*spoiler free* This review will be updated as I watch more episodes. If you are on the fence or not planning to watch this because of your bad experiences with shojo/romance/otome genres, then please stick around for this review. :) As of now, I didn't expect this anime to be this way at all. Having seen a few of the more popular 'otome' anime (including Amnesia, Kamigami no Asobi, Diabolik Lovers, etc.) and a ton of reverse harem (including Kiss Him Not Me, Ouran High School Host Club, Special A, etc.) and playing many otome games myself (not even gonna elaborate on that one), Ihave been very well versed in the romance/reverse harem/otome genre through anime, manga, and video games. As a result, I had VERY low expectations for this. I was expecting somewhat of a bland heroine that could be replaced with an inanimate object, tons of sexual assault situations with male leads that don't know what consent is, and useless objectification and sexism. Y'know, the usual. Surprisingly, I came across the exact opposite.

To begin with, the story: I don't really know if it's original yet. It's obvious that there is a supernatural element to what's going on, and they have given enough backstory to make the watcher wonder what's going to happen next. It's interesting so far, so I really hope they can keep it up and keep it just as engaging. This was a surprise to me since most reverse harem/romance/otome anime don't really have any other plot than who's gonna get the girl most of the time.

As for the art, lots of anime of this genre has very beautiful art, and Phantom in the Twilight does not disappoint. The character designs are gorgeous, and I really appreciate the smaller eyes and more realistic features on some of the characters. The city scenes and backgrounds are breathtaking, and the visuals during the OP and the fight scenes are also gorgeous. I didn't want to take my eyes off the screen for a second! The main character, Ton, is also very pretty and we've already seen her in two outfits, which is more than most animes of this genre do usually.

The OP was a little generic, but not too bad. The closing, however, I liked a lot. While it might not completely fit the mood of the show as of now, I really liked it nevertheless. It was calming and sweet. I also really liked the way the voice actors portrayed their characters, and I really appreciate that Ton doesn't have a generic baby voice. That's a huge plus for me!

While it's hard to make assumptions about the characters this early on, I have to say that I'm impressed as of now. None of the guys seem to be the sexual assault type (they are actually really polite as it is) and Ton is unlike any otome heroine I've ever seen before. She's angry, spunky, and stubborn without falling prey to any of the cliches. It's also one of the first times I've seen a female character tell a male character to run while she fought. A definite plus for that as well! I also really liked the interactions between Ton and her best friend-- they seemed very realistic and kinda reminded me of my irl best friends, so the writers are doing something right. I can't make judgments on all of the characters, but so far, all of them seem to be intriguing, even the more 'background'-like ones. (P.S. So far, the main female lead has barely blushed! In a otome anime! YES. Go give this a try!)

Overall, I have really loved this so far. I've spent ages searching for a otome anime that's actually good, and I'm crossing my fingers that I've found it and that the show can uphold what it's been doing til the end.

Have a great day everyone!