My (Completely Normal) Obsession with Villainess Stories
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- Опубліковано 20 чер 2024
- The #villainess Subgenre has been huge in Light Novel and Manga (and Manhwa!) circles for years, and finally the wave has crested into Anime as the next big trend -- which asks the question: What exactly is a villainess story, why am I obsessed with them, is there a difference between Japan's and Korea's interpretation of the subgenre, and where should you get started on your villainess journey? This video aims to explore those very questions from My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! all the way to Please Don't Come to the Villainess' Stationery Store and beyond!
If you're looking for a specific section of the video's associated manga/manhwa/anime - check the subtitle track for English (CANADA) and you'll find it the title of the story in place of the caption.
Chapters:
Intro - 0:00
What is the Subgenre? - 1:56
What makes the "Villainess" Protagonist Work? - 3:43
Incredible Malleability of Premise - 5:30
1st Set of Recommendations - 8:17
Difference Between Japanese and Korean Villainess - 10:29
My Favorite Villainess Story - 14:13
Twitter: / value_replay
Support the channel on Patreon: / replayvalue
Discord: / discord
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Links to official Villainess Manga/Manhwa explicitly mentioned in this video (with thanks to the groups that introduced me to these stories wink wink nudge nudge if applicable):
May I Ask For One Final Thing: www.alpha-manga.com/manga/665... [Thanks to: Not A Scans Scans Group]
Sigrid: tapas.io/episode/2834864
Beware the Villainess: tapas.io/series/beware-the-vi...
My Fiance is in Love With My Little Sister: comic-walker.com/detail/KC_00... [Thanks to: Tapioca Scans]
I Swear I Won't Bother You Again!: sevenseasentertainment.com/se... [Thanks to: Amplified & Puni Translations]
Villainess Anthology: bookwalker.jp/series/220809/ [Thanks to: Haru Party, Solace Translations, Secret Land Castle, Mistakes Were Made, Puni Translations, Knights of Earl Grey, Le Moin Tart Scans, Bored Corona Kids, and others]
With One Day Left / RTA 24 Hour Record: comic-walker.com/detail/KC_00... [Thanks to: Yudrinn Scans & Great Northern General Endeavors]
One Within The Villainess: comic.pixiv.net/works/7926 [Thanks to Amarrez & Baddies' Asylum]
Villains are Destined to Die: tapas.io/series/villains-are-...
Raised my Fiance with Money: page.kakao.com/content/63336337
Time to Change the Genre: tapas.io/episode/2219561
I Shall Master This Family: tapas.io/series/i-shall-maste...
Knight to a Lady: www.webtoons.com/en/fantasy/f...
Stationary Store: tapas.io/series/the-villaines...
Holy Grail of Eris: global.manga-up.com/manga/195 [Thanks to: Mistakes Were Made, Amarrez & ginrezis]
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Music:
Montauk Daisy - Apothecary Diaries OST
all this metal - SSSS Dynazenon OST
Gin Tonic ~Oyaji~ - Bartender OST
How Cute - Kaguya-Sama OST
Sophia's Shop - Persona 5 Strikers OST
Grandport, Center of Commerce - Octopath Traveler OST
Oasis in the Sparkling Sands - Octopath Traveler OST
Temenos, the Cleric - Octopath Traveler II OST
We're Finally Landing - Home ( • We're Finally Landing )
Colony 9 - Xenoblade Chronicles (Remastered) OST
Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 G-Major
Noblesse Oblige - Code Geass OST
Queen's Gardens - Hollow Knight OST - Фільми й анімація
Hey folks, I've gone through and sourced every story I used in this project, so if you're struggling to figure out exactly which story is on screen at any given time, please check the closed captions / subtitle track "English (Canada)" which will have the corresponding title for whatever is on screen.
legend
Tearmoon Empire and 7th Timeloop are my favorites.
I still want to witness a villainess who gets called out on her wrong doings but instead of backing off or it turns into some fluffing Saintess instead not only calls out persecutors' bs, owns up to her own sh-t but makes certain she gets revenge by BEING The True Evil "Villainess" they made her out to be. A you Created Your Own Worst Enemy Situation. OR a Noble Heroine who is Framed as a Villainess, before "'dying" but Returns as Thee Overlord like Villainess who became the very Monster they framed and tried to murder prior. Call it Saintess OR Villainess, Why Not Both? OR The Betrayed Heroine Seeks Retribution by Becoming the Ultimate Villainess?
love you replay .srry dont know ur name .great work and one of my favs
hihihih plspls do recommend more if u can these r so good and ive been binging them day by day
I am actually distraught about not being able to see the villainess alignment chart. I was genuinely looking forward to it. 😭
Yeah, I was sad when we didn’t actually look at this. 😢
Better make another video dedicated solely to the chart
Me too tbh
give us the chart!! i need the 3 hour info dump NOW!!!!!!!! (no but like,,, pls 😭)
I agree I need that in the chart and examples. It better be like a three or four hour video breakdown.
The best are the non-isekai variants where the villainess genuinely regrets their actions in their previous life and struggles to be a good person when doing it over again.
In that case, you’d love The Villainess Lives Again.
It deals exactly with that issue where the villainess grapples with what she’s done in the original timeline and agonies over whether she deserves any happiness in the new timeline.
Like The Tyrant wants to be good!
I like a lot “The Villainess turns the hourglass”, was my first villainess story.❤️
Tearmoon empire?
Absolutely! Esp when the author generally forgets about the main character being isekai’d. It’s so weird how so many doesn’t really utilize that practically op trait and is used just for a memory and personality wipe
You know you’re in deep when you’ve already read all the stories he’s shown
Yeah
Real🔥🗣️🗣️
Fr 😅
most of them were familiar to me lmfao
I'm shamed
Villianus stories also opens up revenge stories. And a lot of us love seeing evil people get karma.
Ok not necessarily following the Villainess trope but kinda in the mood to rewatch Gankutsuou and by extension reading good ol Count of Monte Cristo or y’know the movie too who have some slightly different endings
Except that one where she still accepts the guy who raped her in her past life because in this new one he was "kind" to her.
Like Jesus fuck he made you get an abortion because of physical abuse wtf is wrong with you-
That’s so true
And a happy ending, which shook me as someone, who was indoctrinated into xtianity as a child. It's quite liberating to see them not forgiving and not forgetting but striking back at their abusers!
Sometimes you just want a nice revenge fantasy!!!!! Sometimes u want a lil evil in ur mc!!!!!! Sometimes u want some morally gray revenge!!!! 😂 SOMETIMES U JUST WANT TO WATCH THE WORLD BURN---
The One Within the Villainess is GENUINELY ONE OF THE MOST WELL WRITTEN STORIES PERIOD
It's pretty good, but i'd say its too early to tell. Other villainess stories with over 100 chapters like your throne or solitary lady, which starts off really strong, falls off at around the 100 chapters mark. But for classic villainess stories "I am the real one" is over 100 chapters, has all the classic tropes, and is just done so well. "The villainess lives again", and "what's wrong with being the villainess" are also goated.
The best "non classic" villainess story for me might have to be "roxana", absolute psycho mad mc who you can somehow relate to. I love it.
The best completed one for me is hour glass, super well known and actually deserves it.
@@Bt-cq6te thanks for the recommendations
@@Bt-cq6teAgreed on all aspects. I hate that the “guy in an Otome” doesn’t hit the same bars as the female ones. There is this power fantasy element to the guys in the story who are suddenly loved. Similar to how Bakarina gets everything by being nice. There isn’t exactly intrigue.
One story I loved at the time was “The Reason Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke’s Mansion”, but since got bored of that sort of romance only genre to ones like “If Only I Was You, Just For A Day”/“Your Throne”.
Political intrigue and fights are the best.
@@Bt-cq6te I wouldn't say it's necessarily "too early to tell" because it does seem to be nearing its conclusion? it's definitely not going for the hundreds of chapters manwha tend to do lol
Omg yes i started reading it a little while back and omg it's soo good
I'm just impressed so many authors decided to do this very specific setup often enough that it effectively became it's own genre.
I know what you mean
its probably a pushback to the isekai genre not having enough female protagonists, and then deciding to make it extra hell for them by dealing them a bad hand
@@tumbke yes to that, but also, the OP power fantasy stories don't really appeal to most women. They seem to have much more fun with watching the underdog triumph.
A few OP power fantasies exist with female MC's, like "Saving up 80k gold for my retirement" or even level 99 villainess which he mentioned in this video.
Preach it brother. Villainess stories have replaced Isekai as my junk food media. I think what I like about them the most is how in villainess stories the MC is often a well fleshed out character, that already has an established background and relationships and a reason to be in the position they are in whereas in Isekai the fact that the MC was isekaid gets irrelevant 10 minutes in. There are so many Isekais were being Isekaied eventually gets in the way of the story wheras being "otomed" IS the main drive of the story.
Yeah, can relate. My current reading material is a pretty balanced mix of isekai and villainess, with some extra bangers mixed in.
In isekai, I tend to gravitate towards the more grounded ones, as they often either have interesting behaviour and interactions or the impact of reincarnation is kept in some shape or form.
A strong one (that is in hiatus rn :( ) is Highserk. Such gritty vibes.
Similarly, I also adore darker villainess works. I just recently read the fiancé in love with younger sister and WOW where has that one been all this time!!! Genuinely made my heart ache.
Fundamentally I just love seeing emotions and characteristics that most people choose not to dwell on too much. Existential crises, profound depressions, psychopathy/sociopathy, autistic, etc. It can be really fascinating to see how the writer understands these and how they choose to depict it.
It’s what makes The One within the Villainess so glorious. She’s a broken girl deep down, and seeing a healthy relationship and empathy pointed in her direction changes her so profoundly, yet she still has her same quirks of behaviour.
How to Survive as a Maid in a Horror Game is a delightful dark twist in this genre. As the title suggests, reincarnator becomes a maid in a horror game. There’s genuinely quite tense moments but balanced with lightheartedness.
I love that one
its funny seeing the genre change so quickly with the fonts and vibe changing as the chapter goes on
If you enjoyed that, I suggest Sell the main character's stocks!
I love this one a lot it's really unique and the ml is *actually* terrifying for once.
So many stories seem to have "handsome that will kill you" as a trope but Adrian is the only one that's actually intimidating (probably bc of that blue eyed stare.)
I did here from novel readers that some info was cut out tho so that sucks.
It's awesome art is good
"...and that's why if you think Yona of Dawn counts as a villainess story, you probably think a hot dog qualifies as a sandwich." lmao well played, Replay Value.
Damn, ok, you sold me on a "trend" I thought was not my thing, this kinda sounds gas. Thanks for the recommendations
Actual Villainess > main characters being reincarnated as Villainess
What is the name of the manga in the intro
@@EmmaLee-fc3lgThough I May Be a Villainess, I’ll Show You I Can Obtain Happiness! (Specifically volume 1 chapter 2.)
@@LTMStarlight thanks ꉂ(ˊᗜˋ*)♡
Wait! NO!!!! I wanted to hear that 20 minute villainess alignment chart and compare it to my own!!! PLEASE.
ERIS MENTIONED HOLY FUCKING BASED?????
EXACTLYYYY I FELT SO VALIDATED
The light novel is pure gold (to the point I've not only read it, but bought it as a gift for my best friend), but after this video has convinced me that I need to read the manga as well, as Scarlett's face-game in Constance's body is Grade S. As it should be.
I had the same reaction OMG 😭😭❤️
I once described it as "Yu Gi Oh Season 0 but Shoujo." I think it still fits.
Yassss
My favorite one and the one I highly recommend is Observation Log of My Fiance the Self-Proclaimed Villainess, where the main character is actually the man she's engaged to rather than the girl reincarnated. Frankly, I love it not only because it puts a fun twist on the story format, not only because it's funny as all get out, not only because Bertia is the most precious of cinnamon rolls, but also because it has a genuine meta commentary about how people interact with media woven in. Bertia is reincarnated as the villainess, but it's clear from the original heroine's intro she's is also reincarnated, and what they do with their knowledge are night and day.
Another one is Villainess for the Tyrant, where the main girl gets married to the vicious king, but he falls for her on sight, so she starts trying to act like a villain so no one gets to him through her, though I'll admit that sort of falls away as the story goes on and the story expands. Oh, and the reincarnated person is actually the author who wrote the story, but she got put into the body of a character she never really thought about instead of the Heroine, so she's trying to work out how to get to the perfect man she wrote and replace our protagonist. It's pretty good.
There's also a sequel manga to this that immediately goes over what happens after everything in Observation Log, but before it's final pages. It continues to be a treat!
My favourite too .
This is always my go to rec. I've never seen it even mentioned by anyone else until now. What makes it special to me is that it has the strengths of the bakalina style villainess character without being in the perspective of bakalina herself, which is a con because she's is the stupidest character in all of fiction. I get that it's kinda the point and it is used effectively for gags, but I it forces the narrative to take her thoughts and supposed conflicts seriously. Observation log proves that you can get the pros of that type of character without the cons
Dude have you been reading in batoto? Cause those two manga have been one of the first ones I see whenever I search for completed mangas. ALSO YESSSS BERTIA IS SO PRECIOUS
Those are both some of my immediate recommendations! They are so hilarious I love them
"The One Within the Villainess" is the one that really got me serious about this genre. Remilia actually feels like a proper villainess. The "what happened with the previous owner of this body" and how it was used to shape the villainess and provide motivation and justification for her actions is great. Not to mention it actually gave me the feels. The soul-crushing (literally) condemnation event of Emi was heartbreaking and got me 100% invested in the story of Remi's revenge. It's safe to say I'm now totally obsessed with this series.
And I'm definitely checking out your recommendations.
How many chapter does the one within the villainess have since I can only find 19 and I am dying to read more
@@awaisdawood2213 It is still ongoing. Chapter 19 is the latest one on official pixiv account. Latest paper release in Japan is Volume 4 which ends at chapter 18. No idea what the release schedule in Japan is like, but looks like scanlations are up to date with Japanese pixiv releases (with a week or two delay it seems).
So we can only wait. (And yeah, I'm also dying to read more)
It’s short, but so much quality is packed in those pages. It’s also incredibly fast-paced, as Remilia does NOT fuck around.
The Otome Heroine's Fight for Survival, it's the opposite of villainess but it's also good.
Or Gyaru Maid, still 3 chapters but it looks very fun!
"I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss" was a fun story. Almond = Best Bird.
That adaptation though, bleh. Although I think I may be just turning against any and all adaptations that don't go all out, or are at least heavily stylized.
Irene is a strong, fun AF protag, while Lilia is still - after reading probably like 50 villainess mangas - the OG heroine turned villainous rival that feels like the biggest threat, despite having little to no powers of her own. Truely, a showdown of some of the baddest bitches in history (also that one time they're forced to worked together their comedic synergy absolutely fucking SHINES)
Yasss
As you listed the different flavors of villainess stories I was surprised you didn't bring up "person isekai'd as a villainess character and decides to act out their role, only they themselves are not as wicked". I've seen a couple stories with this framework, but my favorite is An Observation Log of My Fiancée Who Calls Herself a Villainess. Sometimes it nice to see a story where the struggle isn't getting people to like you, but instead in trying to get people to hate you and being TOO LIKEABLE.
"I'll become a villainess that'll go down in history" is like this too, but I liked observation log more
Observation Log was such a great take on the genre and unique from having it be from his point of view. Bertie is just adorable and I think I need to reread it the series
it is so good I FINISHED READING IN A FEW DAYS
"Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion" goes hard. Finished too, so it's a good villainess manhwa to read that has an anime adaptation with 1 season.
I think that one technically doesn’t qualify as a villainess story because while Raeliana was supposed to die she was never the villainess in the original book or the story itself.
I include Raeliana whenever I consider villainess stories. I know it’s not by strict definition, but her disadvantage state of “doomed mob” gets played in the same structure as a “doomed villainess,” just with a twist. Her struggle against fate and her skewed status among other characters is very similar to how many villainess stories play out, but with a degree of ambiguity added because she isn’t in a such a defined villainess role.
10:49 slight correction: villainess stories come from classical shoujo just like earlier games marketed towards girls (see princess angelique) but never had any correlation to otome games. And fun fact, with villainess stories being adapted into animes there are some becoming games and influencing the market as well but that's the inverse influence
Yess thank you!!! It's always a bit funny to see these series showcasing otome except most actual otome games are nothing like this.
@@-ponysparkle3-480 very early otome games were like this based on shojo but quickly stopped the villainess trope because they didn’t want to have it be girl versus girl so they quickly abandoned the trope.
@@Sally-zb4rs Yeahh 😅 It would just be nice to see otome games actually portrayed like current otome games in situations like this because they still end up misunderstood regarding the origins and what they're most of the time actually like now.
Since you're such a villainess fan you may enjoy the Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess! Its a really fun parody on the genre that still plays it pretty straight. Also it just got an anime announcement too.
Saw the announcement a few months back and am really excited to check it out when it airs!
_Dark History_ is getting an anime? Nice; I missed that announcement!
ITS YOU‼️‼️‼️ YIPPPEEE
@@ReplayValue i think you have the wrong one. this one doesn't have an anime adaptation confirmed. you're thinking of "ill be the villainess that goes down in history" THAT one had an anime adaptation coming soon😁
@magsthesimp twitter.com/tenkuro_PR/status/1758657765751529929
I'm so addicted to villainess stories that I recognize every single one you mention, I highly recommend you looking into Chinese villainess stories too. Chinese Manhua has so many awesome villainess stories where the setting is the popular Wuxia or cultivation story. I've noticed that Manga villainesses reincarnate into Otome games or games in general, Manhwa villainesses reincarnate into novels or manhwas, and Manhua villainesses reincarnate into cultivation stories. Similar to the villainess genre, there's the Chinese retribution system genre where those who were wronged initially become the villainess and get their revenge. I literally be eating these stories up.
I really love wuxia and xianxia stories so if you have any recommendations for villainess stories that also fall in those categories I would love to hear them! Not a villainess technically, but I've already read Scum Villain and loved it! So if you know any more like that (that's also available to read in English) I'm all ears!!
I also would love any recommendations of Chinese manhua stories!
I'd also love some recommendations! I've exclusively read manhwas so far so I'd love to read some villainess manhuas
Ehhh. There are a few good ones but I find them to be full of themes that I do not personally find enjoyable. More than a few have a “slavery is okay”, colorism, racism, and misogyny themes that are a little too blatant for my eyes. And that ones that don’t have those tend to drag… but I am curious if there’s any good ones I missed you can recommend 👀
(EDIT: EXCEPT CHEATING MEN MUST DIE!!!! THATS A MUST READ!!! BY FAR ONE OF THE BEST OTOMEISEKAI STORIES (unbiased)(no I’m not, this is very biased)
does anyone have recs of these kinds? i want to read some but i can never find good ones 😭
The “save the villainess” sub genre scratches an itch I didn’t know I had, and I’m glad it’s a thing.
Good shout on Holy Grail of Eris. It is fantastic and the way secondary characters evolve into being so rich and deep is masterful.
“How Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion” isn’t technically a villainess story, but it shares a very similar structure and is probably my favourite if we include it in the genre.
I'm so glad that villainess stories are finally picking up and I see more and more people talk about them. Similarly, they are my comfort content to read, although I read almost exclusively manhwas (prob to me being older and relating to those stories more). I hope we get to see more adaptations of those, there are so many varied stories. I think you might like "Secret Lady" if you haven't seen it already, if you like mystery and political intrigue stories! Some other favourites of mine are:
My in-laws are obsessed with me - found family, slow burn with some mystery elements
The Fantasie of a Stepmother - another found family heavily political intrigue based one
The Lady and the Beast - focuses heavily on the consequences of rebirth and seeing people from your past in ones you meet in the present
Author of my own Destiny - the author gets reincarnated into her own book and it explored her struggling with the decisions she made while writing it, but also wanting to change her own fate
I hope you make more videos on the subject!
Fantasie of a stepmother is my G.O.A.T, each single panel is wallpaper material and the plot goes hard
I would also recommend "I'll Raise You Well in This Life, Your Majesty!" if you liked it
A Stepmother's Märchen is seriously, unironically, peak fiction. Found family with genuine tension, their relationship(s) feel so real and the characters are so well written. One of the few "stepmother/pseudo-mother story" to not lose focus on the family and childcare aspect, while delving into the political intrigue and mystery at the same time; whereas other stories usually pivots and deviate almost exclusively to the romance or mystery, the family or child became afterthought as soon as their purpose as the story's catalyst is served.
Really love My In-laws Are Obsessed With Me as well, it's good for the same reasons I think.
I will try Author one you mentioned, thanks for the recommendation!
OMG, Stepmother's Marchen was mentioned! Yo, of all the different rebirth type manhwa's who's titles I've forgotten, that story sticks to my mind the most because of how gorgeous the art is. I loved how the art style isn't the usual efficient looking style (where understandably some artists use pre-made assets on as much things as possible to focus on characters and update schedule) too but more like illustrations you'd see on those old fairy tale books. I often find myself staring at some panels to observe how they did the lighting and such as some kind of art study. It's definitely one manhwa where I wouldn't mind buying a physical copy if it's possible.
I do love "May I Ask for One Final Thing?" for it's main characters ability so solve almost all her problems by applying fist into face.
The MC is great, but man her love interest is absolute shit. He has no flaw whatsoever because he basically a perfect prince.
Guys, hot dogs aren't sandwiches.
They are soup.
Don't you even dare.
A hot dog is a taco as per the cube rule of food 😊
No the ocean is soup
The summoning salt music during the One Day Left section absolument got me going balistic
I came here to find/make this comment.
I had no idea what the story was about or even called so when he dropped the title and the text box "and suddenly the music makes sense" I cackled
Kill the Villainess is one story i will sacrifice hundreds of people just for an anime adaptation
A really good one set in a more real world setting is Surviving Romance. Another one that might not end up on most lists due to have a main male character but fitting the formula really well imo is Trash of the Count’s Family
I LOVE SURVIVING ROMANCE!! its so good!! it really plays with its meta-ness in such clever ways!
Surviving Romance is genuinely one of the best stories I have ever experienced. It's insane.
What the heck, are you me? I’ve been obsessed with villainess manga for a while and haven’t been able to encapsulate all the reasons why. Thank you for this.
Honestly, my favorite part of Villainess stories is usually the best friend relationships. Like with some other "mid-boss" villainess, or maybe the princess who also hates the prince who was the former love interest, etc. But either way, it usually ends up with the girls just really looking out for each other and often protecting each other from the toxic male love interests, which is always great to see as so often women in media are shown to be rivals and toxic, and it's always wonderful to see them uplifting each other like is often the case in this genre.
My absolute favorites are those like "Beware the Villainess" where the "Heroine" becomes the bestie of the villainess, and one or the other is making it their mission to protect the other from the often vile or at least himbo stupid male harem members.
you will love endo and kobayashi commentary on the villainess
I will always have a soft spot in my heart for "All Routes Lead to Doom" since it introduced me to the genre, but tbh my favorite so far has to be "Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Liesolotte." I loved every single character, the theme of Liesolotte, with the love and support of her friends, finally learning to love herself and fight against an unfair, preordained fate that she would fall to evil, and the ending of Endo and Kobayashi being able to attend Liesolotte and Sieg's wedding (as gamers, we all know this feeling after a really good video game, of wanting to be a part of the lives of those characters).
A cool premise ruined by ... its premise. The actual characters and story in the villainess story are great, but the live commentators are irritating at their best.
I dabbled in the villainess subgenre of Manwha but i got consumed by in during one exam phase. I didn't want to study so I just read like there was no tomorrow. Exams came and went but my love for these stories stayed
I can understand that
Although it's not a villainess story, "My Inlaws are Obsessed with me" is the best one I've read so far. Matty Bites does a really great job in her video explaining it, but I love it because a lot of the artwork shows what's happening. Another one I kinda like, is "All Cheating Men Must Die" the FL has to live through various characters, avenging them from a terrible fate. Either through books, games, fantasy, etc.
I’m a 16 year old straight male who plays on the varsity football team, but I honestly cannot get enough of these stories. I used to have a big range of animes/mangas/manhuas/etc that I would watch/read but now I only read these (I’ve read them since I got into everything, but now they’re all I read). There’s just so many! I know I’m kinda out of place liking stuff like this and my friends definitely think I’m weird for it, but that doesn’t stop me from reading. Thanks for this video because your description of what makes them good despite being repetitive fully encapsulated my thoughts on the genre. My favorites are definitely “Beware the villainess”, “Not sew wicked stepmom”, and “Who made me a princess?” (Idk if the last one counts).
But yeah, thanks again for this video, I’m gonna send this to my friend to try to get him on our side 😂
*not-so-wicked
“I’m in love with the villainess” was such a god show it got me way into this ganra
try endo and kobayashi commentary of the villainess
If you enjoy Bakarina, I highly recommend Tearmoon Empire Story. Basically if Overlord and Bakarina had a baby.
A lot of these otome stories have said villainess's personality get a complete 180 from their cruel original self either by possession or time regression. What if they were just misunderstood? Mia from Tearmoon is exactly that. Mia maintains a similar selfish attitude pre and post time regression. The difference is that Mia knew that her selfish and ignorant nature led to her death so she tries to do her best to help others. Along the way she picks up followers that misunderstood her as some great sage that's playing chess when in reality she's just playing tic tac toe.
The story is pretty well written. One moment you are laughing at the hilarious misunderstanding. The next you are tearing up. Great read.
It’s a funny one indeed. I thought it’d get old down the line but they ended up creating more unique relationships than simple ‘she is amazing, I want to follow her’.
She also never gets to enjoy the misunderstandings. That’s what keeps it interesting for me.
Yesss I'm eating good tonight. I love the "evil stepmother but not really" archetype since it's usually combined with my other favorite sub subgenre, childcare slice of life.
PS: Eris no Seihai definitely one of my top villainess story 100% agree with you. Please make a follow up video!!
VILLAINS ARE DESTINED TO DIE MENTIONED?!? AND BEWARE THE VILLAINESS TOO!? These two are my gateway to this rabbit hole of villainess genre 😭
Understandable. That's one of my favorites.
I'm just waiting for Bertia AND Iris to have her their own anime, then my Villianess victory lap will be complete.
No one’s mentioned Concubine Walkthrough yet? It’s honestly SO GOOD. So much mystery mixed with such layered plots and dynamic characters.
It’s one of the few manhwa I’ve read that really plays into the video game setting. It’s also based in fictional Ancient China, so there’s political intrigue abound. It’s honestly just such good writing that not only is it one of my favorite manhwa, it’s one of my favorite pieces of storytelling. Full stop.
FELLOW “CONCUBINE WALKTHROUGH” LOVER🤧❤️❤️
Knowing what's to come in the future AND being able to prove people wrong with their preconceived notions about me?? Yeah this genre is PEAK speak your truth 🙏
I think my obsession with these kinds of stories stems from my love for fairytales. Heroines, Villains, Happy endings; those were my comfort reads.
But there were times where I'd imagine, "What if the stepmother in Cinderella was actually a good person?" "How would that story play out?"
From Revolutionary Girl Utena to Revue Starlight to these Villainess stories, I enjoy seeing the protagonist take control of their own story against all odds.
That Cinderella thought reminds me of a story called “I raised Cinderella Preciously”
From a Knight to a Lady is SO amazing. The twists so far have BLOWN my mind!
I know what you mean
try "your majesty, please spare me this time"! it's a pretty serious series that if you loved "from a knight to a lady" i think you'd definitely like it. it's kind of a bait and switch as well with an unreliable narrator, just a great series overall. i love this subgenre and am so glad that it's so popular nowadays
HUNDRED TIMES THIS!! I want to reread YMPSMTT, it's just so good!!
Yesss! I loved that series when I first found out about it~
This seems like the perfect chance to shill The Fed up Office Lady Wants to Serve the Villainess!
Yuri with villainess being actually evil! Go give it a try!
cultured
I'd also recommend that one, I'm enjoying it a lot. It's really interesting because the MC is neither the villainess nor the heroine, she's just herself. And both the villainess and the heroine seem interested in her, and possibly even each other, so it may even end up being not just regular yuri, but poly yuri!
I like the concept but the fact that the main character is 25 and the love interest is 16 means that it's a bit much for me
I've read, finished and dropped so much Villainess manga and manhwa it's insane. The revenge stories, the romance stories, there's even fucking nation building?! I also relate with the juxtaposition between media taste and personal ethics, the guilty pleasure of reading the villainess enacting retributive justice as I smile disapprovingly, is just so enjoyable.
HOLY BASED. Truly cultured Shoujo Fan x Isekai Trash taste.
Also, that Holy Grail of Eris recommendation felt like a gut punch, because I kept guessing which villainess stories you'd recommend, and kept guessing wrong (not having heard of most of the ones you recommended, so thanks for the reading list additions 👍) that I was very surprised to hear your highest recommendation being one that I also love.
Also, as for my own Villainess recommendation, I've got three, two of which kinda fall on the very outskirts of the "villainess genre":
The first one is a true-blooded "Villainess" yuri story with some very interesting features named "Please Bully Me, Miss Villainess!" (which I sometimes get confused with "I Favor the Villainess") that... I wouldn't say is one of the best-written stories I've ever read, but was definitely a good read. Also, one of the few Chinese "villainess" stories I know about.
The second one is *definitely* _not_ a Villainess story, mainly, but has a great arc dedicated to the genre (starting at chapter 83/84 of the manhwa adaptation): SSS-class Suicide Hunter.
It's a power fantasy time loop "dungeon tower" story like many other Korean stories, but it's definitely an outstanding gem among the series, some creme of the crop. The first chapter is almost unreadably cringe, but it became one of my top 50 favorite stories of all time by chapter 30-something, and grew even better over time until chapter 83, where it does a One Piece/Mushoku Tensei-style genre shift & suddenly becomes a tropey villainess story for an arc, which is PEAK.
Don't go skipping ahead to chapter 83, though. There is a lot of _much_ needed context in the earlier arcs, and the whole series is peak fiction.
The third one is not really about a "villainess" but otherwise fits the genre to a T, and that is 남주의 엄마가 되어버렸다 or "namjuui eommaga doeeobeolyeossda" which has the multiple roughly-translated English titles of "I Became the Male Lead's Mom" or "I Married the Male Lead's Dad", but there are like 20 other similar series with almost the exact same title (especially in English translations).
Anyways, the series is a great one full of some of my most favorite plot twists ever, along with your usual villainess tropes. I'd say the writing is above "Please Bully Me" but below "Suicide Hunter", or around the same level as "I Favor the Villainess"
Hahaha YES SSS Suicide Hunter’s most recent arc went absolutely insane. One has to appreciate how well it immerses itself into the genres that it tries to replicate, just as the main character does.
Knowledge of the future is a form of time travel, and time travel makes most stories fun. Ergo, this genre easily entertains.
Yup definitely
There's a Brazilian telenovela Mulheres de Areia (1973) (with a 1993 remake) where there's identical twin sisters, a good one and an evil one. The Good Twin is in love with a Hot Guy but the Evil Twin seduces him and steals him because she wants his money, then they get married and the Good Twin must suffer. But then the twins get into an accident where the Evil one dies and the Good one survives. But the only person who can tell them apart lies and convinces everyone that the survivor is the Evil one. So now she gets to be together with the Hot Guy she loves but it's also a life of lies.
imo this counts as a Villainess Isekai
Absolutely losing my mind over this! I cannot watch telenovelas for the life of me but by God this is so good tho.
I would recommend Villians are Destined to Die, Penelope is probably my favorite villianess, she is just a perfect balance of actual real fear on being in a new world, being a good person but not a saint! With a nice fantasy/magic in the middle of everything, the male characters are interesting as well.
Master Villianess the Invencible is a funny soft hearted one that I just started, very funny and full of action as well
I love that one
as a fellow villainess enjoyer of the post-bakarina world, i'm mainly here for the rec list in the description, but this video truly captures why villainess stories are so fantastic. Also big W for Beware the Villainess mention, that's definitely the one that got me hooked on the genre.
I am obsessed with this genre, thank you for the new food
My current favourites are 'Villains Are Destined to Die' and 'The Perks of Being a Villainess' (really hoping it comes out of hiatus soon 😭)
I want to see "Please Bully me Miss Villainess" animated so BAD!!!!
My favorite Villainess Light Novel is "I swear I won't bother you again"
It's so good, I am often on the verge of crying, I want Violette to be happy❤
manga got axed though, I am crying because it has not updated since I am on my first year and now I already graduated from college still no update
In japan, the 5 was published in february ! I think it will coming at the end of the year !
( The novel had a break around 2022, that's maybe why the manga had a break too !)
The rest of the story is really good ( based on the light novel)
Give us the alignment chart!
Hear! Hear! I'm just the audience for a 20 min rant about villainess alignment.
You’re me 😩 I love these villainess and reincarnation stories. Some a bit cliche but others, despite coming from the same starting point they can expand their world and trama in such a beautiful and crazy way it’s always exiting and intriguing wondering what kind of thing it’s hiding under its sleeve.
I too am addicted to these stories and I eat every single one up. I even bonded with a new friend over our love for villainess stories.
Very fond of this genre and I got at least one recommendation out of this video, I'd love to see more about villainesses.
Ladies in shirts, ties, and trousers do it for me. Sign of maturity, and intelligence. That's all I wanted to say, chief.
And they hit different
Dude I have only ever "consumed" one villainess story (the first few episodes of I'm in Love With The Villainess, which I quit because I could not stand the creepy and hypocritical protagonist) but even before I finished your video you sold me on these. I spent all day reading both 24 Hours and Knight To A Lady and I'm so excited to read more. I'm super picky about manga and webcomics in general but these have surpassed my expectations and I'm so happy I clicked on this video, thanks man!
I always see people talk about the Omniscient Reader, dungeon leveling types and watch cause it’s close enough BUT IM SO HAPPY TO FINALLY GET SOME VILLAINESS STUFF ON MY FEED
i've been obcessed with villainess stories for almost four years now and im so happy to see other people loving them as well
My recommendation is "Deathbound Duke's Daughter and the Seven Nobles"
I see the Rosemyne pfp and I see you are a cultured individual, ty for the rec
I love love love villainess stories and I think you explained them perfectly as to why they are just so much fun. And yet I still haven’t read your favorite one or a few of the ones you’ve mentioned. Definitely coming back to this video later as I read through these.
Thank you!!! Ever since I discovered this genre I'm obsessed! Some of the story lines are just so amazing and keep me on my toes! Look forward to more of your recommendations!
10:10 yesss. I love that one. Currently reading it. Sad that you skimmed over it, but it's good to see it mentioned.
im an isekai/isekai-adjacent dumpster diver and this genre fits right in.
It's so nice to see some love for villainess stories. For a long time now I've just been obsessed with them as well and any villainess anime that comes out I immediately watch. They're just so much fun and I feel like far too often they're just completely overlooked
YES YES YES!!!! Every title you mentioned had me bouncing in my chair with joy!!! I’m definitely excited to try your recs too
I hope to see more cause Villainess stories deserve more love❤
I'm glad more people are in love with the villainess stories, Reincarnated as a Villainess was also my introduction to the genre and I'm glad I gave it a chance. There's a lot of really good ones that have become one of my favorite stories.
Am I basic for absolutely adoring Endo and Kobayashi's Live Commentary on the Villainess? The character are so earnest, while the worldbuilding provides some interesting secrets.
And of course I stan our autistic level 99 hidden boss.
The duchess of oraoraoraora could have been all punching all the time and no one would have been disappointed but it's so much better than that.
I think my tastes run in the opposite direction to this video, so it's great that the genre has room for all of us.
Thank you for making this video! We really need more of it. It's fun to listen to people that have the same villainess obssession as me instead of just screaming into the void 😫
Thank you for this wonderful video that amplifies my obsession with these stories and all the recommendations that will now consume countless hours of my time.(i just added 22 from this video that looked interesting, but i still need more, the cravings grow with each passing day)
I stumbled on The one within the Villainess while on mangadex, it's the only from the genre I've ever liked, but it's one of the few manga I follow regurlarly. Good stuff, the slow burn revenge and the power fantasy is great
bruh I'm addicted to villainess manhwa
Same
this is the only genre i could read thousands of works with the same plot progression and still wouldn't get enough of whoever first came up with this cooked😭 you have elite taste btw i've never seen someone mention holy grail of eris ever
I subscribed after watching this, it has hit all the nails on the head for why the genre is so great and got all of the best storries too. I do hope you release the teir list video soon as your commentary was sublime!
I never assumed I would be interested in these Villainess stories when the first came to popularity. But when I came across With One Day Left - I was intrigued enough with the speedrunner's gimmick that I was willing to give it a chance as a crash course sort of deal into the genre, and it was a heck of a fun ride.
Since then however, I haven't gotten into any other Villainess stories, still seeing the genre as a whole as something well outside my interests. Cut to this popping up in my recommended, click on it SOLELY to see if With One Day Left would be mentioned, and coming out of it with two recommendations I'm planning to check out The One Within, and The Holy Grail.
I doubt I'll ever truly be a fan of the genre in general, but let's see about dipping more than a toe in this time.
Ah yes, i too have a completely normal obsession with villainess stories and possibly even characters
Really thanks for the video, needed recomentations of villainess stories :))
Thank you for all the lovely recs
Honestly, villainess stories probably just aren't for me, but I would like to recommend Tearmoon Empire. Despite my usual avoidance of villainess anime, I genuinely enjoyed Tearmoon Empire because the protagonist, Mia, is incredibly flawed (kind of like Marie Antoinette) but throughout the anime you can see that she is willing to redeem herself and fix her mistakes. While Mia's main motivation may be to save herself, I can still see moments where she does good things out of genuine kindness.
All of the side characters are at least lovable, and Mia's relationship with her love interest is genuinely kind of cute. The animation may not be the best, but I still looked forward to watching it as it updated. I think my main reason for loving Tearmoon Empire so much is just because I find Mia to be a great example of a flawed, lovable character that I haven't seen much of nowadays. Her doom was mainly the result of her flaws and her mistakes, which I personally prefer more than her doom being caused by external forces. She isn't the underdog, nor is a she a brilliant tactician, and that's what I love about her.
Admittedly, Tearmoon Empire is the only villainess (sort of) anime that I watched, so I'm not even sure if it qualifies as "villainess". And I've only watched the anime, not the light novels. It may never get a season 2, but I still love it as it is.
I classify it as a villainess story, especially with later volumes. No spoilers, but it genuinely does get better. I’d invite you to read the light novels if you can, the author has genuinely smart writing that the anime doesn’t cover. In addition, there are a few chapters that explore the ramifications of the old timeline, and the outcomes the different characters (Anne, Sion, Tiona, etc.) suffered through. It provides such an amazing juxtaposition to the current timeline, and shows how despite everything, Mia’s actions have been changing things to the better (even if she doesn’t fully recognize it)
I just love this light novel so much fr
There is now the 7th loop, or as I'd like to call it; V7, Villaness 99, or V99.
But where is my V8?! Where is the Valkyrie, all shiny and chromed, that brings me to the gates of Valhalla?! By my deeds, I honour her. V8!
We could also have a proper V7. A villaness is banished or sent to die along with 6 knights to make sure she is properly judged and is repentful before death but ends up in an adventure that makes the villaness have a profound value of life, or something like that.
I’m so glad you talk about the villainess genre it’s such and interesting niche and there’s a lot of potential in it‼️
Great video. My wife and I both really enjoy Villaness anime. We've watched all of them. Will definently read some of your recommendations. Thanks for all of the titles and links in the description.
Why did this video come across as holy gospel to me? oh wait, villainess stories is basically all I read. Keep preaching!
edit: was hoping for a recommendation with your favorite, but I just read Holy Grail of Eris. I read everything mentioned in this video. Dang it. I always need more material. I read through an entire series in a day, staying up all night to get it done if needed. It's a serious problem... that I don't have enough material, obviously. Screw sleeping who needs it.
If I had to pick a favorite myself though I couldn't tell you... I love them all so much. I love the comical ones where the main character is a sweet dunce constantly afraid of a bad ending that obviously wont happen as the entire cast is in love with them. I love the drama packed ones with revenge plots and intense scenes. I love the ones with great character growth such as a tyrant going back in time and learning to be a better person her second time around. I love the family oriented ones where a mother raises a children who become the villains, or marries the villain, or falls in love with a secondary character and they MC acts to try to prevent their families tragic fates. I don't usually prattle on this much but dang it this video is so targeted towards me I can't help it.
If you need recomendations, look in the comments section of this video. Many are placing recomendations in the comments.
13:00 The fast and greatly concise recommendation descriptions is the best part of this video for me frfr
EDIT: Also i thought your fav was gonna be "My Throne" but just noticed it ain't a Villainess manhwa but just has a badass villainess
I think it counts. It’s just crazy subversive. Rarely is the male lead a total freaking monster in these, and it’s quite remarkable how threatening that dude from your throne is.
It dares ask the question: How tf do you actually strike back against a prince if there are real consequences? And the answer is a massive web of lies and manipulation.
i love videos like this that give an in depth analysis of the genre with also some recommendations, so when you said your favorite i went to check the story before the recap, i started fangirling in the third chapter wtf that was AMAZING
I came here because of your immaculate taste only to be blown away by the cool recommendations that I’m adding to my TBR list
While I'm simply Bakarina brained (and have only really watched a few of these works), I do think that the point about the possibilities and how it can be adapted in so much ways makes the villainess sub-genre really interesting. Bakarina, is vastly different then 7th Timeloop which is different from Magirevo, and that's awesome, I would want, even the works in my favorite genre, to be easily identifiable and have stark contrasts where I don't feel like I'm experiencing the same thing over and over
It's okay to admit you are obsessed, welcome to the crew!
Yassss
finally! I love villainess stories! I didn't know where to look for them
I forgot about some of these! Loved the video, glad to have found someone else as obsessed with the villainess trope as I am!
The long foretold video is finally here!!
Was excited to throw your production company's name in the credits after you provided me with that green-screen brush effect - you're the schmoat.
Let's not forgot the subgenre of this subgenre with the in novel universe side characters reacting to the villainess main characters n events.
best recommendation on the top of my heads are
"An Observation Log of My Wife - A Self-Proclaimed Villainess"
&
"My Mom Entered a Contract Marriage"
These stories are best for veterans of these villainess stories
YES!!! YESSSS!!! >w< )❤ I absolutely love these two series just cuz we're seeing the narrative from another individual rather than the supposed villainess itself; a third person perspective. And seeing them react to the unusual actions of the villainess, whether they think they should acknowledge it or not, definitely caught my attention.
@@sweetmeloday5935 🎉 yeah a fellow reader of these series. It also helps that my mom entered a contract marriage has breathtaking art too, like omg ❤
@@sweetmeloday5935 yussssss. The best part that stand out about these 2 is that the side character MC perspective gives them a unique plot line compare to If Yr following the usual villainess character. Some stories just slowly move the narrative to make these characters similar to the villainess characters experience, but that defeats the purpose of the premise. Im glad these 2 are different from one another 2 since 1 is the perspective of a male love interest n the other is from a mind of a child and the story does so accordingly
This is the villainess video essay I've always wanted, your 1st set of recommendations are some of my all-time favorites and I've never been able to explain the villainous subgenre myself. Now I have a vid to send to my friends when their confused about what villainess story I'm yapping about and what the subgenre is :D
I have always loved the oujosama characters in anime/manga and the villainess stories are nice variation of that. Which I have enjoyed for a while lol. Thanks for some new titles.
villainess stories are often fast food to me.
easy, where everything tends to work out for the protag.
heavily seasoned with msg or sugar, as in the villains are cartoonishly evil and the situations tend to disadvantage the protag so much that her rise to power and revenge taste so satisfyingly strong.
not overly complicated in with ambiguous morality or whatnot, who are you supposed to root for is clear whether theyre good to begin with or redeemable later.
easy to get, easy to digest, popular with many options to choose from.
reliable in its predictability, you know what will you get in term of touchstone tropes whether they will follow or directly defy it.
feels unhealthy in contrast to deep, complex narratives 'foods' that are less easy to digest with more (well, sometimes) payoff that overindulging makes me feel bloated, but harmless as a treat every now and then lol.
its just fun! they're comforting, as you say! they're my go to media when I want to turn my brain off.
im writing every recs down! thank you!
EDIT YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YOUR RECS ARE ELITE???? THESE ARE SO GOOD........... the one within the villainess and holy grail of eris especially, they completely break my preconception of shallow villainess stories. thank you so much!!!!!
lol
But yeah, there’s a lot of low hanging fruit, but those who put in the effort get something really impressive. Same with anything really, there’s plenty of cheap bargain bin isekai, but some of them out there go above and beyond and it’s always so nice to see.
I'll Become a Villainess Who Will Go Down in History.
Puts the protagonist against a otomegame heroine who has a astound charisma, that makes people almost imediatly get on her side and put the blame on the protagonist, and she's very happy that people are blamming her. It takes a bit to get going.
Absolutely loved this video! As someone who is equally obsessed with Villainess stories, I enjoyed your perspective a lot! There was a lot of ones you mentioned that I havent read yet that I definitely need to check out!
My introduction into the "Villainess" genre started with a Chinese book called Scum Villain. Not really a Villainess since the reincarnated lead is a man. But the trope is still there regardless. And I loved that book series so much I wanted to see more stories with that same villain premise that I watched My Next Life As A Villainess. And then I've just kinda spiraled from there. I just love all the different aspects of them. From the struggle of trying to lay low (and failing) or actively trying to become friends with everyone, or even just outright embracing the villain role and getting revenge. All of it is always so fun to read/watch. Especially when the characters still think they're on the path of the original ending even though they have long since prevented that ending from even being a thought in anyone else's mind.
You should release the Alignment Chart rant, I very much would love to hear it.
Also if anyone has additional recommendations please feel free to share! The genre is so huge at this point that sometimes its hard to find all the stories that classify. Especially since some stories I think technically aren't Villainess stories (because the lead was never actually a villain), but people seem to still count them as such. (7th Time Loop, Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion, etc.)
i love the holy grail of eris! glad to see someone hyping it up!