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... Wednesdays. ⏎ How was the first episode? ⏎Caitlin Moore ⏎ Rating: 3 ⏎ Oh, are we getting another abandoned saint series? I got the sense that the microgenre was shoved out of the way for villainess anime right as it was just getting going. There's even some overlap between the two: series like I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss are structurally similar to The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside By My Fiance and Sold to Another Kingdom, both of which hinge on a young woman being abandoned in favor of a more appealingly feminine option. It's just that villainess series tend to have an ever-so-slightly subversive edge, especially in the structure where their fiancés publicly reject them, while “saints anime" have a woman with healing and/or potion-making skills who is straightforwardly good. There has to be a different reason for them being discarded. ⏎ In this case, Philia gets shipped off because, even if she's hypercompetent, she doesn't smile enough. She's powerful and intelligent, but because she doesn't perform it with the proper girlish warmth, she's perceived as cold and intimidating. To make matters worse, her cute sister isn't quite as powerful but she does everything while performing the proper emotional labor as well. We can all see where this is going, right? I mean, even without reading the title, which of course spells it all out for us because that's just how the world works these days. It's a slightly exaggerated version of how competent women must soften themselves in other ways—or else people think of them as ice queens or harpies. At first I was suspicious, but once I realized what was happening, I relaxed into the concept. ⏎ The problem comes from the character writing. I get that the idea is that Philia has a naturally flat affect and a lifetime of abuse has further sanded down her personality to next to nothing. With that in mind, I hate to say she's boring but… she kind of is. She's not an interesting or entertaining protagonist, which makes the episode's 23 minutes drag on and on. The technical elements of the production do the story little favors as well—with stolid direction, forgettable music, and middling animation. The highlight was easily the watercolor-inspired backgrounds, with soft colors that complement the lavender of Philia's hair beautifully. ⏎ Plus, there's a predictability that I know is comforting for some people but doesn't leave me salivating for more. The handsome young man with the blonde braid is going to be the prince of Parnacorta, a hilarious name for a country that I think comes from adding r's to the word “pannacotta.” She'll meet a le of handsome but dull young men who appreciate her and her heart will slowly heal. Yawn. ⏎ Richard Eisenbeis ⏎ Rating: 3.5 ⏎ What...