I'm in Love with the Villainess (Japanese: 私の推しは悪役令嬢。, Hepburn: Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijō), often translated as I Favor the Villainess, is a Japanese light novel series written by Inori and illustrated by Hanagata. It was serialized online between January 2018 and February 2021 on the Japanese novel self-publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō.[1] It was acquired by Ainaka Publishing, who published the first light novel volume digitally in February 2019 under their GL Bunko imprint.
A manga adaptation with art by Aonoshimo has been serialized in Ichijinsha's yuri manga magazine Comic Yuri Hime since June 18, 2020. It has been collected in nine tankōbon volumes. The light novel and manga are licensed in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment. An anime television series adaptation produced by Platinum Vision aired from October to December 2023.
Plot
Rei Ohashi, an ordinary office worker, is overworked to death and suddenly finds herself reincarnated as Rae Taylor, the heroine of her favorite otome game, Revolution. However, Rae has no interest in the game's three original romance routes with the Bauer Kingdom's princes. Instead, she sets her heart on Claire François, the game's main antagonist. Using her knowledge of the game's events that are yet to come, Rae tries to give Claire a happy ending before the coming revolution destroys any chance of it happening.
Characters
Rae Taylor (レイ＝テイラー, Rei Teirā) / Rei Ohashi (大橋 零, Ōhashi Rei)
An office worker who died of overwork and reincarnated as the player character of her favorite otome game, Revolution. Being a lesbian, she has no interest in the game's designated male capture targets and has instead developed feelings for the game's villainess, Claire, and aims to use her knowledge of the original game's plot to give her a happy ending. Underneath her happy-go-lucky demeanor, however, lies a woman beset by trauma from poor romantic experiences in her previous life.
The villainess of the original game and the current target of Rae's affection. She is a noble who believes in the current aristocratic system within the kingdom and often has a low view of commoners, especially Rae, though this only serves to make her flustered and confused by Rae's interest in her. Over time, however, she begins appreciating Rei's attempts to bond with her, often resulting slapstick punishment, which Rae does not mind.
The eldest heir within the Bauer Kingdom's royal family and the most popular of the romance options in the original game. He is often followed by a legion of devoted female admirers for his looks and skill. He is an energetic young man who becomes deeply interested in Rae due to her unrivaled abilities stemming from her knowledge of the original game, much to the latter's dismay.
The second heir within the Bauer Kingdom's royal family and one of the romance options in the original game. He is often stoic due to suffering from an inferiority complex as he feels that his abilities are inferior to his brothers, causing him to be considered the least popular capture target. Claire has had a long-standing and obvious crush on him, especially apparent in his route.
The third heir within the Bauer Kingdom's royal family and one of the romance options in the original game. While gutting on the guise of a charismatic prince, it is later revealed that she is afflicted with the Crosswire Curse, which inverts genders; actually being a girl but having been cursed by her mother to gain eligibility for the throne. Originally, only Misha (her childhood friend) knew of her secret; with even Rae having been unaware of it. However, after Rae learns of her affliction and offers her a cure, she decides to break her curse and live by her true gender.
Rae's roommate and best friend. Her family was once a noble house, but they fell from grace and were demoted to commoners. Having known the real Rae before Rei reincarnated as her, she becomes increasingly suspicious of her and eventually learns of the reincarnation. She also mutually loves Yu, being the only one aware of his gender-swapping curse, and continues doing so even after said curse is broken; showing she is pansexual.
Claire's maid who has worked for her as long as she can remember, sharing a bond that is closer to sisterly. She is a commoner and the eldest daughter of a wealthy merchant family. She is also in an incestuous romance with her brother, which disgusts even Rae. It is later revealed that her family is part of a revolutionary movement seeking to overthrow the nobility and she and her brother are exiled after the plot fails, Claire and Rae having bargained to spare them the death penalty.
A childhood friend of Claire's, later revealed to have a crush on her. She is from the House Kugret, a family well known for their history of military service. She has a boyish face with freckles.
A childhood friend of Claire's, who later develops a crush on Loretta. She is the daughter of the House Barlier, a family with deep-seated connections in Bauer's business world. She has pink hair. Her name is sometimes translated as Pipi Barlier.
A princess of a foreign country who has known Claire since childhood. She is a tomboyishout-of-closet lesbian who transfers to the Royal Academy after being exiled from her kingdom following a scandal where she was revealed to be in a relationship with her maid. After transferring, she develops a crush on Rae and gets close to Claire to make her jealous. In the end, she transfers out again after her status is restored, having left a profound impact on Rae and Claire's relationship by getting them to seriously pursue each other.
Media
Light novels
I'm in Love with the Villainess was originally serialized online from January 14, 2018 to February 21, 2021 on the user-generated novel publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō.
Five volumes of the official light novel were published digitally as Amazon Kindle exclusives by Ainaka Publishing under their GL Bunko imprint from February 26, 2019 to August 26, 2021. The light novels featured cover art and additional illustrations by Hanagata. In April 2020, Seven Seas Entertainment announced that they had licensed the light novel in North America.[8] On March 19, 2021, Seven Seas issued a statement that they would be releasing a new version of the first volume due to the localization decisions in the original omitting several paragraphs.[9]
In 2021, Ichijinsha announced that it would begin publishing the light novels in paperback as expanded "Revolution" editions, exclusive to Japan, with the first volume released on December 18, 2021 under their Ichijinsha Novels imprint. In order to incentivize purchases by fans who may have already owned the original e-books, these editions feature refinements both to the editing and to existing illustrations, as well as additional bonus stories, additional illustrations, and other extra content. Several bonus stories which were originally published with the third light novel were also moved forward in order to better fit chronologically with the mainline story, with the result being that the existing second light novel's content is covered in two books instead of one. As of November 2023, only three novels (corresponding in mainline content to the original two novels) have been released in Revolution editions.
I'm in Love with the Villainess: She's so Cheeky for a Commoner (平民のくせに生意気な！, Heimin no Kuse ni Namaikina!) is a retelling of the original series from Claire's perspective. It began serialization online on May 25, 2021 on Shōsetsuka ni Narō.[23] Ainaka Publishing published the first light novel volume digitally under their GL Bunko imprint on February 28, 2022, with Hanagata returning for cover design and additional illustrations. At Anime Expo 2022, Seven Seas Entertainment announced that they licensed the spin-off for English publication.[24]
A manga adaptation is written by Inori and illustrated by Aonoshimo. It began serialization in Ichijinsha's yuri manga magazine Comic Yuri Hime on June 18, 2020.[31] In February 2021, Seven Seas Entertainment announced that they had also licensed the manga adaptation.[32]
A 4-chapter cooking spin-off manga illustrated by tsuke, titled I'm in Love with the Villainess: Maid's Kitchen (私の推しは悪役令嬢。メイドキッチン, Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijō Meido Kitchin), was serialized in Comic Yuri Hime from June 16 to September 15, 2023.[51][52]
A manhwa adaptation written by Kim Migyo and illustrated by TSTeam, titled Korean: 내 최애는 악역영애 ~Another Revolution Story~; RR: Nae Choeaeneun Ag-yeog-yeong-ae ~Another Revolution Story~, began serialization on Ridi Books' webtoon platform on January 13, 2023.[54]
Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced on December 13, 2022. It was produced by Platinum Vision and directed by Hideaki Ōba, with scripts written by Ayumu Hisao, character designs handled by Yōko Satō, and music composed by Noriyuki Asakura and Usagi to Uma.[2] The series aired from October 3 to December 19, 2023, on Tokyo MX and other networks.[5][55][a] The opening theme song is "Raise Y/Our Hands!!", while the ending theme song is "O.C. Optimum Combination", both performed by Yu Serizawa and Karin Nanami.[4]Crunchyroll streamed the series outside of Asia.[57]
"Rushing Headlong into Life in Another World" Transliteration: "Isekai Seikatsu wa Chototsumōshin" (Japanese: 異世界生活は猪突猛進。)
Hideaki Ōba
Hideaki Ōba
October 3, 2023 (2023-10-03)
After finishing a workday at a small company with exploitative overtime, Rei Ohashi dies and is reincarnated as Rae Taylor, the main character of her favorite otome game, Revolution. Once she realizes this, she repeatedly expresses her love to Claire François, the villainess whom she has a massive crush on. Despite Claire's annoyance and her continued harassment, Rae is immensely turned on, to everyone's confusion. They encounter the three princes that attend the school, Rod, Yu, and Thane Bauer, the main love interests in the game, and Rae causes Claire to become flustered when she reveals she knows she has a crush on Thane. Later on, in an attempt to get rid of Rae, Claire challenges her to compete in the upcoming academic challenge. Rae beats Claire in the general curriculum, while Claire beats her in the etiquette exam. When the magic exams results are announced, Rae is revealed to have an "unmeasurable" magic ability, shocking everyone.
2
"A Maid's Job Is a Labor of Love" Transliteration: "Meido no Shigoto wa Aijō Hōshi" (Japanese: メイドの仕事は愛情奉仕。)
Motohiko Niwa
Motohiko Niwa
October 10, 2023 (2023-10-10)
Claire is stunned to learn that the "commoner" Rae possesses two magical elements, something which intrigues Rod. Since Rae won the bet, due to the terms being that Claire "did not win", her one demand is that Claire never give up, no matter what. Rae applies to be Claire's personal handmaid, and blackmails Claire's father using secret knowledge from the game to force him to approve her for the job, to Claire's irritation. Rae meets Lene Aurousseau, the family maid since Claire was a child, and they later go to a public bath together where Rae continues to tease Claire. At night, Claire confronts Rae on what she is really after, believing that no one could love someone with a personality such as hers. Rae continues her insistence she is attracted to both her looks and personality, and commits to making Claire believe that she is in love with her.
3
"My Love Is a Series of Ups and Downs" Transliteration: "Watashi no Koi wa Shichiten Hakki" (Japanese: 私の恋は七転八起。)
Hideaki Ōba
Hideaki Ōba
October 17, 2023 (2023-10-17)
Rae plays Rod in a game of chess and he narrowly beats her. Following this, Rae and Claire play a game of chess until Yu brings them into a game of poker, which he wins. Rae sets up the "King Game" with the goal of having Thane and Claire kiss, but Thane sees through it. Later, Rae's best friend Misha Jur asks Rae if she is a lesbian, which she confirms. The two of them, Lene, and Claire proceed to talk about sexual attraction and how people can be prejudiced. Rae states that she is happy to simply admire Claire every day, even though she knows that her feelings will never be reciprocated, wanting to support Claire's love of Thane. Internally, however, Rae admits to herself that despite wanting Claire to be happy, she still feels painful due to incidents in her past. Claire pours water on two female students she overhears criticizing Rae, and makes her feel better after saying that she "still hates her".
4
"When Monsters Attack, Unpreparedness Is the Greatest Enemy" Transliteration: "Mamono no Shūgeki wa Yudantaiteki" (Japanese: 魔物の襲撃は油断大敵。)
Motohiko Niwa
Motohiko Niwa
October 24, 2023 (2023-10-24)
Rae and her class take part in an outdoors exercise where they practice their magic and learn more about their origins and aptitude from their teacher, Professor Torrid. A stray magic blast from one of the students hits a slime monster in hiding, causing it to run amok. Rae uses her earth magic to help Torrid keep the monster contained while everyone else attacks. However, it is ineffective and the slime starts picking the students up. Rae is among those captured, but Claire is able to break free and together with Thane, they successfully destroy the slime. Meanwhile, Rae finds a small slime in hiding, realizing that the large slime was the mother just protecting her child. She decides to adopt it, using a Familiar Pact and naming it "Ralaire". She unintentionally disturbs a romantic moment between Claire and Thane, but feels happy when Claire inadvertently voices concern over Rae's safety. Later, Rae attempts to keep Ralaire a secret, but is quickly discovered by Misha, and then Claire.
5
"The Knight Exam Is Packed with Drama" Transliteration: "Kishidan Shiken wa Haranbanjō" (Japanese: 騎士団試験は波瀾万丈。)
Hideaki Ōba
Hideaki Ōba
October 31, 2023 (2023-10-31)
Rae is able to convince Claire to let her keep Ralaire, though she is told to reveal its existence to everyone. Rae, Claire, Misha, and the princes try out to join the "Academy Knights", the school's version of the Student Council, and pass the written portion of the exam. Claire proposes another competition to Rae where if she fails the exam she must leave the academy, which Rae reluctantly agrees to. The practical exam begins as a series of 1v1 magic battles: Thane defeats Yu, while Rod defeats Misha. The final battle is Rae vs. Claire. Rae uses her earth magic to create a variety of shields to attack Claire and defend herself, using her knowledge of the game. She eventually wins the battle by trapping Claire in a deep hole, further enraging Claire when she realizes Rae had not even used her water magic. In the end, all six of them pass the exam anyway, as it was merely about demonstrating their raw abilities to Lorek, the captain of the Knights. As a result of their deal, Rae simply asks Claire to make the same promise to never give up.
6
"The Secret Reason Must Not Be Told to Anyone" Transliteration: "Himitsu no Wake wa Tagon Muyō" (Japanese: 秘密の理由は他言無用。)
Motohiko Niwa
Motohiko Niwa
November 7, 2023 (2023-11-07)
The Academy Knights prepare for the upcoming Foundation Day Fair. Thanks to an offhand comment from Rae, Rod suggests a gender-swapped café where the guys dress as maids and the girls as butlers. Lambert, the Knights' magical specialist and Lene's brother, requests Rae and Claire's help in investigating a suspicious figure that has been appearing in the kitchen at night. While spending the night there, Claire quickly realizes Rae is the "ghost" who has been secretly practicing her baking. She attempts to leave, but due to being too scared of the dark, she begrudgingly sleeps with Rae in the kitchen. Claire proceeds to dream about her past and how she wanted to spend more time with her mother, who was always busy with her royal duties. She ended up dying in a carriage accident, throwing Claire into despair due to the last words she said to her mother was that she hated her. Later, Rae creates sandwiches to serve at the café, using "new recipes" from Broumet. Lene deduces that Rae is the source of said recipes, having sold ones such as chocolate and mayonnaise to them; Rae has Lene keep the revelation a secret.
7
"What Makes or Breaks a School Fair Is the Cross-Dressing Café" Transliteration: "Gakusai no Kimete wa Gyakuten Kissa" (Japanese: 学祭の決め手は逆転喫茶。)
Motohiko Niwa
Hiroaki Yoshikawa
November 14, 2023 (2023-11-14)
The Academy Knights request Lene's help in training them to become servers for the Foundation Day café; she ends up going overboard in her role as the instructor. The Fair finally arrives and the Knights run their café. During one of her breaks, Rae has herself served by Claire, to the latter's annoyance. Rae ends up having to serve the snobby Prince Marcel of the Empire of Loro, an event from the game where she is constantly pestered until one of the princes intervenes. Instead, Claire appears and helps save her from the predicament. When Claire is on break, Rae takes her to explore the rest of the Fair. A commoner named Matt approaches Rae seeking her support in their "Commoner Movement" to achieve equality between the royals and commoners, but she is pulled away by Claire. Rae gives Claire a necklace, causing Claire to once again ask why Rae is so interested in her, leading Rae to internally reflect how the stress of her past life pushed her to the brink until the game version of Claire "saved her". Later, the girls learn that Yu's attendant Dede attacked Matt with his magic.
8
"The Swirling Currents Are All Machinations" Transliteration: "Uzumaku Nagare wa Kenbōjussū" (Japanese: 渦巻く流れは権謀術数。)
Hideaki Ōba
Hideaki Ōba
November 21, 2023 (2023-11-21)
Rae, Claire, and Misha learn from Matt that he got into an argument with Dede, who pulled out his wand and nearly burnt him alive with his magic. Elsewhere, Dede claims he only meant to threaten Matt. The Knights inspect his wand for tampering, while protesting commoners begin to grow. The princes get into an argument over how to deal with the situation, causing them to theorize the Spiritual Church is behind the incident. While the Knights attempt to calm things down, Dede's sentence is eventually revealed to be one week of house arrest, which sparks further dissension. That night, Rae uses her magic on Claire to put her to sleep, entrusting Lene to keep her safe in her room. Using her knowledge of the game, Rae confronts the true mastermind, Lambert, who orchestrated the events to steal a bell which can summon monsters. She figures out he is acting under the Church's behalf, all to protect Lene, whom he is having an incestuous relationship with. Lene then appears and attempts to hold Claire hostage, but she awakens. Suddenly, a mysterious masked man Rae does not recognize arrives, repairs the bell she broke, and forces Lambert to activate it, awakening a nearby chimera.
9
"My Master Will Never Change" Transliteration: "Watashi no Omo wa Eien Fuhen" (Japanese: 私の主は永遠不変。)
Motohiko Niwa
Motohiko Niwa
November 28, 2023 (2023-11-28)
Rae acts as bait to lure the chimera away while Claire charges up a powerful magic blast, which successfully destroys it. The masked man suddenly re-appears and tries to attack Claire, but Thane jumps in and saves her. The masked man disappears as Thane is revealed to be seriously poisoned by his attack; Rae uses her knowledge of the game to heal Thane. Lene and Lambert are arrested by the Knights awaiting their impending execution due to treason, the Commoner Movement is disbanded, the rioting ceases upon the revelations, and Rae and Claire are invited to receive a reward from the King as thanks for saving the day. They use the opportunity to humbly request that Lene and Lambert's lives be spared due to them also being victims. While this is initially met with trepidation, with Thane's help, the King chooses to exile them instead. As Lene and Lambert head out to leave the country, Rae and Claire say their goodbyes to the former, with Rae giving her some recipes, and Claire declaring that they will see each other again. After they are gone, Rae comforts a distraught Claire.
10
"My New Rival in Love Is a Perfect Superhuman" Transliteration: "Aratana Koigataki wa Kanpeki Chōjin" (Japanese: 新たな恋敵は完璧超人。)
Hideaki Ōba
Hiroaki Yoshikawa
December 5, 2023 (2023-12-05)
Rae has been struggling to cheer Claire up since Lene left. Just then, Claire learns that her childhood friend, Manaria Sousse, has transferred into the Royal Academy after having lost out in the succession in her kingdom. Manaria proceeds to become extremely popular, in particular amongst the girls, and especially Claire, who acts very affectionate towards her. Rae is jealous of Manaria due to her role in the game being just to keep Claire busy with the princes. However, Manaria becomes increasingly intrigued by Rae and her actions. When Rod challenges Manaria to a duel, she demonstrates her incredible abilities as not only a quad-caster, but also being capable of using spell-breaking magic. The group later discuss amongst themselves about a magical ceremony inspired by an old poem which people use to determine who they would marry. Rae's jealously reaches a boiling point after Claire states she prefers Manaria over her, which is further exacerbated when Manaria starts openly flirting with Claire.
11
"A Near-Miss in Love is Certain Doom" Transliteration: "Koi no Surechigai wa Zettai Zetsumei" (Japanese: 恋のすれ違いは絶体絶命。)
Hideaki Ōba
Hiroaki Yoshikawa
December 12, 2023 (2023-12-12)
Rae is forced to deal with Manaria as she continues to spend more time with Claire. The Knights begin preparing for the Amour Ceremony, in which two people compete for another's affection by examining the weight of two objects on a magical artifact. Claire's friends, Loretta and Pepi, attempt to warn Rae about Manaria based on rumors they have heard about her. Manaria later confronts Rae about her feelings for Claire, believing she is just being a coward and making excuses to not get hurt. To test her resolve, Manaria challenges Rae to a magical duel. Despite giving it her all, Rae is brutally defeated by Manaria in battle by her "Domination" attack. As Manaria heals Rae, she notices Claire's horrified reaction. When Claire confronts Rae about her foul mood, Rae reveals the duel was to determine who was worthy to be with her. Claire is outraged over this revelation, and in response, Rae angrily quits her job as a maid, which Claire bluntly accepts. Rae runs off, regretting what she just did, while Claire is secretly upset about the situation.
12
"The Villainess and I Are in Love" Transliteration: "Watashi to Oshi wa Sōshisōai" (Japanese: 私と推しは相思相愛。)
Motohiko Niwa
Motohiko Niwa
December 19, 2023 (2023-12-19)
Manaria furiously confronts Rae over abandoning Claire. She then reveals how she was in love with her maid, but after driving her away, proceeded to visit brothels in a vain attempt to satisfy her desires. Manaria decides Claire will be her next target, spurring Rae on to challenge her to compete in the Amour Ceremony. Rae and Ralaire take on several requests fighting monsters in order to find a certain item. On the day of, Manaria presents the Flower of Flora and declares her love for Claire. Rae then returns and presents a supposed twig, which suddenly grows into a massive tree, winning the competition. As Rae declares her love for Claire, Manaria reveals she has been in love with Rae all along. When she attempts to kiss Rae, Claire instinctively declares that Rae is hers. Manaria later heads back home to her kingdom after the first prince dies. Before she leaves, Manaria questions who Rae really is, while Rae realizes Manaria purposefully played the role of the bad guy in order to get her and Claire to become closer with each other. Rae and Claire return to their class, with Claire now calling Rae by her name.
Reception
In Anime News Network's Fall 2020 Light Novel Guide the series was generally received positively, though not as strongly as other yuri titles released at the time. However, it was noted that "if Rae and Claire both start off as almost intensely difficult to like, they do undergo enough of a change by about midway through the novel that makes them much easier to root for."[61]
Others had more positive reception to the series. Erica Friedman, the founder of Yuricon, awarded the first light novel an overall score of nine. Friedman also praised the series for its frank discussion of LGBT identity, writing "And then you hit a moment when Misha, Rae’s best friend, roommate and foil, turns to Rae and asks, 'Are you gay?'…and the characters have a frank discussion about sexuality."[62] Nicki Bauman noted that the series' open focus on LGBT themes in its characters and storytelling was not typical of the yuri genre and proposed that it might signal change in yuri themes and stories.[63] The audiobook adaptation was also positively received. Kevin Cormack of Anime News Network praised it for reinstating segments, missing from the first English-language print run, which explain Rae's motivations, and said that the narrator, Courtney Shaw, nails down the many-faceted personality of Rae, and the voices of other characters, and hoped for an audio adaptation of volume 2.[64]
In March 2021, I'm in Love with the Villainess placed fifth in AnimeJapan's annual Manga We Want to See Animated Ranking.[65] In June 2021, the series was nominated for the Best Printed Manga category in the Next Manga Awards and placed seventeenth out of 50 nominees.[66] It was also nominated for the same award and placed eighth out of 50 nominees in 2022.[67][68]
The anime adaptation received mixed reviews. Kevin Cormack of Anime News Network described it as one of his favorite series in fall 2023, saying it stands above "its subgenre competitors," and said that humor is funny at times, but said Rae is "initially offputting," but notes that Rae and Claire are "multi-layered characters" and praised anime dub voice actress Hannah Alyea for her being a "more unhinged lesbian gremlin joker" with Rae, but lamented the series for ending "halfway through the main arc."[64] The anime preview guide on Anime News Network had a mix of reviews, with some criticizing the series for cliches, visuals, and its comedy, the uncomfortability of Rae's interactions with Claire, while others praised it, enjoying the villainess stereotype embodied in Claire, the comedy between Rae and Claire, and asked people to give the series a chance to build to become stronger.[69]
However, Andrew Henderson of Anime Feminist, reviewed the first episode, and was critical of the series for putting a "queer spin" on "stale romantic archetypes" and found Rae's actions toward Claire grating, though it was "kinda funny" in small amounts, and hoped that the dynamic between them changed as the series went forward.[70] A later update on Anime Feminist echoed Henderson's review, saying the series held potential, but was mired in "uncomfortable gags" by Rae toward Claire.[71] However, Cy Catwell, on the same website, took a different take. They argued that they were quickly "charmed by Rae Taylor" and the reasons behind her behavior, which was initially off-putting, making them look forward to watching the series every week, and praised direct engagement of the series "with real-world issues," including an exploration of what it means to "be queer using queer language." They hoped that the series received a second season, while providing content warnings for the series, including "depictions of queerphobia...romanticized incest," sexual harassment, and fan service.[72]
