I’m in Love with the Villainess

As per usual, do not consider this a review for various reasons. I will simply give my thoughts on the title, a rating and maybe a recommendation as well.

Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijou or WataOshi for short is written by Inori sensei. It is her first published series which has a light novel and manga adaptation. This essay will be on part 1 of the web novel. I chose to read the web novel first because it is the original source that was adapted later into other formats. Still, I do have plans to read both the light novel and manga later on.

Rei Oohashi is an average office lady in 21st century Japan. Suddenly for unknown reasons, she finds herself in the body of the main protagonist from one of her favourite Otome games. Although, a typical girl would do everything in their power to get the main princes to fall in love with them. Rei wants the villainess to fall for her. While WataOshi initially starts as a typical slice of life, wholesome Yuri as the story goes on gradually the complex and exciting overarching plot will be revealed.

Likewise, the realization of "Oh, this isn't like that, isn't it?" was quite exciting. WataOshi is written similar to a mystery series. Despite not being categorized as one, there will be many questions that pop up here and there only to be answered in the most satisfying way possible by the end. While reading this novel, you will encounter various topics on subjects such as debating, law, politics, accounting etc . . . All of those will be carefully explained for the readers to understand certain points in the story they come across. Especially cases surrounding LGBT+. Topics such as sexual identity vs sexual orientation and gender dysphoria were completely new to me. Thanks to sensei, I was interested and started researching and learning more about them. Regarding LGBT+, although I've read a bunch of Yuri/ GL and a few Yaoi/ BL titles, I've never come across a title where they have a proper debate with those who have a prejudice against LGBT+. All of sensei's arguments were not only informative but solid without holes as well. Moreover, this might be my first time encountering a plot-driven Yuri title. Every Yuri I've read so far has been about the internal conflict of the characters (character-driven). While WataOshi does have some internal conflicts the highlight of this specific title is the external conflict or the plot. As the author said this is more of an "Adventure Yuri". It certainly is a breath of fresh air to a sub-genre that doesn't have much diversity. On the contrary, when some emotional scenes managed to bring me near tears others were handled poorly. Sometimes the scenes felt like they had poor writing or felt rushed and other times a touching moment would be suddenly interrupted by a joke or something similar. The ability to convey emotions through text and other mediums is truly a gift, it is not something I will think light of. But I do think one-day sensei will become excellent at it.

Above all, the main duo in this Yuri is a delight to read. Rei, our protagonist, is an oddball. She has some questionable fetishes and is never afraid to display her affection for the villainess in public. However, she is quite selfish. Rei will do whatever it takes so that Claire makes it out alive, even if it means her own death. In other words, she can be quite terrifying at times. Sometimes I understand her and sometimes I don't. That eerie unpredictability is what I love about this character. I like Rei but my favourite is the villainess, Claire François. I will make it clear, I despise tsunderes. I cannot stand their personalities or actions no matter what. But for some reason, all the "bullying", huffs and puffs and pouts she does make me fall for her without a question and I don't know why. She is the character I love the most but she is also the character I see the most flaws in. Adorable as she is, I cannot help but notice her lack of contribution to the overall plot (other than for two instances). Everything is Rei's hard work. To which Rei hardly ever gets good rewards for either. However, I will accept that she has some of the best character development in the story and she is a strong, brave character who is compelling to read. But I wish she would contribute more to the overall plot rather than being just cute and strong. The side cast is charming as well. Strong characters such as Manaria, Rod, Lene, Yuu and Misha not only does huge contributions to the overall plot but sometimes they can be even more entertaining than the main duo.

So finally, would I recommend this? Most certainly. Although this has won a few awards here and there, WataOshi is not quite well known in the genre. But thanks to the manga adaptation it seems to be rapidly gaining popularity. I hope more and more people would get to know and come to love this little gem just like me. Since I praised this soo much some of you who know me might have the question "So now what's the best Yuri?" Well, YagaKimi has a great story but I simply could not care about the main duo, AdaShima also has a great story and I like the main duo but WataOshi has an amazing story and I loove the main duo soo . . . ¯\(ツ)/¯ Consequently dethroning AdaShima as my favourite Yuri and claiming the 5th spot in my all time favourite manga/ light novels, I rate I'm in Love with the Villainess a 9/10.

(Those who want links to read the WN feel free to PM me. And I won't be writing an essay like this for Part 2 cause that is too much work. Instead, I'll write the usual 2000 character essay for it (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ )