AKUYAKU REIJOU NANO DE LAST BOSS WO KATTEMIMASHITA
STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
4
RELEASE
October 26, 2022
CHAPTERS
21
DESCRIPTION
Avoid the bad ending at all costs! When her fiancé breaks up with her in front of the entire student body, noblewoman Aileen d’Autriche is devastated—or she would have been, if that wasn’t also the exact moment memories of her past life came crashing back! Turns out, she’s been reborn as the villainess of a dating sim... and according to the story, she’s slated to die at the hands of the demon king in three months! But Aileen’s already got a plan: Step one, get Demon King Claude to fall in love with her. Step two, live!
(Source: Yen Press)
Note: Chapter count includes 4 extras.
CAST
Aileen Dautriche
Claude Elmir
Almond
Isaac Lombard
Belzebuth
Cedric Elmir
Quartz
Ruck
Jasper Varie
Lilia Rainworth
Rudolf Dautriche
CHAPTERS
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REVIEWS
AutumnEcho
Although at first the story struggles to escape genre cliches, once it finds its footing it comes into its own.Continue on AniListThe first chapter started off like every otome isekai ever, which was probably the point, but it still felt so familiar that it colored the next few chapters with a feeling of typicality that the story struggled to shake.
The first volume was packed full of tropes and had a hard time escaping or subverting them, and the execution of the tropes themselves seemed mediocre. The world-building was decent, but some of the fantasy elements seemed thrown in without much reason or development. Since the characters themselves were tropes (which is integral to trope-subverting stories like these otome isekais), they ended up feeling one-dimensional. There was a lot of promise, but not much payoff.
The pacing was well done, however, with clearly defined stakes that ratcheted higher after little conflicts, and the art was good. The story had enough potential that I picked up the second volume, and I'm glad I did.
In the second volume, the story came into its own. The tropes that had been established in the first volume were neatly subverted or wielded for the story's own ends, and what had seemed mediocre before gained depth.
The main characters developed and grew more dimensional, and the stirrings of romance felt genuine. Several minor characters that had been introduced at the end of the first volume got a good deal of screen time, and their presence gave more context and nuance to the main characters. One fellow in particular proved extremely likable, but despite how quickly he became my favorite side character, his relationship with the protagonist avoided second-lead syndrome. The antagonist revealed an actual motive (rather than just being excessively and pointlessly evil, as is often the case), and the plot was taut and page-turning.
The third volume was even better, with some twists I didn't anticipate (and given my knowledge of story structure as a writer and editor, in addition to my extensive reading experience with shoujo manga and its tropes, I don't get caught off guard very often).
Trigger warning: There is an attempted rape, but although the girl is bound and gagged and her dress is torn, nothing is graphic, and she fights her attacker. Before anything can really happen, she is rescued.
The final conflict, rather than being gaudily violent in an attempt to be epic, fit the tone and motivations of the characters and concluded in a very satisfying way. The plot threads came together, and I don't think it's truly spoilers to say that we got a happy ending. The extra chapters at the end were pure fluffy goodness, and since we didn't get a lot of fluff in the midst of the story, they made the resolution especially pleasant.
Although the series started off slow, the first volume was simply laying the groundwork for the more inventive developments that came after it. All in all, this series is a worthy contribution to the otome isekai genre.
Volume 1: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Volume 2: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Volume 3: 4.0 out of 5 stars
RoseFaerie
While the anime was enjoyable, I found the manga rendition of the first arc to be superior.Continue on AniListI guess I really am reviewing a lot of shoujo isekai lately. I assure you I will be reviewing a lot more outside of that sub-genre. I'm finally attempting to clear out my reading and paused list, so there will be a lot more diversity in what I review (though most of it will definitely be shoujo). Anyways, I read this on a whim because I've been enjoying the anime despite its' obvious flaws. I heard it was just super rushed and did not do the art for both the LN or the manga justice. And after reading this I have to say that those criticisms were accurate.
The manga covers the first arc of the novels. A sickly Japanese girl reincarnates as the villainess in the otome game she was obsessed with. She now is Aileen Lauren D'Autriche, a woman who gets dumped by her fiancé in favor of the game's protagonist. She's fated to die at the hands of the Demon Lord, the former crown prince, Claude. However, Aileen decides to take matters into her own hands by deciding to marry Claude to prevent her death.
It starts off very standard. It's definitely a villainess series at its' core, but I really think it manages to stand out on its' own. I think once the romance human-demon politics were developed a bit more, the story really started to set itself apart from other stories in the genre. I genuinely think the pacing was way better than the anime's pacing, since it gives the characters and the story more room to breathe.
Aileen is smart, competent, and compassionate. As a woman in a patriarchal society, she was not treated equally to her older brothers, and she was isolated in her attempts to make a name for herself. She puts on a facade of strength which she wears constantly in order to protect herself. She may have the knowledge of a political schemer, but Aileen truly is a caring but insecure person.
She's matched by Lord Claude, the Demon King, who was isolated for his powers. Despite his intimidating appearance, he really is an easy person to read due to the weather changing with his emotions. He has a soft spot for the monsters he rules over, due to how kind they were to him when humans were not. He hopes to be accepted by society once again and for monsters and humans to live in harmony.
I really enjoyed watching the two of them open up and learn to be vulnerable with each other. Their relationship was super cute, and it felt natural for them to fall in love.
The antagonists, Cedric and Lilia were also more fleshed out than they were in the anime. Manga Lilia seems to have more agency than Anime Lilia, since she has her own bit of backstory and motivations. Cedric also felt more threatening, since he really reminded me of some of the more misogynistic and entitled guys I've met, who want to force women to validate them. I felt like both of their characterizations were really hammered down.
The art was gorgeous. I loved the character designs. Aileen looks even more beautiful in manga form, and Claude looks much more stunning than he ever did in the anime. I just appreciated how much detail was put into it. It might not seem super detailed by manga standards, but by looking at the anime you will understand what I mean. In general, the art really could stand on its' own, and I'd love to see more of the artist's future projects.
Anyways, I ended up comparing the anime and manga more than I intended to. In general, I'd recommend reading the manga over watching the anime (and I do like the anime, even though I have issues with it). If you were curious about I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss, but the anime's rushed pacing and lackluster art turned you off, I'd recommend reading this. It's a lovely rendition of the first arc. I just wish more than the first arc was adapted, because I really loved it. I guess I'll have to check out the LNs!
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SCORE
- (3.7/5)
MORE INFO
Ended inOctober 26, 2022
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