Episode 5:
I do not like the direction the show went. Feels like it "lost the plot".
It started grounded, melancholic, but somehow sweet, wholesome. But all of that was uprooted and abandoned. With signs of that in episode 3, then a fever-dream of episode 4, and now episode 5. Victoria is now a super-human with keen hearing and giga-brain, not just skills. We spent a lot of time focused on that part, which in the end did not move neither her character, nor the plot.
If we were just told that she saved the guy (through the mouths of others) or maybe shown in a brief super-cut how she did that - that would be fine. It would have been "yup, she can do that, she is OP, but she has a different focus now". Possibly a bit of a cliche, since there are lots of isekais with "OP building a peaceful life" trope, but the grounded approach still would have make it stand out.
At the same the the language learning was boring and uninspiring. Yes, they showed some little interactions between Vicky and Nonna, but that's it. Those scenes could have been something to show Nonna's growth through interaction with that boy. Not saying it should be romantic, and it probably should not be, but even just focusing more on preparation for presenting the play before the audience would have been more interesting and would have given opportunity for the characters to spread their wings.
The "romance" side of the show also feels completely dead. Interactions with Jeff were "as a matter of fact". That may seem a bit more natural or realistic even, but... It just does not fit whatever the narrative in first 2 episodes was building towards. It was not building towards highschool romcom, of course, but it would have been nice to see a more adult relationship budding with all that suggested "healing" vibes.
My point is that I am disappointed. I feel like I was lied to. Subverting expectations can be a good strategy in some story-building, for sure, but not when it subverts them into almost "girl-boss" story. Maybe I misinterpreted something, but even if the show has not lost the plot, it certainly has lost me.
