I'll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History

Episode 7

One way to see how structurally sound a story is comes when its protagonist is absent. Can the supporting cast hold things up on their own or does the whole thing collapse into a pile of antipathy and boredom without them?

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History doesn't have the most memorable supporting cast. Duke is still shrouded in mystery, Henri has about as much personality as wet bread, and Jill is just hyper-focused on being useful to Alicia. None of them hold a candle to Alicia, who naturally steals every scene she's in. Thus, this episode, while lacking Alicia until the final few moments,doesn't really focus on the supporting characters. Rather, it focuses on the hole left in their lives without her there.

Jill resolves to become better than he is by becoming the ideal commoner. Not one chosen by the gods and given magical powers like Liz, but rather the pinnacle of what a commoner can become with the right environment and education. With him being from Roana—born to criminals in the worst place in the Kingdom—and coming so far shows just how important nurture is over nature.

Meanwhile, in Roana, things are looking up thanks to Alicia's efforts. Even with her self-imposed seclusion, the knowledge and hope she brought to the village has allowed them to feed their population. Metaphorically, rather than giving them a fish, she has taught them how to fish, and that is something far more valuable than simply spouting ideals or throwing money at the problem.

Then, at the top of the Kingdom, Alicia's absence has left the King without the most valuable member of the brain trust—the one person able to take Liz's grand ideas and turn them into something doable. Already, both Liz and Alicia are shaping the future of the kingdom, and the King, who has over-consolidated his power, finds himself holding the bag. Luckily, Duke is there to lessen the load.

However, the most interesting place where Alicia's absence is felt is at the academy. Somehow, despite her being gone, she remains front and center in the minds of the students. All that doesn't seem to fit is blamed on her. Duke seems sad? It must be because of Alicia. Liz's romantic aspirations towards Duke aren't working out? It must be due to Alicia sullying his honor.

There's almost a supernatural quality to the mood at the school. Anti-Alicia rumors seem to sprout out of nowhere. There is no malicious ring leader, it just seems to happen. Likewise, Liz's popularity is growing more and more with even her former bullies becoming her most ardent supporters. The interesting side effect of all this is that it allows us to see who is under Liz's “spell” and who is not. 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.

Now that we've got all the good out of the way, we can finish things off by talking about the elephant in the room: the animation. This episode is a massive step down from the series' relatively average best. It's got it all: wonky faces, distorted body proportions, and stilted, unnatural movement. It just looks bad throughout. Hopefully, this is a one-off miss rather than the new normal—because if it is the latter then I wouldn't be surprised if people stop watching.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• I like that Alicia's Father eventually buckled and decided to let her go back to the Academy—but she refused because she wasn't ready yet.

• Something tells me that Alicia didn't stop at level 90. To be the ultimate villainess—to properly oppose the heroine—she'd need to be nothing less than level 99.

• I'm pumped we finally got to see Alicia's mother. I wonder if she's the villainess of her generation.

• The king mentioning his brother, a missing royal portrait… something tells me this is foreshadowing.

I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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