Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road

This tries to be the "i'm not like other isekai's" of isekai, not in a good way either.
The main character is unlikable person who is easily hate-able, most of the first episode could've been cut out of the story as it was completely unnecessary instead of trying to sloppily subvert expectations. The art style is good and was enjoyable, it mixes a fantasy setting with semi modern influences in its world design.
The sound design was alright, not anything particularly too special about it aside from a decent sound track.
None of the characters are enjoyable enough to care for. No character has any redeemable qualities ... about them to make them into compelling characters you want to see grow or improve.

Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road is one of the isekais that come from the new batch of isekai series of this season, however, what made Shokein Shoujo no Virgin Road stand out to me? We’ll see about it. This review has spoilers mostly in the character section.

The story seems your run-of-the-mil isekai series showing a male that is transported to another world, finding a cute girl and having an OP power, however that quickly changes showing us who the true MC is, and that one is the girl that we saw, Menou. We follow her in her travel to kill another girl named Akari, she ... also comes from another world but her powers make her very difficult to kill forcing Menou to find a way to kill her.

The series has some pretty good world building, the world in which the series occurs gets explored in multiple ways we are told the past and how the culture got to the point it is like why they all talk in Japanese, the reasons why they treat people from other world in the way they do, explanations of the locations they are in which helps in not everything looking the same. We get more than a superficial part of the world explained and there is even more that the anime didn’t get to cover.

The animation is actually pretty good, JC Staff really put effort into this, there are multiple fight scenes which look really good, especially the ones from episode 10 and beyond. The animation and art are pretty consistent through the show, the only nitpick I could make is that in episode 8 there were some reused frames, however even there it still looked nice outside of that, and the purpose of those frames was mostly comedic so not much is lost in there.

About the adaptation, it is actually a pretty faithful adaptation which makes sense since they were adapting only 2 volumes, some minor stuff and here were omitted. The only problem with things omitted is Momo’s backstory, it made her power look like it came almost out of nowhere for not having much information on it in the anime. Despite that, there is also something I liked about the added scenes, some of them give some more character interaction, however a scene in episode 7 where Manon is with the little girl and takes her to the Iron Maiden wasn’t there originally, it was a really good idea to add that scene to make a bigger surprise in a future episode than how it was in the novels.

With the characters we have our protagonist, Menou, unlike most isekais the MC of the series is actually a girl from the world that isn’t Japan, she is pretty calm, she has a determination to kill Lost Ones after her town got destroyed and spending a lot of time her her teacher Flare, she tries her best to kill them for no one else to have to commit those actions she does, despite that she is still has a warm side to her like even after killing Mitsuki she is still buried him, and actually we get to see with Momo how she can treat other people nicely outside of her work. As she travels with Akari she gets to open herself to her and start caring for her, she protects Akari from outsiders at any cost and feels bad for having to kill her but it is still something she has to do to protect her world, it is a self-character conflict that she has that mainly drives the story. Akari is actually an interesting one, we first see her as a very happy person that is suddenly very attracted to Menou despite just meeting her, as if it was fate that connected them, she can be bothersome in some stuff since she is always excited about stuff and is always drooling over Menou, however in episode 6 everything makes sense, we get to see that the usual Akari we see is not her actual personality and that she has traveled multiple times to try to save Menou, the Akari with memories is far more collected than the normal one although still somewhat inexpert in some stuff, she comes off as much more normal than the other and it start to makes sense that the other Akari enjoys so much her time with Menou and the reason why she is so determined to get killed by her. The interactions between Menou and Akari a lot of the time come from Akari being too excited over things or wanting to jump to what Menou is doing or calling her attention, it come with some funny moments, while it also can have some serious and nice moments about them, specially at their “dates” and in episode 6, stuff like that was pretty nice to see, their relationship actually seems more like a friendship.

Momo is the one that probably come out the weakest of the characters, specially because of the omitted part of her past, the reason why she never stands anyone aside from Menou is because she is a misanthrope, her “senpai” is the most important thing in the world for her and that’s why she wants to make Akari disappear as fast as possible, she is always following Menou even if she cannot be at her side helping her to solve some of the stuff that she cannot do alone. Ashuna is an interesting kind of princess; she doesn’t behaves herself like a normal one since she is a warrior too. She has her own motives, that while we don’t see that much in the beginning we get a little grasp in her conversation with Momo in episode 5 when she talks about having a sister. The interactions between Ashuna and Momo are really fun, so the multiple times when they are together can be amusing. We get to see that Ashuna really cares about Momo even if Momo calls her names and tries to push her to the side.

The opening is song is very good, a great work from Mili, I had to listen to add multiple times a day when it came out, the lyrics really fit with the series and the video tells you a lot of stuff that you would have some hard time guessing until you get there. The ending also is good, the song is nice and after a while I really started to like it, but the most important part to me is the video, I really like the video, it is artistic in the style and it makes you follow Akari understanding her travel.

It’s actually funny how this show got under my radar until one day I found a meme about it after the first episode aired and got interested on it. So finally, Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road is a very good series with an interesting premise and it has many mysteries, that while some weren’t solved due to the anime adapting only 2 volumes it still manages to surprise and entertain. I’ll definitely be waiting for a second season of this great series.

Thank you for reading.

Etheric Connect: Scripture, 19:6 Invoke - Pure Concept of Knowledge [SB Creative's GA Bunko Awards Grand Prix winner, a.k.a this shit is great.]

If you have ever heard of SoftBank Creative's GA Bunko light novel label before, you would have known it for the one sole source material: DanMachi, which has already spawned 3 seasons and going for a 4th in the upcoming Summer 2022 season, all which've been adapted by J.C. Staff. Novelist Fujino Oomori's DanMachi is the label's acclaimed GA Bunko Grand Prix winner, the most recent up until today since its serialization in 2013. But that comes to a stop, for novelist Mato ... Sato, together with illustrator Nilitsu, have created the next step of that evolution by creating this work that has earned its place as the proceeding GA Bunko Grand Prix winner in 2019, A FULL 6 YEARS where DanMachi has been claiming that title ever since its inception. And if you know anything about awards like these in Japan, they tend to be held in very high regard, and an anime adaptation is almost guaranteed when there's enough source material to go around. Come this season, courtesy of J.C. Staff (which doesn't miss when it comes to highly-prized works like these), Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road a.k.a The Executioner and Her Way of Life has finally bared its fangs towards the small screen, and to say that the experience was mind-blowing is just cutting it short of the overall feel of the source material.

Isekai stories are a plentiful these days, so much so that this genre has already been awashed of the creativeness of many new authors trying to directly copy-paste other works that have been well established over the years, I'd say more than a decade and a half since SAO's inception that truly gave Isekai the much maligned and cursed genre that its known today that's backed by immense, growing popularity with each passing year. But have you ever heard of an Isekai where the entire setting is basically a reverse-Isekai, plus themes and nuances added for effect? I know I have not, and Virgin Road basically opened my eyes to your stereotypical Isekai trope that's subverted in a much more deep and impactful way that's not just mere simple background glitches of illusion for shock value, and the magic itself is utilized in such a way that is a total breath of fresh air.

The unimaginable power of Pure Concepts, and Isekai otherworlders called "Lost Ones" whom came from an alternate world known as Japan. These 2 ingredients make up the core premise of Virgin Road, where these Lost Ones would get Isekai-ed and build a new advanced civilization that brought forth Japanese influences into the fantasy world that prospered greatly. However, these Pure Concepts have a negating effect: with prolonged usage, the user will lose control of his/her powers, bringing disaster and calamity to the world, and this eventually gave rise to the fantasy world's legendary disasters, dubbed the Four Major Human Errors that resulted in the effect of these calamities: the Sword of Salt, which turned the whole Western continent into salt that is gradually melting into the sea; the Pandæmonium, a fog-like dead zone in the Southern archipelago where monsters regularly emerge from; the Mechanical Society, which controls the wild frontier in the East; and the Starhusk, which carved out the centre of the Northern continent and set it afloat. To prevent the disasters from raging another situation like these again, this causal effect has become the strictly forbidden taboo that's managed by the Faust (essentially the Church of the fantasy world), spawning Executioners that wield magical powers known as Ether and setting out to assassinate any Isekai otherworlders "Lost Ones" are still being summoned to this very day for fear of their uncontrolled powers. This is essentially Virgin Road's logical extension-cum-exaggerated approach to the Isekai genre, which other than coming off as a one-off shitpost, it's worldbuilding at its best and most finest.

And the story goes of one such Executioner by the name of Menou: a young priestess who specializes in hunting down and assassinating Lost Ones before they can become liable threats, being fully aware that they are innocents who have done nothing wrong, but her Executioner training dictating that they cannot be allowed to live, as their Pure Concepts will ultimately corrupt them if they're kept alive for long periods of time. And her task has led to this otherworlder by the name of Akari Tokito: a Lost One with the Pure Concept of Time, summoned by the Grisarika Kingdom's King Grisarika of the noble class, Noblesse. Just like other people who've been summoned from Japan, Akari is dumbfounded of her newly-known power, but isn't given enough time to experiment on her power because of Executioners like Menou having been trained to kill them within the first sighting of getting to know them, then to slowly invoke the assassination with none the wiser, no words questioned. But when Akari's Pure Concept of Time essentially reverses the ability to be physically assassinated, Menou fears for the worst, and has to find another way in order to be able to kill her, which Akari gladly agreed to, and thus, the duos's journey starts leaping through places and people to find an ideal place to commit the assassination, with both parties (Menou indefinitely, Akari definitely) conceding to the act.

Viewing this entire scenario through Menou at first glance, nothing seems out of the ordinary: a knife-wielding magecraft with full mastery of her ether. That's until you get to see the nuance of how she thinks and acts through every situation: she's groomed from young to be an Executioner because of what she has faced in her past. Remember the Sword of Salt incident that arose from the Lost Ones' Pure Concept powers bellowing out of control? Menou is a survivor of the harrowing incident, which left her soul "bleached" birthed that became the trauma to form the emotionless husk of a child ridden of her family, with no dream left to live by for a suicidal life. This trauma was relieved by none other than the legendary priestess by the name of Flare, known for her incredible skill in magecraft, as well as being the well-known top Executioner responsible for the assassinations of Lost Ones. Having seen the devastation of a lone child wandering across the vast space of a situation that Menou herself could've not overcome, Flare took her in as her apprentice, and Menou even called herself as Flare's "Flarette", her successor in the current day and age where Flare is nowhere to be found. So think of Menou as like Nana Hiiragi from Talentless Nana, though pulling this gambit off is what essentially kicks off the show proper.

The other question now raises to the Yuri aspect of the show, since Mato Sato's work is basically labelled as a Yuri (a.k.a girls' love) work through and through. Raising the bar first to the Lost One Akari Tokito, it's pretty much self-explanatory of her power with the Pure Concept of Time, and if you stripping the power aspect away, Akari is initially portrayed as rather clumsy and air-headed, but also kind and trusting, that lead her to easily trust Menou upon their first meeting as she believed that their encounter was fate. In retrospect, Akari has already used her power to invoke the Regression of Time, saving Menou from countless death instances, which circumstances that their meeting in the fantasy world purely comes down to fate and not the first as we're initially led to believe on the surface level. But remember when I said that the more that the user uses his/her own Pure Concept, he/she will lose control of their powers? This is exactly what happened to Akari, and in this case, resulted in the loss of her memories every time she regresses and leaving traces of deja vu for nothing more than just a passing resemblance for mystery. But, you can't mistake that other than fate, and to even anticipate the killing moment, it may sound insane from Akari's POV, but her character shows that her love and attachment to Menou is genuine, and this may be the first time that I'm hearing this that's similar to the ever-so-popular Christian jargon of "dying to self" for others' gain.

The next literate pink-haired Nana Hiiragi feel-alike is Momo, another Executioner priestess and Menou's personal aide to assist on missions ranging from reconnaissance to providing support in battles, wielding a wire saw as her weapon. Many may question the significance of the Yuri-ness from Momo to Menou, and this is supported by the fact that both were childhood friends, and the crush that sparked out of it from the hair ribbons that Menou gave to her. Yes, it may sound insignificant that something like a hair ribbon is all it takes for a hot-bodied love affection, but to Momo, this is all that she had of her memories with Menou, and I can definitely understand that this connection creates the reassurance that Menou will always be with her, even when they're physically apart. That, with Akari's inclusion in Menou's life, Momo's jealousy reaches far beyond the levels of the earth so much so to always grumble with Menou, that the latter always appreciates her presence, knowing fully well of the awfully close attachment. But just like a well-hidden enclosure of a yandere, Momo is a force to be reckoned with if she is unleashed of her powers, that love translates to a massive power draw that's equivalent to death unhinged, and you DO NOT want to anger this well-endowed girl, but pet her like an overly attached pet to calm her tits down.

The other characters do make their appearances and create their own diversions based on their characteristics, from the likes of the Grisarika Kingdom's warrior princess Ashuna Grisarika whom disregards her position as a princess to look for worthy opponents for battle, to yet another Lost One: Manon Libelle leading a liberated social class all in the disguise that in private, she is but only one of the four main antagonists in the overall story (that's covered in the anime so far). Adding the Church aspect of the Faust and Noblesse being at loggerheads with one another, and you have character and worldbuilding that's larger than life as the series grows to expose more infodump that is cohesive and doesn't feel like it's a waste of time. It's very good and worthy of the Grand Prix position that it won by its inherent strength of making everything connected, that not one single instance is a throwaway feature just for show.

Unsurprisingly, for such a valuable work like this, I'd thought that J.C. Staff would penchant the DanMachi staff team to work on this since this unironically links to a high-quality production given its stature, but since we already know at this point that DanMachi would come back next season, an entirely new staff team must be helmed for this stop-gap show of sorts. And for the notables, bringing in Isekai Bookworm assistant director Yoshiki Kawasaki for his directorial debut, veteran series composer Shougo Yasukawa, Hataraku Saibou a.k.a Cells at Work! chief animation director and character designer Keiko Tamaki, it already sounds like there is a seasoned crew of people whom regardless if they knew the extent of the LN's status, would still produce the finest quality that matches the exuberance of the source material in its grandiose. Some nice scenes, especially the high-octane action battles that are a sight to behold, while making this a wholly J.C. Staff work that's definitely the quality that we've come to know of the studio in shows (especially DanMachi), and this doesn't feel like the cheapness of other average shows that has recently been produced to mixed fanfare.

On the musical side, Mili's "Paper Bouquet" for the OP, other than the fact that it is sung entirely in English (which you can easily find the lyrics in Spotify), it is an excellent OP that embraces its visual spectacle, but I can't help that feeling that it doesn't sound as good as say, Goblin Slayer's ridonclous gore-rape fest of an OP that I still remember to this very day. It has the Mili "Seal of Quality" that's for sure that some people can appreciate, but I just find the song to be decent at best. On the other hand, I freaking love ChouCho's songs with the rawness of her vocal range that is precedent in 2017's "Imouto sae Ireba Ii." and 2020's "Majo no Tabitabi", and of the 2 ending songs sung this season (this one and the Maou Gakuin-inspired shitfest that is Murabito A), "Touka Serenade" is the next acclimation of ChouCho's angelic voice, paired with the dignified visuals that are just shades of artistic symbolisms placed between Menou and Akari's relationship. No doubt that in my mind, this ED is low-key certainly one of the best of the season in both music and visuals combined.

We should come to a consensus: since Japan has countless manga and novel awards like the Dengeki Novel Prize and GA Bunko Grand Prix, these works MUST be adapted into anime, and we SHOULD watch more of them to know of their individual acclaims in the Land of the Rising Sun. The only problem is that people like to profit off of no-name, average people pumping out average works just for quick bucks of cash cows, and this is the rare instance of getting works that have already won prestigious awards that's so great, in the same rhetoric that anime will spike up more sales of the source material. Hopefully this proves to be so, and if there is a Season 2 of this, I will gladly watch more of Virgin Road, because this is the lost art of creative and bold storytelling that so many new wannabe authors nowadays just miss the mark, or barely hung on to tried-and-true methods to try being different, when in actuality, they're one and the same.

Watch Virgin Road, it's a show where your virginity will not be lost in this journey for a compelling experience.

We all know the deal when it comes to Isekais, but what makes this show standout from all those, is the twist that it has within it.This is what this show will bring, and keep you hooked from start to finish. Depending how well it hooks you, will be the bigger story.

Story and characters: 7
With a twist such as that, and details within, it makes it for a more interesting story then if it was a generic run of mill isekai. Thankfully its not. As with the sense of mystery and excitement the show offers with its complex story, will be enough to drive it ... home. Laying the ground work from the start, and make you curious upon whats up coming. This is what a good story can do you.

Focusing on the idea that those brought from another world aka Japan, will bring nothing but chaos, so its best to rid them. But what also backs the interest in this story up, is the line of cast members.From the first few moments, you're already hooked on their backgrounds, and story more and more. We have Menou, who really gives of Nana from Talentless Nana. Who can be the right kind of nice, but will ruthless murder you as part of her job as her master's successor. We also have Momo, who can seem like a sweet girl at first glance, but she herself has her own set of layers behind her that really add to her character. Finally we gotta talk about Akari, the gal who seems immortal, whom is a real treat, and it'll make you certainly glad she winded up being the main protag in this series.

With a complex and multi layered list of characters, backgrounds and so much more behind them that just adds to the mystery of the show, and the setting. It'll make for a great watch personally. It's good when an animes cast, can really make for a good story. If it keeps up the pace, then it'll be a great show for the season ahead. You'll want to be invested in it's cast, you'll want to be invested in it's story, and the whole premise behind it all, that is what this show does, and it does it well.

Art and sound: 7
I really do dig the atmosphere when it comes to this show. It can be bright, it can be grim. It really does look spectacular in parts. Which really should be given more credit honestly. I'm always grateful, when shows do take the effort to look not only good, but stylish in parts. Well done there. Coming with that though, is the good sound effects and being fit for purpose in scenes, to really add to any tension that comes ahead as it progresses along. If you don't believe me, just take a look of how episode 3 goes along within it's early mid part. The beat and sound, the animation,all looking and sounding great.

While the name is a bit weird, what isn't weird is how good this show can be. If it keeps up a good pace, it'll be one to remember for sure. Give it a go.
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I was quite attracted by the idea of an isekai anime with awesome art style and nice characters, but by the end of the first episode I was already so disappointed. Tried 2nd and 3rd episodes to see where it is headed but I don't feel any interest.

In short, I hated it.
The animation is nice, well put together.
The characters are decent in terms of personality (Design is awesome). I don't hate the main character at all. I wouldn't mind having a female protagonist. But the story ruins it. The worst part for me is that it justifies murder. They kill innocent people ... who were summoned without a choice, and justify it by saying its to protect the world. If you HAVE to kill some people then kill all those who are summoning these isekai people. One redeeming quality is that the character themselves accept they are evil and don't justify it.

I felt that it tries too hard to deceive the viewer, deliver the unexpected and stand apart from other isekai. I was honestly baited and this feels like a clickbait with 'isekai' genre. When I watch an anime, I expect entertainment of some kind. This is definitely not for me so I am dropping this.

Idk why, but I think a lot of people (or at least people in the website I watch anime from) judges this just because it's not your typical OP mc isekai with harem anime.

So I'll give you a warning now, if you expect a over-powered mc with harem and fanservice, then this anime is not for you. There's barely male characters here, and from what I've seen so far, I think this will be a GL anime. So if you like this genre, then you mostly won't be disappointed.

There will be a little bit of spoiler in this review, cuz I do want ... to rant (and explain) over some things. You can skip to the end if you don't want to get spoiled.

So where do I start?

First thing first, I want to address the main problem people have with this anime: The mc and the first episode.

The first episode consist of a young male that get summoned in another world by the king of that land. Seems very typical am I right? Then he met a girl (our mc, Menou) and was basically introduced into the world. Menou is a priestess, and long story short, Menou later brings Mitsuki into the church. There, Mitsuki discovered his power - a nullifying power. Basically the ability to nulls anything (similar to Gojo's hollow purple). But then Menou kills him.

This what angers a lot of viewers, and they began to jump into conclusions. Somehow it's comedic to see that some of them still proceed to give the same comments in the next episodes (2 and 3).

"So basically our 'mc' loves to kill innocent people without thinking of another way. I want our real mc back."

I think mans turns off his brain after the scene where Menou kills "the mc". Because it's all explained in the (literally) next scene (in the same episode). So Menou here, is a "priestess". These priestess ain't actual priestesses. Safe to say that they are hunters, and have magic powers that revolves around priest and church powers. They hunts other world wanderers called the "Lost Ones", or people that comes from the other world. Apparently, people from our world has been isekai'd to theirs for a long time now, to the point where these people have adopts Japanese people language and little of their culture (yes Japanese only because the people who has been isekai'd are only from Japan).

And these innocent people is isekai'd because of the king that summons them. Why? Because people from our world have this power called "Pure Concept". And this "Pure Concept" is a very strong power only the lost ones have (and every single individual power is different), thus why the nobles and the king want this power. But the lost ones have only cause trouble in their world. Not because that they are evil, but because of their own power, the pure concept messed with their mind. And this is inevitable, meaning that the longer the lost ones are left alive in that world, the more the pure concepts will mess their head. And so far, these lost ones have cause nothing but disasters. These are the four known biggest disasters/genocide (taken from wiki):

- Sword of Salt, which turned the whole western continent into salt which melted in the sea
- The Pandemonium, which covers the southern archipelago
- The Mechanical Society, which controls the Wild Frontier in the east
- The Starhusk, which carved out the center of the northern continent and set it afloat.

These disasters are called "human errors".

Mind you, these disasters still impact their world after thousands of years. Our mc Menou also is a victim of these disaster that destroy her village, leaving her as the lone survivor (I forgot the name of the event, but basically the whole village is covered in ice). So you see, the lost ones will inevitably get corrupted by the pure concept powers. And I doubt that the church (and the executioners) haven't try to find another way rather than kill the innocents. But seeing that they only brings disasters, they could not risk their own world anymore. Mind you, the four major disasters that lost ones bring aren't the only one. They are the biggest, most impactful, but from Menou's past, we know that there has been more "small" (by small I mean destroying an entire village) disasters happening.

And yeah, that's it I guess. Btw, I want to add something about Menou, another thing people complains.

Menou knows well that these lost ones are innocents, victims actually. They've done nothing wrong. They are summoned into another world, then got their mind corrupted (inevitably) by a power they just introduced to. Menou is not happy with killing (obvi), but someone has to dirty their hand in order to save others, not wanting her past repeated into another individual.

So yeah, I don't intend to actually make an explanation like this, but that pretty much explain most of the complains these people have, and can be an explanation for future viewers. I hope this help.

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To the actual review:

So far I'm in love with the story, and I'm interested in the magic system. This series will be a story about fixing the problem that the two world have, with the pure concept power Akari (our actual mc that got isekai'd) have. I won't be explaining much in order to not spoil it, but this anime has a lot of things going on.

There is a hint of "mystery" in this anime. So Menou, a girl from the other world, has been getting dreams (?) of our world. While Akari, a girl from our world that got isekai'd to the other world, also got dreams of the other world before getting transported. So the basic premise of the story is really interesting and have a lot of potential. I haven't read the light novel, but if they give a decent explanation for the two world connection, show the world politics (which is very crucial as that is the main enemy), and giving the mc a development, then no doubt this will be one of the best and most unique isekai anime I've watched.

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Ratings:
(I will using normal anime standard instead of isekai standard)

- Animation: 7.5/10
- Fight scenes: 7.3/10 (decent enough)
- Character: 6.9/10 (heavy potential)
- Basic story foundation: 8/10
- Overall (so far): 7.4/10

Isekai standard:
- Animation: 7.5/10
- Fight scenes: 7.5/10
- Character: 7/10
- Basic story foundation: 9.5/10
- Overral: 8/10

Total: 8/10

Is this a must see? Yes in my opinion. But this anime is not for everyone. People who dislike female mc and GL won't probably enjoy this. But if you set aside your bias, then I do think this anime is decent even in normal standard. I have a lot of hope for this, I really hope it does not disappoint me.

I don't usually write anime reviews on MAL but after seeing the hate this series is getting on here for stupid reasons has forced me to write this.
First of all let me make one thing clear don't believe on the score. The story for this unique Isekai is really good with amazing world building and characters and as a Light Novel and manga reader I can confirm that it gets even better from episode 4 and the final arc of this series is amazing.The pacing for this series is really well done and every episode it adds something to the story or hints at something. ... As a light novel reader it was good to see them only adapting 2 volumes without skipping most of the stuff.
The characters are really unique and not your normal Isekai characters who feel like every other Isekai character. They have unique character development as the show goes on and some really interesting stories.
The animation and art by JC Staff has been their best since Railgun season 3 but there are a few episodes with weak animation and art. The ost and both the Op and Ed song are amazing. This is among the new isekai of this season is the best and is going to be one of the best ones of the year too.
Overall it is a 10/10 for me and if you are a person not watching this because of low score and Isekai then you are missing out on a great anime.

Non LN/manga readers be like dropping this series because they did not know what will happen next, therefore, missing a lot on this series since they did not give it a chance. This series is a very good one that is why this series, particularly the LN, received awards which it really should. As for the story, it is not any other isekai animes which is a huge plus. The flow of the plot was well-paced unlike any other LN-anime adaptation. The art and soundtrack was superb. It was as if I am watching a mainstream anime vibes types of art and soundtrack. The characters ... as well are very well-written. We get a glimpse of their past which gives thickness or depthness to the plot. And to my suprise, the side characters contributes well to the development of the plot which makes it more exciting cause you don’t know anymore which among the characters will get some element of surprise. Every character has their own purpose and does not feel out of place like most side characters that were stowaway during the later part of the story of other animes. Overall, I love the yuri elements in this anime. So if you do not like yuri then go away and do not watch this cause this is not for plain normies like you. Also, I like how they portray that the strength of a character relies on how the plot builds them and not because of some generic power of “friendship” or “talk-no-jutsu” or just by being unreasonably overpowered. Therefore, I will give this a very high score because I love everything about it so far. And I hope that others will give this a chance because this is too good to be underrated.

I have watched many anime with almost every kind of genre. I also read many manga and LN and I must say that The Executioner and Her Way of Life is one of the best I ever seen or read. The music is great and the characters are amazing. The dynamic between Menou and Akari is the best. Episode 1 blew me away and got me hooked. I have always love strong female main protagonist and Menou is the best. I don't want to spoil any of the storyline but where we are headed is amazing and going to get really good. I love that ... there are so many kinds of genre in one anime. We have isekai, time, fantasy, yuri and even a little sci fi all mix together in one of the best well written stories ever. I know that there are a lot of negative blogs and reviews, but watch or read this wonderful story for yourself without all the prejudiced that is out there. To sum up Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road is by far the best anime/LN/manga I have been introduced to in a long while. Give it a chance and let it take you on an adventure with your imagination that only few stories can do

This is a different take on the isekai genre which is from the perspective of the person living in the fantasy world rather than the isekaied person. The world is also not your average medieval fantasy world but is rather a mishmash of both modern and ancient elements where both guns, trains and old style architecture persist .The magic system is also one of the more unique and complex ones ive seen, it consists of separate magic systems for the fantasy guys and the isekaied guys. It isn't your standard just shout the magic spell type of system but has a lot more thought put ... into it. The worldbuilding is great but a tad too subtle for the casual viewer. The characters are also morally grey and talk like real humans. In the first 2 episodes they seem a bit tropey and I recommend you stick to 4 episodes where they flesh out a little bit, there is also a character which seems a bit annoying at first but gets better. A lot of the plot points are really subtle so it may not be for those who want to turn off their brains and not really think about the plot. Now to my main point, the sound design in this anime is fantastic, it may even be the best of the season. The animation is solid but not outstanding but it is good enough where it wont bother anyone. The action scenes are not the strong point of the show but again is just good enough that people can enjoy them.

If you go to my profile, you will see I'm very picky when it comes to giving a 10/10 or even a 9/10 rating. Please try to keep that in mind when reading.



Sound: 9/10, great.

The opening is great. Several singers. Good melodies. Stereo effect to tingle your ears in all places.
The sound effects undeniably go above and beyond, just like in Jojo. There's a deep, rumbling layer to some of them.
The voice acting, while not jaw-dropping, is nothing to be ashamed of. It's good.
The background music could use some improvement. Not that there is anything wrong with them, it's just that I've heard better. They're ... good enough, but didn't help hype me up.



Art: 9/10. Honestly, I initially rated sound and art 10/10 as there's nothing wrong with it but ultimately decided against it to separate it from the character and story, which both go above and beyond.

Only in one episode can you see J.C. Staff (the studio) trying to save a little bit on the budget by reusing 2 or 3 animated shots.
The CGI was used sparely. It was in only one episode that I can remember. And I'm not even actually sure it was CGI in the first place. Anyway, it fit seemlessy.
The character designs are gorgeous, the clothes and the hair are well animated.
The fight scenes don't use any cheap trick, like hiding everything behind a cloud of smoke or only showing shockwaves because "the characters move too fast for the human eye to see" (you know what I'm talking about if you've seen Dragon Ball, for instance). Here, you actually see the characters and there's no freeze-frame either.



Character: 10/10, outstanding and fully deserving of this perfect rating.

An interesting choice for sure, the main cast is pretty much exclusively female. Personally, I liked it a lot! It was very refreshing! It makes for new or different interactions.
Each character comes with their lot of background, mystery, strengths, weaknesses and quirkyness.
Their psyche is explored as well. And it evolves.
Their chemistry works wonderfully. It makes it easy to get attached to the cast. The characters' actions aren't purposefully frustrating, nor involuntarily so either.



Story: 10/10 and I couldn't possibly go any lower as there are too many reasons it's as good as it gets.

As mentioned above, each character brings their lot of background and mystery. But not only that, the world itself also has a rich history. And this anime is not shy when it comes to giving away revelations.
The powers of the characters are not bland. They are well thought out. They come with their drawbacks or limitations.
The main plot is clear, engaging and naturally leads to the unfolding events of this season. There is no forced diversion delaying the progression or anything of the sort that would drop the rating.
It's surprisingly hard to guess who's the antagonist of any given arc!
None of the factions at play are manichaean either!



Enjoyment: 10/10.

Earlier I mentioned the soundtracks weren't epic enough to elevate the hype. But it was well compensated by the art, the story and the characters. So in the end, even during the fights the hype was there. The anime did pump me up, just not at full potential.
Outside of fighting, I'm eager to learn more about the world and our characters! At the same time, the season gave me a satisfying ending. It resolved its issues flawlessly.



Overall: 10/10, a starting season worthy of a masterpiece.

I've got a bit of a bias against the isekai genre. While I have enjoyed a few in the past (Kono Suba and No Game No Life come to mind), I find many works in the genre to be little more than tacky wish fulfillment. Of particular note, in my opinion, are the characters who are overpowered simply because they're the main character, inexplicable harems, and being adored by the denizens of the new world the main character finds themselves in, it tends not to be something I particularly enjoy.

Virgin Road takes these conventions and flips them on their head not for comedy, but for ... drama. Every summoned individual - known in this story as a "Lost One" - has, by virtue of being transported to their world, an ability known as a Pure Concept. These Pure Concepts are incredibly powerful and as a result, incredibly dangerous. In addition to this, the more a Lost One uses their Pure Concept, the more they lose of their sanity, until eventually it goes out of control and causes a terrible catastrophe - something could potentially destroy the entire world.

Thus, we have Menou - our main character, and a young woman who belongs to a class of executioners whose job it is to kill any and all Lost Ones before their powers have a chance to go berserk and cause damage to the world. She knows she's the "villain" of the story and laments that she is forced to kill these teenagers who were summoned against their will.

And then she meets a Lost One that she cannot kill: a girl by the name of Akari. Akari's Pure Concept - that of Time - makes it impossible for her to be killed, as anything that would kill her is completely rewound. This makes her a ticking time bomb, as once her Pure Concept goes berserk, she could potentially cause repeats of the most horrific events in history (referred to as the Four Human Errors) or she could cause a disaster even worse than that.

Menou knows that for the safety of the entire world, she must find a way to kill Akari. All the while, kind and gentle Akari is blissfully unaware that the girl she's trusting with her life is planning to kill her. Couple this with Menou's execution partner Momo (who is absolutely head over heels in love with Menou) showing great concern for Menou's wellbeing and loyalty to her, and you have a tragically dramatic show in the making.

As far as animation quality goes, it's not the most visually impressive or unique show ever, but it looks good enough. Each character design is unique enough that I'm confident I could tell them apart by silhouette alone, not to mention that they look good. Backgrounds are nicely detailed and pleasing to the eye, but they can be a little bit generic at times.

Although I know absolutely nothing about the show beyond what is covered in the first four episodes, it has already become a favorite of mine and I'm eager to see where the story of Menou and Akari goes.

Now that the first arc is done I can talk as I have already read the novels and I wanted to see how they went about adapting it.

Story: I think ep 1 for those who hadn't seen the pv's was a bit of a mixed signal on what the series would be about until at the end when the OP plays. It leads people to think it's a story about a girl who works as a church assassin who kills people who get Isekai'd because they're a threat to their world which I mean they are don't get me wrong. The reality ... of the story is of two flawed girls walking down the path of tragedy if nothing changes. One is going to lose something she doesn't realize she has yet and the other of a girl who just wants the other to be happy but knows what that means in the end. The story so far has been more or less about the same as the novels and I thoroughly enjoy them.

Art: I really enjoy the character designs for the characters. I also like how they depict both the guiding force and pure concepts being activated with the text appearing above them/on their books. This next part is a bit sad but telling in terms of other shows budgets...I appreciate the fact the bigger enemies are still 2D and not some runescape level of 3DCG. Many shows in the isekai genre tend to just skimp out and do lazy 3DCG for the big enemies like dragons and demons, here they stick to having them be 2D.

Characters: All feel like they were in the novels with an exception at least in my books for the most part.
Menou has clearly gone through stuff as we see in Ep1 from a person who had their pure concept go out of control and clearly from what we've seen has altered her in a way. She wants to prevent things like that from happening to others so she becomes an assassin for the church and plays "friendly" with her targets who are of her age just to kill them. She clearly feels bad for it even if it's something that must be done.
The other characters have their own issues they're going through and in a messed up world where 4 past calamities have happened the world is in a warped spot that doesn't make it kind for them either. The only one who seems relaxed about the world is Ashuna who even when her own family is implicated in a taboo she's just like "their problem, not mine."


Overall very happy with the show so far and can't wait wait to see how they go about the 2nd arc. Reading the other reviews in regards to the lower ones at least I can understand that they initially probably came for one thing but in the end got something else will end up poisoning the well to some people and not want to change their mind about it. For those who are still a bit on the fence about the show I highly encourage you to continue to watch as it's where the story starts to really flesh out.

Incredible production quality for a gripping twist on the isekai genre that has fun with the concept of "cheat skills"...and doomed by the moe.

There's this phenomenon with moe girls where they not only act inhuman, but they often fit poorly in any other context. Unable to take things seriously and acting like a jealous girlfriend is alright in a daily life anime, because like...yeah, people in real life do that for a bit, and it's fun, and it's cute, and it's enjoyable to exaggerate it.

But a girl escaping from nobility acting annoying and pampered about a girl who she barely knows and to her knowledge ... will never see again in the next few hours is UNFATHOMABLY unlikable. A girl who looks 12 being clingy and controlling and desperate for a crumb of senpai's attention isn't a good foil, because it's the exact same thing except she's younger and meaner. These characters the plot revolves around sound like a bad writer trying to convey toxic people with BPD instead of like, a cute romantic psuedo-love-triangle. Absolutely deranged.

And that's the thing; serious, life-threatening events in this show happen yet these characters are not giving the world stakes, they're braindead love interests cuddling up to Menou, who is politely indulging them. The author doesn't seem to understand how to convey women having a relationship besides Bitches Be Shopping and random declarations of love. It's unbearably saccharine and shallow in a way that feels like it doesn't believe women are people.

But it does. They may not have complex inner worlds, but they have interesting character motivations, compelling ways of presenting themselves in the world. It's just when they interact.

Which leads me to assume that it doesn't believe lesbians are people.

5/10 for individual components that lead to a trainwreck overall. I wish for the end of all moe

Guys, guys, guys! I figured it out! I know what's wrong with this anime!

If you're gonna tl;dr this review than please just know that Shokei Shoujo is a criminally underrated show on MAL because it missed its international audience target by a long shot and I don't mean just the first episode twist that everyone who bothers to know his isekai is aware of.

Let me elaborate.

This show comes in a season packed with quality content and in an almost post-post-isekai era. It can't create anything new in the concept, we already have had self-aware isekais for years. It can't compete with hype for Kaguya-sama ... or SPYxFAMILY and it failed to capture hearts of most people invested in regular isekai genre. I mean, I rated it highly but I don't think it comes close to the likes of Re:Zero or Mushoku Tensei and there is abundance, A B U N D A N C E of mid-to-relatively-good shows in the genre. You may ask yourself than - why should I watch it? Who cares if just another guy got transported and struggles to be the hero (or one-shots everything in his way)? The answer lays in subversion of tropes. And before you say "Ha! But it has been done a million of times already. Basically every isekai needs to come up with something new." I will say "Yes, yes of course. Who are you and why do you watch those shows?". And I mean it. Ask yourself those two simple questions because if your answer is along the lines of "because I enjoy seeing my unrealized fantasy in a cartoon form" or "I see myself as guy who starts with nothing but than BAM BAM PEW PEW latent (or developed) super powers and a harem" than Shokei Shoujo is not for you.

Hey look, it's even in the title. It says shoujo, doesn't it? Oh, so you might think because it was marketed as a yuri it may perhaps appeal to or target audience who likes to see relationships and love bloom between people of the same sex with all the emotional twists and turns? You're wrong. And if you came looking for this kind of action, this is not an anime for you. Although I have to admit, it's possibly the greatest shortcoming of the entire series - it fails to realistically capture female x female dynamics in any emotionally impactful way.

Fanservice than? Maybe it has some o t h e r kind of rabu rabu action? Again, wrong. You will 100% see many more panty shots in horror/mystery series like Summertime Render airing at the same time. Shokei Shoujo (in my opinion) is not even close to ecchi. Again, not for you ;(

Who is it for than? It's for you, dear daydreamer. You, the person who enjoys your properly established fantasy world with some thought being put into how power levels work. You, the viewer who prefers their anime with a seasoning of genre and trope awareness. You, the chuunibyou enjoyer of made-up class systems and magical explosions.

But beware! If you also fall into previous "not for you" categories, Shokei Shoujo is going to be mid at best. I can't stress it enough. This show's Original Sin is invoking fantasies to literally kill them first chance it has. It is the core of the entire plot as well. It's about coming to terms with not wanting to erase your dreams but having to live in a world where you have to submit to killing them.

So if you don't mind sitting through a show that has literally no self-insert material*, no emotional kick, little to no ecchi, but talks to your childish-yet-aware brain, be my guest. Watch it and you will be rewarded.

On a sidenote, if you need more of a hook:

+fights are not that predictive in terms of how they develop;
+music, especially the OP by Mili, is great;
+story is thought-through and centered around heavy world building;
+usage of known tropes (talking to you, Re:Zero and time travelling shows) has a unique twist to it;
+for once "going home" is the opposite of an end goal for characters;
+the apparent MC is not Saitama overpowered and needs to find creative ways to deal with opponents far stronger than herself.

Hope that now you are aware of how this show works and why people seem to rate it as they do. Give it a chance if you will. Maybe you're in the right headspace for the Executioner and her way of dealing with life.


* MINOR SPOILERS. Shokei Shoujo deals hard blow to male-centered ego not only in the first episode where a typical sigma-to-alfa protagonist is killed of. It goes great lengths to show there are literally no males in this fantasy world of any significance. There goes gender diversity through another window.

A different take from the flood of isekai that has saturated the anime market, The Executioner and Her Way of Life gives us something of a view from the other side of things.
Characters that have arrived in this world in standard isekai fashion are extremely powerful, but have a history of changing too much of the world are feared and seen as a problem to be controlled. The main character through this anime is dealing with the realities of her work as well as trying to develop as a person herself. There were several points where I thought I knew where the story was going ... only for it to be derailed rather suddenly.

The story as a whole is a pretty slow burn, the few focus characters are revealed over the course of the show, rather than all at once and it's a nice change from the info dump episodes I'm used to getting these days. However, with there only being one season and the story not being fully told, we do not get a real conclusion or full picture on anything. This is could be taken as a blessing or a curse for the show, depending on the viewer. Personally, I like when a show doesn't give me everything and I feel instead like I'm just viewing a fragment of a character's life, but I know that is not a style for everyone.

The tropes that are assigned to the supporting cast are really why this isn't a 10/10 show to me. There is a hard lean into obsession over the main character that at no point feels natural nor necessary. One character that isn't fawning over the MC is instead after the character that is obsessed with the MC making for awkward moments, that I'm sure are supposed to be funny, but feel like they miss the mark by a lot.

The show has a feeling somewhere between .hack//SIGN and Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and the story overall seems like it may trend toward the latter. I felt like I was reading chapters of a good book while watching this show, with each episode leaving me wanting to watch more, but also satisfied with each viewing block.

An excellent show that's absolutely worth a watch especially if you enjoy the isekai genre but want a twist on it. It's definitely an underrated classic you shouldn't sleep on while it's still airing. I'm hooked & ready to watch more.

To get more detailed the story has dark lows and bright highs that make it a delight to watch without being overbearing like some other drama. The art is excellent, especially in the later episodes where they really hammer home some great expressions.

The opening by the band Mili is fantastic as always. Mili being probably most well-known in this space for the opening of Goblin ... Slayer.

With characters there was one character, Momo, that came across as overbearing at first, but she grew on me. Especially when she interacted with people other than our protagonist.

If you don't mind some brutal deaths, blood and things like that I think this show is worth a watch.

The story of the series is great, being capable to include two creative ideas in the isekai genre: 1) A interesting "another world" setting with a "sword and magic" society mixed with "our world" culture and technology; 2) A story focused in the point of view of the people of the "another world".

So much that the first episode has a surprise twist, where the main character position was "switched" from the typical summoned boy with cheat power to the "another world" assassin lady, Menou.
From this point, the story follow Menou, a priestess with the task to kill the summoned people before they lose control of ... their cheat powers (situation that already caused the destruction of continents in her world).
And the main story is about the journey Menou is forced to go together with her next target, Akari, a summoned girl with a power which makes impossible to kill her. A journey with several twists, actions scenes and yuri (lesbian) subtext/romance.

The production and art of this anime is top class. Some battle scenes are too short, but they are well placed in the story and have a good conduction.

But another aspect around this series is the hate campaign against it, conducted mainly by people revolted with the first episode because they wanted another series with your typical boy with cheat power as main character, surrounded by his harem of beautiful girls at his foot.
And the curious is that their frustrations can be easily cured by going to the several other series with their desired harem isekai trope (and some of them are actually good). As example, in the same season we have the 2nd series of "The Rising of the Shield Hero", where in the first episode we already have another beautiful girl begging to join the slave harem of the main character.

However, these people make efforts to fill all the spaces in internet with dishonest critics with the lowest scores possible. An effort that is not viewed from the same people in several other genres or series that go against their desired trope.

So, "Shokei Shoujo no Ikirumichi" can be viewed as a hidden gem, with a great story, art and production. But that could be elevated to the level of masterpiece by the polemic that the series created, revealing how some people can be petty by the most ridiculous reasons.

It's definitely what I've been looking for in terms of women in action. It's refreshing in the sense that the characters aren't obnoxiously objectified/sexualized while fighting. The plot alone doesn't keep me hungry for more even as an isekai. It isn't ground-breaking but it does set itself aside from most isekai's in that the other world is heavily influenced by our world's modern-day Japan. Regardless of its mild story, it is a decent watch. The characters aren't super dimensional, but the dynamics between the characters kept me invested enough. Each character is written with a typical troupe that can make the interactions feel emptier than ... they should be. But if you like that then you'll enjoy it far more than me. The animation/art isn't iconic or forgettable; I did like it nonetheless. The protagonist is not perfect and frequently acknowledges it, leaving room to wonder what may happen and if their faith will waver.

I liked this show better when it was called Talentless Nana. With a near identical first episode designed to shift both the genre and focus of the show for the sake of subversion, the problem is that what you're left with after having the show subvert you once is it's just generic fantasy slop.

The show's setting is so eager to pretend it has this great idea of "What if lots of people got isekai'd?" that it doesn't have a single original idea outside of that. Will a cold murderer with a tragic backstory have their hard shell cracked over time by the sweetest, dumbest ray ... of sunshine that could exist? Will we spend an episode as the executioner fumbles with her feelings after she instinctively protects that smile despite her orders? Will the executioner learn that goody goody actually has an equally tragic backstory but chooses to keep being happy because friendship? Only time will tell!

Nah but genre fatigue aside, the show looks and sounds fine, it's paced decently, and assuming it wraps itself up it'll at least make for a nice sweet one and done. But it won't be because it's a light novel adaptation, so expect a soft unsatisfying ending with light yuri overtones after defeating a mildly interesting bad person who probably works for the same institution the protagonist does because something something corruption.