Though I Am an Inept Villainess

Episode 5

Lady Macbeth said it best: “look like th' innocent flower,/But be the serpent under't.” In this episode, Reirin proves that she's no mere Pollyanna, the adorable heroine of Eleanor H. Porter's early 20th-century series; she's Capitola from Mrs. E.D.E.N. Southworth's 1859 novel The Hidden Hand. This is a young woman who knows how to survive, and given the tools of a healthy body and a terrible reputation, she's ready to bite the unwary hand that reaches for her. She's not going to play the Mean Girl Game the way Seika is; she's going to catch her flies with honey and drown them.

It's how Reirin has survived for so long – everyone believes that she's as sweet as can be. They don't realize the strength it's taken her to present herself that way as her body fails her and she struggles to find ways to survive her chronic illness. She's never been a fool, and now in Keigetsu's body, she's got the chance to show the steel that's always been there. It's not that her moves now are any less considered than they were before; it's that she no longer has to fear collapse from standing up for herself and LeeLee. Even the crown prince has to admit that she's remarkably alluring and attractive—the sweetness he admired in Reirin tempered with the physical abilities of Keigetsu is both confusing and attractive—emphasis, for him, on the “confusing” bit.

Keigetsu's tarnished reputation is a major boon to Reirin at the Ghost Festival. Not only does it allow her to perform the Sogdian Whirl—an actual ancient Chinese dance based on one performed by Sogdian (a kingdom in the ancient Middle East, where Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and other countries now are) – but to stand firm against Seika machinations. Is she behaving abominably rudely by court standards? Yes, she is. But she's no worse than Seika herself, and by pointing out what she ought to pretend not to hear (like the Kin ladies twittering nastily), she's forcing the prince and the rest of the court to recognize Seika's failings as well. The Mean Girl Game of the Inner Court is meant to be played with snark and subtlety; Reirin is refusing to do that anymore.

It's honestly amazing to watch her in action. (And to see Shin-U attempting to contain his laughter. Forget the prince, girl, go for the guard!) In terms of the visuals of the episode, Reirin's dance stands out among the other, more staid, performances of the other Maidens with its vibrancy and mix of sharp, focused movements and large, whirling gestures. It's breathtaking, and I have to applaud the animators for their attention to detail here. Effective choreography often relies upon where the dancers guide our focus on their bodies. Reirin's tight hand gestures pull us in before her swooping arms and legs force our focus outward to her entire body and the space it occupies. Not only is it beautiful, but it's also symbolic of Reirin's new lease on life. Before, she was only those small hand movements, but now in Keigetsu's strong body, she is at last allowed to take up space.

That's a gift Keigetsu never realized she had. Or maybe she knew, but didn't want it – her sobs with the prince may indicate both her pain in her new, ill body, but also that she now can cry and have someone notice and feel sympathy. The space she took up before was emotionally painful, something she was consistently punished for. Reirin wanted out, but like a cat on the wrong side of a door, Keigetsu wanted in. Nothing about her life brought her joy, and while Reirin might have been content, I don't think we could say that she was happy.

There's still a lot of work to be done. The court lady who gave LeeLee the hairpin apparently doesn't exist, which means that someone's making particularly nasty moves in the game, trying to frame the Kin ladies for something someone else is doing. Reirin is certainly not going to let that slide, and we've already seen that she's not going to listen to the wishy-washy Shu consort. The other ladies had better watch out, because Reirin is now ready to take her space.

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Though I Am an Inept Villainess is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.