The Fall 2024 Manga Guide

When the Villainess Seduces the Main Heroine (18+)

What's It About? 

When the crown prince announces he's breaking off his engagement to the infamous Akuya, his spurned fiancée wastes no time in turning her seductive words of passion to her actual target―Sei, a commoner who worked her way up through the ranks with her wit and charm alone…and is also the very girl the prince dumped Akuya for! Sei's about to get a taste of what a real lover's like in this steamy tale of two girls who traded in their Prince Charming for each other instead!

When the Villainess Seduces the Main Heroine has a story and art by Kasai Fujii, with English translation by Kiki Piatkowska. This volume was lettered by Chiho Christie. Published by Yen Press (October 1, 2024).

Is It Worth Reading?

Is it OK for a manga to tell the same joke every chapter if it's a really funny joke? In the case of When the Villainess Seduces the Main Heroine, the joke in question is that the villainess is the girl of the main heroine's dreams. If this tale feels derivative or rough around the edges, the revelation that it originated as a pixiv fan comic should clear that right up. Despite its simplicity, it's a story that's sexy and cute—and even shows that it's capable of growth when it veers from its standard formula at the end. That said, it's crass, crude, and repetitive, so if you're not prepared for these raunchy lovebirds to keep making the same joke about how much they want to do each other, then it's not going to be your cup of tea.

Any fan of the “villainess” genre is already familiar with the main characters of this story, or at least a version of them. Akuya Krei Jou is a proper, highborn villainess with a cruel reputation and an “ohoho” laugh. Sei Hi Roin is the plucky dark-haired heroine who seduces Akuya's fiance the prince right from under her. In the now cliché scene in which the prince denounces the villainess in favor of the heroine, Akuya has an alternate proposal for the lady: why doesn't Sei forgo her disappointing princely minuteman and live a cushy life of 72-hour lovemaking sessions with her instead? It's music to Sei's ears, and from then on every short chapter ends with Akuya offering a suave, erotic declaration to a lovestruck (or at least lust-struck) Sei.

That's the whole story. These lesbians are smitten with one another and they have lots of (closed door) sex. Their maid is happy for them. Their yuri-loving pervert cat likes to peep on them. It's not until the end that the story switches gears with a kidnapping plot, and Sei, who has never been afraid to screw her way to success, is forced to find her own “creative” solution to the problem. It's funny enough, but it's that “Volume 1” that concerns me. As there was barely enough content in this gag manga to fill one book, I'm not optimistic about a second.