#tensei oujo

[hootlenoodle]

starting the year with my favourite sapphics 🫶

happy 2024 everyone 🥳

[moontheoretist]

*screaming at the top of her lungs* WE HAVE A WIN FOR THE GAYS!

Also Euphie so BOLD!

[frostops]

[animefeminist]

Author and scriptwriter Watari Wataru on cynical heroines, getting a lesbian kiss onscreen, and keeping his day job

Watari Wataru’s appearance at Otakon 2023 was announced with copious mention of his 2011 light novel series My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU (sometimes known by the shortened portmanteau of its Japanese title, Oregairu). While it has its issues (like a spate of fanservice-heavy anime promotional material rather disconnected from the novel’s mentality), it’s also drawn comparisons to era contemporary Toradora for trying to integrate more grounded character dynamics into the extremely archetype-dense school rom-com genre. The series earned a dedicated fanbase, three anime adaptations from 2013 to 2020, three separate manga adaptations and three visual novel spin-offs (including one in 2023).

Even more of interest for AniFem readers, though, is Girlish Number. Its heroine, Chitose, is a cynical young voice actress who finally manages to snag a major role; convinced she’d just never been given a chance to shine, Chitose’s ego takes a serious blow when she can’t keep up with her costars. The series isn’t a brutal indictment of an industry a la Perfect Blue or Oshi no Ko, but a work-com closer to SHIROBAKO – ultimately upbeat but unafraid of airing its complaints, or of letting a cast of adult women have a few rough edges.

Stepping into the role of anime scriptwriter and series composer first to adapt his own work, Watari has increasingly taken up work on adaptations. In 2023, that included AniFem staff favorite The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, an ambitious fantasy series that turned heads for managing to include both a love confession and onscreen kiss between its titular couple.

Such a move is almost unprecedented outside of titles marketed exclusively as yuri or BL, and despite the many beautiful queer love stories that anime has told over the years with one, the other, or only subtext to wield, it’s easy to see why this achievement touched anxious viewers: this interview was conducted only one day before Bandai Namco attempted to declare the couple at the heart of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury as being “up to interpretation” despite, among other things, their matching wedding rings (the creative team, in an admirable answering power move, released a staff art book at Comiket that included wedding and honeymoon art).

We were able to sit down with Watari, as well as SNAFU editor and Gagaga Bunko Chief Editor Hoshino Horinori, for a short interview.

Read it at Anime Feminist!

[saccharinescorpion]

i guess they are, Euphie!

[gabbyp09]

[semi2022]

[thefrostyknight]

Yelling at inconsistent writing. Can't tell if the anime is just doing a shit job explaining politics or if the author is just making shit up about court as they go along.

Like MC is the crown princess!

Nobles are up to some bullshit. There was literally a revolution backed by the previous king (MCs grandpa) against the nobles, but it failed and nobles are back on their bullshit.

Why the fuck can some random Duke's son just call the royal guards to arrest the princess for no reason besides yelling very loudly? And then that same arc literally had to have someone intervene so the princess didn't murder her brother. (Also duke and his son got executed at the end of the arc.) So there is also a precedent for executions and MC doesn't have any qualms about murder…

But no. The only solution to nobles being on their bullshit is to grin and bear it and deal with sudden extreme misogyny, or throw away your whole identity as a princess and let your love interest self-sacrifice to become a weird demi-god and take your place.

I miss The Executioner and Her Way of Life.

[bloodraven55]

[ishinemydream]

末！永！く！お！幸！せ！に！！！

[azjames34-blog]

Summer and yuri goes perfectly it seems

(EuphiAni from Magirevo)

(ChisaTaki from Lycoris Recoil)

[moontheoretist]

IMMORTAL GAY QUEENS! YAS! GIMME THIS! I NEED THIS!

[frostops]

[yonae]

[hiyuki]

ꕥ ANIS ♡ EUPHIE ꕥ

▷ Tensei Oujo to Tensai Reijou no Mahou Kakumei | Episode 5 + Chapter 17

[gabbyp09]