Makoto's review of Rekishi ni Nokoru Akujo ni Naru zo

Neutral

Reviewing an anime based on shoujo material as a man is always hard. With exceptions like Kimi ni Todoke and Ouran where, although written by women and published in a women's focused medium, the writing feels more neutral and not geared to a particular gender, Shoujo tends to follow optics that leave any male reader/watcher uneasy. The reason for that uneasiness is that these titles are not written with the goal of entertaining by the way of plot, narrative, world building or character development, but just as a way to fulfill a basal need. Putting bluntly the way we do for Shounen titles, they are purely wish fulfillment. As the wrong target for such a product, I will do my best to portray Rekishi ni Nokoru Akujo ni Naru zo, shortened to Akujou in the rest of this review, in the best light I can. But the reader is advised to keep in mind that a review from a woman should have more weight. Akujou on the surface, would be dismissed as lazy Isekai by the same metrics we apply to Shounen. The Light Novel has a big, descriptive title. The method in which the main character is isekaied is the same as any other story of the genre. The harem is there. The references to the Otome games are used straight and so on. What sets this title apart is that, in this one, the main character is reincarnated as the villainess. Except that trope is also overused enough to be almost its own genre as well. So what distinguishes Akujou from the rest? Well... perhaps execution? On the writing side, the show adapts the novel, and there isn't much here to adapt. That would not be a problem per se. Seeing how Kyoto Animation managed to turn a manga that is absolute trash (K-ON) into an animation success, but Maho Film, the studio behind the project, is no KyoAni. And this show is one more addition to their small portfolio of questionable products. Although it is important to notice that it might be an improvement from their other works. Several aspects of the show could be improved by just using more visual clues and less dialogue. Alicia should not need to reiterate how hot the prince is 3 times in the first episode. The viewer should get that from the visuals. The monologs are also repetitive and could be cut or better adapted into something more interesting. Yanase Yuuji has been improving the works he has been directing, so it's nice to notice growth compared to his previous works. Would be interesting to see him leading a project with an actual good source material or with more freedom. There is a semblance of a plot in the background, but it is not important. Characters are devoid of humanity, as it is common in this type of Shoujo. Male characters are just a canvas on which to print a specific desire of the otome's heart, but to a bigger extent than other shows, which loses Akujou some points. Visually, as mentioned, it lacks directorial input. Although the animation is good, the character design of most side characters is lacking, and it is almost impossible to remember who is who when they do not have color-coded hair. Again, it's easy to partially blame the source material. But we cannot judge the Sakuhin just by looking at that. The backgrounds are very good, with enough detail and are a good addition to the product. In the voice acting department, nothing splendid is going on, as most actors don't have many lines besides the 2 leads. If anything, I would say Ishikawa Kaito(Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai - Azusagawa Sakuta, Haikyuu!! - Tobio, Tate no Yuusha - Naofumi) should have been better used. I would consider Nakamura Kanna(Soreayu - Urushi)'s performance good enough for the role presented to her. But in this case, the lack of excellency is 100% not on her, and I do expect to see her in bigger, more challenging roles in the future. The sound design was also fine for the most part. There isn't much to a show like this, so not being disruptive is more than enough. All in all, a good result to achieve coming from what was basically empty. Together with the overall backgrounds and some parts of the animation, the acting is the best aspect of the show. I wish the studio had messed with it a little bit more. But in most technical aspects, the show succeeds. I can't recommend this show to anyone though, as the writing and characters need to be spot on in any title that tries to be a Romance.