(CR) I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss

[FlareKnight]

I'm going to admit that my first thought was that Cedric made the threatening letters himself in order to create further excuses to goo after Aileen. He is a pretty petty and pathetic person after all. But I'll treat the reaction at the end there as him genuinely being upset. Although I still don't know. He seems far less concerned about Lilia than he is just spiteful towards Aileen.

Makes me wonder in the game if Aileen was behind the threatening letters or just took credit for it. It doesn't really help her that the plot is following some similar points since she's not behind it and the letter situation doesn't benefit her. But it's something to keep in mind. Someone might be taking action to keep the plot on course.

Smooth sailing ahead though for Aileen and Claude at this point. They both have moments of being really strong and moments of being a bit shaky. But good times overall when they interact.

[Strahan]

It'd be nice if Aileen could get some time alone with Lillia, she could probably establish a rapport and let her know she has no hard feelings or anything. Lillia seems pretty reasonable, and if she learns Aileen isn't a harsh person (at least, not now heh) she'd have a strong supporter against Claude.

Also what's with the demon lord castle's entrance? That's so crazy steep and narrow it seems less a road and more a bobsled track, lol

[Tenzen12]

That assumes she's not one to write these letters herself and her being nice isn't just persona. It wouldn't be first time.

That said so far there is no evidence supporting that.

[Cloudedmind]

Originally Posted by Tenzen12

That assumes she's not one to write these letters herself and her being nice isn't just persona. It wouldn't be first time.

That said so far there is no evidence supporting that.

I'm half expecting that to be the case. But, as you said there's no evidence for that yet. So, we shall see.

[Frontier]

It's handy having a crow sidekick who can pick up evidence for you from the trash! And all you need to do is bake him an Apple Pie !

Dang, Claude has amazing taste in dresses! Aileen looked amazing in that red and black dress! Befitting a bride of a Demon Lord. And sure it required a bit more work to put on and get all her makeup right...but she's worth it. Even her father actually complimented her !

And business is booming for Aileen's cosmetics line among the noble ladies, and while the idea of pitting women against each other is a little harsh, I can see the strategy behind it. Even her dad acknowledges it .

Isaac says he should've swooped up Aileen when he had the chance, albeit playfully, and honestly who in their right mind wouldn't? Though they work much better as business partners .

If looks could kill! And Cedric wastes no time taking Aileen into custody on suspicion of kidnapping !

Wait...Lilia framed Aileen...for assuming she was going to do something she originally did in the game even though she had no intention of doing it here...and she knows what Claude's wish is which only someone who has played the game would know? And it seems like she has feelings for Claude too? One way or another, I suspect Lilia is going to be more trouble for Aileen moving forward .

Man, Aileen isn't going to take Cedric's accusations lying down! She keeps sassing him and driving him nuts with sheer savagery! And I love every minute of it! She makes him look like a fool and in the end it seems like Cedric is more obsessed with their past relationship than she is .

I love how Belzebub subdued the guards with a giant demon sheep .

Claude finally arrives in perfect dramatic fashion! To the point of making the other ladies swoon just as much as he does Aileen! And he immediately takes his lady away from his tool of a brother, and said brother finally realizes Aileen's basically hooked up with his older brother. And that just makes him hate her more. What a jerk !

We see part of why Aileen felt so attached to Cedric...they commiserated as being the sibling who could never live up to their older siblings and their engagement is what drove Aileen for much of her life, but in the end Cedric never really loved her. But now she can put the past behind her and move on to a happier life with Claude .

Aileen still feels self-conscious about how much better she sees Lilia compared to herself, and she's worried Lilia will steal Claude's attention away from her (was Claude a route in the game? Kind of feels like it), but Claude has eyes only for Aileen .

Claude sure knows to escort a lady! Even a kiss on the cheek! But for all his dreams of seeing humans and demons together, that kiss leads Aileen to remember what drove him to become a true Demon Lord and villain...being betrayed by a human he trusted (not Cedric, I take it). Aileen may have saved herself, but it looks like she might need to save Claude next .

[ryllharu]

Originally Posted by Frontier

Wait...Lilia framed Aileen...for assuming she was going to do something she originally did in the game even though she had no intention of doing it here...and she knows what Claude's wish is which only someone who has played the game would know? And it seems like she has feelings for Claude too? One way or another, I suspect Lilia is going to be more trouble for Aileen moving forward .

It certainly seems like Lilia is another transmigrator, but she's a Claude fan.

[stray]

Its not uncommon in villainess isekai for the heroine to be a reincarnated narcissist or something like that. Not sure if Cedric and Lilia can survive this snafu but I guess we'll see.

[FlareKnight]

I will admit that I would have kind of been interested in seeing a route where Lilia was the only reincarnated individual since she definitely also has the guts to make bold moves. Unfortunately for her Aileen was much faster on the draw. Of course if they both 'descended' in the opening moments of the episode it was just better set up for Aileen. Her engagement to Cedric was cut off and she had to make immediate moves. While Lilia had to wait for something more dramatic to happen to excuse her marching out to the woods.

Honestly before this episode I wouldn't have thought there was anything overly suspicious about Lilia. Seemed like a perfectly nice girl. But it makes sense. If someone isn't trying to keep the main plot unfolding from the game then things might get a bit boring. Throwing another person that knows the script into the story could spice things up.

She'll just have to take her loss and settle for Cedric. He's full of issue of course so I can understand not preferring that option to the badass magical demon lord. But Aileen's got this all wrapped up . The only real hope is that Cedric can grow up a bit and mature into a better version of himself. There's no competing with Claude head on. But instead of getting upset at people outshining him, he's got to find ways he can be a positive influence. He's the freaking crown prince, I'm sure there's ways he can be well regarded even without crazy magical powers.

Unfortunately it doesn't look too likely to work out that way. That guy's on a negative spiral and doesn't seem likely to pull himself out of it. At least not until after he messes up so hard that he loses everything first.

Not that there isn't worry for Claude. If things go badly he could really spiral in a bad way himself. Although I don't worry much for that. Aileen is concerned over that so she'll be on guard.

[zztop]

Originally Posted by stray

Its not uncommon in villainess isekai for the heroine to be a reincarnated narcissist or something like that. Not sure if Cedric and Lilia can survive this snafu but I guess we'll see.

I've observed that the trend of making the heroine of an otome isekai actually evil or similar seems to be a fairly recent thing in webnovel trends.

For example, earlier villainess webnovels like Bakarina or House Albert's Daughter Wishes for Ruin had heroines who were always good, sweet and pure people throughout the story and would become best friends/allies with the reformed villainess MC.

Then works like Common Sense of a Duke's Daughter changed everything, with its surprise twist

Spoiler for The twist:

that the heroine was actually scheming and vengeful, and was wooing the titled love interests as part of a greater scheme to destroy the nation from within.

Then the trend stuck and every author wanted to make the original heroine evil and scheming. Double so with the meta that they were reborn players, adding a new layer of self interest to their motives.

[ryllharu]

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

The only real hope is that Cedric can grow up a bit and mature into a better version of himself. There's no competing with Claude head on. But instead of getting upset at people outshining him, he's got to find ways he can be a positive influence. He's the freaking crown prince, I'm sure there's ways he can be well regarded even without crazy magical powers.

Unfortunately it doesn't look too likely to work out that way. That guy's on a negative spiral and doesn't seem likely to pull himself out of it. At least not until after he messes up so hard that he loses everything first.

Not that there isn't worry for Claude. If things go badly he could really spiral in a bad way himself. Although I don't worry much for that. Aileen is concerned over that so she'll be on guard.

It felt a little like Aileen might attempt to smooth things back out for Cedric later, but her main priority at the moment is fending off Claude's transformation after he is betrayed.

Cedric has much of the same inferiority complexes that Aileen in-world had with her own brothers and the casual disrespect her father still gives her after she personally salvaged everything with no help from her own family. Even if her affection is past-tense, perhaps she still empathizes with him enough to cut off that downward spiral.

[Greenish Growth]

Originally Posted by zztop

I've observed that the trend of making the heroine of an otome isekai actually evil or similar seems to be a fairly recent thing in webnovel trends.

I seem to recall seeing quite a few webnovels like that by 2016-2017.

Didn't An Otome Game’s Burikko Villainess Turned into a Magic Otaku have that in 2014? I was already thinking about those characters showing up in similar stories while I was reading that novel (?2015).

That reminds me. Many of the anime adaptions of web novels/light novels in the popular trend categories seem to be roughly from six years ago. (Though main theme of isekai web novels are no longer much on the most popular web novel list nowadays. Villainess/otome game/broken engagement/someone stole my fiance/ stories are the most popular now.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

I will admit that I would have kind of been interested in seeing a route where Lilia was the only reincarnated individual since she definitely also has the guts to make bold moves. Unfortunately for her Aileen was much faster on the draw. Of course if they both 'descended' in the opening moments of the episode it was just better set up for Aileen. Her engagement to Cedric was cut off and she had to make immediate moves. While Lilia had to wait for something more dramatic to happen to excuse her marching out to the woods.

Honestly before this episode I wouldn't have thought there was anything overly suspicious about Lilia. Seemed like a perfectly nice girl. But it makes sense. If someone isn't trying to keep the main plot unfolding from the game then things might get a bit boring. Throwing another person that knows the script into the story could spice things up.

She'll just have to take her loss and settle for Cedric. He's full of issue of course so I can understand not preferring that option to the badass magical demon lord. But Aileen's got this all wrapped up . The only real hope is that Cedric can grow up a bit and mature into a better version of himself. There's no competing with Claude head on. But instead of getting upset at people outshining him, he's got to find ways he can be a positive influence. He's the freaking crown prince, I'm sure there's ways he can be well regarded even without crazy magical powers.

Unfortunately it doesn't look too likely to work out that way. That guy's on a negative spiral and doesn't seem likely to pull himself out of it. At least not until after he messes up so hard that he loses everything first.

Not that there isn't worry for Claude. If things go badly he could really spiral in a bad way himself. Although I don't worry much for that. Aileen is concerned over that so she'll be on guard.

Lilia tried to frame Aileen for her own kidnapping and tried to steal yet another man from her...she and Cedric deserve each other .

Originally Posted by ryllharu

It felt a little like Aileen might attempt to smooth things back out for Cedric later, but her main priority at the moment is fending off Claude's transformation after he is betrayed.

Cedric has much of the same inferiority complexes that Aileen in-world had with her own brothers and the casual disrespect her father still gives her after she personally salvaged everything with no help from her own family. Even if her affection is past-tense, perhaps she still empathizes with him enough to cut off that downward spiral.

Also the fact that her love for Cedric, at the time, drove her to achieve so much (even if it also lead to her being isolated and distrusted as a result).

[Alchemist007]

The faces the blonde guy makes aren't what I'd expect from a lead romantic interest in a game.

[moridin84]

Originally Posted by zztop

I've observed that the trend of making the heroine of an otome isekai actually evil or similar seems to be a fairly recent thing in webnovel trends.

I wouldn't call it recent.

Bakarina started in 2014 (with Kenkyo Kenjitsu being 2013). Common Sense of a Duke's Daughter started in 2015.

If you make the villainess good then the most obvious way to add conflict back into the story is by making the heroine bad. So it makes sense that it happened so quickly after the genre got popular.

Instead, I would say it's more common recently for the original heroine to be good, or at least unchanged from the original novel.

[ryllharu]

Originally Posted by moridin84

Instead, I would say it's more common recently for the original heroine to be good, or at least unchanged from the original novel.

Or a superpowered berserker, lol.

[Frontier]

Rie Takahashi doing Claude and Keiths' voices for a flashback to their history together was hilarious. She even got the inflections down and everything! What's better is that she was apparently recounting it from Keiths' bedside where she's fully ready to confront Keith about his betrayal with Belzebuth there, knife at the ready. You really don't want to mess with this woman's man .

So it turns out Keith has been loyal to Claude because Claude exposed himself as a Demon Lord to save Keith from drowning, so of course Keith loyally followed him in exile...but then people tried to steal away their home and kick Claude out again, so Keith had no choice but to sell off other demons (granted, they agreed to it for Claude's sake) to try and protect him. But luckily he now has Aileen on his side !

Keith really took becoming Aileen's underling surprisingly well. I mean, who wouldn't want to work for her though? She's the best .

And of course when Aileen's plan is coming together we've got Cedric and Lilia showing up to try and screw everything up and set the game plot going...but Aileen coming in full catty villainous mode to ward them off as the propre lady of the house was priceless. Especially when she's so savage to Lilia and makes run away crying! Lilia had that coming .

Wow, Keith can fight! Aileen seemed genuinely surprised about it like "I don't remember this happening in the game!" .

Just when everything seems to have worked out okay and the criminals have been caught in their own cage...in comes Cedric and Lilia to ruin things again, and Lilia's Holy Sword Maiden powers make her too powerful for the Demons. And then they kidnap Aileen !

Well, no room for doubt that Cedric and company are villains when they handcuff Aileen to a bed and Cedric plans to rape her to forcibly make her his second wife. As if this guy wasn't trashy enough. Although what's even worse was that it was also a plot to kill his brother by using Aileen as the means of making him go full Demon Lord. These people are way more vile than an actual Demon Lord !

At least this all seems to have lead Aileen to realize her love for Claude, as he's the one in her thoughts the most and who she wants to protect above all. And it is with those feelings (and some help from Almond) that she's able to satisfying steal the Holy Sword from Lilia and use the Power of Love to revert Claude back to his human form. Bonus points for finally getting to see him naked !

I can't think of a worse ending for Cedric other than having to live with the fact that his brother has been restored to his right to the throne and in all likelihood will probably get it while he as nothing but his partner-in-crime Lilia. Not that Claude was all that interested in it, but Aileen's dad thinks the only one worthy to be her husband is an emperor, and if that's the case Claude will just have to become an emperor to be with her !

Look at Aileen in that new dress getting to strut herself out now that she's properly engaged to Claude! Not only has she been restored to her proper position but she even managed to snag the right man this time! And she's not letting him go !

This really felt like a series finale...except wait, there's more! Courtesy of a blonde boy arriving at the scene .

[zztop]

Originally Posted by Frontier

This really felt like a series finale...except wait, there's more!

Unlike the limited-run manga adaptation which only covered LN Vol 1 (aka where this episode ends), it seems the anime will also cover Vol 2 and beyond!

Spoiler for Spoiler for WN/LN story arc structure:

Basically each story arc/LN volume is a fairly self-contained "adventure of the week" type plot which Aileen keeps getting involved in. I say fairly because each arc introduces new characters that will turn up in future storylines. Plus the otome game was popular enough to get several sequels and fandisks.

[AntonKutovoi]

You know, one of the members here (Kuromitsu, if I remember correctly) once said (a long time ago now) that Yuichiro Umehara would be a much better choice for Reinhard von Lohengramm in LoGH remake than Mamoru Miyano. After hearing him as Claude here I can finally and definetely agree on that.

[Cloudedmind]

Originally Posted by AntonKutovoi

You know, one of the members here (Kuromitsu, if I remember correctly) once said (a long time ago now) that Yuichiro Umehara would be a much better choice for Reinhard von Lohengramm in LoGH remake than Mamoru Miyano. After hearing him as Claude here I can finally and definetely agree on that.

Yep, I remember, (and I miss seeing them on the board), and I also agree. Umehara's naturally deeper voice means he can really get low and glutaral when he's being threatening, and just has more resonance. I like Mamaru Miyano, but I often feel he comes off as whiny when he's supposed to be angry and threatening as Reinhard.

[Frontier]

Gotta be honest, did not expect to hear Rie Takahashi play another boy character this season...especially in a show where she's already a beautiful woman .

Claude has a lot of work on his plate now that he's in line to be Emperor, but when he's tired, that's when he gets overly flirty with Aileen, which is priceless .

So we're already into the plot of the second game, huh? This time it's set in a school from another kingdom where in the original setting the demons went out of control after Claude died...but Claude is still alive here, so now the trouble is they won't accept him because he's marrying Aileen. Now Aileen has to deal with the plot of the second game interfering with her Happy Ending again .\

Aileen's takeaway from Claude being under the effect of the Demon Incense isn't going on a rampage...it's fooling around with other women. It's nice to see how her priorities have changed .

I love how Claude won't take Aileen so she uses the "you can't visit me with magic card!" Poor Claude. Also did I hear Keith chuckle ?

So how did Aileen become "Ailey?" Did she use magic to physically change her body into a boy's? Did she cut her hair and is really binding her breasts ?

Ailey isn't about to let rampant misogyny and abuse of women happen on his/her watch !

Ah yes, of course an Otome game set in a high school would have all the romanceable leads be in the student council room! And we've got Toshiyuki Toyonaga (?), Kouki Uchiyama (?), and Soma Saito as the student council president, James! Except, James is the final boss !?

So James is basically the Claude of this game, treated terribly and shunned by humans for being a half-demon child born from his mothers' love to a demon to the point of trying to become the second coming of the Demon Lord and being killed by Auguste in the True Ending. Aileen thinks she's going to be able to tame him like Claude, but how much will history repeat this time ?

Rachel is supposed to be the Villainess? She doesn't seem to have a proper mean bone in her body...although looks could be deceiving. She was apparently behind the vampire incident and was being threatened by that teacher, but for what purpose ?

Is that Ayana Taketatsu as Selena!? Wow. So she's the sequel's Main Heroine and while she seems like a nice enough girl, she's also devoted to Lilia (not knowing her true character in this version) and hates Aileen as a result. And she doesn't think to highly of Ailey either. I'm curious to see how their relationship will develop .

So Auguste is supposed to be the Main love interest of the game, and it seems like Selena is genuinely interested in him, but it seems like they haven't made as much relationship progress as Aileen would've expected. And Selena is basically everyone's messenger to Claude, even though it seems like she wants more, so I wonder what's going on there .

Aileen needs to get Claude to sign something without Claude knowing it's her...so time for disguises! Wait, is this Skip beat!? Although Aileen saving herself with a letter from her distracting Claude was priceless. Too bad she had to rewrite it to be as gushy a letter as what Claude wrote her. And Isaac and Keith are stuck in the middle .

Why would James lash out like this? Is the Demon Incense driving him to be evil? Is that what happened in the game too ?