Villains are Destined to Die novel Vol. 1 by Gwon Gyeoeul The heroine wakes up inside Daughter of the Duke’s Super Love Projec t as the infamous villainess, Penelope Eckhart . But she doesn’t get the easy route; she’s thrown into hard mode , where all the love interests’ affection meters start at 0%, and one even begins in the negatives! Now, Penelope must carefully raise affection points to escape the villainess’s destined death. A review copy was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The popular webtoon adaptation of Villains Are Destined to Die has been on my radar for a while, so when I got the chance to read the original light novel , I grabbed it instantly. Time be damned. It’s been over a decade since the villainess isekai-otome game-reincarnation template  exploded, but this story still feels fresh. The pacing and tension pull you in, and it’s so satisfying to see Penelope survive through quick thinking and calculated moves. The setting is...

Lady Rose Just Wants to Be a Commoner! Vol. 1 story by Yura Kiyose, art by Kooriame and translation by Esther Sun Felicia Schwarise just wants to be commoner Fil instead of the heroine of the otome game visual novel, Savior of Nations: Lady Rose. But the love interests keep on popping up in her new life. Disclaimer: A review copy was provided by the publisher  'Tis not a reincarnated villainess story...but a reincarnated heroine which is a twist on the usual otome game reincarnation isekai trope. And a heroine who would rather get the merry bad ending at that. The first volume is an obligatory introduction of the male characters confirming the reverse harem setup. There's the older brother type, the puppy dog archetype, the one with the most dangerous love route. and the one who lives for entertainment. Methinks there's more to the pompous prince than meets the eye but we have yet to meet him.  Now that the reverse harem has been introduced, it makes one to be impatient for...

Amy is busy with school, friends, and healing animals. In her free time, she plays with her cat and replies to Prince Edward's letters. But she can't help but also worry about the otome game storyline especially now that the characters are all grown-up and looking like the exact replicas of their game counterparts.  Disclaimer: A review copy was provided by the publisher. Check out the first volume review .  Let's get the cat out of the bag that this turned out not to be a reverse harem. This falls under two flowers (only one or two are interested in the heroine) under Levels of Reverse Harem . And just like how the cheerful Amy lulls everyone around her into false security, I got sucked into it as well, and because of cats too. I mean, what can go wrong with cats?!  It is also already more than halfway through when I realized it is the final installment because all the loose ends are suspiciously being tied up. But I know we needed closure if this ends up as reverse hare...

I was Reincarnated as the Villainess in an Otome Game but the Boys Love Me Anyway! Vol. 3 by Shou (Akuyaku Reijou Desu ga, Kouyaku Taishou no Yousu ga Ijou Sugiru) Manga by: Ataka Light novel: by Sou Inaida Art by: Hachipsu Wen Mystia is trying to stop the events that will lead to her end. But meanwhile, the events that she's anticipating are also not happening! It's all because of her doing, of course. And there's something sinister pulling the strings in the background. Check out Volumes 1 to 2 reviews . Disclaimer: A review copy was provided by the publisher. Something I forgot to mention from the start is that the setting of the story is European historical vibe but the highschool look is modern Japan. The game story proper of KyunKyun Love School takes place in highschool.  But it's not your sweet, light highschool life. The general mood has taken a darker turn.  source  The main characters are all acting abnormal now. (In reference to alternate title: I’m ...

I Was Reincarnated as the Villainess in an Otome Game but the Boys Love Me Anyway! Vol. 2 (Akuyaku Reijou Desu ga, Kouyaku Taishou no Yousu ga Ijou Sugiru) Manga by: Ataka Light novel: by Sou Inaida Art by: Hachipsu Wen All Mystia wants is to avoid death in the otome game she is reincarnated in and to keep her family and servants safe. However, the guys seem to have bugs and are either raising or missing events on their own. Disclaimer A review copy was provided by Netgalley. Check out the first volume review . In the first volume, Mystia meets two of Kyun Kyun Love's suitors, Raid and Eric. In this sequel, we get to see how she meets Jesse, the teacher. For the fourth guy, Robert, it is more of pleasantries. The nicknames in the first volume are still not crystal clear to me. The sparkling prince. The cool tsundere. The gaudy guy. The yakuza teacher.  I managed to get the first two mixed up while the other two have yet to unfold their said attributes. The competitiveness betw...

Alice in Bishounen-Land Volume 2 by Yushi Kawata Art by Yukito With the help of a new member or two, Alice and the newly-rebranded idol group Triple S progresses in the battles. Disclaimer A review copy was provided by the publisher. Check out the first volume review . The first volume is so weird but trust me it gets weirder. But once you got used to the humor, everything seems funnier this time around. The randomness of the backstories, the non-stop comical situations, and cheesy jokes. I'm loving them all now including the minor characters. The one thing that balances it all out is Alice. She's the shining beacon of reason and her spot-on observations make it more laughable.    For something crazy, it briefly touches 'beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder'. And it's not in your face at all. It is refreshing and satisfying to get some key takeaways from both volumes when you're least expecting one.  The isekai element of the story is set inside an otome ...

Alice in Bishounen-Land by Yushi Kawata Art by Yukito  Alice Kagami and her friend Tatami get sucked into the dating simulation game Love Color School Stars and became producers. In order to return to the real world, she must turn her group, 3 Jours and 2 Nuits, into top idol group but the problem is she's totally clueless. Disclaimer: A review copy was provided by the publisher. Alice members are a mishmash of different personalities: Hanazawa, a half-dog and half human; Julius Paliton III, a spirit; Azuki Tsubufusa, 41-year old teacher who looks like pre-school/midde school kid; Fortress Kyojima, uhmmm a 60-feet giant and Hyoya Sanimiya, he's so tiny you can barely see him on Alice's shoulder on the cover above. We can see all the guys' affinities for Alice are leveling up but there's an evident lead guy though nothing's that serious yet. (See more of  7 Types of Reverse Harem Endings ). And according to the rules, she might end up dating whoever's route ...

source  of photo My Next Life as a Villainess: All Roads Lead to Doom X Season 2 anime- 12 episodes After successfully thwarting her doom in her first year, Katarina now begins her second year without any worries in the Magic Academy. More colorful characters are introduced in the story and in her harem too. Check here for the review of Season 1  and  First Impression of Season 2 .  The hilariousness continues with the fourth episode and it's a total gamechanger. The group dynamics will be shaken up and we finally see the end of Bakarina. And for clarification, the end of her baka-ness, not her demise. The first season focused more on the premise of how to escape doom flags. But it has now shifted from the trope it is known for and taking off things in a different direction with Katarina enjoying life without the constant worrying of her doom and with the other characters now taking matters into their own hands. But it looks like it will be short-lived and it will be...

  I Was Reincarnated as the Villainess in an Otome Game but the Boys Love Me Anyway! Volume 1 (Akuyaku Reijou Desu ga, Kouyaku Taishou no Yousu ga Ijou Sugiru) Manga by: Ataka Light novel: by Sou Inaida Art by: Hachipsu Wen On her 10th birthday, she realizes she's reincarnated as Mystia Aren, the villainess of the KyunKyun Love School otome game. Disclaimer: A copy was provided by the publisher.   The story starts with Mystia at 15 years old when the game proper is about to start. It is really short so I will not delve much into the story but one thing's for sure even if it is short it sets the mood of the story. In a hindsight, everything is perfectly planned. The backstories. The point-of-view of other characters where it matters. Down to the four panels. There's something about her gloomy personality but still doing her best which turns into a cute thing of her own. And I love her for that. And on the same note, the introduction of guys and their nicknames and their ch...

I Reincarnated as Evil Alice so the Only Thing I'm Courting is Death~( Akuyaku Alice ni Tensei Shita node, Koi mo Shigoto mo Houki Shimasu!)  Written by Chii Kurusu Art by: Minato Yaguchi Translated by: Emma Schumacker   While carrying out her secret executioner duties Alice bumps her head and realized she is reincarnated into her favorite otome game which won the Deadliest Game of the Year award. Together with the bad boy butler, Jack; sinful man, Leeds; the Tweedle twins and walking death flag, Earl Knightley.  Disclaimer: A digital review copy of this book was provided by the publisher. She knows the ins and outs of the story but the routes are not moving forward just like it goes in the game.   I felt lost at first too with the story and was wandering aimlessly with Alice. And when she decided her purpose, I was not convinced. It is fast-paced it's just that the premise was different in how the story played out.  But those who are patient are rewar...

No Going Back Romance kdrama- 10 episodes So Dam was sleeping in the classroom but she remembers someone confessing to her. She's now trying to figure out who among her three classmates is in love with her. It is short and easy to watch. It's only 10 episodes with 12 minutes run time.  The heroine is so young and innocent-looking that I want to put her inside my pocket. The president is cute but so was the locker guy. There are so many sweet and spicy situations even if it's super short. The only reason I'm not in a hurry to watch it is because of my backlog for fall and winter huhu There were just so random scenes from episodes 2 and 3 which I don't know what the purpose for. The short airtime I guess made it seem so out of the blue. I'm surprised that we don't have much of this trope but if you are looking for something similar I recommend a drama which I have not watched (LOL) but I think the premise is the same, Kiss Scene in Yeonnamdong.  Unique Lady/La...

Past Life Countess, Present Life Otome Game NPC?!~ Story by: Sorahoshi Art by: Yuki Kinami Translated by: Amber Tamosaitis Annerosa Ortegamo is a countess from Lacrofine in her past life. But now, she's Urara Tendou in modern-day Japan. Or so she thought when a crazed girl/heroine tells her she's a non-playable character (NPC) messing with her events inside an otome game. Disclaimer: A digital review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.  The boys from Sparkling Six is introduced right away and your head will be swirling with all the characters I cannot remember. I slept on it and the next day reread it, wrote down in paper, and played match the description to the picture above. But after I'm done that's when I saw Cross World actually has character descriptions. Haha! But it's okay it was fun and I got to internalize who's who. I have this bad habit of not remembering names be it in anime or Asian dramas. I just hastily label the guys according to th...