Someone told me that it only gets "worse" after episode 3, can a LN reader spoil me on future developments?

Yeah LostSpectre I totally agree with your position on this scene in episode 3. I'm really disappointed in some of the people bashing your opinions in this thread because they assume it's coming from a place of homophobia and prejudice, when it's just about writing/direction. I totally get why people in the LGBTQ+ community are excited for a series to directly address and talk seriously about issues members of the community face, especially in a series coming out of Japan which is known to be less progressive on topics such as homosexuality. But that makes it all the more frustrating when such a series does it in an inorganic manner.

As you've said, the problem doesn't lie at all with the inherent themes. The problem is that for the first two and a half episodes, this office worker was reincarnated into the body of a high school girl and is proceeding to harass another girl at this school at her at every turn. This is supposed to be taken comedically, but when we get to the end of episode 3 it turns into a serious discussion about being gay, thus requiring viewers to take Rae's behavior from earlier scenes far more seriously. It seems clear that the in-canon explanation for Claire's behavior at the table is due an inherent bias she has against lesbians due to the world and her upbringing, but as a viewer I can't help but feel that her behavior in this scene seems to just as much be a result of feeling constantly harassed by Rae as being homophobic, if not more so. If we imagine for a moment that Claire isn't homophobic (which based on the world and her upbringing she certainly is), it would not be hard to believe that her reaction when hearing explicitly that Rae is gay is a reaction that is enforced by knowing that someone who has been harassing her has explicit sexual/romantic interest in her, and this isn't just a ruse or some way to deal with her bullying.

It's really strange that in-universe Misha is defending Rae at all, since Rae acknowledges that there is little acknowledgement of homosexuality in this society, and is frowned upon more often than not. This makes sense since as many other series like this it seems to be based on some idea of an upper class society hundreds of years ago with magic in leu of technology. And it at least makes sense that they brought up the topic, seeing as Misha and the other maid were confused that Rae was trying to help Claire romantically with someone else. Yet Misha seems to just become the mouthpiece for the author talking about issues people like Rae face and goes way beyond a realistic capacity of what the viewer is taught to expect from her character up to this point, even if she is Rae Taylor's friend in the world of the game.

There are two reasons that this feels like the author projecting onto the character(s) rather than writing a proper dialogue. One is that the point from earlier that Claire's behavior can be explained by something that isn't inherent homophobia. The second is that, at least in my opinion, the part of the conversation about there being some stereotype about homosexual people lusting after people of the same sex indiscriminately, rather than falling in love like heterosexual people, felt like it came completely out of nowhere. Rae behaves in a perverted manner, sure, but she's never shown remote interest in anyone other than Claire. Not even other women. I rewatched this scene over and over trying to understand how we got to that point because of how forced of a transition it is.

And to top it all off there's the scene at the end with the tea spilling and Claire standing up for Rae. Which in a lot of other contexts I think could have been a good genuine scene of development on Claire's part. But it feels forced by the fact that Claire JUST got lectured about being a bigot and that it feels like those girls only show up to conveniently rub salt on Rae's wounds, so to speak. I have heard this isn't in the LN, and I think adapting it without that part would have improved the scene, and instead allowing it to happen later in a way that fits with the themes and tone of that part of the series. But alas.

To end with a positive note, I did actually enjoy Rae's monologue in this episode. Her flashback to her school days and the rationalization behind her joking around all the time being related to dealing with being doomed to have unreciprocated love and losing people she cares about because she was open about her preferences. Out of everyone she seems to be the most true to herself in this scene.

I can only hope scenes like this moving forward are more organic. This series absolutely can, and should, take these topics seriously. But when the same series makes a half-assed attempt at making the story tone and structure fit the messaging, you get cesspools like this forum.

@Aoi_hana Id completely disagree. My spoiler post above mentions the most controversial parts of the series but on the whole it gets better and more interesting every volume. Id recommend anyone to at least finish Volume 2, which has a great self-contained ending and plenty of character development and satisfying payoffs. The new story-arc spanning the last three volumes is much less romance, and more adventure and politics focused (Though of course there is still romance, just not as much and its not focused on ) and really explores that world and the leftover hooks from Part 1 to its fullest.

Id also recommend the official version as it reads just a million times better than the free fan-translation.

If you hated Rae being a creepy weirdo but liked everything else youd like the latter half of Part 1 and all of Part 2. If you only enjoy the yuri aspect youll be happy with Part 1. If you liked nothinb so far you wont be convinced even by Part 2.

You just have to get part the few weird spots in Part 1. If anyone is worried, i kept my spoiler post as vague as possible, so even though id recommend going in blind, if its between you dropping the series or knowing its pitfalls in advance, check it out and see if youd be okay with it or if it'd be too much for you.

@Aoi_hana 5 Eh. Incest is a neutral topic like any other (By which i mean nothing should bd taboo to include in a story. It all heavily depends on how you handle it, rather than it just being included.). WataOshi doesnt condemn it but it also doesnt encourage it. Youre acting like WataOshi is a glowing recommandation of Incest like Imoto Paradise, but it really isnt.

Do you also think the early seasons of Game of Thrones are trash? Lelouch said his half-sister Euphy was his first love bug that doesnt mean Code Geass is trash. Seems a bit silly to trash something for having incest, which is never depicted, or dwelled on and where the characters involved in that relationship exit the story immediately after. But you do you.