The Executioner and Her Way of Life completely flipped the usual isekai formula and because of that, it was review bombed.
The first episode starts like every other isekai, with an overpowered male protagonist getting summoned to another world.
But just a few minutes later, he’s killed off by the real main character, Menou, a priestess whose job is to eliminate “Lost Ones” from Japan whose powers could destroy the world.
The story then follows Menou and her next target, Akari, a cheerful girl with mysterious time powers. As their journey continues, the series explores themes of morality, fate, and a slow-burn yuri (girls’ love) relationship between the two leads.
This unexpected twist didn’t sit well with some viewers who wanted a typical male power fantasy.
Before the second episode even aired, review sites like MyAnimeList and Crunchyroll were flooded with 1-star ratings and comments like “Killed the MC in episode 1, 0/10” or “Yuri trash.”
Many accounts had no prior activity, suggesting targeted review bombing against the show’s direction and queer undertones.
Despite that backlash, The Executioner and Her Way of Life has since somewhat recovered in ratings and built a loyal fanbase.
I didn't mean that she'd turn on the church due to being a moral paragon, she's definitely a bit of an "antihero," I just think she doesn't remain simply an agent of the church throughout the series.
I would not recommend the series on the basis of "cute yuri vibes" like some people apparently do, I just think the writing is kind of interesting and while I still think the series is pretty misogynistic (male gaze, lolis, etc.), I do love baiting the harem creeps who want a hollow character to project themselves onto owning a bunch of brood mares as property and I vaguely remember the fights being interesting in a Re:Zero kind of way. I really wish there was more blatant subversion like that in anime/manga.