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EP. REVIEW: 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life


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rudhy





PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2024 7:45 pm Reply with quote
Haven't started this one yet. Based on my impression of the character and production design in the trailer, this doesn't strike me as shoujo, especially when compared with, say, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!

It is funny because this originated on the Naro site that gave us Jobless Reincarnation, Arifuta, Redo of Healer etc. Of course so did Bibliophile Princess, My Happy Marriage and some other shoujo and even josei works, but this came out on Naro AFTER the anime adaptation of My Next Life as a Villainess aired (and did quite well). So did the author take a concept from a shoujo hit in order to make something for the shonen audience, or at least a shoujo work with young males as a major periphery demo? If so that's fascinating and it will be interesting to see how this villainess genre evolves over the next 5-10 years. Trapped In A Dating Sim being shonen is a whole different animal: the main character was male and it wasn't exactly a love letter to otome games and the people that played them. The main issue is that its handling of its female characters wasn't great. Not that the males fared better for the most part, but the villainess genre by definition is going to have a well-developed and complex female as the main character, which isn't something that you see in shonen often. The reviewer already mentioned the superiority of the female main character of this work to that of the male main characters in most isekai and fantasy stories. If this succeeds and starts a trend, it could really improve the genre.
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 14258
PostPosted: Mon Jan 22, 2024 11:53 pm Reply with quote
Really strong start so far with probably one of the more interesting premises for a "Villainess" anime (even if the protagonist is literally only a Villainess by virtue of a frame-job and genre conceit).

Rishe is a very capable and charismatic Heroine and I'm looking forward to getting more insight into her Loops and how she'll use that experience in her new life. There seems to be some deliberate mystery about the 5th Loop even though we see a glimpse of it in the OP.

Her developing relationship with Arnold is also compelling because there's the drama of him killing her in her previous Loop to consider and her quest to end the war by understanding him better while in the process growing genuinely closer to him. I love a relationship where both sides feel more or less equal and feel each other out, almost like their dueling in romance (which was very present in that dance sequence).

Also Ikumi Hasegawa and Nobunaga Shimazaki play their characters phenomenally and really help sell their chemistry as a couple.
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Azure Chrysanthemum



Joined: 23 Apr 2023
Posts: 145
PostPosted: Tue Jan 23, 2024 2:09 am Reply with quote
I'm really enjoying this one! Rishe is a very compelling heroine, and I like her central ethos that nothing in life is wasted because the skills and experience you acquire stay with you forever.
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zztop



Joined: 28 Aug 2014
Posts: 650
PostPosted: Tue Jan 23, 2024 8:13 am Reply with quote
Quote:
you get the distinct feeling that it contains random keywords that may have helped it to get readers but ultimately have no bearing on the plot. That's the case here – Rishe is the furthest thing from a villainess, and any "villainy" implied by the title is utterly absent from the first three episodes.


I feel this was the case too; the author only used the villainess term in the title to justify the engagement annulment setup and slot the story into the popularly read otome villainess genre on Syosetu to hook readers, but otherwise had no intention of actually going through with the genre. I recall some of these webnovel authors saying they only wrote their stories with isekai/villainess setups because "it's what's popular now".

[quote="MFrontier"]
Rishe is a very capable and charismatic Heroine and I'm looking forward to getting more insight into her Loops and how she'll use that experience in her new life. There seems to be some deliberate mystery about the 5th Loop even though we see a glimpse of it in the OP.

Her developing relationship with Arnold is also compelling because there's the drama of him killing her in her previous Loop to consider and her quest to end the war by understanding him better while in the process growing genuinely closer to him. I love a relationship where both sides feel more or less equal and feel each other out, almost like their dueling in romance (which was very present in that dance sequence).

On the topic of mysteries, spoiler[unfortunately the story's central mystery of why Arnold would want to wage world war has still remained unanswered as of the latest story arc. The author has really been holding back on making any major reveals or hints.]
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RenimLS



Joined: 26 Mar 2014
Posts: 136
Location: North America
PostPosted: Tue Jan 23, 2024 8:18 am Reply with quote
rudhy wrote:
Haven't started this one yet. Based on my impression of the character and production design in the trailer, this doesn't strike me as shoujo, especially when compared with, say, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!


The anime definitely comes off as female oriented in watching it and especially the male designs. While I do think Rishe's design feels uncommon for a protagonist with that target demographic, her actions are very well in line with protagonists in these kind of series imo.

Wikipedia lists the LN's as having a female demographic, and Novel Updates lists it as a josei. The manga adaptation has Wikipedia and Manga Updates listing it as shoujo, though the publisher seems to publish more series listed as shounen and seinen. It does still publish other shoujo labelled series, most seem to be adaptions of web novels and light novels.

I would say comparing this series to My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! comes off as a bad choice, as that is a comedy while this series isn't a comedy. While that doesn't rule out there can't be humor in 7th Time Loop, it is reflected in the actions and personalities of the protagonist between the two series.

Shoujo though as a target demographic can still generate series you wouldn't expect as a shoujo, such as Sabagebu!.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11626
PostPosted: Tue Jan 23, 2024 9:11 am Reply with quote
Quote:
I think there's a real possibility that he's been looping through time, too.

I've been getting the same feeling, though at the moment I can't point to a specific scene that made me think that. Maybe the sense that he also remembers her swordsmanship from the loop in which he killed her, even if he didn't realize she was a she. Of course that raises the question of how does he die in the various loops and at what setpoint does he drop back into the timeline?

I'm also liking his aide a lot. I guess I find it reassuring somehow when he says Arnie is all in for her and not just acting on a political scheme or something. Until some more cards are turned over, I'll happily roll with that.

I can't wait to see her interaction with her trading mentor. Very Happy
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YourNameIsMitsuha



Joined: 14 Mar 2023
Posts: 66
PostPosted: Tue Jan 23, 2024 11:54 am Reply with quote
My impression is that he likes Rise being amazing, and likes being surprised by her. It seems to me that he is possessive of her and doesn't really care so much what she does to benefit others. He said something to the effect that he doesn't care what she does to help the country in episode 3, and the way it was said seemed to me to imply that he isn't interested in her actually meddling in the country's affairs. Afterall he is classifying her as a hostage. Let's not forget he kills his dad and starts a world war in the previous iterations. Having not seen the source material, I'm getting vibes that he might not tolerate her being amazing for the benefit of anyone on a larger scale, and that she might have to knock some sense into him. I would like to see it play out that way, so the plot doesn't get stale.
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Covnam



Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 3854
PostPosted: Wed Jan 24, 2024 3:31 am Reply with quote
I was thinking of dropping this, but the 3rd episode pulled me back in. The dance, the quick shut down of the noble lady, the way the maids were handled and the upcoming merchant meeting all were and look to be quite entertaining Smile
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Jabootu



Joined: 17 Jan 2024
Posts: 283
PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2024 10:28 am Reply with quote
I quite like the show, and I realize my main...comment, really, rather than a complaint, would open other cans of worms for the narrative. However, I think it would make more sense, even for an anime protagonist, if the time loops were at least ten years before she died. Five years, especially in a world in which travel would eat up loads of time, is too short to possibly believe (again, even in a fantasy show) that someone could become an expert in these particular, rather specialized fields, much less all of them. That said, I realize it's the nature of the beast and recognize it's a quibble at best.
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 14258
PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2024 10:36 am Reply with quote
It's interesting seeing Rishe interact with someone from one of her past loops and trying to apply the experience and knowledge she has of them from that experience even though they don't know her now and that colors their interaction.

I know I shouldn't be surprised Rishe could drink multiple men under the table, but it was still awesome to see.

Ah, the classic "Villainess starts their own business" arc.

Arnold seems very supportive of Rishe and just wants her to be safe. And he also enjoys her cooking, which is doubly nice. And Rishe is able to get him to temper himself and explain his policies better. This couple is working very well as a duo! I hope we see them outside the palace together soon.

Though it is pretty hilarious how in 7 Loops Rishe never once mastered cooking.

Theodore is extra suspicious. I love though how Rishe sees through the letter and arrives in a church in all black.

The author has been posting some extra details in English on their twitter.
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Nom De Plume De Fanboy
Exempt from Grammar Rules


Joined: 14 Jan 2011
Posts: 638
Location: inland US west, pretty rural
PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2024 11:02 am Reply with quote
I'm betting Theodore is this show's first psychopath character. Just a feeling.
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moony_badger



Joined: 17 Feb 2021
Posts: 61
PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2024 12:56 pm Reply with quote
I think this is going to be one of my dark horse favorites of the season, it's just done everything so competently and sensibly so far. While it might not be as flashy as some of the big budget fantasy shows, it knows where to show off a little and when to rely on solid character interactions. Even the end credits make me think the staff has a really good handle on who the characters are and how they interact.

My only complaints so far are that it would be nice if they did have a bit more of a budget to work with, I don't really like the designs of any of the ball gowns, and the title (besides the 7th Time Loop part) has absolutely nothing to do with the show; we've already covered the fact that it's very silly to try and lump Rishe in with the other Villainess type characters but she's also hardly living a carefree life. "A carefree life" seems like what the main character of Fluffy Paradise is doing, but Rishe is constantly doing hard labor, forging political connections, saving people's health, and influencing her fiancee to be less likely to start a giant war. Nothing carefree about it!
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Princess_Irene
ANN Associate Editor


Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 2659
Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City
PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2024 1:27 pm Reply with quote
MFrontier wrote:


I loved this, thanks for sharing!
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Thesarum
Subscriber



Joined: 25 Mar 2022
Posts: 545
PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2024 4:10 pm Reply with quote
I completely wouldn't put it past Theodore to be the artist behind Arnolds neck art. He seems to sport that tell-tale smirk of an anime sadist. And as Rishe remarks: who introduces themselves as, effectively: "Hi, I'm the man who would benefit most from your future husband's death and is most inconvenienced by his continued existence?". He might say "I want to save you", but I think RIshe is getting the idea that what he means is "I want to spoil whatever my brother is doing. If he wants something, I want to take it from him". She's confident in her ability to defend herself (from everyone except Arnold perhaps), but hopefully she hasn't underestimated the younger brother too badly.

So far I think the show is managing to tread the line where Rishe's foreknowledge is a powerful and interesting tool but far from an OP instant win. She knows Arnold about as well as any outsider might, but that doesn't mean she really knows him. She has many skills built up over her lived 30 odd years of loops, but that doesn't mean things always come easily to her. She obviously flirts with being a Mary-Sue, but I think we can appreciate the effort she's putting into that.
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One-Eye



Joined: 08 Mar 2011
Posts: 2267
PostPosted: Fri Feb 02, 2024 8:42 am Reply with quote
Ep.4
I didn't really care for this episode mainly for the interactions with the merchant. One he is refusing a future Princess. Two, he's refusing a Princess who has a very powerful husband to be. Three, his interactions seem to imply he's on equal footing with her class wise. Four, he's setting up a test/condition that she has to pass?

Who the fudge does he think he is? Off with his head I say.

Maybe I'm missing something ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, but this didn't seem a realistic way for anyone to interact with nobility (future royalty) or not a healthy way at the least. I'd be out of town soo fast...
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