To be honest, She Professed Herself The Pupil of The Wise Man had a lot of fundamental problems that, if addressed, would have made for a fine isekai. However, I think what killed it for many watchers is how they set up the plot, and literally never progress it. While She Professed Herself The Pupil of The Wise Man, the source material, also enjoys a bit of meandering to major plot progression, the fact that the anime had absolutely none while also being none too focused on the gender-bending hook either was really its downfall.
While no one comes here to hear “just read it from the beginning,” and it’s not even an answer I like to give, reading both the light novel and manga for She Professed Herself The Pupil of The Wise Man from the beginning is the only answer I can honestly give.
While many fault the She Professed Herself The Pupil of The Wise Man anime for being too “side quest-y” and having actually no plot progression, that is actually how the light novel is too. Things move slowly, and there are often like five side adventures for every major plot point.
However, the anime cherry-picks events from the light novels and leaves out so much crucial world-building that I can’t even really recommend just skipping the first light novel volume. You miss information you need to fundamentally understand the rest of the story.
As for the manga, it should be noted that it is a different experience from the light novels. While the light novel revels in side quests, the manga is more diligent to the main plot. This means a lot of small side stuff is skipped and the series progresses faster.
