Rekishi ni Nokoru Akujo ni Naru zo

Straight away, this is one of the "relabeled Villainess" type animes where Hero and Villainess basically switch the meaning. However, in my opinion this Anime actually portrays the proclaimed Villainess actually somewhat as one through their speech and actions. Further, the characters are generally well written, just the age difference and ages for the characters for certain events and actions are somewhat inappropriate for modern standards. However, ignoring that fact, the portrayal of the romantic relationships is written in a nice way.

Coming to the story overall - it is a great written story but at some points it was bit bumpy with rather harsh cuts between events. Still smooth enough to follow without problems but enough to notice.

What I liked:

• It shows different life-episodes of the characters (infant to teen)
• It is an Isekai but with focus on romance and playing the villainess and making sure to annoy the heroine, which is a refreshing storyline for me
• Got hooked with the story development, which is a mix of genius battle and romance
• It focuses only on the main characters without unnecessary sideplots for secondary characters

What I did no like:

• The ending was rushed and couldve span across at least 3 episodes
• Reconciliation between female characters who were enemies before are always annoying for me and I consider it unrealistic
• Even though the MC was developing her magic abilities to a max she barely uses them. Instead the story is more of an intellectual chess match

Overall: If you like a mix of romance and genius battles/confrontations with an outside the box romance storyline, then this is for you.

This anime series opens with a girl finding herself in the body of Alicia Williams, the villainess in a game she used to play. Knowing this destiny she determines to become the greatest villainess in history. Her preternatural wisdom leads to her gaining the ear of the king and befriending many of the nobility. She also takes a surprising interest to the poor in one particular village. When a prophecy indicates a saint has been born she is given the task of watching over her... of course this saint was the heroine of the game, an instantly popular girl.

Recently there have been quite a few anime series centred on a reincarnated villainess. This may not be the best but it is an enjoyable addition to the genre. The characters are solid and nobody is really unlikeable. As seems to be common in this genre our protagonist never seems particularly villainous; she is just in conflict with the designated heroine. This isn't really a problem as Alicia is a likeable character and other characters are fun to watch. Character designs and animation are both pretty good. The final episode seems more like the end of a chapter than an end of the story; if there is more I'd certainly watch. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of the genre.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

5/10 By the time I was on the third episode, I was completely tired of her insisting to call herself a villainess. The character is obviously at least as heroic as the main character from her game, but it just doesn't stop. Villains don't help people. Just stop stop stop with the villainess garbage. We can all see you are a kind person, who cares for the common people. It is just so irritating after about 2 episodes. Start calling yourself a heroine who cares for the people, and ditch the villain garbage on the side of the path where it belongs. No one buys it anyway, so just stop repeating it over and over again.

If "villainess" was part of a drinking game, you'd be out cold by the second episode., it's villainess every other word. I have mixed feelings about the storyline. It's engaging but:

Annoying Heroine: The heroine's voice is intentionally made high-pitched and fake, immediately making her unlikable.

Misleading Villain: The so-called villain, who is actually the protagonist, behaves heroically rather than evilly. She's just portrayed as a rude and spoiled child. Essentially she is stealing the heroine's place in the storyline.

Problematic Age Gap: The five-year age difference between the protagonist and her love interest is questionable. She's 13 when she starts school, while he is 18. A closer age gap would make more sense.