Reviews for Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte

Tsunlise is one of the most unique twists on the Otome/Dating sim genre and is without a doubt one of my favourites. What makes Tsunlise so unique is that unlike most Otome games, the characters are not actually isekai’d into the game. Instead it follows two childhood friends who are clearly in love with each other and bond over their love of an otome VN. The cool part being they can talk to the characters in the game and guide them to the good ends of the game. I have never seen something like that before in an anime and I loved the concept and execution.The story takes place probably 80 percent in the game and 20 percent IRL with the childhood friends gradually realising how they feel about one another. In hindsight that was probably one of my only complaints. The in game storyline was great and I loved Fiene, Liese and Sieg’s interactions, but Endo and Kobayashi were really my fave part of the show and we didn’t get enough of them IMO.

I’m notoriously anti Tsundere, but I think Liese is probably one of the best examples of the archetype I’ve seen. Her personality makes complete sense once you learn her backstory and she never feels annoying over the course of the show. You just can’t help but fall in love with her prickly self and want she and Sieg to end up happy. Fiene is a fun female MC who is OP for no reason and very socially awkward, every time she’s on screen she just steals the show. The witch of yore plot line started out pretty good, but once we got reveals and background info about her origin story it kind of fell off for me. Still, a very enjoyable watch and character interactions carry it more than the story anyway.

Animation is pretty underwhelming in Tsunlise with most the few action scenes being poorly animated. Even some of the walking scenes with Endo and Kobayashi IRL looked really janky at times. It’s not the worst, but not great either. Art is ok, going with a pretty generic fantasy style look that isn’t as good as the LN art, but passable.

The unique premise of Tsunlise along with a loveable cast and some really good comedy made it a blast to watch. It’s not without its flaws. Like I said, I really wanted more of the IRL content. I also would have liked to have some better production values, but it is what it is. Did not really hamper my enjoyment and I can’t wait to check out the LN to see if they changed anything from the source material.

Tsunlise gets 10 out of 10.

We have Katarina Claes, we also have Aileen Lauren Dautriche. And now, we go for the three-fer with Lieselotte Riefenstahl in the classic Otome Game fashion, featuring live commentary right from the current day of Earth we call Japan! Out of the 3 "villainess Otome Game" adaptations that we've had so far since the start of the 2020s, lone novelist Suzu Enoshima's Tsundere Akuyaku Reijou Liselotte to Jikkyou no Endou-kun to Kaisetsu no Kobayashi-san a.k.a Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte a.k.a Tsunlise, is the shortest on the list of similar stories. What do I mean? The LN that comes just rightat 2 volumes long that was released from 2019 to 2022, the anime itself is the exact complete package of the LN in its adaptation form, which I feel that this is the right length for an adaptation if it's considering the usual seasonal 12/13-episode runtime. Sure, both Hametsu Flag and Akuyaku Last Boss may have more under the hood that's not covered in their respective anime, but in contrast, I'll actually recommend the shortest of the series because you can just fire through the entire anime as opposed to reading the LN of the same name.

The story and plot itself, by the "Villainess Otome Game" standard tropes that it has to offer, this show takes a creative and refreshing twist, in which by adding actual people playing the Otome Game and not being reincarnated into the game itself and guiding its characters along to reach the desired ending of their choice. The players: Aoto Endo and Shihono Kobayashi, members of the Broadcasting Club in their own school, decides to take a gander and play the Otome Game called A Magical Romance a.k.a MagiKoi, the standard story of the protagonist Fiene while fighting against the villainess Lieselotte Riefenstahl, who is eventually consumed by darkness and tragedy in all of the game's routes. The twist, is that through the game's manual, the reason for Lieselotte's villany tropes is a misunderstanding, a play on the word "tsundere" (or tsun de rais based on the game's perception), that's more than enough to be social commentators as Lord Endou and Kobayashee dictating a "Let's Play!" commentary through the character that could only hear the "Voices of the Gods": Lieselotte's fiance Prince Siegwald Fitzenhagen. And since he's the only one whom can perform this deed, Sieg is ultimately the key to alleviating the villainy fate of his own fiancée, which in turn, could result in the destruction of their world.

If you ask me from the "Villainess Otome Game" standpoint, this is as good as it can get that's not borderline decent. The feud of royal nobility and their pairings: Siegwald with Lieselotte, Fiene (initially playing the Hero record) with Baldur Riefenstahl, they provide a great deal of entertainment when trying to deal with the ultimate tsun de rais Lieselotte herself, barring all expressions as a sign of embrassment when her ego's too inflated from say, skinship or words of affirmation that she is a kind and compassionate person through and through. Not all villains are bad people, and Lieselotte is one good example for both Endo and Koabayshi to voice their opinions so that Sieg can adjust to the temperaments of showcasing how beautiful his fiancée is in all ways possible, even going as far as to bond all of the lead and side characters together in the effort to save Lieselotte from her darkness doom. At the very same time, you can't fool me that both Endo and Kobayashi are like a couple match made in Otome Game Heaven, but with their focal point being MagiKoi, the mutual relationship seen externally might look like Endo's got a thing for Kobayashi (which he does), but with the female side being naive, he's forced to put her on a friendzone level. Regardless, Kobayashi leading the clueless Endo (y'know because he's the newbie) the way to play an Otome Game on the side, that is some good excuse of a club activity if I say so myself. So, while Lieselotte is the character development MVP on MagiKoi's side to dictate both the fate of their own and the current world, it's thanks to the male-female pairing of goofballs to lead the massive tsundere down towards the path of love, wholesomeness and authentication that she is beloved by everyone. Yes, including Fiene, whom has the typical "Hero vs. villain" program set from the get-go, only for both Endo and Kobayashi to override them.

These days, Tezuka Productions mainly does whatever the anime production teams will assign them to, and because of this, we've been seeing a lot of diversity with the shows they helm since the mid-2010s. And Tsunlise is no different as it's adequately produced with time to spare, and the final result actually came out looking fine. It's the same for Tsunlise here, with a consistent productioon values and little fanfare of things looking a bit off. The OST is also fine but nothing noteworthy, though I'd prefer the ED much more than the OP by a hair.

If I have to take a gander between the 3 "Villainess Otome Game" adaptations so far, Tsunlise is no doubt good, but a bit kinda of a hard sell because it's just the same tropes over again. And I don't blame you that if you've somehow passed this show by see it glorify the exact same things seen thrice now, but really, give this show another chance. If it's your thing, it's most probably your thing and vice versa. The least successful of the Otome Game genre (by MAL scores), but by no means it's bad at all, because it's still just as enjoyable on a lighter scale. I had a decent to good time with this, and I hope that you will too.

Tl;dr: I went into this anime with no expectations, and I was pleasantly surprised. Its not a masterpiece, not a world beater, but if you're looking for some casual, pleasant entertainment, then you should check this out. Story: 7/10 Plot summary (first three episodes, contains spoilers): The story centers around two sets of characters: the first set, Endou and Kobayashi are ordinary high schoolers who begin playing an otome game to kill time and hang out. However, they quickly discover they have the ability to communicate with one of the in game characters, Prince Siegwald. Sieg is currently engaged to the Lieselotte, the games "villain." If thestory is allowed to play out as normal, then in classic otome fashion, then Sieg falls in love with the protagonist Fiene. Liese is overcome with despair and ends up being possessed by a witch, forcing Sieg to tragically kill her.

What Endou and Kobayashi know that Sieg and the rest of the games inhabitants don't, is that Liese isn't actually a villain, just a massive tsundere! Endou and Kobayashi are determined to use their mysterious communication power to alter the course of destiny and ensure a future in which Liese survives and gets her happily ever after. To that end, they have begun to educate Sieg on what constitutes the heart of a tsundere. This leads to some heartwarming moments, where Sieg is able to see beyond Liese's prickly facade the kindness she shows the protagonist and the love and devotion she shows for him.

The anime doesn't neglect Endou and Kobayashi in the real world though. Endou dreamed of being a baseball player until an injury crippled his arm to the point where he had to retire. This is when he met Kobayashi, she adopted him into the school broadcasting club, and helped him recover from his depression. Endou developed a crush on her, and although Kobayashi hasn't quite caught on yet, it seems as if their quest to save Liese is gradually bringing them closer together.

Characters: 6.5/10

Typically this type of anime have paper thin characters and rely on some crazy motif to carry the show and make it interesting. While thats definitely present in this anime (namely Liese's overwhelming tsundere-ness), there are several interesting characters. While I don't think any of them could be described as "deep," they certainly aren't shallow, and they have plenty of room to grow and develop. In particular, the dynamic between Endou and Kobayashi is interesting and will likely develop naturally as the events of the game continue. But the real MVP has to go to Liese, she pulls off a really good tsundere vibe, her character should develop nicely as the plot involving the witch progresses.

Art/animation: 7/10

This isn't Ufotable FHF Spring Song. the animation is nothing to write home about, but if you can't tell from the plot summary, this anime doesn't rely heavily on the fight scenes, so thats not an issue. Art style is obviously subjective. I like it, it feels warm and colorful and fits the fantasy world the game's events take place in. I also like the character design, most of the characters look decent, and Liese looks adorable, which is exactly what the creators were going for.

Sound:

I'm not going to give a score for this as unless its absolutely gorgeous like Black Clover or a violation of basic human rights I typically don't pay too much attention to the OP's and EDs.

Overall: 7/10

So far this has been an entertaining watch, and even amidst a season packed with great shows that are airing, I will definitely be continuing to watch this one. I would recommend it to those who don't want AOT levels of story telling or Code Geass level characters. It's a fun watch and I have high hopes for future episodes.

Thanks for reading this far!

THIS ANIME HAS THE BEST PREMISE OF THEM ALL, if you''re into Rom-Coms that is! It's about an Otome Game (yeah ok, plenty of those already...), BUT the real life players get to influence the game through their commentary (hmmm nice nice, but is that enough?) AND they actually guide the two main character to the sugariest, pinkest, lovey-dovey-est relationship I have ever seen ( yo I'm watching that!) AAAND the main girl is a cute af Tsundere (*binges entire show instantly*) BUUT ALSOO the real life players also have a thing going on! (*buys all merch*) Execution is where things aren't as perfect as thepremise, but it's not that bad. I mostly have an issue with how the face proportions aren't constant depending on their expression, so for example it sometimes looks like Kobayashi is subtly swapping her face sometimes. You might chalk it up to a visibly lower budget than other top picks from this Winter, but still, it's kinda weird.

Music is very inspired and stands out most of the time, other times it's just boring "here's some nobles" filler. Overall I like it though.

Voice acting is 10/10 for the main cast. The supporting cast sometimes are just kinda doing their job.

The few combat scenes we get aren't exactly the most thrilling, but this isn't a shounen fight anime so it's fine I guess.

There's a good deal of character development for the main cast.

World-building is convincing

Overall, definitely watch it if you're into legit, lovey-dovey romances with cute girls in them!

This was a surprisingly fun take on the villainess show formula. It mixes it up by having players interact with the world instead of reincarnate into it, which initially gives the show some fun parody energy, and develops into some interesting dynamics later on. While it's not the deepest show around, the execution was pretty good. I laughed out loud many times, was surprised at the twists, and got invested in the romance. The Japanese voice cast is pretty top-class too. Lots of iconic veterans here, putting in solid performances. The animation wasn't anything too special but they did more than the bare minimum so itdidn't really hold the show back either.

It may still be sort of a filler show, but overall I'd rate it as binge-worthy and genuinely fun enough to be worth your time.

This series starts off really well, and then just past the half way point, its quality drops. Let me set the scene I was watching the series, I had been absolutely loving it, the story was good, the characters were superb, I enjoyed every moment of it, it was this well paced, entertaining series and due to the events I could tell the next episode would be the last... and then I saw it... I had only just passed the half way point of the series. Yes I was at the ending, but that ending would keep on going, and going, and at some point it wentoff the tracks, jumped the shark and derailed what had been such a great series.

That's not to say that the ending is 'bad' as I've definitely seen worse, it's just not 'good' and it's definitely nowhere near as good as the rest of the series. It feels like this ending was done, because it wanted some kind of 'twist' but as the viewer all you are thinking is, 'this is dumb, and it should have ended three episodes ago'

If I was to judge this on just the first 8 episodes, this would be an easy recommend, and it would get an 8./10 score

But as I have to judge this as a whole I will give it a 6/10, because yes, those last few episodes dragged it down that much, to the point that it affected my enjoyment of the series to such a degree that I doubt I would re-watch it

If you and your friend had received the power of turning gods and talk to the characters in some random history, what would happen when you disagre about the future of some character? Or what would happen if you disagre about shipping some couple? Is it right to favor a character in the detriment of other? Is there even some fun in simply making everything works in the most idiotic way possible neglecting any dificulty that would appear and then excluding any character development? All this topics could have been in this anime, however the only thing you're going to see is the same gag,in which the heroine will say something in the worst way possible while the gods (you and your friend) try to explain to the others characters that actually that girl is just shy and have difficult showing kindness to others even when she wants to. Does it sound fun or interesting? No it doesn't and it isn't. This anime is nothing but a good idea turned into trash. But if you want to simply enjoy the gag, I think it could work for you

Hello everyone! I'll keep this short and sweet as I don't really have anything to nitpick about since I feel that the anime was really good, and I will definitely recommend this to those contemplating whether or not they should get into the show. First of all, I have watched some otome isekai in the past such as 'The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs' and "I'm a Villainess So I'm Taming the Final boss", but this anime is unlike any of those I've watched. What I really like about the anime is how they do a really good job in portraying theemotions of the characters. More specifically on how much unrequited love can drive a person to do the craziest things.

Honestly, the thing that stops me from giving this anime a 10 is due to how the relationship of Kobayashi and Endo not having much of progression until towards the end. Though, they had their cute scenes and I really appreciate that fact. With these little details here and there, I think the anime is really underrated for what it is. A solid 9/10.

Bear with me if my review is a little inconsistent at certain points, I'm still tryna learn the ropes as this is my first review. Thanks for reading!

YES YES YES!!!! I loved this so much!!!!! This story is about Endo and Kobayashi, who play an Otome game together, and discover that somehow they can communicate with the in-game characters. And with this power, they decide to give the happiest of happy endings to their favorite - Lieselotte - who otherwise gets the doom ending. This was truly so stinking cute! Soooo entertaining! I was determined to get through all the episodes to find out what was going to happen next. Even more so, to find out what was unfolding between all the love interests. My favorite, without a doubt was Lieselotte and PrinceSieg.

That said, all the characters were more precious than the next!!! And the story had a plot revelation that I surprisingly didn’t predict!

It was perfectly fun and wholesome! I definitely recommend!!!!!!

So I am not a professional reviewer or anything so I will only tell you my thoughts about the show without being like super critic or anything like that🙂. [P.S - sorry my English is not the best so please adjust a bit😅] So this anime whose name is pretty huge🌚 is a nice anime with decent story but cute and wholesome characters. While the story feels a lot similar like "my next life as a villainess" but it still feels fresh and nice. The best thing about this show is this show understands what it wants to show and it delivers(atleast till now). The tsunderetrope is used very nicely here, where she is not all violent against mc but still feels tsundere-ish.

So I will keep my review short and I will recommend this anime to those people who want to enjoy a non super complex else world(otome game) type anime with a nice set of characters and romance😁

Personal Rating - 7.8/10

It started as one of my season's favorite anime because I believed that the plot was super original... I mean we all have saw the tipical plot of the otome game but this one was different. At the beginning it started giving us that fresh air of originality that it had.. but at certain point it became repetetitive. Lieselotte having a lot of trusting issues is funny initially, but when you are in chapter 8 and half of the plot has move on you are like "really?" at this point you are still having that kind of issues? Not to mention than she has thestrongest attacks of the witch when every couple is setted: Fiene and Bal, Sieg and her. Really are you going to be jealous about your "sister" when she has openly declare that has feelings for your cousin and vice versa?

I saw all that inconvients as an excuse for extend the plot. And it wasn't enought because after all that, they starts to showing us the ""plot"" about Endo and Kobayashi, that in my opinion it's the most boring thing that this anime has. It gave me, literally, sleep.

I don't know if I'm going to finish this anime honestly. When I think that I've already saw the 3/4 parts I think "Hey, you can do it" but I don't know if I'll achieve that.

Having read the manga for a good while, this anime is... well it's here. From what I've seen so far it gets the points across and is pretty faithful in tone. But honestly that's where the good things I have to say end. I really, really enjoy the manga but this fails it quite a bit. The art is honestly terrible, scenes routinely look awkward and it's clear the animators have no idea how to draw faces from middle distance. The details that make the manga's art stand out, like Lieselotte's prominent eyelashes for example, just aren't present and the characters just look a bit off. Thesound is... it's okay. Nothing really special, but not as awful as the art by a long shot.

The only other thing I have to mention is that this looks as if it might be... horribly rushed on pacing as well. I really hope not.

Overall, it's a fine enough watch, but having gone into it excited, it's quickly turned into watching it to laugh at how bad the art is, which isn't ideal.

This is a very unexpected underrated anime, I expect anime like these that seems like overrated and not even that good but that was the complete opposite. Its like they turned the absolute cliche fantasy royalty romance stuff into vliche yet not cliche fantasy royalty romance stuff, like that cantbe possible and still remain entertaining with a great hook. I dont know how they made that possible even if it still got those cringe dumb anime elements yet it feels just enough to feel meaningful. Idk know man this anime is just so unexpected I just clicked it because the conceot literally just looks like a youtuberlets player gamer with some goofy ah commentary and face cam and it turned out to be so much better.

I like this anime It still looks trash after the ending logically but the journey was unexpectedly amazing which is what matters really and the ending is still good.

More people need to see this anime to set it as a new standard of not that good anime but it still is good idk what im saying anymore. Its just good.

So what can I say?! There is no doubt that this anime is different. It really attracted me from the first episode and made me want to watch this anime until the end. And I saw... I can't really say that the story was boring, but sometimes I was embarrassed to see it 😂. But it was not bad at all. I like experiencing different stories. This is the main reason for my interest in watching anime. And now an otome game style story that is connected with the real world of anime and the characters of thereal world can monitor and control the game world and even communicate with the game characters. I didn't really understand some relationships. But as I say, probably the only thing that attracted me to this anime was its different story that makes the viewer watch the end of the anime. I also liked Liz's character. The characters of the so-called Sondere are created to attract the attention of the viewer and to win their hearts. Anyway, let's move on to measuring the criteria. The story was different and not bad. The animation was tolerable. The sound was ok. And finally, the characterization was almost good. Overall, this anime was an interesting experience.

Tsundere Akuyaku Reijou Liselotte to Jikkyou no Endou-kun to Kaisetsu no Kobayashi-san invites viewers into a realm where two parallel dimensions—reality and the world within a visual novel. When it comes to the art and animation it falls somewhere between average to decent. While it may not comparable to some high-budget anime productions, it still manages to get the job done effectively. The character designs are appealing, and the fantasy world is filled with vibrant colors and imaginative landscapes. There are moments when the animation quality dips, resulting in less fluid action sequences and occasional stiffness in character movements. But these minor flaws still forgivableas they do not significantly detract from the overall enjoyment of the series.

The story starts strong in the first half, delivering an engaging and well-progressed narrative. However, things take a downturn in the final three episodes with a sense of nonsense and unnecessary developments that may leave viewers scratching their heads.

Pacing remains one of the show's strengths, striking a well-balanced tempo that keeps the audience engaged without feeling rushed or dragged out. The concept of two parallel worlds—one being real and the other a visual novel—without reincarnation but narrating it, is a refreshing and intriguing idea that adds depth to the story.

Character development shines where both couples in visual novel worlds are well-crafted and relatable while the two main characters in the real world maintain a slower pace of development, avoiding the rush while offering some engaging romance-subtext scenes.

The soundtrack, including both the opening and ending themes, is excellent and complements the series well. The voice acting is top-notch, with voice actors perfectly suited to their respective characters, delivering emotions effectively.

In conclusion, Tsunlise offers an enjoyable watch, particularly for those inclined toward romance anime. While it has its share of flaws, it's worth considering if you're looking for a unique take on the genre. However, it's advisable not to set your expectations too high, as it falls short of achieving masterpiece.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ THE SWEETEST ANIME EVER. My heart melted with every episodeStill, I ADORED THIS ANIME!!! You'll probably enjoy it!

I definitely want to watch it again someday <3

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚✬ ✧˖*°࿐ *ੈ✩‧₊˚ ✧˖*°࿐ ❝ ❞

Alrighty, a new isekai anime. Oh, an otome game isekai? One where the main characters can interact with characters in the video game itself despite being players in the real world? Let's see... (mild spoilers ahead) Story: 7/10 Although the story itself isn't too complicated, it does contain some less-than-light themes and an interesting plotline. (Obviously, read the synopsis) Two of the characters are fated to die from the onset, which is the main point of the whole story. To circumvent this, Endou and Kobayashi, the real-world main characters, use their powers as observers to steer the doomed characters away from their demise. Some mysteries, such as Fiene's bizarrestrength and possible memories of other storylines, keep the viewer on edge—as well as the obvious, "Why the heck are these people able to properly interact with characters in a video game in the first place?!"

Endou and Kobayashi are characters as well, though. Instead of ignoring them and just using them as plot devices for the video game storyline, they have real substance too. Endou permanently injured his right shoulder, crushing his dreams of becoming a baseball player, putting him into a depressed state. Seeing this, Kobayashi assumed him into the broadcasting club, thus starting their friendship and Endou's newfound crush. Kobayashi has had her eyes on Endou as a baseball player for a while, but it is yet to be seen whether or not Endou's feelings will be reciprocated. Chances are they will tie in very deeply into the story as well.

Back to the game characters, Lieselotte's demise is caused by a mysterious being dubbed the Witch of Yore. Because of her extreme love for Siegwald, she falls to jealousy when he falls for Fiene. This causes her to be entranced by the Witch of Yore, becoming a monster, consequently killing Baldur and subsequently dying as well. This Witch of Yore also appears to be stopping Lieselotte from properly understanding Siegwald when getting closer as partners, decelerating progress in their relationship.

Characters: 8/10

The characters are extremely likeable and memorable. Four episodes in, there isn't too much depth to them, but the characters' chemistry is very notable. A few characters contain some emotional backstories (and "front"stories, as the real-world main characters know all the possible routes of the game's storyline), adding a nice, heavy substance despite the story's seemingly light theme.

Still, the characters' interactions are very pleasant and amusing. From Lieselotte's tsundere-ness, to Siegwald's affection, to Baldur's bluntness, the characters are ones to remember.

Entertainment: 9/10

This is likely the most subjective section of this review. I found this anime to be incredibly entertaining so far, enough to make my first ever review. The story moves at a good pace (slightly on the faster side of the spectrum), where you can get attached to the characters but still get a very smooth sense of motion throughout the story. The comedy (which mostly stems from awkwardness in interactions) is strangely delightful.

Art & Animation: 7/10

The art itself is very pleasant and nice to look at (8/10). The direction and cinematography is adequate (7/10). The animation is okay in its own right (6/10).

Music & Sound Design: 9/10

I won't include the OP and ED in this section of the review, as I frankly don't care too much about them and don't think they impact the show as a whole for most viewers.

The soundtrack itself is absolutely gorgeous. I can't seem to find the name of the composer, but whoever they are, they certainly know what they're doing. There are some very nice moments where the music just hits you, not always emotionally necessarily, but just sonically (wow, that's a lot of adverbs).

Nothing stands out in the sound effects department, which is exactly what you want for the most part, although in the few scenes where sound and music are the main focus, it is done incredibly well. The mixing and mastering is also very well-done and pleasing to the ear.

Voice Acting: 8/10

Solid voice acting across the board. The actors and actresses portray the characters and their feelings splendidly.

Overall: 8/10

Very enjoyable, very watchable. Nothing complex in terms of characters and story, which is perfect for casual entertainment.

Since Fruits basket, the power of shoujo anime was made clear, but after the fact, we have been hit with another drought of cheaply animated and designed shojo which tries to get away with poor production with a few Kyun’s and kyaa's Unfortunately, Liselotte suffers from the same dilemma which is quite unfortunate since the plot does get really good as we get further into the story, it is a good romance with realistic characters which is quite surprising considering the plot is about a “tsun de rais” the main game couple and the real-life couple are quite endearing and a perfect match, the plotmakes it a kind of isekai, but also better and unique. the main info dump that occurs in episode 12 winds up all plot threads quite neatly. but sadly the terrible art and animation and the very poor and underdelivered sound make it yet another generic shojo drama.

Plot 8/10

The plot is quite good, the unique nature of the game characters being able to be understood and followed with the guidance of the player, while also maintaining their core personality is quite a touch. I also like the fact that the whole story is not just about the game and the world outside where the grass can be touched also has a tale to tell and a couple to adore.

Characters 7/10

Quite obviously, the tsundere is a tsundere and she is very annoying at times , the way the jokes about her tsun de rais nature are handled are not great but that is not the problem of character personalities but rather the VA, the CHaracters are vast and most of the side characters do get their own stories and plot points are introduced where they shine.Most of the motivations are genuine and realistic.

Sound and VA 6/10

The Op and ED are the saving grace of the otherwise atrocious and repetitive ost, the VA makes you cringe sometimes and are the reason that some scenes lose their original appeal because of they are delivered, it made it feel like all the VA were either busy, didn't care, or were given only one take.

Animation and Art 5/10

Terrible, speed lines to depict any sort of action, janky movement, expressionless face with the color red defining the dere of the tsundere, with these being the only form of expression the production feels subpar. The art in the ED is actually good however but its mostly still images which I suspect are from the source material.

Not a great watch if you want quality time, but if the plot and character chemistry is your only interest, then you can consider watching the first three.

This is a simple anime where you turn off your brain and get excited over a tsundere being a tsundere. Plot our main couple are clubmates who were playing a game together when they find out that their voices are heard by an ingame character. The rest of the story is them trying to make sure that the game reaches the "good ending" by giving advice to characters who can hear them, and also discover the connection between them and this game's characters. I will be honest. This anime is dumb. The energy of the main characters, the unique concept and a really great tsundere carrythis show.

The game they are playing was supposed to be just a generic otome style game, but as the story/plot keeps changing due to interference from our MCs, It also develops into its own separate story.

There are some things like the tsundere's trust issues, which overstay their welcome and unnecessarily stretch the plot, but I was able to overlook these issues because i never really had high expectations for an otome anime anyway.

This anime doesn't do anything great. But inside the otome genre, i think this is different enough, that we can consider this a must watch.

On a very long train ride a while back, I read the webnovel of this series. Amid a sea of generic "villainess" manga and manhwa tropes, this series stood out for its commitment to humor, character development, and moving the plot along without getting bogged down in the tropey-ness too much. The whole WN was under 50 chapters, and this anime adapts the entirety of it, start to finish. The anime, while great in parts, does not quite manage to capture that same magic. As much as I enjoyed the series, I can't bring myself to give it above a 7/10. Let's break it down. Art (6/10):You ever see an anime that makes you go "Holy crap! They must have had an unlimited budget!"? This series is the opposite. The OP has so little motion and fluidity in its animation, it's hard NOT to notice. Most of the episodes have a similar amount of rigidity, and the ED is effectively a slideshow. The character designs and backgrounds are lovely, don't get me wrong, but it was clear from the first episode that this niche series did not get a full commitment from the production committee. The story centers around an otome visual novel RPG and I suppose it has slightly more animation than a VN. There was some spiffy animation in select "climactic scenes" but those were the exception rather than the norm. It's not terrible, but it is apparent, especially if you look at the shape of the game controller the MCs hold (it looks like a brick phone from the 80s half the time).

Sound (7/10): The voice actors are an ensemble cast of people-who-were-in-that-anime-you-really-liked and they do a fine job. They range from passable to very good, though the characters as written for the anime do not necessarily have enough depth for the VAs to show off their range. The background music generally does a solid job of reinforcing the scene, but there were a couple times where it seemed to take itself too seriously for a comedic moment.

Characters/Story (7/10): It's a good story. It's a creative non-isekai take on the otome game villainess trope, and it has its moments... but it leans too far into the melodrama to appreciate the comedy, which was the strong point of the source material. Some of the best punch lines/tsukkomi of the original work (and even the manga adaptation) were cut for time or to keep the tone serious rather than humorous. One example: one major subplot of the original story is resolved via a massive comedic anti-climax that relies on the development and long-term growth of a number of the main characters. The anime portion of this story has a giant fight scene with the usual montage of supportive messages that you'd expect from a shounen series. The anime production went for flashiness over tone before moving on to the comedic anti-climax. More intense moments were also not necessarily handled deftly, including a scene where Endo explains how his shounen-esque pushing himself in baseball permanently affected him both physically and mentally. The in-game characters still have some moments, but are also relatively one-dimensional (and a bit dumber) than their original counterparts.

Now, most of these moments I'm whinging about are due to the condensed schedule: the anime's pacing is *zooming* through the material: they've got 12 episodes to cover ~48 chapters of the novel and they are committed to finishing it in one cour (the monthly manga is only up to Ch 28). The story moves along at a brisk pace, with drama leading to jokes leading to exposition and reactions, with occasional dalliances in the narrator-gods' Japan school lives. A lot can happen in a single episode, and while it occasionally seems a little crammed, it does a decent job of keeping things fresh.

Enjoyment (7/10): At the end of the day, this anime is going to cover (on a very limited budget) a complete story that has moments of humor, originality, and heart throughout. The source material is excellent and well-regarded (9.21 rating on MD for manga) and the anime does a passable job of adapting some of its quality moments. However, the anime lacks some of the punch, comedic timing, and dedication to the characters that put this entry above the endless ocean of tsunderes, otome isekai, and villainesses. It's still way better than Bakarina. If that's your vibe, give this a watch.