閑雲野鶴

Happy (somewhat belated) birthday Anthy!!!! I love you dearly.

I'm really glad the anime kept this in. I was worried they might not. This is the turning point for I'm in Love with the Villainess, where it becomes clear it's not just a silly isekai comedy, but a story that also earnestly discusses queer issues.

It's still fairly unusual for the kind of yuri that gets adapted to anime to outright have characters say "I'm gay", so the fact Rae frankly discusses her sexuality here is refreshing-- but on top of that, the show goes on to directly challenge homophobia.

Rae's behavior with Claire before this has been inappropriate (and they really should have toned it down in adaptations to make this convo work better, but alas) and that is acknowledged here. However, Claire moving away from Rae specifically because Rae states that she's gay is what's pointed out wrong, and the stereotype of "lesbians just can't control themselves and will creep on every woman they meet" is pointed out as wrong. This is a common stereotype that persists pretty much everywhere--the idea that it isn't "safe" for women to be around lesbians--and it is valuable that it's called out here. Gay people aren't more likely to be predatory that straight people, and that's something everyone should get through their heads.

What's more, the idea of "oh she's not gay or bi she just happened to fall in love with a woman" or "it's just a love that transcends gender" isn't a super common stereotype in the US and a lot of other countries, but it is one that pops up constantly in anime and manga, because it's seen as somehow "more okay" for a character to kiss girls if she goes out of her way to say it doesn't make her a lesbian or bi/pan. (In the novel Rae does internally mention that bisexual people exist, btw, but she's just not one of them).

I'm in Love with the Villainess Episode 3