Manga Review: I was Reincarnated as the Villainess in an Otome Game but the Boys Love Me Anyway! Volume 1

‘I was Reincarnated as the Villainess in an Otome Game, but the Boys Love Me Anyway!’, is an Isekai romance manga by Sou Inaida and Ataka, which follows our modern nameless heroine who wakes up one day to find that she’s been reincarnated as Mystia Aren, the Villainess of an Otome game she played prior to her death called “KyunKyun Love School”. To make things worse, the Villainess she’s now in the body of is as ruthless and vindictive as a villain can be, whose story ends in a rather unfortunate way, to say the least. Upon coming to terms with her situation, Mystia decides to use all her knowledge of the game to avoid all routes that’ll lead to her seemingly inevitable and unfortunate end.

Story & Premise

If you’re a fan of Otome anime or games, then you probably already know how common the villainess trope is in the genre, especially when compared to the similar albeit more successful series “My Next Life as a Villainess”. This manga is also very much a typical isekai, complete with the short character back story and tragic truck-kun death. The game’s world is the common blend of modern and medieval times in a kingdom ruled by counts, dukes, duchesses, and kings. And Mystia being the daughter of a nobleman, has many doting servants wait on her. While both the isekai genre and villainess trope is highly oversaturated, it is admittedly a new combination for me to explore, and I can at least say that it at least does well so far for the most part.

The manga’s first volume starts by introducing readers to our main heroine and her potential love interests, then jumps back five years prior to the events that’ll unfold in the love school to lay the groundwork. Unlike her evil fictional counterpart, these chapters show that our heroine is a timid, modest, and incredibly kind individual that always tries to help everyone around her. We see her help multiple people in the story, both out of kindness and to avoid the fate that comes with being the villainess. Many of the characters she helps also turn out to be a potential romantic interest.  While I found this to be a bit cliché for a romance title, it at least explained why the characters, including her servants, care so much for her. Mystia also uses the knowledge of the game to carefully interact and help individuals in whatever way she can, like a true heroine.

Problems & Art

What I found odd, however, is how much the manga shows us how kind of a person she is right from childhood contrary to the real Mystia, yet also shows how she wakes up confused in her new body, which feels like a discrepancy, as she normally would be aware of her circumstances right from the start. Other than that, I also found it strange that the story is told in a typical isekai format that doesn’t show any signs that it’s based on a game at all. Aside from Mysytia being able to predict some events, you don’t see any of the game’s elements or routes, at least in this volume.

As for the art, the manga takes a very pretty and feminine approach with the character designs, with less empathized or little to no background shots in the panels. Its art style is akin to what you’ll see in a typical Yuri manga, which isn’t a bad thing.

 I was Reincarnated as the Villainess- Final Thoughts

Overall, I was Reincarnated as the Villainess is a good manga with a solid heroine. While the first volume doesn’t really delve into the main story and instead spends time introducing the world and its characters, it at least does an adequate job at doing that.

A copy of this manga was provided for review by TokyoPop

Have you read this manga? What’s your favorite isekai manga? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.