[SPOILERS ARE MARKED WITH TAGS]
#Overview
I had no idea I’d end up enjoying it this much when I added it to my Planning.
But from the beginning, I was hooked.
It’s certainly one to remember and a great way to start diving into “otome game” anime.
Endo and Kobayashi are a pair of highschoolers who are in the Broadcast Club and share a mutual interest: Magikoi (or the full title in English, Love Me Magically), a fantasy otome game. They like talking about it and playing it together. Spoiler, click to view
~~(okay, fine, it’s really that Kobayashi loved it first and tried to get Endo into it, but I had to make the contrast more exciting)~~
It all seems perfectly normal, doesn’t it?
Until one day, as they turn it on to play at Kobayashi’s house, something strange happens.
THE 4TH WALL IS BROKEN
Prince Sieg, one of the game’s characters, can suddenly hear their voices and thinks they are divine beings!
With this in mind, Endo and Kobayashi decide to take advantage of this power and use it to steer sweet, tsundere Lieselotte (Sieg’s fiance, villainess of Magikoi, and the pair’s favorite character) away from her bad ending.
How?
By deciding to become Endo the Commentator and Kobayashi the Expert Analyst, of course!
It’s evident early on that there’s a goal to achieve here, and not only do they accomplish it by the end of the anime, but there’s also a hidden twist to look forward to.
Sorry, I made a no-spoiler policy some time ago, and I think it’s best you find out yourself instead of peeling open those spoiler tags.
If you’re in the market for a good fantasy anime with plenty of romance, an otome game isekai (well, it’s somewhat an isekai but not fully under that definition), or some 4th wall destruction and tsundere ness, look no further.
It’s definitely worth the hype.
(I mean, it even managed to hook my mom about halfway in!)
~~this is where the pressure starts pushing as Camp Pressure-MMO-to-write-a-good-review-for-Lieselotte gives me intense stares to ensure I cover every single good point~~
#The Good/Positive
What’s the first thing you think about when you think of the show?
That’s right, the title.
The title that includes the words “tsundere villainess Lieselotte”.
Lieselotte is truly a great character, worth that short description and more.
Her tsundere ness can get quite adorable at times, and even more so when Sieg gets advised and expresses himself more visibly.
Those couple moments can get really cute, ~~and cued internal Kobayashi~~ definitely enjoyable to watch, especially as their relationship progresses.
On the topic of couples, Fiene and Bal were quite something as well.
The contrast between their personalities is just as fun to see as Sieg and Lieselotte’s, what with Bal being so forward and Fiene, being, well, somewhat shy Fiene.
It’s fairly obvious that Fiene and Bal aren’t the couple in center stage, but I was satisfied with the amount of screen time they did get. Points added.
But before I move past this topic, Endo and Kobayashi were a good ~~unofficial for the most part~~ couple as well. Some of the parts I really enjoyed ~~and could relate to internally~~ were when Kobayashi got really excited about what was happening in the game.
Other great moments were when Spoiler, click to view
During the cultural festival, when they did that commentary on the basketball game Spoiler, click to view
those bits near the end, which are very spoiler heavy, so I’ll leave that to your imagination
So yeah, those were some great characters and character interactions. I’m sure that was one of the main factors that made it popular. (actually, I don’t even know if it was popular or not, but I think it was)
The plot was pretty linear at first: assemble your characters into a team and battle the final boss, don’t let Lieselotte die.
Now, that twist near the end aside…
The plot was nice and savory. Actually, it was more on the sweet side, what with Lieselotte’s tsundere ness and all.
Again, minus that twisted bit, the plot was paced out perfectly. No rush, no fast pace, no filler episodes, and no snail bits.
The plot weighs pretty heavily for me, whenever I decide if a show was good or not. Points added.
That should be enough good points, no?
I shouldn’t drag on too long, wasted enough time as is already when posting this review.
Time for the negatives…
#The Bad/Negative
The most noticeable thing that every Lieselotte fan would agree on is: the poor animation.
It’s sad but true.
The characters were amazing, the plot carried well,
But the animation/art style quality was undeserved T-T
It was one of the first things I noticed, ngl.
Ofc, the rest of the anime made up for that.
It just goes to show that life is a series of give and take.
Better that the looks are where everything goes wrong than one of the more vital aspects…
Now, I’ll try my best not to spoil, because this review should be a thorough analysis of my thoughts, and not including this next topic would be a half-baked job.
I will try not to spoil too much, but you have been warned…
Read at your own risk, if you click this spoiler tag.
Or you can move on to the next section.
SPOILERS
Spoiler, click to view
That twist at the end, the part where they suddenly brought Kuon in, felt kind of rushed in my opinion. It’s like, you’re walking at a nice, steady, reasonable pace, and then you suddenly run.
Adding an episode 13 and stretching it a little may have helped (and this is not my way of mourning that it ended).
I know that they had to put in that twist somewhere, but it could’ve been a bit better paced.
Otherwise, it was a pretty good ending. That smaller Kobayashi twist inside of the huge plot twist was a bit sudden…
Still worth me saying
“This plot is more twisted than a German pretzel!”
Phew, now that I’ve got that over with…
Time for the last section and to finally post this review and get it over with. My next one should not be waiting this long.
#Do I Recommend?
Yes.
100% would recommend watching.
~~not just because that camp would kill me if I didn’t say that~~
It’s pretty unfair to just say yes without providing reason, so…
If you like the following:
- cute tsundere women/girls
- otome game anime
- Harry Potter and Hogwarts style settings (ngl)
- decent attention for ALL the couples in a romance anime
- laughing or fangirling/equivalent
Then you will enjoy this show!
(for anyone who cares…this show hooked in the ~~infamous~~ Momtaku)
