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WataOshi is a good romance and a better comedy with a fantastic Dub, held back from higher esteem largely by where it fails to live up to it's own expectations.

The setting is remarkable only in the depths of it's typicality, the usual magical school for the nobility of the usual swords-and-sorcery feudal pseudo-European kingdom; Though this particular example is pleasantly grounded. Students are distinguished not just by how rich or talented or purebred they are, but by the roles they and their families play in the workings of the kingdom. Details often left as mere axioms necessary for the function of the setting are ... given thought and fleshed out. They're not fleshed out in any particularly interesting way, mind you, but it nonetheless makes for a solid framework to support the comedic and emotional beats, as well as the occasion bit of intrigue.

The Protagonist, Rae Taylor, is, and I am speaking very literally here, *obnoxiously* gay. She's clingy and masochistic and entirely unbothered by the flaws and rough edges of her one true love. Said true love, Claire François, does not appreciate the affection. She's haughty and proud and oft cruel but never malicious, and regards Rae as a harmless albeit thoroughly frustrating pest. The chemistry between these two as Claire warms up to Rae and Rae proves over and over again she's been running a fever since minute zero proves regularly hilarious and occasionally quite endearing as the show goes on.

While there's plenty of ways this formula could end up off-putting instead of entertaining, WataOshi (largely) avoids these pitfalls, giving Rae regular opportunities to prove that despite all appearances, her fondness for Claire is more than passing Mania, and in return Claire does grow to appreciate Rae, even if largely in hindsight. School- and kingdom- intrigue provides the heat needed to take their bond from magnetic attraction with no proper attachment to something solid, and more importantly, taken seriously. There is no bait, this show takes this Yuri seriously, and there's a solid chance you heard of this show because it very early on establishes in no minced words that Rae is Gay, but not someone you'd need to fear.

With all of that in mind, WataOshi doesn't *quite* perfect the landing. The typicality of the setting does lend itself to the rote; The church is (probably) evil, what a shocker, and social change is paid lip service, but not taken seriously, lest it disrupt the power imbalance between the two leads. I'm serious; Rae being an absolute nobody compared to Claire in terms of social power is one of the only things keeping her zany lesbian antics from being genuinely uncomfortable, a boundary they already push on the regular. On that point, despite having an entire story beat dedicating to taking Rae's sexuality seriously, Claire gets objectified to a surprising degree, with her previously asserted sexuality being largely ignored in order to have other women fight over her. The show lampshades this state of affairs, but doesn't actually substantially correct or justify it, and in fact seems to send pretty contrary messaging in the final arc, with Claire not really having a say in things once it's reveals someone she was fond of *as a child* turned out to be a woman.

Even So, WataOshi is a solid take on the Otome Isekai premise with real comedic and dramatic chops, enough to carry my interest through to the end. The jokes shake up just enough to keep me smiling, and the setting, while uninspiring, is a more than serviceable backdrop for the drama. Oh, and the Dub is fantastic. Wasn't sure where to put this, but it deserves mention.