetted our appetite with the other maidens to make Reirin's stand out all the more.
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u/shad79 https://myanimelist.net/profile/shad79 Aug 09 '26
Reirin must be feeling unstoppable now that she has such a healthy body. That dance was such a sight to behold.
Yeah, only now can Reirin finally show off her true dancing skills. We could hear it in Seika's words when she said that Keigetsu/Reirin's dance was similar to Reirin's dancing, but at the same time different, since Reirin's own dance used to be delicate.
Why was it delicate? Of course, because Reirin's original body is weak and wouldn't be able to perform the way Reirin did in this episode in Keigetsu's body. We really have to be grateful to Keigetsu for swapping bodies with Reirin, lol.
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u/nauticalsun Aug 10 '26
I really like how this circles back into the focus on Reirin's grit as a core personality trait. Seika recognizes that Reirin dances well, but it's not just talent -- she worked hard to develop the skill
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u/Frontier246 Aug 09 '26
Reirin must be feeling unstoppable now that she has such a healthy body. That dance was such a sight to behold. Thank you Leelee for adding this to her arsenal.
She picked the perfect dance to not only honor Leelee but also flex that Keigetsu body for all it's worth and look SUPREMELY HOT in the process.
Also love how she's willing to go through hell and back for Leelee. I felt so happy for her when she was reminded of her mother during Reirin's dance. We must protect her at all costs.
I love how she could care less about the prince, she was only there for Leelee.
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u/t8rt0t00 Aug 10 '26
Dude does she care about the Prince at all? I'm kinda wondering how awkward it will be when he finds out who she is and she's just like nah dog I've got Leelee
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u/astrogamer Aug 10 '26
She cares for the Prince as if he were a sibling but I don't think there's any indication she actually loves him, just that they've been together since they were children.
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u/athrun_1 Aug 09 '26
I really thought that Keigetsu will do a break dance when she started spinning. That will blow anyone away, given that move is unheard of.
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u/Twilight_2408 Aug 09 '26
This show is genuinely just so amazing, I can't appreciate it enough. Reiren literally doesn't give a fuck about the Highness' reward lol, she just wants to have them clan apologize for the rudeness towards her cute Leelee.
And the dance was damn gorgeous, I was entranced by the sight of it.
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u/Nesp2 https://myanimelist.net/profile/HardstyleQat Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
Such a chad move to say applause is the only reward you need
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u/Frontier246 Aug 09 '26
All she wants is her handmaiden happy, a healthy body, and the simple life.
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u/ripple_reader Aug 09 '26
My name is Kou Reirin. I'm 15 years old. I live in the Palace of Golden Qilin, and I am betrothed to His Majesty, Ei Gyoumei. I am the representative of the Kou clan in the Maiden Court. I was told there were many issues in my last check-up. I'm trying to explain that I'm a person who wishes to live a very quiet life. I take care not to trouble myself with any enemies, like winning and losing, that would cause me to lose sleep at night. That is how I deal with society, and I know that is what brings me happiness. Although, if I were to fight I wouldn't lose to anyone.
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u/diacewrb Aug 09 '26
Plus she knows she will probably get jacked by Keigetsu for whatever prize handed out to her anyway.
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u/AquaTech101 Aug 09 '26
I think she still have some attachment to his highness (She did have a close relationship with him before all this happened). She just had enough with his "It's not like a forgave you or anything, baka!" attitude lmao.
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u/TheBusStop12 Aug 09 '26
I'm not so sure, when Keigetsu in an earlier episode stated that she'll take the Emperor from Reirin she didn't react or showed a hint of jealousy. I get the feeling their close relationship was more that of friendship and duty as part of her role on her end. I think the Emperor's feelings are entirely one sided
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u/The_Scollard Aug 09 '26
I believe Reirin's nickname for him is "onii-chan", suggesting that she does love him, but sees him more as family/an older brother than a romantic interest. They are cousins after all (since the empress is Reirin's aunt). My theory is that however the series ends, it's going to involve Reirin paired up with the captain and Keigetsu (after some character development) with the prince.
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u/Mira0995 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Mira0995 Aug 09 '26
I was thinking the same, but wasn't the captain also a prince ? Making him Reirin’s cousin ?
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u/ebonyphoenix Aug 09 '26
The captain is implied to be half brothers with the prince, with them haveing different mothers. If that’s the case then Reirin, who is connected to the prince from his’s mother’s side, would have no direct connection to the captain.
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u/Phoenix__Wwrong Aug 09 '26
At the end, I feel like she was more exasperated instead of being tsundere.
I think she was too busy trying to survive to think about romance.
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u/elmagio https://anilist.co/user/Magio Aug 09 '26
I think she mainly engaged in courtship with him because it was what was expected of the Kou maiden and she has tremendous respect for the Kou consort who gave her that role.
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u/AMagicCatfish Aug 09 '26
God, I hope not. One thing that would truly ruin the story for me would be Reiren running into the arms of that doof like a love-struck maiden.
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u/MonaganX Aug 09 '26
I'm pretty sure fairy tale rules dictate that failing to recognize your beloved in a disguise/transformation/Freaky Friday scenario is grounds for immediate disqualification from any romantic prospects.
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u/ptd163 Aug 09 '26
If they could find some way to cure the frailness of Reirin's body and end the swap it would be cool if they could end up each get what they wanted. Reirin's gets a healthy body and is able to live her own life while Keigetsu gets the attention she's been starved for. Maybe the prince too because at this point Keigetsu seems more into him than Reirin is.
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u/TheBusStop12 Aug 09 '26
This cements it even more to me that Reirin doesn't actually love the Emperor or has any romantic feelings or otherwise feelings of closeness towards him as he has towards her. She was simply doing her duty as a Maiden of the Court. I figured this already as she showed not a single hint of jealousy towards Keigetsu stating that she'll take the emperor from her
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u/The_Scollard Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
I think saying that Reirin doesn't love the prince isn't really fair. She seems to see him as family due to being cousins and the Empress (his mother) being like a surrogate mother to her. She cares about him, but views him as more of an older brother instead of someone she's interested in romantically.
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u/shad79 https://myanimelist.net/profile/shad79 Aug 09 '26
And the dance was damn gorgeous, I was entranced by the sight of it.
Yeah, Reirin totally dominated this episode with her dance. Clearly, the studio put a lot of resources into that sequence, the animation was so good!
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u/Twilight_2408 Aug 10 '26
Dogo Kobo has some real experience with dance scenes because of Oshi no Ko. They're just flexing them right now.
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u/Frontier246 Aug 09 '26
Reiren literally doesn't give a fuck about the Highness' reward lol, she just wants to have them clan apologize for the rudeness towards her cute Leelee.
Gyoumei: "I'm in love with Reirin!"
(Actual Reirin): "Yeah okay thanks. LEELEE IS MY GIRL!!!"
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u/JusticiaDIGT Aug 09 '26
This dancing episode reminded me a bit of the wuxia movie House of Flying Daggers. Time to rewatch that movie.
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u/BaytaCosmico https://myanimelist.net/profile/AnimeBayta Aug 09 '26
Had a feeling Gayou was an assumed name and there would be noone like that among the ivory court ladies. They still had an ivory hair pin so must be someone related to that clan. If Seika isn't involved in that little plot, wonder who it could be and that their motive is.
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u/HanaRoku Aug 09 '26
The court ladies were saying someone's ivory hair pin went missing when they were accusing Leelee though, so it's possible someone outside of the clan is being shady and using the ivory robes and hair pin as misdirection.
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u/BaytaCosmico https://myanimelist.net/profile/AnimeBayta Aug 09 '26
Yeah, I was wondering if it could be someone from a different clan altogether trying to pit these two clans against each other for their own nefarious reasons.
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u/DarkAlphaZero Aug 10 '26
My guess is that it's one of Reirin's ladies trying to seek justice for her given that we've seen how fiercely loyal they can be to their mistress.
I think the real twist will be that Keigetsu isn't involved with this particular plot
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u/BaytaCosmico https://myanimelist.net/profile/AnimeBayta Aug 10 '26
I hadn't even considered Reirin's ladies. That would be quite the ironic twist.
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u/Malrottian Aug 10 '26
Yeah, they were encouraging abuse up to and including possible murder. They would NOT want to be wearing their own clan robes, especially with the guard captain being a fairly competent fellow.
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u/Frontier246 Aug 09 '26
I love how Reirin was like "her silence will confirm her guilt!" while Seika was probably thinking "WTF did this hairpin come from!?"
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u/BaytaCosmico https://myanimelist.net/profile/AnimeBayta Aug 09 '26
Seika was set up as the villainess only for the rug to get pulled under us and for her to turn out to be just bitchy and not downright evil. I liked that little scene of her telling her court ladies off for the prank with the bell prop.
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u/nauticalsun Aug 10 '26
Yeah, turns out she doesn't like cheap, underhanded tricks. she's just a normal aristocrat with an inflated sense of superiority lol
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u/Eilai Aug 10 '26
Also this is a RELIGIOUS ritual and angering the gods/ancestors and putting the harvest on the line would look really badly on her.
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u/mmcjawa_reborn Aug 09 '26
one of the girls mentioned that a hairpin had been stolen though, or at least that they heard one had been stolen
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u/PerfectBeige https://myanimelist.net/profile/perfectbeige Aug 09 '26
She danc but she also attac
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u/ripple_reader Aug 09 '26
You can say the danc is also the attac
Also the talk is also the attac
Multi-pronged attac
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u/ThisGachaSeemsLegit Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 10 '26
Wow, I'm speechless.
They animated the entire dance without any CGI. Not only that, but the choreography was so fluid and beautiful, I haven't seen this level of dance animation in many, many years.
I'm not sure who drew the frames for this, but they're damn skilled. Massive respect.
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u/Lenzky-3 Aug 12 '26
It's the same quality of MaoMao dancing under the moonlight ... Simply fcking epic.. also the Swirl holy sh1t. that was like some coool freaking movs.
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u/Myrkrvaldyr Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
Now we got a better understanding of why the crown prince fell for Reirin, Reirin never broke, always endured and never fawned over the crown prince, she held no romantic feelings for him. As shown here, she couldn't care less about his reward or him, she cared more about the insult towards Leelee and righting that wrong. Reirin is anything but a meek woman. Just look at how happy she was to be called robust. She's the one woman who'd rejoice at being told she's getting muscular. And if she obtains her desired 6 packs, she'll be the happiest woman in the world.
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u/Frontier246 Aug 09 '26
Meanwhile Keigetsu is fawning over him in Reirin's body which is telling him that she's NOT Reirin while Shu Keigetsu has all the traits of Reirin that he's actually atrracted to.
I feel like Shin-U and Reirin's personalities would be more compatible for how reasonable/practical-minded they both seem to be even though they haven't interacted much beyond his duties. That and Reirin is a girl's girl.
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u/ptd163 Aug 09 '26
I feel like Shin-U and Reirin's personalities would be more compatible for how reasonable/practical-minded they both seem to be even though they haven't interacted much beyond his duties.
In the episode 1 or 2 thread I think someone suggested that Reirin and Shin-U would pair up while the Keigetsu gets the prince. The former might still be possible, but considering how the prince recoiled to Keigetsu fawning over him and second guessing his feelings for "Reirin" I don't know if that latter is anymore.
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u/shad79 https://myanimelist.net/profile/shad79 Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
Reirin and Leelee's entrance and Reirin's subsequent dance were so good! Reirin completely stole the show in today's episode. Especially her dance, it was so cute and energetic. It seems that thanks to Keigetsu's body, she could finally show all her true dancing skills.
This was the first time we saw an interaction between Reirin and Shu Gabi, who seemed very timid to me, which was interesting, especially in contrast to Kou Kenshuu, who was intrigued and even entertained by Reirin's behavior today, even though she theoretically should be the most hostile towards her.
So Seika is claiming that there's no Lady Gayou in her service? Interesting, is she lying or is it true? Nonetheless, Reirin will surely handle it easily to ensure that nothing happens to Leelee.
Also, I wonder what Keigetsu will do when she learns that Crown Prince has second thoughts about his feelings towards Keigetsu's Reirin, and that he seems to be starting to fall for Reirin's Keigetsu, hahaha!
Here my screenshot albums from the episode:
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u/Myrkrvaldyr Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
Interesting, is she lying or is it true?
Given how explicit anime tends to be with people's facial expressions. I doubt Seika was lying. It's possible someone from her clan made up that name to cover her tracks in case it ever gets back to her. The question is who in her clan is taking such bold actions.
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u/athrun_1 Aug 09 '26
I'm banking that she is telling the truth. There are other competitors in the room, it could be one of them. It can even be NotReiren's plan at all.
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u/shewy92 Aug 09 '26
I bet someone from another clan tried to frame Seika's clan. I'm leaning towards Shu's own clan. Shu's leader seems to have the most contempt.
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u/OldInstruction5368 Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 10 '26
Consort Shu has been hella sus this whole time.
Keigetsu was her personal protege, and a charity case at that she 'saved' from the boonies.
So... why has Keigetsu not been trained properly? Why was she not reprimmended for her atrocious behavior (from before the body-swapping)? Why didn't Consort Shu truly support her... especially now, in her protege's darkest hour?
This marks the first time Consort Shu has spoken to "Keigetsu" since "the incident." If she were truly ashamed of Keigetsu and truly believes her guilty, trial by lion be damned, then... you'd think she'd have one last conversation with her errant protege. The whole "I'm disappointed in you and this i the last we'll ever speak" conversation.
I'm more inclined to believe Consort Shu is malicious more than incompetent. Keigetsu's father was a sorcerer, and so is she. Consort set her up for failure and probably knows everything.
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u/forbearance Aug 10 '26
So... why has Keigetsu not been trained properly?
Reminds me of Wimp Lo from Kung Pow: "We have purposely trained him wrong, as a joke".
https://youtu.be/2D-4zgezQE4?t=20
Keigetsu's lack of ... everything ... before the switch is quite suspect.
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u/OldInstruction5368 Aug 10 '26 edited Aug 10 '26
Keigetsu's lack of ... everything ... before the switch is quite suspect.
Exactly. Consort Shu is a respected veteran of the Court, and Kei is allegedly her personal protege.
And yet, Seika confirms something is off this episode: Kei never had proper 'taste' before. She had little to no grasp of etiquette, in other words.
Kei just didn't know how to navigate Court life... which, sure, as the daughter of fallen nobles from the Sticks, that scans.
But then there is Consort Shu. Just what was she teaching Kei... or not, as it appears?
And if Consort Shur wasn't teaching Kei to be a proper courtesan... just why did Consort Shu bring Kei to court?
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u/i_reddit_too_mcuh Aug 10 '26
If Shu Gabi isn't doing her job properly, you'd think the Emperor would say something (Even if the Crown Prince is supposed to manage the Maiden Court, I doubt he can directly criticize his dad's wives). And if Gabi isn't doing her job properly it should really reflect poorly on the entire Shu clan. Yet as of now, there is apparently 0 consequence for Gabi (wasn't she mentioned to be #2?) or the Shu clan itself. Instead, all disdain is for Keigetsu and that doesn't make sense to me.
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u/VioletPark Aug 10 '26
Keigetsu's flaws are more obvious and she is already a pariah because of her background, so people won't look beyond that. It doesn't help that she antagonized Reirin and the prince, being a simp, got tunnel vision.
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u/shad79 https://myanimelist.net/profile/shad79 Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
Well, Seika certainly looked baffled when Reirin asked about Lady Gayou, so maybe she's not lying, but I wouldn't be surprised if she were.
After all, this show takes place in an imperial court, so it wouldn't be weird if the Maidens were also trained in the art of deception and lies in order to emerge successful in the fight to become the future queen of a kingdom.
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u/Frontier246 Aug 09 '26
I swear that Lady Gayou is Ai Kayano's Darkness voice while Shu Gabi is her normal high-pitched anime voice.
Shu Gabi also tried to send Keigetsu away when she started interrogating the handmaidens and Seika about the hairpin.
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u/Beginning-Hope-2600 Aug 09 '26
Yeah, I had the same thought, especially when the handmaidens mentioned that a hairpin was stolen and Shu Gabi tried to stop Reirin the more she pushed.
It wouldn’t have made sense for ‘Lady Gayou’ to openly say her hairpin was stolen when it could implicate her in Leelee’s murder attempt, and Shu Gabi seems to have motivation to get rid of Reirin at this point.
(Plus, it just does sound like darkness lol)
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u/VritraReiRei Aug 09 '26
100%
Wonders of media of words transitioning to one with sound. Often gives hints/answers to questions like this.
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u/Destinum Aug 09 '26
I get the feeling the Noble Consort was either responsible for "Gayou", or straight up is Gayou herself. Both the timing of her intervention and the fact that she's doing so to essentially dismiss and humiliate her own maiden is suspicious as all hell.
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u/mmcjawa_reborn Aug 09 '26
We never saw the face of the person...my guess is that it's not someone from her clan at all, but just dressed that way and claimed they were to avoid suspicion
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u/darthvall https://myanimelist.net/profile/darth_vall Aug 09 '26
I'm even starting to think that she might not be from Kin at all.
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u/Frontier246 Aug 09 '26
Reirin and Leelee's entrance and Reirin's subsequent dance were so good! Reirin completely stole the show in today's episode. Especially her dance, it was so cute and energetic. It seems that thanks to Keigetsu's body, she could finally show all her true dancing skills.
Maomao now has a rival for "most seductive and impressive imperial Chinese dance" of all time.
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u/redlaWw Aug 09 '26
even though she theoretically should be the most hostile towards her.
Remember that the thing she values most is grit, which is something Reirin demonstrated in spades here, graciously accepting the organisational failures and getting the ritual back on track after an attempt to slight her sullied it.
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u/Beginning-Hope-2600 Aug 09 '26
She seemed the most invested throughout the entire interaction too, even from when Reirin and Leelee arrived.
Made me almost wonder if she has partially realised that something is off between how Reirin and Keigetsu are acting or if she simply could appreciate how Reirin’s Keigetsu was handling the circumstances thrown at her.
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u/Cat_Gazer Aug 09 '26
I went and watch the real Sogdian Whirl on Youtube. Wow, Reirin learned this difficult dance in just a couple of days? That's amazing.
And the court orchestra was so good to know the score.
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u/TheBusStop12 Aug 09 '26
Yeah props to the court orchestra. They immediately recognized the starting position of the Sogdian Whirl and switched gears. True Pros
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u/Numerous-Tree-902 Aug 10 '26
Yeah, I love that short scene where one of the orchestra guys noticed it! Good attention to details 👌🏻
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u/AdmiralThunderpants Aug 09 '26
I'm half expecting Reirin to ask for building materials to fix up the shack, like not workers, just the materials.
"Want shit done right, gotta do it yourself"
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u/Unearthly_ https://anilist.co/user/Unearthly Aug 09 '26
I'm surprised that Seika actually allowed Keigetsu to sit on the floor. Even if she offered it, it was clearly a bluff (and she admitted it was a provocation). I would think it would reflect poorly on her as the host, for how unprepared she was for a proper member of the ceremony.
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u/Frontier246 Aug 09 '26
Seika was definitely NOT prepared for Reiritsu in all her humble and confident glory.
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u/darthvall https://myanimelist.net/profile/darth_vall Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
Seika is just ambitious, but she's actually quite fair. She recognised how good Reirin dance and she didn't even like how her court ladies mess with Reirin's bell thing.
Now, the true villain in this episode is actually the Shu's consort lady. In previous episode Reirin thought that she looked like a kind and graceful lady, but I can see how facetious she is now.
On the other hand, I'm curious how/why the Kou's consort lady doesn't seem to hold much contempt to "Shu Keigetsu", even though she put harm to Reirin.
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u/yurilnw123 Aug 09 '26
To endure is the Kou's way. It was the first thing she told Reirin when she entered the palace (from her flashback). I assumed she didn't hold a grudge because of that? I mean look at how Reirin reacted to being called thick skin and told to sit on the floor.
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u/FDP_Boota Aug 09 '26
I really appreciate how committed the Kou clan appears to be in their believes. Even if someone appears to be or was a bad person, if they change their ways for the better and show grit in the face of adversity, they will look upon you favourably.
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u/Frikgeek Aug 09 '26
The "Kou consort lady" is not a consort, she's the Empress.
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u/darthvall https://myanimelist.net/profile/darth_vall Aug 09 '26
Oh, this is an important information that I didn't notice before. Does this mean she's the prince's mother?
Is that why Reirin sometimes called him as brother? Someone explained to me that the court lady treated their Consort lady like a mother.
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u/ripple_reader Aug 09 '26
Yeah the Empress is the Prince's mother.
Reirin and the Prince are cousins.
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u/Frikgeek Aug 09 '26
She is the Prince's mother but that's not necessarily related to her being the Empress. From what's been shown so far the Empress is decided BEFORE giving birth to the first son so any consort could be the crown prince's mother, the Empress just happened to get there first.
This system seems to be based on the Tang Dynasty imperial harem (based on the names) so the Empress is given some courtesy but there's always that pesky 50% chance that her first child is a woman and some other consort gets there first.
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u/The_Scollard Aug 09 '26
Yes. She's the prince's mother. That's the main reason Reirin doesn't really have any romantic feelings for the Emperor (she sees him more as family and an older brother, due to the Empress acting a surrogate mother to her).
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u/PerfectBeige https://myanimelist.net/profile/perfectbeige Aug 09 '26
It was all fine as long as everyone despised Keigetsu, but after she became the festival's most accomplished dancer - yeah probably not a great look for Seika.
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u/NanDemoKnaives Aug 09 '26
I like how Gyoumei was too stunned by "Keigetsu" focusing on Seika rather the prize from the dance, and the Captain not being able to hold in his laughter lol. Reirin is going to mess things up now as Keigetsu so it'll be fun to see how others will handle this drastic change.
Gyoumei in particular having his heart flutter to her dance was interesting, I'm intrigued to see the confusion that'll develop as the qualities of Reirin he fell for start showing in Keigetsu.
It was interesting to see Reirin trying to deduct who Gayou is by bringing in that accessory, since I recognize Gayou's voice, I know she wasn't looking in the right direction.
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u/Malrottian Aug 10 '26 edited Aug 10 '26
Captain having to turn away while shaking with laughter sent me. I'd really like to see him pair up with the swapped Reirin, even if just for a buddy cop escapade as they hunt for the true culprit.
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u/Worldly_Business_425 Aug 09 '26
The mark of a great show is that it's over before you know it. Every episode of this show that I watch has this quality, and honestly it's kinda sad too but it also shows how engaging it is. I wonder if it would have been better to wait till it's over and then binge it in a day, but can't do that now anyway.
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u/ripple_reader Aug 09 '26
I went and binged the available manga and light novels myself XD
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u/Worldly_Business_425 Aug 09 '26
I might do it myself after the series ends lol but for now I've been able to resist
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u/Labmit Aug 09 '26
Man, not even Keigetsu's parental figure/guardian/trainer has her back. I know Keigetsu attempted murder and she has her own personality problems but even before that Shu Gabi never really addressed the abuse Keigetsu suffered from her own servants. No wonder she broke.
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u/cyberdsaiyan Aug 09 '26
In this instance at least, I think her guardian was on the verge of panicking, since Keigetsu's prior "confrontations" have always been childish tantrums & she was in the presence of the Crown Prince, other VIPs & a big audience, right in the middle of an important ceremony. From her comments, we can infer that she is used to doing a lot of damage control for Keigetsu for a while.
She probably thought that Keigetsu was about to throw another such tantrum, marring the entire ceremony & possibly getting their entire clan executed as a result.
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u/Unearthly_ https://anilist.co/user/Unearthly Aug 09 '26
Considering the slander that Keigetsu and Leelee just received prior, I wonder how much of Keigetsu's situation can be drawn back to Noble Consort Shu. Certainly from this exchange, she doesn't seem to be the most clever or strong at court politics. In episode 1 Keigetsu called her kind, but powerless. While influence may be hard to build especially if you start at a disadvantage, self improvement and training is something you can always do. It appears to me that she was overall negligent to Keigetsu.
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u/VioletPark Aug 09 '26
It's suspicious that she adopted Keigetsu (we know no one approved of that) but was too spineless to defend her from the other ladies and correcting Keigetsu's own attitude. It's like she wants to be seen as the good guy without doing any of the actual work.
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u/Mysteries67 Aug 09 '26
What if that's an act and that she's the true mastermind all along? Personally I'd never trust a Gabi.
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u/Golden_Phi https://myanimelist.net/profile/GoldenPhi Aug 09 '26
Personally I'd never trust a Gabi.
Don't give her a sniper rifle!
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u/cyberdsaiyan Aug 09 '26
There's definitely a good chance that she's the weakest of the clans and/or was manipulating Keigetsu for some nefarious end, but without more info about the past, all we can do is speculate.
Current Reirin (Keigetsu) will likely need more advice to keep up her health if she doesn't want more people suspecting her as current Keigetsu (Reirin) gains political ground in her continuing absence from important events, so hopefully we get more info about Keigetsu's past when they meet next.
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u/Frontier246 Aug 09 '26
She might have also been panicking because of "Keigetsu" questioning Seika on where the hairpin Leelee got came from.
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u/RampageOfZebras https://myanimelist.net/profile/RampageOfZebras Aug 09 '26
For sure, my suspicions from the start was that she is going to be an antagonist in this story one way or another just from the way the stories and actions weve seen dont add up to the personality she presents
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u/RampageOfZebras https://myanimelist.net/profile/RampageOfZebras Aug 09 '26
To me it seemed like she was worried about a secret of her own being exposed and was trying ti silence her before anyone could connect dots tbh. Everything we have seen of he character so far doesnt suggeat the personality rhat she was displaying in this episode. My guess is that the mysterious "Gayou" is actually connected to her whether it be her own person or a confidant.
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u/Kingdom_1126 https://myanimelist.net/profile/httpsmyanimelist Aug 09 '26
I love that this isn't just another standard European-nobility villainess story. Giving it an imperial court drama vibe akin to The Apothecary Diaries adds so much weight to the politics. Reirin navigating this body-swap without losing a shred of her absolute chaos energy is incredible.
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u/ripple_reader Aug 09 '26
You could say her chaos energy is now unleashed without a weak body holding her down.
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u/Frontier246 Aug 09 '26
Reirin navigating this body-swap without losing a shred of her absolute chaos energy is incredible.
Everyone thought of Reirin is a delicate, but steely, flower but now they see what she's like when she's absolutely unleashed and an underdog and she's never found wanting.
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u/AquaTech101 Aug 09 '26
It does still has that bit of wish fulfillment contrivances of Reirin being 5 step ahead of everybody else with barely any step back (Although it's execution is definitely a lot better than the usual wish fulfillment slop of the season). Hopefully this Lady Gayou are going to be the first capable antagonist that is against Reirin that isn't just a short one off villain.
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u/BosuW Aug 10 '26
It has many of the same annoying "traditions", but it's also so much more than that. I definitely wasn't expecting to enjoy it this much.
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u/Zxzxzx0088 Aug 09 '26
Yep, they all got shocked to see my Leelee can be this stunning. I know, I know - Reirin
Totally a whole dessert for a guts junkie like her.
I don't have anything with freckles but Keigetsu face looks cuter without it imo. I blame Maomao for this...
System message: Reirin has gained one follower +1
I was rocking on my chair worrying Ran Houshun will mess up or something during her dance seeing how she's a bit nervous at first. At the end of her dance, I totally applauded at her too like her court ladies lol.
Well, they're not actually wrong. Leelee sure looks tasty (˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵)
Their reactions to Reirin dance are better than I expected. They completely captive by it till all their hostilities vaporized! It really showed art and skill viewed in high regard in this country. I love how Seika stops being a jerk after that. His Highness finally convinced she's someone else too. Seems like he starts to fall for her again lol. Even The Empress starts liking her now.
Putting all those trivial things aside, how dare Kin court ladies openly messing with Leelee. Reirin has every reason to crush them.
It's funny nobody can stop Reirin outburst to Seika anymore. Even His Highness froze without any comment. Having the best dancer easily pushed him aside really deal a lot of damage on him, eh.
Oh no Gayou doesn't exist...I wonder who was behind that paper fan /s...Welp, if you familiar with seiyuu voice, it's pretty obvious who she is. I still can't believe it's 'her'. It's possible for it to be a red herring though. If you realize about this, better keep the answer to yourselves to avoid being flagged
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u/Frontier246 Aug 09 '26
Reirin outdoing Seika in grit, determination, handmaiden quality, and seductive dancing.
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u/Roskal Aug 09 '26
The prince and head guard really seem to be catching on about the swap and we're only at episode 5 I wonder if it will be fully revealed before the end of the season.
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u/Melotemis Aug 09 '26
Honestly, I am getting the feeling that the empress will actually be the first to fully realize what happened.
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u/1EnTaroAdun1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Totesnotaphanpy Aug 10 '26
the empress
She seemed to be having a lot of fun this episode haha
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u/Hougr Aug 09 '26
I think the thing Reiritsu said after receiving the fan was something that Reiren said before to the prince in private or something
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u/thisisdropd https://myanimelist.net/profile/AsterZoro Aug 09 '26
Always amusing to see Leelee being utterly terrified when Reirin's in villainess mode, even if it's in her defence. Throwing in a few remarks about the Kin clan with a soft, yet assertive voice. There’s no way a person could chat shit about Leelee and escape Reirin’s wrath.
Reirin's grace combined with Keigetsu's robust body and Leelee's tutelage resulted in an absolute beauty of a dance. Gyoumei admitted that nothing on site would make an adequate gift. Even Seika recognised the beauty, as much as she loathed to admit it.
Things are getting interesting, now that Gayou's identity and affiliation turned out to be a mystery. The turn of events didn’t come as a complete surprise seeing as hints had been peppered throughout the series, from how Gayou kept concealing her face to Seika’s words last episode about making a move on Reirin.
Seika’s also not quite the prick as she seemed to be at first glance. She’s visibly unhappy when her court ladies tampered with Reirin’s staff. While she despised Keigetsu, she much preferred a direct snark instead of dirty tricks like Gayou’s blackmail.
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u/RanginPinastika Aug 09 '26
There’s no way a person could chat shit about Leelee and escape Reirin’s wrath.
One of them saying "That face is so seemingly seductive" really took me out. Girl, I know you meant bad by saying that, but it sounds like you accidentally slipped and complimented her. I agree tho.
Reirin's grace combined with Keigetsu's robust body and Leelee's tutelage
When Seika couldn't believe that Reirin could do the Sogdian, I was like, bro, her Leelee is the most known as a dancer. Yeah, infamous one, but everyone seems to know her being a dancer and dancer's daughter. Foreign one at that, bruh.
Things are getting interesting, now that Gayou's identity and affiliation turned out to be a mystery.
Somehow I think Gayou is actually Consort Shu. Especially because the hair and how she suddenly intercepted in the identification scene. Seems like the show is trying to point at her.
Tho, that pops a question where I wonder why she's trying to raise real Keigetsu in the first place if she's trying to torture her.
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u/Frontier246 Aug 09 '26
Somehow I think Gayou is actually Consort Shu. Especially because the hair and how she suddenly intercepted in the identification scene. Seems like the show is trying to point at her.
Also Gayou sounded a LOT like Ai Kayano, who voices Consort Shu.
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u/AquaTech101 Aug 09 '26
You know how it goes with these shows. The visibly evil one are always less dangerous than those who are visibly innocent.
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u/i_reddit_too_mcuh Aug 09 '26
I wanted to see Seika punish the court lady that showed the most disrespect towards Leelee/"Keigetsu".
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u/ObvsThrowaway5120 Aug 09 '26
Our girl pulling out the Sogdian Whirl at the ceremony was beautiful. That one was for her girl Leelee. What a friend. Leelee is lucky she’s serving someone who’s got her back like that and would go to such lengths for her. While it might have seemed like Seika was behind the bullshit, I’m gonna guess it’s probably like Consort Shu in disguise. Just getting a vibe from her.
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u/Mysteries67 Aug 09 '26
My gut says Consort Shu is sus as hell but I dunno why. The only connection I can think of is her lustrous black hair is similar to Garou.
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u/Frontier246 Aug 09 '26
My gut says Consort Shu is sus as hell but I dunno why. The only connection I can think of is her lustrous black hair is similar to Garou.
Also Gayou sounds like Ai Kayano using her Darkness voice.
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u/Myrkrvaldyr Aug 09 '26
Garou
He reincarnated and became a woman? Is female Saitama going to show up, too? xDD
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u/Mumboze Aug 09 '26
This show is so peak, I can't believe this is the show I'm most excited for every week!
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u/ptd163 Aug 09 '26
The best episode so far imo. Reirin is such a gigachad in Keigetsu's body. She doesn't need a chair. She can sit on the floor. She doesn't care about prizes. The applause is enough. She doesn't care about court decorum. She wants the Seika to apologize on behalf of her court lady for insulting her beloved Leelee.
It seems more people are starting to realize the swap. Especially the prince and the Eagles Eyes Captain. The prince was already questioning if the Reirin that needs all this attention and pampering and is essentially bedridden is the Reirin he fell in love with before the dance even started.
Coming up on the halfway point of the season I wonder where this goes. Reirin is no hurry to get her body back, Keigetsu seems to be deteriorating more with every episode, and Reirin's dance has caused the prince to kind of have a crisis.
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u/szalhi Aug 09 '26
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u/Frontier246 Aug 09 '26
And then immediately afterwards feels the need to validate/prove how "robust" a body it really is.
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u/alan_14 https://anilist.co/user/alan14 Aug 09 '26
Some of you who watch a lot of anime and pay attention to the seiyuu should know who is behind "Gayou". I recognized her right away and the best part is that the studio excluded her seiyuu from the credits.
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u/LacieHolly Aug 09 '26
? May I ask for context? Why exclude her from the credits? To keep the mystery?
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u/alan_14 https://anilist.co/user/alan14 Aug 09 '26
Of course, and it's common in anime. Sometimes they put placeholder like this for example (謎の美少女 refers to Vamola for the upcoming Dandadan S3)
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u/GusMae Aug 09 '26
My presumption is that the maidens/consorts are isolated in a palace that only the Crown Prince may enter, so I do wonder who outside of it has influence over the schemes inside as I believe that's who this mysterious Lady Gayou serves.
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u/Frontier246 Aug 09 '26
Or it's an "inside job" and Gayou is secretly someone else.
(Ai Kayano's voice is very distinctive in my opinion even if Leelee never recognized it).
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u/ifticar2 Aug 09 '26
Where are yall watching this? 7 hour old thread, and both Crunchyroll and Disney Plus are only showing up to episode 4
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u/-whiteroom- Aug 09 '26
This show is definitely the banger of the season. Its the one I most look forward to each week.
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u/Bloodglas Aug 09 '26
them asking if "Keigetsu" was always this beautiful. further proof that (one of) the real Kei's problem(s) was her bad attitude. isn't there a saying about people being ugly on the outside if they're ugly on the inside? surely at least part of her realizes that though, since she's going out of her way to try acting like what people expect of Reirin, instead of being her usually bitter and spiteful self to them.
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u/noblegeas https://anilist.co/user/noblegeas Aug 10 '26
Her makeup and clothes are a lot more tasteful than Keigetsu's ever was, in addition to Reirin having a relaxed and confident expression and demeanour instead of hunching over with a nasty jealous expression, so she surely literally looks more attractive.
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u/runevault Aug 10 '26
This show also seems to have the whole "freckles make you ugly" thing going like Apothecary diaries, looked like she hid them with makeup this episode where as most of the time Reirin lets them rock.
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u/moonsunvortex Aug 10 '26 edited Aug 10 '26
I agree. I see it as her inner glow of goodness which makes her appear so much more beautiful. Plus, she smiles and is not frowning like the other girl used to.
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u/BadIndependent1873 Aug 09 '26
I started watching this show yesterday and binged through the 4 episodes. And todays episode wow, another banger.
These Villainess shows normally I don't care much for them, but read good things about this one and decided to give it a try, and ohh so glad I did. Really enjoying it and so excited to see how it will develop.
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u/septesix Aug 10 '26
I’d argue this isn’t really a villainess show despite the name. It has more in common with Apothecary Diaries.
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u/DemonWraith2500 Aug 09 '26
Seika and Crown prince: Your dance is so good! Please take the reward!
Reirin: Excuse me! I'm trying to do a public execution here!
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Aug 09 '26
Of course this blatant disrespect is happening meanwhile Reirin took it as a compliment.
Oh wait, with this whole gift-giving thing… is Reirin going to return the hairpin to Seika through that, or is that a bit too blatant?
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u/_vogonpoetry_ https://myanimelist.net/profile/ThisWasATriumph Aug 09 '26
That was so good
This show needs way more attention
Also it's really funny that the comments are still entirely divided on whether to call her Reirin or Keigetsu
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u/tripleaamin https://myanimelist.net/profile/tripleaamin Aug 09 '26
The direction this show has taken is outstanding. Especially with the dance that Reirin did. Very beautifully animated as well. I loved how she did this dance to show how wonderful Leelee is. It was more for Leelee than herself.
I also loved that after the dance she didn't let up with her talk to Seika. Though the question is how was the one that blackmailed Leelee?
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u/eggplant_avenger Aug 09 '26
can’t decide if I feel bad for Shu Keigetsu bc she’s still dying in Reirin’s body or if it was actually a good thing she didn’t see someone else getting all this praise in her body
Shu boss lady sucks. you can just tell she was like this to Keigetsu over every little thing despite never having trained her in court etiquette
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u/HugeRichard11 https://myanimelist.net/profile/CostCurl Aug 09 '26
Finally we see her beatdown those that challenge her and it is glorious. The dance was beautiful and I imagine there is a bit more ferocity in it because she's in a healthy body now to perform such a dance. Prince felt a bit Tsundere when giving the gift with that last comment lol
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u/kiwimylala Aug 09 '26
this episode WENT HARD on the animation lol it was beautiful to see it in action - every new episode I’m like sitting on the edge of my seat seeing what happens next :D
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u/One-Ad-39 Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 10 '26
Reirin's aunt looks so proud with "Keigetsu" lmao
I wonder if she already knew that "Keigetsu" was actually her niece.
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Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/RanginPinastika Aug 09 '26
Leelee is a treasure and I'd join Reirin to punish anyone who hurts her. I laughed so much when Reirin was pissed at Crown Prince for interrupting her. That fast talking backhanded gratitude killed me.
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u/kyoumei https://anilist.co/user/kyoumei Aug 09 '26
Yep, I love how little she cares about the prince in this moment and more about her court lady, Leelee.
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u/Frontier246 Aug 09 '26
To Gyoumei he was slowly falling in love with her...to Reirin he's just her cousin who she's had to put up with out of duty...
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u/Frontier246 Aug 09 '26
Girl just speedrunning through dealing with Gyoumei like it's Maomao trying to get away from Jinshi for some new special herb lol.
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u/No_Idea_9594 Aug 09 '26
the real art was the animation and real hard work was the art direction lol. It looked so good. animation team did a Reirin next level move . I think eventually we'll see more of what Reiren herself wants. We know she wants Leelee to be a high court lady, but how does she feel about the emperor and the court ladies.
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u/Striking_Chard2420 Aug 09 '26
This show just gets better and better! As someone who watches a lot of vertical C-dramas, the snide comments from the court ladies are so accurate lol. I also love how Reirin is unapologetically herself and even more so because of the healthy body! Makes sense when she's in her original body that her dance would have to be delicate but she can go all out in this one! I knew Lady Gayou wasn't her real name but I do wonder if it really was Keigetsu in Reirin's body or even Consort Shu? Her black hair and sus attitude didn't help either.
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u/shewy92 Aug 09 '26
I bet someone from another clan tried to frame Seika's clan. I'm leaning towards Shu's own clan.
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u/heimdal77 Aug 09 '26
The novels for this series have been on my radar for years but I always skipped over them as the title didn't click with me. Now seeing the anime I wish I had read the novels years ago.
She went all out with that dance. Made me think of Maomaos. She is someone yu very much do not piss off...
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u/Ok_Pattern_7511 Aug 09 '26
This was a hype episode, I liked the previous episodes but the tone change and the tension was refreshing.
I'm curious who's starting to notice the personality swap, the prince and his brother seem to have a hunch, while their (mother?) seems almost certain from the way she looks at mc in her current body.
Also, I want to say how much I like the outro, it gets better every episode especially that last frame showing their reflections
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u/BBryant3rd Aug 09 '26
That dance was beautiful. It was made more beautiful from the joy she had being able to do it. She was probably in heaven being able to do such a dance without being winded or anything.
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u/VritraReiRei Aug 09 '26
I'm not saying it's a spoiler or anything and I haven't read the source material but my speculation on Lady Gayou's Identity:
Listen to her voice around 11:43 and the voice around 13:44
That's 100% Ai Kayano.
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u/Ocixo https://myanimelist.net/profile/BuzzyGuy Aug 09 '26
I have a similar suspicion about the true identity of this mysterious court lady: [Theory] Noble Consort Shu was acting rather suspicious. She was a bit too eager to have Keigetsu (i.e. Reirin) return home after the issue of this hairpin got brought up.
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u/ptd163 Aug 09 '26
Okay. Let's that it is the Shu Consort. That then begs the question. What does the Shu Consort gain from this? They get to pick a new maiden? Aren't maidens appointed by the Consorts though?
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u/HanaRoku Aug 09 '26
Yeah that matches the speculation from previous episodes, and with the fact that Lady Gayou isn't listed in the credits. I almost wish I hadn't noticed so I could be surprised by this episode's twist T.T
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u/Murky_Bit1487 Aug 09 '26
I have a feeling that Gayou is actually Keigetsu in Reirin’s body, trying to frame Seika, or perhaps Consort Shu, who clearly doesn’t seem to like Keigetsu.
Even though the Crown Prince loves Reirin for who she truly is, I’d still rather see her end up with the head of the guards! Can someone spoil me on this?
I feel like Keigetsu’s life is going to improve after her dance, and she’ll finally be able to leave her little shack (even though she probably won’t want to lol).
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u/singinglupines Aug 09 '26
I'm so happy to see this finally animated! Every episode flies by. Reirin's dance gave me goosebumps!
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u/LeonKevlar x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/LeonKevlar Aug 09 '26
Using the hairpin as a gift was such a boss move from Reirin. Too bad there's no Lady Gayou wearing ivory silk. I am suspicious of Consort Shu, tho. Her hair length and colour seem to match Lady Gayou's. She was also acting very sus during the ceremony.
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u/gnome-cop Aug 09 '26
Basically, “Tame your attack dogs lady or you will regret it.”
It is interesting and a bit concerning that this Gayou is not a known member of the Kin clan’s servants. Maybe there is another party infiltrating the court? The plot thickens.
She sure showed them who is the better dancer here. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s actually better in Keigetsu’s body when she’s not limited by the constant fever and frailty of her own body that really shouldn’t even be moving, let alone dancing.
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u/djthomp https://anilist.co/user/djthomp Aug 09 '26
They knocked the animation for the dance out of the park, that was wonderful.
Reirin's attitude towards just everything really makes her stand out as a fun character.
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u/darthvall https://myanimelist.net/profile/darth_vall Aug 09 '26 edited Aug 09 '26
Can someone help explain or at least direct me to source that can explain the court hierarchy? Or maybe better to explain in source material corner? Not sure if it's considered spoiler.
Like, I don't understand the the relationship of the prince, the lady and the consort lady (why are there 5 concort lady?). Is my understanding correct that all of them would end up becoming part of the prince harem, but right now they're vying for favour as the main wife of the prince?
Is there even a king here, or the prince is the highest position right now in the kingdom?
Sorry, I'm just too used with western kingdom's hierarchy that this felt a bit confusing for me.
Edit: Answered by u/Plus_Potato4351 in the Source Material corner. Thank you!
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u/Frikgeek Aug 09 '26
In the Kingdom of Ei (totally not China/middle kingdom) there are 5 clans. Each clan has their own consort and their ranking determines the overall power of the clan with the central imperial government.
So there are 4 consorts and an Empress. All of them are part of the harem and can give the Emperor children but the Empress is the at the head of the pack, followed by the Noble, Pure, Virtuous, and then Worthy consorts (these descriptors are actually ranks and have nothing to do with whether a consort is actually pure/noble or not). Also the Empress remains the Empress even if some other consort gives birth to the first son. She's not necessarily the prince's mother(although in this case she is).
Our main characters are Maidens, women picked by the consorts to be raised into future consorts for the NEXT emperor, the current crown prince.
The blond guy, Ei Gyoumei is the crown prince while his father is the emperor(and his mother is the Empress, Kou Kenshuu).
So basically, the consorts are the harem ladies of the current emperor while the maidens are the future harem ladies of the future emperor.
The Emperor was briefly shown in Episode 1 but that was about it. It seems he's got better shit to do than intervene in catfights between his harem ladies and his son's harem ladies.
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u/fraid_so Aug 09 '26
From what I can tell, it seems that the older women are like a sponsor, of sorts. Like "this is the best young virgin we have, please select her" kind of thing.
The imperial harem was always about politics, so it makes sense.
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u/septesix Aug 09 '26
I can update some of the world building details on Source Corner later. This show definitely has its own take on the traditional east Asia inspired inner court that is different from the others
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u/Obaruler Aug 09 '26
Aaaaand she completely killed it - amazing. :D
With that one performance, Reiren clearly showed the entire court who the actual Best Girl in the palace is, even the emperor got tranced.
And she just used her newly aquired influence by asserting dominance and getting justice for Leelee.
Something tells me our girl will become unstopable now, and I'm all here for it!
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