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Anime Feminist's weekly round-up for January 14-20, 2026, covers multiple topics: the first episodes of Oedo Fire Slayer -The Legend of Phoenix-, The Villainess Is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom, Kaya-chan Isn't Scary, and You and I Are Polar Opposites; a review of Hitomi Takano's manga Gene Bride; a Japan Fair Trade Commission report on transactional issues in the anime industry; Japan's probe of Elon Musk's Grok AI service over inappropriate image generation; a Mie Prefecture survey on foreign staff hiring that drew accusations of discrimination; and Prime Minister Ishiba's avoidance of challenging sumo's gendered ring ban. The round-up also includes links to videos on vintage BL OVAs, Lovely Complex, a documentary on Black anime fandom, and Jonathan Clements on the history of anime in the UK. The community section features reader picks for favorite anime of 2025, including You and Idol Precure, Medalist, and Zenshu!
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The first episode of The Villainess Is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom aired, following Tiararose, a woman reincarnated as the villainess of her favorite otome game. She expects to endure public humiliation after her engagement to the crown prince is annulled, but neighboring crown prince Aquasteed proposes to her on the spot. The Anime Feminist review finds the premiere competent but unremarkable, noting it follows standard villainess isekai story beats without introducing a unique twist. The review praises Tiararose as a realistic protagonist who is understandably scared but still tries to defend herself, and it calls Aquasteed's rescue and proposal cute for romance fans. However, it criticizes the episode for being boring overall, following the usual structure of the genre with no indication of innovation. The animation by Studio DEEN is described as fine, neither a hit nor a miss. The review compares the show unfavorably to May I Ask for One Final Thing?, which featured a more proactive and system-destroying protagonist. The piece concludes that the show offers a simple, familiar story for viewers who want comfort without depth.