Major Spoilers Ahead You wont understand a good chunk of my review if you havent seen Endo and Kobayashi so go give it a watch Ill mostly be jumping from point to point about the series. Final ratings will be based on my overall enjoyment as thats what seals the deal for me. https://pbs.tw.com/media/FkybL8uaYAEmkQ.jpg:large Brief Synopsis Shihono Kobayashi is a highschooler obsessed with an otome game known as Love Me Magically or Magikoi for short. After convincing her broadcasting club friend Aoto Endo to play it with her something about the game is.. different. They can speak to Prince Sieg and prevent Villainess Lieselotte from doom Prince Siegwald... hearing things? No it couldnt be... a message from the gods He has to protect Lieselotte before its too late? Well it looks like hes got no other choice but to take their orders. Thanks Lady Kobayashi and Lord Endo Initial Thoughts Going into the show I didnt have high hopes. Another Shojo adaptation is awesome But considering what happened last season.. erm.. I was worried. Im also not a huge fan of the Villainess genre... but putting my bias aside this anime is definitely something that while it has flaws shouldnt be underestimated and youll see why. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/crop1200x630gNE/cms/news.5/187707/tsunlizekey12.jpg The Meat of the Review Lets start with the elephant in the room the animation. This has happened with so many Shojo adaptations over the years that Im not surprised just simply disappointed. This anime couldve been a masterpiece if it wasnt for the CGI horses and questionable fight scenes that.. in one way or another graced the screen. Im blaming it on the studios at this point. How can you spend so much money on battle Shonen and a cent on these Shojosei gems that is the true question. Moving on from trauma to something astoundingly better the characters. Oh how I loved the characters. And oh how I loved their dynamics. At first I wasnt really a huge fan of Lieselotte. She didnt seem to have many redeeming qualities and that surprised me considering we are supposed to root for her but then... we got to the Tsundere episode This simple joke somehow ended up working completely in her favor As the show progresses we began to understand more about her character why she says and does certain things and most importantly her motives. It adds a real layer of heart that I feel goes beyond the trope and makes her really sympathetic. Not to mention her relationship with Sieg. I love how devoted and determined Sieg is to Liese he truly is a W boyfriend that I wish I had. The romantic moments we get between them especially towards the end feel so sincere. Now lets talk Fiene On her own while she may seem weak Fiene knows how to stand her ground and fight for what she believes in and I really like that about her She still has her flaws but thats what makes her human. I also like how much backstory is given to her and the connections she has with other characters really flesh her out. Fienes more than just some rando who happened to attend magic school. Her relationship with Baldur is.. a choice. Im not a huge hater or anything like I thought they were cute and all but I wish there was at least a little more development. maybe Im being too picky. I just think Fiene can get a better man. Putting that aside Fiene is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to the ending. And speaking of that ending because wow. I really did not expect this show to end on such a bang. First of all that drama and pacing So good The cliffhangers were effective and really left me wondering what was going to happen because truly I had no idea. I thought it was gonna be all one and done We saved Liesetan and life is perfect again which still wouldve been solid but I digress. But the way everything was connected the fact that all that happened in the game AND in real life was because of the Gods of Creation? I mean who couldve guessed that And this twist is not poorly executed at all. Long story short Kuon God of Creation created the Magikoi game to finally fall in love with a reincarnated Eve aka Fiene But spoiler alert a reincarnated Adam aka Baldur has already fallen in love with her. I mean thats why the first people on earth were created to fall in love. its adam and eve not adam and steve this a joke i promise im gay So its evident that Kuon has to lose but for that to happen we also get some changes between our wonderful commentaryanalyst duo Spoiler alert: after all their surprisingly deep development they confess their love to each other. And while of course its very cheesy it really helps to cement this storys theme. Love is powerful. For all we know the world of Magikoi and its characters are completely fiction. But even so its the love the characters feel for one another that prevails. Whatever kind of love it may be it all goes to show that with unity heart belief and a little bit of magic miracles can happen. Because you know what they say while we may be different were all human. The same. https://otakuusamagazine.com/wpcontent/uploads/2021/12/endoandkobayashianime3.jpg Overall Thoughts Endo and Kobayashi Live is a series that turns the Villainess genre on its head and does so in a well executed manner. With a unique premise and strongly developed cast its an anime that will not only keep you engaged but also enamored.