First and foremost, a disclaimer. While I -have- read Otome Isekais with smut sprinkled here and there, this is my first time reading an OI that is primarily a smut. I am quite well-read in BL, but my interest there does not translate to straight porn AT ALL. That means I also do not dabble enough in josei smut, isekai or no isekai, so I will readily admit that I don't have the strongest pool of knowledge to judge this title properly. However, using my BL glasses, I can say that this is quite a decent story. First of all, the smut and the romance are abundant,well-drawn, and guilt-free. I can't say about how titillating the smut are, but I can say that the romance parts are sweet. My BL-trained eyes does not see much of toxic bullshit coming from the ML, the aforementioned Maou-san, and I like his vibes. He only keeps his cold Duke Of The North-style mask for so long before he melts into a much warmer and more devoted lover.

Maou-san is also quite easily the best character in this story. Not only is he the character with the most complex background, he also experiences the most development in this short amount, growing from one driven blindly by vengeance to one choosing to love and protect. There are quite a plenty of moments where I feel for him and his pain.

Haruka, the MC, is also an endearing character. While I do suspect that sweet, hapless girls who are easily swayed by pleasure is a common protagonist archetype in this sort of genre, I think the story portrays her with a certain amount of restraint to not make her... completely submissive (derogatory). She doesn't just accept; she initiates and also tries to make Maou-san feel good by herself. In fact, I appreciate what the story is trying to do, using smut to let Haruka rest and accept the sweet pleasures in live, then using it to slowly empower her until she is ready to make decisions by herself and follow her heart.

But as much as I enjoy her, I must also admit that Haruka's growth often feels a bit rushed. There are quite a few times later in the story where I can't help but feel that the narrative is rushing through Haruka's development just so it can get to the good part, wink wink nudge nudge. I understand that something's gotta give in this genre, but this is also quite a common thing in BL, and it's just a bit sad to see Haruka got sidelined in her own story.

Also sidelined aplenty; the side characters. While the narrative sure tries their best to add layers and nuance to the side characters, for the most part they mainly function as plot devices to move the narrative along. I don't really mind; none of them are particularly SPECIAL, but it sure diminishes the non-romance part of the plot.

...Which, yeah, it does have some actual plot in the narrative. And they -are- Isekai plotlines. Granted, it ain't much (probably a total of 5 chapters in a 24 chapters story), but what's there is layered enough to give Haruka and Maou-san actual obstacles to overcome. And the writing has enough heart to give both Haruka and Maou-san's decisions some emotional weight.

The non-smutty romance also shares a similar situation. It ain't much, but what are there is delightful enough to add texture to the story. They are...affectionate, sure, very much touchy feely too, but more than that, once the romance got going they actively care and cherish each other. As much as there are the usual moments where the ML saves the MC, the narrative is careful enough not to portray those moments as 'look how cool Maou-san is', instead focusing more on 'look how much Maou-san cares for Haruka'.

What I genuinely don't like is the ending. Like, literally the final chapter. While the plot beats are THERE, and I do enjoy it in theory, the execution feels so damn rushed that I ended up reeling from the whiplash. Just...divide them into two chapters. PLEASE. You have already gone through this far.

But that aside, I can say that this is a delightful sidequest into a brand new world. I can't say I will actively look for more josei smut, but this has convinced me that they are also not something I should actively run away from.