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EP. REVIEW: I'll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History


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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 13927
PostPosted: Thu Oct 17, 2024 9:01 am Reply with quote
It's nice to have a bonafide Villainess anime airing this season.

Alicia gives me strong Aileen (whose seiyuu is in the show as Gill) vibes from "I'm the Villainess so I'm Taming the Last Boss" because she basically owns being a Villainess even if it means she's slowly becoming the Heroine. Watching her rationalize all her heroic actions as what a Villainess would do is cute.

Also, a dark-haired Villainess with dark magic? Will she get to Level 99 by the time she gets the eyepatch?

Well, yeah, Shoya Chiba, Nobuhiko Okamoto, and Ryoto Osaka makes sense as the voices for romanceable guys in an Otome game. I feel like Albert will probably win because Liz can't resist the idea of being sisters-in-law with Alicia.

Not sure how to feel about Duke yet. I'm not really fussing over the age gap (even if it is kind of questionable and not sure what purpose it serves), but so far he's just been kind of...there, beyond obviously being into Alicia. Compared to to other love interests in Villainess anime's he comes off a bit underwhelming. But maybe it's because neither he nor Alicia have seriously pursued each other yet (Duke because of his position, Alicia because she' convinced he has to be with the Heroine).

Did anyone else feel like Manaka Iwami is doing an Ai Kayano impression as Liz?

I really like how we're seeing Alicia grow and mature over time across different ages.
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LoriasGS



Joined: 24 Jan 2015
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 17, 2024 11:10 am Reply with quote
The age difference with the heroine is creating an issue for me. In the game Alicia was the villainess to the heroine and is shown in the opening scenes bullying her (I assumed at school) but the 5 year age difference makes that odd.

From the ages they've mentioned you normally have to be 15 to enter the magic academy and Alicia was 10 during the scenes where they met so at what point was the bullying taking place? By the time game Alicia would have entered the academy the heroine be 20, have already graduated and presumably the game would have ended and she's engaged to the prince and is a hero.
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One-Eye



Joined: 08 Mar 2011
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 17, 2024 12:32 pm Reply with quote
I'm always looking for a good Villainess anime, but they all fail me in some form or fashion whether its visually or just story wise. This show unfortunately is no different. While I dig Alicia getting full into her role as a villainess and wanting to be the equal of the heroine the age gap is a serious turn off for me. All the 15yr old boys crushing on the 10 yr old is icky especially Duke. Its gotten to the point that it colors my view of all her interactions with older males. The dude at the store who gives her medicine (could be candy next) for free and tells her to come back now looks like a potential molester. Then there's the art, while Alicia and the boys seem to have had the most work done on them some of the other characters don't fare so well. Also as someone else pointed out, shouldn't the heroine have graduated by the time Alicia is admitted to the academy? I don't know I might give this show one more episode, but its going to have to be amazing to keep me watching.
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Key
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 17, 2024 1:49 pm Reply with quote
I have the same questions about the age disparity (concerning Alicia compared to the heroine) as everyone else, but otherwise I've been enjoying this one quite a bit.

Definitely didn't get the impression that the male love interests were perving on her, either. They all seem to be regarding her as interesting as a precocious talent.
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Covnam



Joined: 31 May 2005
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 17, 2024 9:54 pm Reply with quote
I'm glad they're finally starting to age her up, because all the loves interests being interested in any degree when she's not even in double digits was really off putting. Not that being 13 with a 5 year gap is any better.
The age gap just seems odd in general too. How is the villainous going to antagonize the heroine when the presumably aren't going to be interacting at school much seeing as how they'd be 3 grades apart? It wasn't mentioned by Alicia, so I guess it was like this in the game too?
Speaking of the game, while I think she did bring it up, she doesn't really seemed concern about that bad end that most of these villainess stories are trying to avoid. It's good that it's different that the usual fair, but it still should be of some concern.
Alicia's interpretation of being a villainess is also interesting in it's own right, but I'm a little disappointed that means she really isn't being much of a villain.
Overall, the show is fine, but I want to trim down what I'm watching this season if I can, so I think I'll give the show another episode or two, but then I might drop it.
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jr240483



Joined: 24 Dec 2005
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Location: New York City,New York,USA
PostPosted: Thu Oct 17, 2024 11:03 pm Reply with quote
MFrontier wrote:
It's nice to have a bonafide Villainess anime airing this season.

Alicia gives me strong Aileen (whose seiyuu is in the show as Gill) vibes from "I'm the Villainess so I'm Taming the Last Boss" because she basically owns being a Villainess even if it means she's slowly becoming the Heroine. Watching her rationalize all her heroic actions as what a Villainess would do is cute.

Also, a dark-haired Villainess with dark magic? Will she get to Level 99 by the time she gets the eyepatch?

Well, yeah, Shoya Chiba, Nobuhiko Okamoto, and Ryoto Osaka makes sense as the voices for romanceable guys in an Otome game. I feel like Albert will probably win because Liz can't resist the idea of being sisters-in-law with Alicia.

Not sure how to feel about Duke yet. I'm not really fussing over the age gap (even if it is kind of questionable and not sure what purpose it serves), but so far he's just been kind of...there, beyond obviously being into Alicia. Compared to to other love interests in Villainess anime's he comes off a bit underwhelming. But maybe it's because neither he nor Alicia have seriously pursued each other yet (Duke because of his position, Alicia because she' convinced he has to be with the Heroine).

Did anyone else feel like Manaka Iwami is doing an Ai Kayano impression as Liz?

I really like how we're seeing Alicia grow and mature over time across different ages.


that will be highly unlikely. because unlike in the anime Villainess Lv 99 , Alicia WANTS to become a villainess! unfoetunately, her actions are more or less depict as someone whose becoming an anti hero instead of a villainess!

she's basically a tamer version of accelerator from the index/railgun series!

on the bright side, at least she is NOT in love with the villainess and most importantly, her actions as an anti hero is not making her unlikable unlike another reincarnated isekai MC that we know of (LOOKING AT YOU CID KAGENO/SHADOW FROM THE EMINENCE IN SHADOW!)
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 23, 2024 11:49 am Reply with quote
I love how Alicia being the Villainess means she tells it like it is, brokers no disrespect, and plays the "bad guy" in a way that benefits the kingdom and everyone around her. She's a take charge, practical, and hammy girl and that's fun to watch, especially now that she can fully play being the Villainess.

I'm really not sure how to feel about her relationship with Duke. I'm a romance fan but we haven't really gotten into Dukes' head and he hasn't really interacted with her that much (and that's even setting aside the age-gap and how pronounced that was in their scene in this episode). Plus teleporting a girl without her consent...

Will Alicia have a positive impact on Liz? Will they end up becoming real friends? And is the game effecting the guys' personalities to make them worship Liz and turn against Alicia (ala Villainess Lv. 99)?
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Key
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 23, 2024 2:40 pm Reply with quote
Review wrote:
• What was that weird eye color flash in her brother Henry's eyes when Alicia confronted Liz? Perhaps Liz has some kind of unconscious charm magic going on around her.

Wouldn't be the first series where the intended heroine had an unconscious charming effect on those around her. Though I'm forgetting which one it was, there was some series in the last year or two which featured something like that.

Quote:
• I felt like it went by a little fast but the idea of magic that makes skin smooth actually being a spell that repairs flesh if you put enough mana into it makes for a good solution to having burns all over your body dilemma. This also explains why the magic couldn't heal Rebecca's necrotic leg.

Yeah, that was a nice little touch.

So far, this is the new series for the season that I'm probably enjoying the most.
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jr240483



Joined: 24 Dec 2005
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Location: New York City,New York,USA
PostPosted: Fri Oct 25, 2024 5:58 am Reply with quote
MFrontier wrote:
I love how Alicia being the Villainess means she tells it like it is, brokers no disrespect, and plays the "bad guy" in a way that benefits the kingdom and everyone around her. She's a take charge, practical, and hammy girl and that's fun to watch, especially now that she can fully play being the Villainess.

I'm really not sure how to feel about her relationship with Duke. I'm a romance fan but we haven't really gotten into Dukes' head and he hasn't really interacted with her that much (and that's even setting aside the age-gap and how pronounced that was in their scene in this episode). Plus teleporting a girl without her consent...

Will Alicia have a positive impact on Liz? Will they end up becoming real friends? And is the game effecting the guys' personalities to make them worship Liz and turn against Alicia (ala Villainess Lv. 99)?


i also find it funny that she basically have the same name as the heroine from villainess lv 99!

also, i have a theory that this world is not a video game per se but an actual fantasy world but was retold in our world as an otome game aka someone from that world died but was reborn in ours and retold their story in that way.

sure i dont have proof for its as a said before. its only a theory. but from how the way the other villainess anime "From Villainess to Saviour" ended, as well as how the source materials for villainess lv 99 is going, its starting to sound more likely that some of these type of "getting isekai into a villainess otome" anime series will be going on that plot line.
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 13927
PostPosted: Mon Nov 04, 2024 12:42 am Reply with quote
Alicia really is a Villainess as the most infamous person in school and loving every minute of it! All the while helping a village become self-sufficient.

They don't really dwell on it much but it's kind of sad to think that whatever effect Liz is having on people is driving Alicia's brothers away from her and her twin brothers are now so adversarial. It's definitely intentionally a problem because the people on Liz' side come off like sycophants.

The king is getting what he wanted out of Alicia stealth mentoring Liz by criticizing her.

Duke continues to be the one person Alicia doesn't know how to handle especially when he's acting so against what she expects from the game.

It doesn't take two guesses to realize who that white-haired guy in the portrait of Dukes' father is...and why there's a missing portrait. Though I'm curious about Duke's mother now.

A Villainess anime where said Villainess gets kidnapped is a staple, but it's funnier here because Alicia didn't see it coming because she thought this only happened to the Heroine. Which is her now!
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Jabootu



Joined: 17 Jan 2024
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 07, 2024 1:33 pm Reply with quote
Did Liz assume a Renner-like villainous smirk when Alicia was nearly killed, or did I imagine it? If she did, then the premise becomes far less interesting. We've had other shows where the 'villainess' is the real heroine and the 'heroine' is the real villainess. Liz is more interesting if she stays true to type and doesn't have a secret agenda. I think the most interesting idea would be if Alicia discovers her presence is warping the entire world, making some of the NPCs sentient ala Overlord and setting that group on a direct collision course with Liz and the other NPCs who stay true to form. And if Liz as an actual person/character who becomes more villainous because of Alicia's presence, instead of being another isekia'd person playing her selfishly, that raises some pretty interesting questions. (It also means, looking at it from one direction, that Alicia *is* in fact the Villainess.) We'll find out, I guess.
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Thesarum
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Joined: 25 Mar 2022
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 13, 2024 3:48 pm Reply with quote
This episode really did look rough... though Alicia 3.0 at the end looked pretty good.

Quote:
Of course, Duke and Henri are normal but, surprisingly, so are Curtis and Finn—the latter seemingly content to simply sit back and watch the chaos ensue by Liz's side.

I don't know... those two give off some creepy scheming vibes to me. They're certainly trying to give the impression of passive observers of the chaos. I'm not so sure.

Duke joins the "there's something weird at this school" club then... Time Skip! Did nothing at all happen with that, his investigation into it, Liz herself and her designs on Duke, or anything else that looked like a pressing issue in the intervening period? 2 years is a pretty long time when you're 16-ish.. you'd think with the way things were going between Duke and Liz one of them would have snapped after 2 years of it.
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jr240483



Joined: 24 Dec 2005
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 13, 2024 8:27 pm Reply with quote
that would be an interesting concept. but i also saw that smile as well melr jabootu

while i highly doubt they will pull a renner from overlord, if they are going to do go doen the whole "Liz was the villainess" after all, its more likely they will have her persona similar to ultamatia from ragna crimson!


also the reviewer is wrong. we actually saw alicia's mother back in EP1! not surprised he missed it
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 13, 2024 11:15 pm Reply with quote
It's not often we get an episode where the main character isn't even there, but it's a great opportunity to spotlight the supporting cast and show the MC's influence on the world and people around them.

A Villainess doesn't need to give charity, making you self-sufficient is better in the long run.

I think Alicia's dad is probably one of the better Villainess dads. He means well and when he's already lost two sons to Liz, you can see where he's coming from. He just didn't reckon for how hardcore his daughter is...or how that would put him in the doghouse with his wife.

Liz is slowly but surely brainwashing the entire school. Which is kind of ironic because now she has girls acting catty and dismissive of Alicia which is exactly what a Villainess would do to the Heroine. Though the real question is whether she's doing this consciously or it's just a natural byproduct of her Saint powers.

"Fait accompli" "I don't want anyone else to know her as well as I do" - Jeez Duke, simmer down. Maybe it's for the best that she's basically aged up to an adult woman now before their relationship escalated even more.

But Liz's time-skip design is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous.
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Jabootu



Joined: 17 Jan 2024
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 14, 2024 5:45 am Reply with quote
A show like this isn't one where you expect astounding depth or brilliant plotting. This isn't Apothecary Diaries. You really just want it to tell its story competently, give us likeable characters and have a moderately neat bit once in a while. It's not completely new, but showcasing the rest of the cast, from Kings to criminals, in Alicia's absence (and for several years!) nicely suggested a world not entirely centered on her, continuing to spin when she's not there. Again, not masterful by any means, but showing a bit of thought that's appreciated. It also made the first appearance of Timeskip Alicia, despite it only being an episode since we last saw her, surprisingly satisfying.

It should be interesting to see Alicia having to deal with the social fortifications that Liz has erected in her absence. Although I suppose Our Villainess will be so OP (I agree with the reviewer that she probably went above and beyond the level 90 mark) that things like kidnapping her again will be off the table.

The episode did look subpar (and it's not like this is a series built around stunning animation). Best case scenario, they have some action stuff coming down the pike and are marshalling their resources to make the ending as good as they reasonably can. Worst case scenario, it's another show being crushed by time constraints as the season proceeds. Let's hope for the former.
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