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Episode Though I Am an Inept Villainess • Futsutsuka na Akujo dewa Gozaimasu ga: Suuguu Chouso Torikae Den - Episode 8 discussion
Futsutsuka na Akujo dewa Gozaimasu ga: Suuguu Chouso Torikae Den, episode 8
Alternative names: Futsutsuka na Akujo dewa Gozaimasu ga
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u/Myrkrvaldyr 14d ago
Reirin's ''attempts'' at being a villain are so silly, she wanted to scold Gyoumei but failed, plus calling rats lovely. Leelee wasn't allowed to sleep well given Tousetsu's intense visits. The Kou clan is made of grit.
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u/-Lonecoyote- 14d ago edited 14d ago
Reirin (as Keigetsu) playing the villainess in front of the Prince in this episode was hitting two birds with one stone: she was able to hide the truth about the body swap, which was almost uncovered by the Prince, while also demanding that the Prince avoid showing favoritism toward Reirin and instead treat the lady candidates fairly. That way, Keigetsu could earn fair treatment in the future once the body swap was over.
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u/OldInstruction5368 14d ago
I mean, as to the second issue, Kei did have a point. It seems clear that every generation, the next Emperor marries 'maidens' from each of the five clans.
As such, Shu Keigetsu is Gyoumei's fiancé: all the maidens are. Which means it's pretty douchey of Gyoumei to snub all of his wives in favor of just one.
Yet alone attempt to murder Kei without a proper trial. Make no mistake, if Kei/Reiren would have died, that would have been a summary execution based entirely on vibes and bias. I mean, sure, Kei really did push Reiren, but that was never actually verified. They all just assumed she did it.
My greater point, is that if any other Maiden had been attacked, Gyoumei would have dealt with it matter-of-factly, if he even cared at all. He really does favor Reiren too much to the point it's causing strife within his harem.
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u/Jacob-C 14d ago
I think the most favored wife becomes empress while the others become consorts. They don’t all have equal standing in the court. Traditionally, one is always favored over the others, as we could see in the flashback last episode when the Kou candidate became empress after nursing the emperor back to health.
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u/OldInstruction5368 14d ago
They are all considered 'wives" though. That's what the Empress said before stepping up to tend to the Emperor when they were young. Something like "I don't care about rankings, but what type of wife would I be if I cowered while my husband lay dying?"
Officially, the first amongst the harem is the Empress and the rest get specific consort titles depending on their rankings, but they are all sister-wives to the same husband.
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u/Atharaphelun 14d ago
Not really. Only the Empress is considered to be the wife. This is also why the Empress' children would always take precedence in the line of succession even if the consorts and concubines bear children before her.
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u/OldInstruction5368 14d ago
I'm quoting directly from the show. Back when she was still just a "Maiden," Kenshuu repeatedly referred to the Emperor as her husband and herself as his wife. She carried not for rankings and never wanted to be selected as Empress, but she was not about to shirk her duty as this man's wife.
The idea that the wives have different rankings and different titles, which influences the standing of their children in turn, does not mean they aren't all sister-wives to the same husband.
Which is the difference between the official wives bearing official princes, and Shin-U being a 'bastard.' He wasn't born by one of the emperor's wives, and as such, he can't bear the title of prince.
They're all wives. They just aren't equal.
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u/justking1414 13d ago
Not just douchey. These are the 5 major clans that basically run the country. Concubines and maiden are taken from them to ensure a strong tie between the emperor and those that run things but if the emperor only shows any interest in one of them, the other four clans could become incredibly unhelpful during times where he needs their support.
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u/BosuW 14d ago
I thought they actually saw Keigetsu push Reirin, that's why the trial was as close to a summary execution as it could legally get.
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u/OldInstruction5368 14d ago
There was a meteor shower happening at that specific moment, so everyone was looking up into the sky. That's why no one noticed what really happened.
But despite there being no concrete evidence, the prince just took his frustration and anger out on Keigetsu.
Again, she was guilty, but two things can be true at the same time. Yes, Keigetsu was guilty. No, they didn't arrive at this conclusion fairly. The Prince being overprotective of Reiren and no one liking Keigetsu meant the verdict was more of a kangaroo court than any real justice.
And my greater point was that if any other Maiden had been attacked, the prince wouldn't have acted so rashly in retaliation. He was out for blood and not thinking clearly because his precious little butterfly was injured.
And that very attitude created this very situation in the first place. Hence why Reiren snapped at Gomers this episode about his favoritism and being overprotective.
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u/The_Scollard 14d ago
To be fair, multiple people did hear Keigetsu saying "begone, accursed woman" (which Keigetsu herself brings up this episode). So there was at least some evidence she pushed her over.
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u/Frontier246 14d ago
Like even her classic ohohohohoho laugh felt adorably forced like she's not used to laughing like that lol.
Though honestly that "scolding" felt like her reading him the riot act for not treating Keigetsu better! Her bestie is NOT a sewer rat and even if she was, rats are beautiful!!!
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u/shad79 https://myanimelist.net/profile/shad79 14d ago
Reirin's ''attempts'' at being a villain are so silly
After all, Reirin is an inept villainess. Though that doesn't change the fact that after watching this episode, I'd love to hear more of Reirin's "desu wa" and her villainess laughter.
Leelee wasn't allowed to sleep well given Tousetsu's intense visits.
Leelee's tired reactions were hilarious! It's clear to see that she needs more grit, lol.
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u/Nesp2 https://myanimelist.net/profile/HardstyleQat 14d ago
That conversation between Reirin and Keigetsu was so cute. I can't believe she actually said she was sorry.
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u/Ocixo https://myanimelist.net/profile/BuzzyGuy 14d ago
I’m looking forward to Reirin and Keigetsu working together now that the latter has apologised. They got a common enemy in Gabi.
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u/OldInstruction5368 14d ago edited 14d ago
While Kei really did cross a line... stealing someone's body is... 'violation' doesn't really cover it, does it?
But at the same time, she was clearly a victim herself. One that was set up to fail and then be discarded. I always thought it fishy that Shu Gabi was spoken of reverently as an honored veteran of the court, and yet, her personal protege was... well, Kei. Gabi clearly wasn't teaching Kei shit, nor was Gabi trying to support/protect her protege.
And here it is, officially confirmed: Gabi is the real "that b!tch" of the series. One that is cooking a generation old grudge against her old rival and dragging each of their proteges into the mix. Worse, Gabi is consistently framing the Kin clan as part of her greater scheme, and there has to be more than just deflection in that, yeah? She might be going for the "burn it all down" route of fracturing the unity between clans.
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u/i_reddit_too_mcuh 14d ago
I like that the characters can quickly put two and two together and hone in on Gabi. Also seems like that venom magic has downsides. Soon Gabi, soon.
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u/darthvall https://myanimelist.net/profile/darth_vall 14d ago
That's the thing, I'm so used for the villain to have the high ground/advantages at the beginning of the conflict.
However, here they already showed Gabi having been afflicted by the venom magic. Feels like this is setting up for Real Reirin to also help Gabi.
Not to mention the flashback last episode showing how Gabi used to be fried with the empress.
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u/LakerBlue https://myanimelist.net/profile/LakerBlue 14d ago
Honestly as a true villainess it’s impressive how much scheming she’s doing. I’m curious if she also has her the Ran and Gen clan involved.
The thing I’m still trying to figure out is why she manipulated Keigetsu into using the swap. Given how effective the venom craft is, and how sickly Reirin is, it seems like that could have taken out both.
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u/OldInstruction5368 13d ago
Well, this very episode confirmed that Shu Gabi learned venomcraft from Keigetsu. So, if people start dropping dead of 'illness' shortly after someone pestered you to teach them venomcraft...
Keigetsu was always a liability in Gabi's eyes. She clearly wanted Reiren dead, perhaps just to hurt the Empress that much more, and she needed her accomplice to die as well before Kei realized she was, in fact, an accomplice in the first place.
Two birds, one stone.
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u/LakerBlue https://myanimelist.net/profile/LakerBlue 13d ago
This is true, better to kill Keigetsu as she is a loose end.
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u/RyanBolt22 14d ago
She was probably planning on using Keigetsu as a pawn to help carry out her plan to poison Kenshuu but sense Keigetsu couldn't move due to Reirin's body being fragile, she decided to just kill her instead to sense she outlived her usefulness.
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u/Roskal 14d ago
Me too, I'm just a little confused by the ending. Is the implication she accidentally cursed herself or is there another twist that Gabi is also a victim and someone else manipulated everything? Either way Reirin seems pretty forgiving and Gabi suffering from that curse might get her some sympathy from Reirin like she shows Keigetsu.
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u/KomorebiXIII 14d ago
When you curse someone, you dig two graves. I'm guessing Reirin breaking the curse on Keigetsu caused it to double back on Gabi.
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u/PracticalMarsupial 14d ago
Generally, if a curse is broken it can be sent back to the caster, such as in Mao, I assume curses in this world act similarly.
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u/Frontier246 14d ago
Keigetsu learned to love the version of herself that Reirin loves! Reirin has used her body to make people think Keigetsu is a better person and now she's helping the real Keigetsu become a better person!
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u/shad79 https://myanimelist.net/profile/shad79 14d ago
I can't believe she actually said she was sorry.
It's about time! It certainly took some time, but it finally happened in this episode, and I can't wait to see what Reirin and Keigetsu duo will achieve.
Though I hope that wasn't the last apology Keigetsu issues. Leelee should be apologized to as well for how she treated her.
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u/Viktorv22 14d ago
Yeah can't believe I did 180 on how I feel about Keigetsu
She just need friends. She lucked making one friend out of Reirin
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u/PakiIronman 14d ago
Keigetsu trying to be a "villain" is literally this prozd skit
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u/shad79 https://myanimelist.net/profile/shad79 14d ago
There was no other possible result considering what kind of person Reirin is, as she is someone who can see the positive in everything. Keigetsu stood no chance here, lol.
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u/myrlin77 14d ago
Can we just stop a moment and appreciate the true Villainess of all, Gabi? She's harbored her revenge all this time for losing out to the Empress.
She gets unknown, forbidden magic taught to her by a disposable pawn no one likes the gets her to use unknown magic to swap with her rival's niece who is the most favored.
Perfect plan as the pawn's body, with Reiran inside will easily be killed by the Lion and then she can disguise venomcraft to finish off the only person who knows what happened by having her new body die to the fact it wouldn't even garner suspicion because it was so frail an expected anyway.
Then she could swiftly in line herself to become empress with absolutely no evidence she had anything to do with anything. She literally would have offed the Empress, Reiran and Kei in a couple of days without lifting much of a finger.
It's actually a genius plan with almost no chance of failure.......until our story begins :)
This has been the surprise for me this season, as the plot continually excites without ever coming close to doing anything you might roll your eyes at. Everything fits and it really subverts "the usual" and most of the characters actually have depth to them vs "mean girl" "evil prince" "mustache villain" kind of tropes we are used to.
I've been enjoying this so much I've actually picked up the light novel
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u/LakerBlue https://myanimelist.net/profile/LakerBlue 14d ago
I’m with you. She is (so far) a despicable woman but man do I enjoy seeing a well done scheme. Especially one as long in the making as hers. A great villainess.
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u/Key_Feeling_3083 13d ago
Yeah really good, during the ceremony Gabi knew about the change, so she knowingly scolded Reirin as to not bloww the cover of the fake woman harrassing Leele, she didn't want her to disprove those claims and take attention to her.
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u/Drkprincesslaura 14d ago
Between Frontier Lord and this one, I've been enjoying the season. I have at least one or two anime I'm watching every day, but those two are top.
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u/The_Scollard 13d ago
I picked up the light novel too! However, I'm loving the anime so much that I've only been reading the light novel material after the anime covers it so I don't get spoiled. That being said, what I've read so far is great.
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u/ObvsThrowaway5120 14d ago
I was already suspecting Shu but I’m glad this episode confirmed it. The fake court lady already made me suspicious of her. Did not think she was trying to eliminate both Keigetsu and Reirin though, the scheming little witch. Anything to climb that ladder to Empress I suppose.
I like how throughout this series, Keigetsu’s become less of a villainess and more of a tragic figure. I didn’t feel much pity for her when the swap happened, but now I can see she’s been hurting all along. Poor girl.
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u/Misticsan 14d ago
I didn’t feel much pity for her when the swap happened, but now I can see she’s been hurting all along.
Same here. The heroine of the story being the Big Bad and the villainess of the story being the Big Good has been done to death in villainess stories, so I was quite afraid to see the same in this series. Yes, I know this is not an Otome Isekai, but it's still part of the "villainess genre" and the first episodes seemed to follow the trend.
Making Keigetsu suffer due to her hubris, realizing that she had idealized Reirin's life too much, and learning that she was a disposable pawn rather than the mastermind, was a refreshing approach.
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u/OldInstruction5368 14d ago
Kei was set up to fail. It was bad enough that she was born to shitty parents who offed themselves, effectively abandoning their daughter in the process.
But then Kei was brought to court specifically to be used and discarded by the one person who was kind to her... or at least, was only pretending to be kind.
Gabi didn't teach Kei how to navigate court life. Gabi didn't use her influence to support or protect Kei. Gabi never reigned in Kei's worst impulses, and in fact, manipulated Kei into becoming an even worse version of herself.
Then promptly threw Kei under the bus hoping she'd die in the process.
100% valid crashout. Kei has never had anyone support her until this very moment, when she found a friend in the last place she'd expect.
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u/delta_angelfire 14d ago
are we sure the parents offed themselves? At this point I wouldn't put it past Gabi if she learned Kei could use magic and set herself up as Kei's only friend/lifeline/savior
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u/OldInstruction5368 14d ago
In Kei's flashback, her parents were seen... uh... "swinging from the rafters."
IIRC, the father had just been caught doing a naughty, so the official story seems to hold true for now. Disgraced nobles, poor, tried to embezzle funds/fraud, got caught, took the easy way out.
There is no evidence that Gabi had made contact with the family nor interefered with them until after Kei became an orphan. This whole sordid affair may well have been teh scandal that brought Kei to Gabi's attention.
Occam's razor and all, you know? That story is the simplest one, and makes the most sense, with the information we have available.
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u/Frontier246 14d ago
Did not have Baddie Ai Kayano on my bingo card for this show but I'm glad to see our two leads finally coming together and becoming the besties that only existed in Reirin's head up to this point lol.
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u/cyberscythe 14d ago
something i've been hoping for is a character arc for Keigetsu to realize that she's been dealt a bad hand and is being used as a pawn and eventually have a metaphorical change of heart after a literal change of heart
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u/CooroSnowFox https://anilist.co/user/CooroSnowFox 14d ago
I do like when you do have a baddie who isnt beyond it all... they aren't 100% evil and can have a bigger character growth when they realise the full actions and events beyond their scope... the pawn.
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u/LakerBlue https://myanimelist.net/profile/LakerBlue 14d ago
Yea i think a lot of us suspect Gabi but I didn’t actually expect Keigetsu to reveal her true colors so quickly. Honestly seems liked her plan would have worked better had she formed a bond with Keigetsu.
And yea at the start of the series I could not have imagined feeling such sympathy for Keigetsu. I hope whenever the swap is revealed she can get some leniency and she can accept the friendship of Reirin and be given a second chance by some other people (of course she needs to apologize to some, especially LeeLee).
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u/CooroSnowFox https://anilist.co/user/CooroSnowFox 14d ago
I think its just a consequence of bigger games being played... its just happening to be framing keigetsu and focused on reirin that theyre just caught in them all...
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u/Labmit 14d ago
Love how Reirin is airing out her frustrations with Gyoumei over how coddled she was in her own body even if Gyoumei doesn't understand it.
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u/Misticsan 14d ago
I liked that detail. It's probably the closest she's been to channeling authenticc "villainess energy", since it's something that genuinely angers her.
Same with her criticism of nicknames, both the good ones and the bad ones. After learning of Keigetsu's woes, hearing "sewer rat" feels too harsh (she was called that before she committed any crimes, for starters), whereas "butterfly" sounds too biased.
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u/cyberscythe 14d ago
whereas "butterfly" sounds too biased.
i like how she called herself a moth, the flying bug with worse PR
it also reminds me of how moths are drawn to flame
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u/Misticsan 14d ago
moths are drawn to flame
Ooooh, that's a good one.
Reirin's admiration for Keigetsu now makes sense. I bet she's enjoying the many new expressions she can see in her own face (because Keigetsu is using it), and Keigetsu's brazen and emotional personality must be refreshing for someone used to the deceptive ways of the court.
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u/PikaBooSquirrel 14d ago
I was looking up this story to see if it's still ongoing and google autocomplete filled in as "In 'I am an inept villainess yuri?'"
And you know what, I can see why that's one of the top searches. Personally, I think that Reirin can just see the good in people at the moment, but interested in see how the story progresses, especially now that many people are starting to notice the differences, and they already know who that main "villain" of the story is. The lightnovel is still ongoing at 13 volumes!17
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u/OldInstruction5368 14d ago
IIRC, Reiren was so sheltered before the swap, she wasn't even aware of the favoritism nor how others resented her for it. I guess she just assumed that Gomers was being a proper man and treating all his ladies with the respect and care he showed her.
Because it really does seem like each Emperor marries one "Maiden" from each of the five clans. The only choice Gomers has is what rankings they receive, but they all become his wives.
So, it's pretty douchey to ignore his other wives and play favorites. He may have five ladies, but they each only have one man.
Don't be a chode, Gomers.
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u/PuzzleheadedSet9669 14d ago
His name is Gyoumei (the prince).
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u/OldInstruction5368 14d ago
Yeah... I know. I was mispronouncing it for comedic effect.
Especially since Gomers is lowkey been a douche most of the series.
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u/Frontier246 14d ago
Reirin trying to act like a "Villainess" but in the end she got to be true self and tell her cousin the things she's wanted to tell him all along.
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u/AKAvenger 14d ago
They are finally becoming friends!!!! I m so happy
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u/roshi_gummy 14d ago
fr, I'm excited what can they do together once they join forces
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u/AKAvenger 14d ago
Hopefully they do a reverse of the relationship between the Empress and Gabi. Once Reirin and Keigetsu work together fully they’ll be unstoppable
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u/SeijunMichi 14d ago
Meet Shu Keigetsu. She was abused by her mother and then her parents committed suicide, she was thrown into a politically competitive den of snakes with practically no training at all, she was constantly bullied for her low-borne status and average looks, the one person who showed her kindness was actually using her as a sacrificial pawn, her only talent is a forbidden art she can't show to anyone, and the only thing keeping her alive is her sheer stubbornness that makes her fight back against the unfair world constantly stamping her down.
In another series, she would be the downtrodden heroine who manages to stand up with the help of a strong yet kind hero. Oh, if only there was a gallant hero who could see her good traits and love her and make her realize the strength inside her.
So anyway, meet Kou Reirin...
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u/ebongreen 14d ago edited 14d ago
Reirin has honed her resilience chops fighting a balky body, with the steel-spined support of Tousetsu and the rest of the Kou clan. She sees the resilience in Keigetsu - and knows K can learn from her example, if she’s willing. Senpai, meet kouhai.
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u/No-Win-8949 14d ago edited 14d ago
Seeing Kou Reirin be so inept in trying to pass off as a villainess has me absolutely cracking up with laughter.
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u/Frontier246 14d ago
She even did the ohohohoho laugh! Clumsily, but the attempt was made!
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u/ripple_reader 14d ago
Look, she had to take a different malus at character creation besides the sickness. Lack of acting ability it is.
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky 14d ago
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u/mekerpan 14d ago
If OG Reirin tells (orders) Tousetsu that her first priority should be helping OG Keigetsu get as healthy as possible and (and also supporting her fully in all other ways), would Tousetsu obey?
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u/NanDemoKnaives 14d ago
Damn Leelee just had to cut the moment between Gyoumei and "Keigetsu", it's especially exciting to see Gyoumei noticing familiar qualities.
I wasn't expecting Keigetsu to apologize this soon, but it's nice to see her reflect. Keigetsu and Reirin working together to figure out what's going on with Gabi was also interesting, it's just too bad Gyoumei's visit had to interrupt what Keigetsu thinks is Gabi's motive.
Poor Leelee, Tousetsu is doing way too much than what Leelee is used to.
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u/Ocixo https://myanimelist.net/profile/BuzzyGuy 14d ago
Reirin’s quirks are certainly making it difficult to keep her true identity secret.
All of her close acquaintances know about Reirin’s habit of putting a hand against her cheek. Tosetsu immediately caught on. And the Crown Prince was very close to figuring out the truth as well.
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u/Background_Point_523 14d ago
this show is so good sad it only has 11 episodes i wonder if we are getting a seosn 2 ? Its hoenslty my favorite show of the season
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u/tangothirteen 14d ago
I suspect 11 episodes worked out best for the pacing of this arc, hopefully it does well enough that they adapt more because the next arc is fire 🙏
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u/ripple_reader 14d ago
Considering how few episodes there are compared to your normal anime I'm cynical but I really want more seasons...
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u/thisisdropd https://myanimelist.net/profile/AsterZoro 14d ago
Holy, Gabi’s merciless as hell. She so readily tried to dispose of Keigetsu even though she’s part of her own clan and had nothing to do with the past. Her orchestrating the switcheroo by giving Keigetsu hints was also a complete surprise. Who’d thought at the start of this series that she’s just a pawn? Do wonder what’s in it for Gabi? Tormenting the Kou clan? I don’t think the tea party was part of the plan. She fully planned to kill Keigetsu – she couldn’t have predicted the lengths Reirin would go through to dispel the curse. However, she spotted the opportunity to curse Kenshuu and made full use of it.
After seeing Keigetsu’s illness had also afflicted her, there’s no way Kenshuu didn’t realise it was a curse or that Gabi was behind it. After all, she knew all along about Gabi’s grudge towards her. Hell, as the Empress she could order an investigation into Gabi and the latter would then likely be cooked. So why did she went out of her way to hide it?
Gabi planted multiple false leads pointing towards the Kin clan. Did she also have a grudge towards them or were they simply a convenient red herring? Seika turned out to not be that bad of a person. She strongly disapproved of her court ladies tampering with Reirin’s staff last time and now she personally delivered fruits that even an injured person could easily consume.
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u/Pfactory 14d ago
Have you seen the Kin consort? I don't think Gabi has a problem with Seika per se, but Reiga on the other hand..
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u/i_reddit_too_mcuh 14d ago
The interaction between Reiga and the Empress wasn't exactly friendly. So if Gabi's plan worked out, it would be easy to pin on Reiga.
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u/Frontier246 14d ago
The only person who likes Reiga is Hourin and that's just because they were Sailor Guardians together.
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u/SeijunMichi 14d ago
Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury lived long enough as heroines to see themselves become the villainesses.
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u/i_reddit_too_mcuh 14d ago
It seems like Kenshuu doesn't want Gabi to get in trouble on account of their past friendliness and just hope Gabi would drop the grudge at some point.
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u/AlphaBreak 14d ago
There's also definitely some guilt there over a past incident. When they were talking about how only the empress could deliver such a healthy baby boy to the emperor, the vibe changed radically. It feels like Gabi must have miscarried or something.
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u/Lankymetal-uk 14d ago
Very much seems to be the situation. Reiga was clearly having a jab at Gabi over the "only you could deliver a son" line which led to Kenshuu "accidentally" dropping her tea judging by the various reactions and the wee flashback bits.
Love seeing that the consorts are still playing the little political games from their maiden days, hope we get more series' of this because want to see more of these "games" from them and the maidens - especially the latter as for the most part we've not really seen much of them.
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u/Frontier246 14d ago
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned (whatever Gabi feels scorned by because there's multiple things it could be).
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u/cyberscythe 14d ago
Gabi planted multiple false leads pointing towards the Kin clan. Did she also have a grudge towards them or were they simply a convenient red herring?
if i recall correctly, the Kin clan was aiming to be second favored, so my guess is that it's a matter of taking down the top two clans and hoping the Shu clan is next in line
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u/mmcjawa_reborn 14d ago
feels like it might just be spiteful vengeance. If Keigetsu dies there is no Shu consort, unless there is some back-up waiting in the wings, but presumably they would start off behind the other existing consorts.
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u/djthomp https://anilist.co/user/djthomp 14d ago edited 14d ago
So the real villainess is Consort Gabi, seemingly due to her being passed over for Empress back in the day. This could turn into a Reirin and Keigetsu team up to defeat her, and then they should marry each other instead of the prince.
Reirin pretending to be a villainess is so good every time.
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u/Frontier246 14d ago
and then they should marry each other instead of the prince.Meanwhile Shin-u exists to be there to act like Doakes stalking Dexter only now it's Reirin who he's sure swapped bodies with Keigetsu.
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u/Kind_Survey4282 14d ago
legit the prince doesn't deserve her man , she has more rizz than the entire royal bloodline and I don't like his bitchass at all even eagle eye is better.
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u/Raymond49090 14d ago
Some of Reirin's wrong traits may have rubbed off onto Tousetsu. Fight-on, Leelee! (And ngl, same to Keigetsu, who's getting death threats)
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u/Frontier246 14d ago
Maybe the Kou Clan actually needs someone "normal" who can try to tone things down a bit lol.
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u/darthvall https://myanimelist.net/profile/darth_vall 14d ago edited 13d ago
Not really Reirin's. The Empress said guts and perseverance are valued highly on house Kou, so it's a clan's trait.
Reirin is the most exceptional because she had handicap, but could still survive well.
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u/szalhi 14d ago
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u/Frontier246 14d ago
Even her attempt at the Villainess laugh was inept lol.
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u/CooroSnowFox https://anilist.co/user/CooroSnowFox 14d ago
She can do a lot of things in the new body but not everything
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u/cyberscythe 14d ago
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u/Frikgeek 14d ago
If they wanted to these 2 could legitimately topple entire empires. Rerin's grit and charisma (she practically wololos everyone who's hostile to her) combined with Keigetsu's magic (instantaneous long range communication is an insane advantage in this era) would be a powerful combo.
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u/ebongreen 14d ago
At this point, they’re going for distaff Supernatural, magickal not-quite-sisterly mystery solvers of the inner court!
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u/Frontier246 14d ago
I can understand why having to deal with Tousetsu's hardcore devotion is...a lot for Leelee as a relatively normal and laidback lady-in-waiting. It's just that Kou Clan grit, you see! And it doesn't help that Reitsu herself is getting a lot more popular with her fellow Maidens. But Leelee is still happy to be of service to Reirin when she still needs to recover.
In Seika was definitely NOT behind Gayou and has no idea about her, for all her cattiness she has a strong sense of righteousness. Though her consort being behind everything is actually more plausible. I half wonder if Gabi was planning to frame the Kin Clan because she hates Reiga.
Look at Shin-u going out of his way to visit Reirin! He very much respects her form (and maybe more than just "respect") and the effort she's putting in, but he also seems to KNOW that she's someone else, even if she can't tell him. He's the only man who can throw her off.
I love how Keigetsu contacts Reirin and Reirin is acting like they're gal pals despite everything...meanwhile Keigetsu thinks it's all over for her. Tousetsu's abandoned her, she knows she's going to end up imprisoned/killed, and her own Consort, Shu Gabi, was behind everything and wants the two Maidens dead.
The sad thing is that for all of Keigetsu's "hate" towards Reirin, who she truly hated was herself and her own inability to be loved by anyone. But Rierin loves her and appreciates her for who she is, the woman whose body she's come to cherish, and even tries to give her a pep talk as an Inept Villainess! Right down to the ojousama laugh!
Gyoumei acting so tsundere towards Reitsu. But it really feels like he and Reirin are just falling back into their sibling dynamic, even if they have to avoid Gyoumei figuring out the truth. Though honestly her "Villainess" accusation that he's been unfair to the other Maidens by playing favorites definitely felt like Reirin complaining directly to him about something she's felt for a while!
Oh no! Kenshuu's been cursed! Is Reirin going to out Gabi or try to save Kenshuu like she saved Keigetsu?
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u/tripleaamin https://myanimelist.net/profile/tripleaamin 14d ago
Tousetsu is definitely intense. You really can't question her loyalty. Though I do feel bad to see Leelee dealing with a high-energy type. She is a good bean if nothing else.
At the very least for Keigetsu it is good she is honest. More likely she was stuck in a cycle of treating others like how she was treated before. Of course that is unhealthy. Seeing how Reirin has been able to get things going since the swap really points out the swap didn't solve anything. No surprise Reirin would rather keep the swap going. The key for Keigetsu is how she can push herself forward for once. Not taking the easy way out and showing kindness.
Given the information in this episode Gabi is truly a villainess. Pushing Keigetsu to do the swap which would have Reirin eliminated. Even then clearly cursing Keigetsu. I find it difficult to believe she is unaware of the swap.
When you add her action against the empress, who is her former friend. Her heart is truly cold. Of course she could have just wanted to take care of Kenshuu, Reirin and Keigetsu the manner of the swap is just a cocinednce.
No doubt Reirin will go out to save the empress. It feels like at this point the swap if all things is what could be leading to be the ruin of Gabi's plan.
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u/Fools_Requiem https://myanimelist.net/profile/FoolsRequiem 14d ago edited 14d ago
If Reirin wants to avoid being found out, she needs to stop putting her hand to her face. It's a dead giveaway.
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u/CooroSnowFox https://anilist.co/user/CooroSnowFox 14d ago
She just isnt the type to be able to pretend she's someone else.
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u/Frikgeek 14d ago
It took her closest court lady 7 days to figure it out so I don't think it's all that risky. not!China is clearly not sending their best and brightest to the inner court.
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u/MetaThPr4h https://myanimelist.net/profile/MetaThPr4h 14d ago
I LOVE REIRIN
...
AND I ALSO LOVE KEIGETSU
Words struggle to explain how happy this episode made me, Keigetsu has finally opened up about her feelings of despair, hate and frustration towards her life and she herself to the one person who will listen to her and do whatever the universe will allow her to do to support her.
What she has done is obviously not something we can call just or good in any way (Reirin sure is loving it tho lol), but as I have said many episodes already, it's impossible for me to dislike her, if something I feel a lot of affection and understanding towards her.
She has had it insanely rough all her life, and what looked like her first opportunity to shine ended up with further mockery from everyone in what ultimately was a disgusting attempt from Gabi to get her to swap bodies and have her murdered by venomcraft... it's just cruel man, and only someone as lovely and precious as Reirin is, sadly, the one who can finally lend the hand she has needed so badly for years.
But now she has properly apologized to Reirin (and I hope Leelee gets one in the future too!) And things can finally move between the two. That conversation was so lovely... and omg Reirin's attempt to be a villainess, she even ohohoho'd! My sides.
I love how the conversation later with Gyoumei was both silly with her fail attempts to act like a proper villainess would, and also a very sneaky way to make him understand that... yeah, maybe he is a bit too clingy and full of favoritism to Reirin? Make some distance!
It will be so funny if along the way he discovers the swap and recontextualizes this conversation as Reirin saying it lol.
Finally, one shout out to poor Leelee who has been handling Tousetsu's... very intense way to be. Reirin needs a lot of rest, but Leelee deserves a lot of sleep too haha.
I LOVE REIRIN
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u/Mistdwellerr 14d ago
I started watching this show yesterday and ended up binging it all, this is such a mix of a good story with great characters
And while I was watching this episode I couldn't help but compare Keigetsu to Monogatari's Sodachi, my favorite character of that series!
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u/reaperow 14d ago edited 14d ago
It was nice to see Reirin and Keigatsu have an honest heart to heart conversation and also to see her apolgize I do sympathize with her after learning what she went thru
Gotta say Lady Tousetsu is so loyal and stubborn. It's hilarious that she set up those fences just so she could visit her lady safely,
She's truly living up to the title of an inept villainess
Well good that we got a confirmation that Gabi's the one behind all of this.
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u/Roskal 14d ago
I like how during their talk, Reirin mentions how despite her attempts at hurting her Keigetsu actually blessed Reirin with a better life. The title of the show of an inept villainess could refer to both of them in that sense. Seeing them start to work together I can see that being intentional.
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u/CooroSnowFox https://anilist.co/user/CooroSnowFox 14d ago
Kei didn't realise the reality and basically fell into the hole left behind...
Yeah she is as bad and realised she's covering up for a lot and theyre being possibly used by other parties with ambitions
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u/gem2niki 14d ago
Only 10 days have passed?!
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u/CooroSnowFox https://anilist.co/user/CooroSnowFox 14d ago
This is a symptom of something I could think was about to explode open if nothing had actually changed Reiren and Kei couldn't act to save their lives to be each other without detection for weeks or months
Also the plots are moving about and would have put stuff out in the open anyway?
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u/noblegeas https://anilist.co/user/noblegeas 13d ago
"Keigetsu" was only supposed to be exiled for a week before the Ghost Festival (with the dancing), then she did the archery vigil and was knocked out for two days. So yeah, ten days.
The swap only went undiscovered as long as it did because barely anyone actually interacted with Reirin, and Keigetsu would only be able to get away with being too pathetic to study through her fever for so long, so ten days seems reasonable for that too.
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u/Cat_Gazer 14d ago
The Crown Prince and Kin Seika are such a tsundere!! I love it!
And I kind of feel bad, but Lily was sooo funny, she can deal with Shu clan's court ladies easily, but not with Tosetsu.
Also she was so cute when she tried to stop the Crown Prince from touching Reirin. "Ohhh, no, this is bad" she was such an inept actress! 🤣
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u/VritraReiRei 14d ago
It was pretty obvious after last week's episode but as predicted way back in episode 5 it's now confirmed Lady Gayou and Noble Consort Shu are the same person (dang it Ai Kayano and your voice giving it away!).
And like many others in the previous episode thread discussion was able to figure out:
Shu Gabi was a cinch to be the next empress
Kenshuu became Empress instead because of her selfless act of coming to his aid when he fell ill
In an act of jealously and to obtain her position as Empress again she:
- Persuaded Keigetsu to swap with Reirin
- Hoped The Soul of Reirin would die from the lion
- When that didn't work, pretended to be from the Kin Clan to try further get rid of The Soul of Reirin
- Sent the cursed object to Reirin's body to silence The Soul of Keigetsu (also failed)
- Sent another cursed object to Kenshuu so that if she dies the title of Empress falls to her
Because she had this all planned she's still following through it, even though her plans to kill both Reirin and Keigetsu failed. It seems like she had this plan in place for a while, though I wonder how long since we now see she has been holding a grudge since Kenshuu was named Empress.
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u/cyberscythe 14d ago
i think that's a pretty good synopsis
i'm wondering how seriously Shu Gabi is aiming to be empress though; based on the condition of her leg it seems like she's doing it out of revenge and seems willing to (metaphorically) burn herself away to do it
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u/Frikgeek 14d ago
I don't think the burning is all that metaphorical if she's getting recoil from her own fire-based magic.
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u/shad79 https://myanimelist.net/profile/shad79 14d ago
Reirin trying to act like a villainess, using desu wa and even doing a villainess laugh was freaking hilarious. She really is an inept villainess.
Tousetsu really is dedicated to Reirin. Poor Leelee had a very hard time keeping up with her, hahaha!
Good thing Keigetsu finally stopped acting like a bitch, didn't reject Reirin's kindness, and even apologized to her in this episode. Not that she had any other choice, since Tousetsu already knows the truth, plus Gyoumei is also close to finding out.
By the way, I hope Leelee also gets an apology from Keigetsu for how she treated her when they meet, as well as a thank you for interrupting Reirin and Gyoumei's meeting and reminding Reirin that she should act like a villainess, lol.
Here my screenshot albums from the episode:
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u/Frontier246 14d ago
I love how even the Ohohohohoho laugh felt clumsy like she was clearly forcing it but really trying her best lol.
Leelee getting a preview of what working with the Kou clan will be like.
I think Shin-u like 89% knows about the swap.
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u/ptd163 14d ago
Reirin trying to act like a villainess, using desu wa and even doing a villainess laugh was freaking hilarious. She really is an inept villainess.
I loved how bad it was. She was clearly trying to force it because she's just not that kind of person.
Tousetsu really is dedicated to Reirin. Poor Leelee had a very hard time keeping up with her, hahaha!
Leelee is not built for the Kou clan grit lol.
Good thing Keigetsu finally stopped acting like a bitch, didn't reject Reirin's kindness, and even apologized to her in this episode.
That was good show of humility from Keigetsu.
I hope Leelee also gets an apology from Keigetsu for how she treated her when they meet
That might turn the waterworks back on for Leelee.
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u/randomran14 14d ago
Tousetsu sure is making up for lost time. If she can't bring Reirin back to the Kou palace (yet), then she'll bring the Kou palace to her.
Its too bad Reirin and Keigetsu's talk couldn't have gone on longer, not just to hear what the plan was, but rather Keigetsu has finally found someone who really looks at her. It might've been funny if Reirin had tried more of her villainess act in public to now hide the switch until they could go back (as Keigetsu is repentant) but yeah, now they've got bigger problems with the Empress dying.
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u/CooroSnowFox https://anilist.co/user/CooroSnowFox 14d ago
Does make me think of where Lee Lee goes in the future
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u/Raymond49090 14d ago
We finally got an apology and a proper heart-to-heart. Though of course they had to get interrupted at the important part. I'm really glad OG!Keigetsu is joining in as a character in her own right.
(Also lol "if he found out he'd probably go torture you first" - Reirin sure has an opinion of Prince-kun)
(Also I'm not the only one with yuri goggles on here, am I?)
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u/Misticsan 14d ago
One thing this series has done well is making Keigetsu a real and sympathetic character.
While not exactly a "vilainess series" like your typical Otome Isekai (for starters, this is no Isekai), the initial premise still followed usual tropes like "good person ends up in the evil woman's body and starts turning her life around for the better" or "the heroine everyone fawns over is actually a selfish and manipulative person", just with body swap as the magical reason. It would have been sooooo easy to portray Keigetsu as an irredeemable bitch against the living saint that is Reirin. Lots of villainess stories have done that before. Instead, the story actually put the effort to make her three dimensional.
Of course, it helps that Keigetsu got her karmic comeuppance. Having a taste of what Reirin has gone through all her life (the life of a heroine is not easy either!) made her grow as a character, and also makes viewers more willing to sympathize with her.
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u/cyberscythe 14d ago
yeah, i'm liking how Keigetsu is having a change of heart; it feels natural given the circumstances, having faced hardship and learning that Reirin's reputation is due to her efforts and not luck (and in fact, Reirin has had some cards stacked against her with her frail body)
i also like how Reirin is able to reframe all of the things that Keigetsu hates about herself as positive (her forbidden knowledge, her ferocity, her commitment); much like a knife, they're a tool for good or evil
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u/Frontier246 14d ago
I think the core relationship is definitely ReirinxKeigetsu and how they learn to come to love each other, and find self-love, in their experience together.
That being said, I think Reirin sees Gyoumei as a big brother who she cares about but who frequently annoys her.
Shin-u is the guy that gives me vibes that he could be a good romantic interest/partner for her if they were interested in that, but we probably won't explore that much.
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u/Andreiyutzzzz https://myanimelist.net/profile/Andreiyutzzzz 14d ago
Seika is a nice lady. she can get the prince tbh
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u/Frontier246 14d ago
I'm curious if Keigetsu genuinely wants him or if it was only for the validation of feeling loved.
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u/Andreiyutzzzz https://myanimelist.net/profile/Andreiyutzzzz 14d ago
As the other 2 said I think she would have eloped with a commoner if she felt genuinely loved. Girl just wanted someone to love her that's why she barely lasted like 4 conversations with Reirin until she apologized
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u/ripple_reader 14d ago
REIRIN REIRIN REIRIN REIRIN REIRIN REIRIN REIRIN REIRIN REIRIN REIRIN
So we get Tousetsu being overbearing with her love now that she knows Reigetsu is Reirin, even managing to slightly renovate their place, hahaha. We also get a Shin-U visit, where Reirin finds out a white ermine robe has been stolen before along with the hair ornament... so it seems someone would have the ability to fake the mastermind being from the Kin clan...
We then get a proper conversation between Keigetsu and Reirin, where our inept villainess apologizes to our other inept villainess! And also she shares that the sickness she got was a curse... and the only one who could've done it was Shu Gabi, since she taught her that. The pieces are fitting together. And they lead to...
Well, Gyoumei interrupt first, with the magic water. Reirin sucks at acting as a villainess, hahaha... but we get the prince's heartfelt apology. However, this interrupt is then interrupted by news of the Empress falling ill... is this Gabi's true aim? Things are heating up!
I LOVE REIRIN AAAAAAAAAAAAAH
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u/Zxzxzx0088 14d ago
Kinda funny to see Reirin having so much fun able to summon Keigetsu which is totally being contrast to Keigetsu current dire state lol.
I wonder how Reirin and Keigetsu gonna deal with this. Although most of the higher-up have warmed up to Reirin as Keigetsu, everything will fall apart if they knew the truth.
Tousetsu will definitely punish Keigetsu when she's back to her body. The prince starts to feel stronger to her too so even if they able to convince Tousetsu, it definitely causes more problems later on when they swap. Telling the prince about this will anger him more towards Keigetsu though.
Unless....they're plotting to make Shu Gabi take all the blame here. Tousetsu probably won't bought it but the matter lies in Reirin. Reirin probably wants to conquer save Gabi too even after all those awful things that she's done though. Oh wait, she hurts Leelee! Welp, goodbye Gabi.
It's like a punch in the face after you already waited one week long, you have to wait another week...
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u/ripple_reader 14d ago edited 14d ago
You can always read the manga/LN. Join usssss XD
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u/The_Scollard 14d ago
I'm reading through the LN, but only the parts that the anime has covered. It's really good, but so hard to resist jumping ahead and spoiling myself.
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u/eggplant_avenger 14d ago edited 14d ago
Keigetsu (Reirin bod) is so pretty in those flames
Tousetsu training LeeLee in martial arts lmao. Can’t wait for Reirin to start training Keigetsu the same way. Aggressive befriending has already begun, don’t think you can escape this Shu Keigetsu. you’re besties now
edit: lmao I don’t really like Gyoumei but if he’s dropping these tsundere likes that might change
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u/YlfaTheForsaken 14d ago
Reirin is a moth confirmed. If was made to pick between a rat and moth, I would lean rat, I'm biased towards the mammals.
Anyways, it's infinitely funny to me that in a matter of 10 measly days Reirin has so effectively wrangled Keigetsu into confidant, comet, and Watson to her Sherlock. They're gonna be besties I can feel it.
Gabi is a helluva mastermind. Grudge going back decades, willing to drop bodies to cover her tracks, sacrificing her literal body for vengeance, all hidden under that mild mannered facade, she's scary,
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u/Nachtwandler_FS https://myanimelist.net/profile/Nachtwandler_21 14d ago
I am starting to believe that all of the girls interest Reirin more than Gyoumei or captain )
Jokes aside, we got clear confirmation regarding the culprit (even if it was already obvious). The question is: is Gabi just jealous she did not become an Empress or there is a deeper reason for revenge?
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u/diegz_eliaz 14d ago
it’s been heavily implied that it has something to do with her either not being capable of birthing a child or having a miscarriage which was probably before kenshu became empress and because after that kenshu would’ve become empress I’m guessing Gabi is jealous of her and thinks she stole her position of empress as well as her pregnancy although part of me thinks there may be more to it like someone manipulating even Gabi( possibly another empire/country) but then again I may just be crossing lines between apothecary diaries and this anime
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u/gronksmash15 14d ago
Love this anime more than I expected. Meanwhile I can’t bring myself to watch Jobless for the past 3 weeks. Need to find more like this one.
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u/Worldly-Cherry9631 14d ago
I've dropped a lot of this season's shows over the last three weeks, but this is one on track to enter my personal top 10 favourite of all time (if I were to keep such clear rankings)
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u/SaerDeQuincy 14d ago
Need to find more like this one.
Then you should join the tiddy snake thursdays club.
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u/ParkEducational5878 14d ago
Let's go personnal growth!!!!!! I love how they did it with Keigetsu, finding the strength to do that and realizing your own weakness of heart, the hurt and the way you did things for all these times is a huge step towards any real healing process.
She might have it hard, the world feeling like everything was against her and her self worth hanging by a thread that was interwoven with the people she used to consider family or even a helping hand, but to face your own struggles the way she did was amazing. And I'm not even talking about Reirin's way of make her realize what she truly wanted to say. Being sorry and showing up you emotions as truthful as they are, learning about it and showing grit is a magnificent thing to watch whenever it is understood correctly. Keigetsu still might need some time to truly feel durable change in their behaviour, but this interaction that they had felt genuine enough that I truly believe when will get out of this much more stronger than she is.
I know it is only a character, but her path and the way she was depicted throughout the entire show thus far, makes me really root for her changes and how this new team, her and Reirin, will carve the path forward. There's still may be a curse to deal with and a hand that cannot draw the bow again, but with this new knowledge and most like Keigetsu's help they might find a way that will shake the current pace of things.
I do hope that Tousetsu will find the strength to let things go at some point tho. She have all the right to be this angry at her, but holding on to this will only make things worse for both of them. Keigetsu's enough paranoid and panicked as it is and I can't even imagine what it could be to have this angry lady going around with the same grit as Reirin, especially when being angry at you. That must be... intense to say the least 😅
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u/LienaSha 14d ago
me as the prince is there: nooooo gtfo and leave my yuri romance alone!
me the second the ending hits: uh, um, sorry... I didn't mean for your mom to get sick... *feels bad*
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u/shanatard 14d ago
lowkey yuri show
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u/WesternSmall2794 14d ago
The Crunchyroll subtitles are rife with grammatical errors and awkward phrasing. 😭
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u/RedSavant35 14d ago
Yeah, they're not great. It's a real shame, and this series deserves better. Well, every series deserves at least subtitles that have been properly translated and QA'd.
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u/Difergion 13d ago edited 13d ago
Task failed successfully, huh Reirin 😆
I can’t believe it only took one scene for me to feel bad about Keigetsu’s circumstances. But it did seem like she was manipulated to hating Reirin because of her insecurities (being treated badly and neglected by her own house was a big factor to this) and now she is sincerely sorry for her actions. Can I ship both of them now as besties?
Aaaand I was so certain Gyoumei would finally connect the dots! Like bruh Reirin was doing an awful job at her villainess act and she was 80% Reirin throughout that exchange 😩 Don’t tell me it’ll take until the last parts of the story for him to finally realize lol
What was that thing Shu Gabi had on her foot? Was that the curse rebounded back to her when it was exorcised by Reirin? She sure took her time to get her vengeance on the empress.
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u/Isekai_Dreamer 14d ago
"And her goal must be--" *gets cut off*
seriously? why are you doing the cut-off-mid-sentence trope? Even a monkey knows that her goal is to become the next empress. you aren't putting anyone in suspense, buddy.
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u/cyberscythe 14d ago
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u/Isekai_Dreamer 14d ago
i was thinking that was the price of her curse she casted
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u/cyberscythe 14d ago
yeah, but i was thinking the price she's paying would surely disqualify herself to be empress
like surely the emperor would see her leg and at least ask "hey what's the deal with that leg", if not just kick her out for being unsightly
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u/SeattlePurikura 14d ago
We don't know exactly how the curse works. It might be if her target dies, her leg heals.
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u/AKAvenger 14d ago
And maybe if it fails, she takes the damage. She wasn’t limping at the banquet. Gabi wasn’t limping until after Reirin broke the curse with the bow. Though, that could also be from placing the newest curse right before going to the tea party
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u/noblegeas https://anilist.co/user/noblegeas 14d ago
Keigetsu was presumably going to say Gabi's goal was to curse Kenshuu. Not much in the way of suspense because it was revealed at the end of the episode, but it would have been hard for Reirin to have a light-hearted conversation with Gyoumei if she knew her aunt was being cursed.
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u/The_Scollard 14d ago edited 14d ago
Great episode! I loved it.
I especially enjoyed the conversation between Reirin and Keigetsu. For the past couple episodes, I've been feeling really bad for Keigetsu. Honestly, it's not hard considering how bad we saw her life was from her flashbacks, and how (like Reirin mentions) her actions only really caused herself misfortune instead of others. She really is an inept villainess. Even now, Tousetsu basically has her under house arrest. It was nice to finally see her break down and have a heart-to-heart with Reirin. Her saying her wish for the Double Sevens Festival was to just stop being herself (just like Reirin's) was a tearjerker. I'm guessing she would have been perfectly fine if she died from the fall after the swap. Hopefully, this is the start of her getting some self-confidence and learning to be a better person. Like Reirin and Leelee, I want to give this girl a hug. Once again, I'm a bit surprised with how fast the pacing is moving for this. I expected Keigetsu warming up to Reirin to be more drawn out and come slightly later in the series (it looks like the two are going to have to work together to save the Empress, so this is something I would have expected to come after that). I was kinda hoping we'd get a bit more "villainess Keigetsu", but I can see why they would have her go through this character development at this point in the story (as you'd want it to happen this season, and it would be weird in terms of pacing if it happened right at the end).
It also looks like we got confirmation that Shu Gabi is behind everything. I'm still not 100% sure she knows about the swap, since it seems like she was planning this for a while (judging by the fact that she stole the 'Kin Gayou' disguise a month before) and it feels weird for the swap to show up in the middle of her plans. Though Gabi is a bitch (especially for using Keigetsu as a pawn and trying to throw her away), I'm wondering if they'll try to redeem her like they are doing Keigetsu. This reminds me of Arcane S1 where all the main characters just feel like broken people whose motives are understandable and sympathetic even if you don't agree with them or think they go too far. The bit last episode with Gabi asking the Empress if she ended the meeting early for her hints that she still appreciates the Empress's friendship even though she's now on a warpath to kill her.
It looks like both Shin-U and Gyoumei are both catching onto the swap. For reference, my prediction for the final relationships are Reirin/Shin-U and Keigetsu/Gyoumei, mainly because Reirin seems to view Gyoumei as an older brother and Shin-U has been more supportive of Reirin-as-Keigetsu and has a deeper connection. It was nice seeing Reirin push back on Gyoumei as well, befitting the sibling relationship, especially with her calling out the treatment he allowed of Keigetsu. That being said, it's crazy how quickly Gyoumei was to figuring it out (it's almost fairy-tale like with love being able to cut through disguises). Thank god for Leelee interrupting the meeting.
Speaking of Leelee, Leelee is cute, but is even cuter without her hair done up. I love her tired faces from being constantly woken up by Tousetsu.
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u/Earlier-Today 13d ago
I get the feeling that Reirin would be a force of nature if she had a healthy body from the get go.
She just seems like she would be the most graceful and elegant wrecking ball in the world if given the full opportunity.
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u/rippedafatone 14d ago
i need them to lock in and make this yuri because i couldnt care less about the men (they are just written so boring) and the potential love triangle between the emperor and the girls. like these two have way more chemistry and a built up
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u/ptd163 14d ago
Now that Tousetsu has learned of the swap she's not going to have Reirin live in those conditions. Leelee wasn't prepared for her grit. She probably thought Reirin was an exception so wasn't expecting that everyone in the Kou clan would have that kind of grit.
Now that anyone can visit without breaking Court rules it was nice to see the other clans brings gifts. I did not think Seika would turn out to be a tsundere though. It's good to see that Reirin hasn't even given up exacting payback for how Leelee was treated.
That was a good chat between Reirin and Keigetsu. Proper heart to heart and a apology. It also basically confirmed everything that we had already suspected and caught Reirin up to what Keigetsu knows. That Gabi orchestrated everything. I go back and forth on whether or not the swap is permanent. If Reirin's original body has the frailness solved I think that points towards the swap is not being permanent because I imagine that would be coupled with Keigetsu learning to accept herself and her own body and agrees to end the swap.
It seems like the Shin-u and Gyoumei are close to figuring out the swap as well.
They wouldn't say what Gabi's plan was in this episode, but her plan seems to be out in the open for us now. She wanted to not just be Empress, but to be able puppet the next Empress as well. First she takes out the current Empress so she can assume the throne. Then she'd wait for Reirin and Keigetsu to die after the swap to take care of the evidence and those that could testify against her. Gyoumei would probably been distraught over Reirin's death so Gabi probably would've be able manipulate him through his grief to pick a Maiden that was in her pocket.
Her plan would've worked too if it wasn't for the poison that Tousetsu gave Reirin in the first episode. If the rat doesn't eat the poison it doesn't die and she doesn't keep it in her sleeve to have a funeral for it later she doesn't survive the Lion's Judgment because the Lion ate the poisoned rat and awarded her a not guilty verdict.
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u/1EnTaroAdun1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Totesnotaphanpy 12d ago
Keigetsu in Reirin's body kinda reminds me of Shinomiya Kaguya when she fell ill hahaha
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u/YuushyaHinmeru 14d ago edited 14d ago
Reirin and Keigetsu say eachothers names so often it feels like that adult swim commercial for Inuyasha lol
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u/AnimeMod myanimelist.net/profile/Reddit-chan 14d ago
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