Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shiteshimatta...

It’s time. And by ‘it’s time’, I mean it’s time for an otome isekai to take the world by storm. We’ve had so many different types of isekai these years that this was destined to happen. A show of this nature requires not just a colorful story but a character cast hammered to their roles. I tend to think Hamefura as a gift that any fan of isekai would be grateful to receive. It’s Bakarina time. The original novels gained a fan following and I’d assume popularity would surge more after this adaptation. Hamefura is based on the light novel of the same name featuring female protagonist, Katarina Claes. She is reborn as a villainous character in a game known as ‘Fortune Teller’ and fate has it that she will die by destruction flags regardless what route she takes. Sounds eerie, right? Not quite. Hamefura is not a show to be taken too seriously despite the initial premise. By routes, we have Katarina playing her life like a game in this world with a variety of characters and circumstances. ‘ Before dissecting the show, I think it’s important to watch this with an open mind. Make no mistake as Hamefura has tons of moments of comedy, character gags, and is prone to open shipping wars. Katarina is a single woman after all and the male cast is made of gentlemen of high class. In fact, many of the male characters she meets are wish-fulling guys you’d see from an otome game. Katarina is not the type to chase after them for romance because she’s got way bigger problems on her mind. And let’s be honest, she’s so dense that they'd practically have to say ‘I love you’ to get her to notice. But besides that, Katarina has a rather peculiar mind evidenced through the surrealistic court hearings we see often throughout the show. It’s a running gag that plays on Katarina's psyche and shows how her mind works in a very peculiar fashion. That’s not the only running gag as we also see the younger version of Katarina although both retains the same personality. This same gag applies to many of the other characters including Alan Stuart, Keith Claes, Mary Hunt, and among others. A big question to answer is how much should we care about Katarina. Do you want to see her avoid her doomed fate? Would you like to see her enter a serious relationship with one of the main male cast? Or do you want her life to just be normal again? You don’t need to think too hard about these questions as the plot plays out naturally. From the first few episodes, we see Katarina adjusting to her life as a villainous protagonist. Armed with knowledge about Fortune Lover, Katarina takes chances at making meaningful relationships with important characters. She even becomes a gardener as part of her plans. In essence, she’s not just living in this game world but playing it. Katarina herself is the anti-thesis of the game version of her character. After regaining her memories, Katarina becomes a humble person willing to help others although she remains oblivious to others’ feelings around her. To put it simply, she is a dense black hole. Through character interactions, we see that she tries to change her relationship status with the male cast to avoid certain game endings. In contrast to her game version character, Katarina goes out her ways to fix mistakes such as being a better sister for Keith. Furthermore, Katarina’s actions causes others to view her differently compared to her in-game character. At its core, it can be said that Katarina is described as socially gifted but an academic failure in all respects. No wonder she is known by the community as “Bakarina”. An otome also has its fair share of female characters as we are introduced to Mary, Sophia, and Maria. In the present timeline and story, Katarina builds important relationships with all of them, a sharp contrast compared to her antagonistic connections from Fortune Lover. It’s because of Katarina’s selfless nature and compliments that earns her friends and to no one’s surprise, she also gain their admiration, or perhaps a bit even more. But make no mistake, this anime isn’t fully committed to romance but rather aims its focus at Katarina at very chance. Let’s also not forget how dense she can be towards other people’s feelings that sometimes, it can seem like a meme. Watching Hamefura takes an easy mind to enjoy and honestly, it’s a show that delivers what you see. Helmed by studio Silver Links, there’s an elegant charisma bestowed upon the characters. We see the studio dress the characters into noble clothes to fit their aristocratic status, especially for the male characters. In fact, this is an anime based on a fictional otome game so naturally, the male characters has the look of bishounens. Katarina herself is also an eye catcher with her lady-like behavior during important episodes. There are episodes that depicts her as more elegant than others especially during dance sequences. It gives a certain level of mystique look to her character when she has a mask on, or it can be rather plain and simple as when she is in her role as a gardener. The world fiction contains colorful architectures, void of modern technology. And finally, I do want to praise on our main heroine’s voice acting. Katarina may originally be a spoiled brat but in the present timeline, she manages to be very convincing as a humble woman. She even seems like a princess at times and wants to be treated as such despite her overwhelmingly dense personality. Oh Hamefura. The time finally came for an otome isekai to show what the world it can do and with just 12 episodes, it managed to be convincing enough to pull the trigger. Watching this show gives me hope that more otome isekai will be animated in the future. With Season 2 announced, we're in for more of Bakarina.

When I first heard of My next life as a villainess: all routes lead to doom! I thought it was a pretty good idea at first and to be honest it had a very good first two episodes or so. The setting is in an otome game---which is like those story-telling visual novel games that appeal to young women---and I thought this could possibly be the next big thing for isekai anime because of its two major differences as compared to all the other generic isekais every season, that being: 1. It is a story-telling type game with multiple potential endings that all end in hell for the villainess (MC), and 2. It appeals to both men and women instead of just the men being showered with anime tiddies To my disappointment, this series was only good at the beginning. It was really funny seeing the MC desperately struggle to avoid her inevitable doom and they even had these cute moments of her various personalities debating their next move in her brain. It was also funny because the MC is a teenage girl in a child’s body which adds more drama and makes things really consistent with its humor. All of this, however, was lost after the timeskip which signals the beginning of the actual otome game. I find it really ironic how the MC just seemingly stops to care (or care a lot less) about her “inevitable doom” as it draws nearer and nearer. The entire middle part of the show is just her eating sweets and enjoying her time with her friends. The entire plot that was being built up before the timeskip is completely put on hold and then brought back at the final 2 or 3 episodes. It was so painful having to sit through that as I keep telling myself every episode that it will come back to its former glory of its first episode but just never does. The art and animations are nothing special either and are in fact actually extremely mediocre and dull due to the low budget. There is no memorable score either and the OP isn’t that well directed with matching the appropriate music with the actual scenes, not that any of those were any good anyway. The magic system was hardly ever touched upon (not that it mattered because of the nature of the show but if it bothers you that there is a magic system that is just there doing nothing for the most part then don’t bother with this show). Although all the middle episodes were absolute garbage, the show does get better at the final few episodes where they actually bring back the focus of the main storyline. It also has some good plot twists and a lot of character development for the side characters, but still no comedy despite it giving off a comedic mood at the very start. It’s a very unfitting genre change that can be described as illogical. The main criticism for this show is the lack of consistency with its humor where it starts off really good but just has a massive decline and just entirely disappearing really. I really hate it when a show has a good start and gets you all excited to look forward to something every week but then just turns out into a complete disappointment for the most part.

Not gonna lie, I went into this thinking this is going to be yet another shitty reverse harem show. I’m glad I was proven wrong. Not only Hamefura isn’t a mindless reverse harem, it is also one of the rare actually original isekai shows. It does have a female protagonist, sure, but that isn’t that much groundbreaking (Honzuki is airing during the same season, after all). What’s different is that instead of being put into the role of a hero and getting tasked with saving word or something like that, the protagonist is instead thrown into the role of a villain and it is her self-determined goal to deflect the fate of villainess. What’s more, this goal isn’t some end game that the protagonist gets to eventually after having their deal off side adventures – it is something the Katarina, the protagonist, is consciously working on and her main focus. This is both a point of interest as we can see her plans unfold and a source of comedy, as her tunnel vision gets her in position she not only appears in unintentionally, she doesn’t even notice those situations. This makes the harem way more watchable – it doesn’t fall into the protagonists lap, the protagonist doesn’t chase after others even though they have more grave things to worry about. Instead, it forms naturally as the protagonist has positive effect on the world and people around. It also turns out that romance not being in mind of the protagonist is another thing that might make reverse harem anime enjoyable, not to mention the inclusion of both sexes in the cast of the harem, greatly increasing the potential demographic of this anime. The comedy is actually entertaining and doesn’t get stale within the number of episodes this anime has. Story progression is present as well as character growth – that is mainly affected by the Katarina’s survival planning, to both her intentional and unintentional extent. The cast is likeable and doesn’t feel just like generic group of bishounen. There is no problem with the animation and opening is catchy. Overall, this is definitely the most pleasant surprise of the season.

An awesome isekai that implicitly teaches about the limitations of one's choice within a game and in reality. How dating simulators have only several choices in contrast to reality where unlimited choices can be made freely. Otome Game is hands down a good anime. Despite being an isekai, our totally beloved genre. The show shone brightly and eased our minds with its relaxing and tranquil story development and pacing along with a mix between Shoujo & Shoujo Ai to appeal to both genders. Accommodated by a fucking catchy Opening, I could proudly say that this is possibly the best isekai of Spring 2020. The concept of this anime caught me ever since it was released. As this is according to the extent of my awareness the first dating simulator isekai. I was always interested in this show and couldn't wait for it to finish airing so I could binge watch it in one day. And oh I am not disappointed. Season 2 needed. Recommended to everybody.

Notice: My review will contain a few little "spoilers", though they have little connection to anything and spoil nothing. However, proceed with caution. "My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom" is mediocre at best. This is your usual pleasant casual romance, fun to watch but when it comes to the story this anime drops flat. Story) Katarina is reincarnated as a villainess in an Otome Game and she has a simple goal in mind: avoiding her preestablished destiny of death. There is nothing extraordinary about the story, and whenever something serious happens, the mood doesn't fully adjust. When most of the main cast got trapped in a book the only two characters that can save them aren't taking it seriously. It is considerably unorganized how the story can jump back and forth like this. My next point is the story also relies on its otome game premise but does nothing with it, the death flags/romance flags are mostly a device they make no use of. The escaping death flags are what brought me to this series at first. The reverse harem was fun while it lasted but eventually, it got old and it felt slightly boring. It's really humorous how Katarina just apparently stops to care about her "doom” during the middle part of the series. The settings are dull, the story could take place anywhere but it's another genetic town/magic school/castle. For a fantasy world, they sure spend time farming and doing normal stuff. The game premise makes no sense either, Was there a design in the game to trap the characters in the book, etc How does the secret route of the game even work out? As far as we know Katarina can't be changed to become friendly in the game, So how does this path unlock? Episode 10 is finally where the climax of the series is happening, the episode ends on a cliffhanger and I was becoming excited. However, in the next episode, six sets of flashbacks take place. Did we need a reminder on how the characters started to love Katarina? (especially when there were only a few episodes) This killed off my excitement, the flashbacks are extremely tedious. They shouldn't be recapping near this point of the series, there are so many other things to be focusing on. For example, the many unsolved questions just from Episode 11 alone - How did Katarina even get back to her real world? How is she talking to Acchan? It's not even clear if Katarina's friend Acchan is Sophia or just inside her. Characters) The story had a chance to create unusual personalities that copy game characters but instead the cast are standard harem protagonists. Katarina is entirely oblivious, furthermore, making her a complete dumbass, but that reasonably makes the series enjoyable. Katarina mostly carries this show single-handedly. The other characters have their moments that are entertaining and engaging, but also sometimes bland. Entertainment) This is where the anime shines. It's pretty lighthearted and fun to watch. Also quite calming and refreshing if the cast isn't being clingy to Katarina. Art and Sound) The animation in this is pretty good. Granted, they don't have to do much with it since most of the series takes place in a rather generic world. The animation is soft and solid and the characters look cute. Intro song and ending were good, I loved the closing song with the visuals. Voice actors fit their characters strongly. Overall) This isn't to say that I don't like My Next Life as a Villainess, because I honestly do like the show and I’ll stay around for season two. If you like simple, entertaining, well-made stories, My Next Life as a Villainess is worth viewing for you. ---- Story - 4 Characters - 6 Animation/art - 7 Sound/soundtrack- 7 Enjoyment - 6 Overall - 6 or 5

It was the first time I watched the Reverse Harem. This story about Katarina Claes, a nobleman's daughter who has bad behavior especially to the maid who helps her. One day when meeting with Gerald Stuart, one of the princes in the country. Katarina tripped and hit her forehead on the ground. That's when memories of Katarina's previous life appeared. Katarina was previously only a high school teenage girl who had an ordinary life. She has a hobby of playing otome games, games targeted at women. At that moment she realized that she was now inside the enemy body of the Heroine. These figures are usually called Villainess in the game. With that in mind, Katarina immediately confirmed that it was true that she was currently in the world of otome games. She unpacked the books in his home library and it turns out that she is currently in the world of Fortune Lover's otome game. Katarania could not help but have to devise a plan to avoid the Bad End for her. The anime Isekai reappears in a new format. If the Isekai anime usually contains MCs that are OP and have a Harem, this time we will be presented with a quite different anime. Different from usual, this anime will be thicker in the comedy and romance genres, because this time Isekai comes from an otome game played by the main character in his previous life. I was quite surprised by this anime. Initially I did not expect much for the anime Isekai. Moreover, this genre is quite new, namely Isekai with the genre of romance and reverse harem in it. But I was surprised because it turned out that this anime was quite enjoyable and I really enjoyed every minute when I watched this anime. In terms of artwork, this anime is arguably above average. Each character is well illustrated and his face is also quite clear. Moreover, Katarina's often changing expression was described quite well. Although for this episode all the characters are still chibi, so it is still uncertain whether when they grow up the quality will still be the same. This anime background is also pretty standard, but not too detailed. Backgrounds like this are usually used for anime Shoujo in general, so it is not too disturbing comfort when watching this anime. Because for this type of anime the focus is more on dialogue between characters. Seiyuu in this anime also works so good. Especially because at this time the main characters are still children, their voices are still cute. Every dialogue that occurs is voiced so good that we feel empathy for the character. Besides that, the soundtrack and OP / ED are very charming, I'm sure you will be surprised if you watch this anime further, this is a promising anime and worth to watching.

If I had to describe this anime, it would be overrated. Don't get me wrong, it's quite enjoyable but I feel as if people are overhyping it. It's similar to last season's Bofuri (incidentally, same studio) where the story is quite generic but it was somehow thought to be extra funny that the character was OP. In this case, Catarina AKA Bakarina is ultra dense and while that is funny at times, it goes overboard. The character is just plain stupid and the whole story goal of "avoiding the doom flag" seems kinda pointless since it should be obvious from the start that she already has avoided it. I mean, she could have simply not got in the way of any relationship and everything would have worked out. TLDR, it feels kinda forced that she doesn't realize the doom has been avoided. I would prefer if there were actual obstacles on her way to avoid her doom. On the flip side, the characters (except Mary) were quite interesting and each had their own backstories and personalities which were explored throughout the show. The reason Mary is annoying is because her obsession with Bakarina is well, annoying. She even tries to get in the way of her fiancée just because she wants her for herself. Overall, a decent show with some flaws but many fun moments. I hope in Season 2, they can at least have a good story or at least focus more on the relationships between the characters, an area which was largely left out especially in the second half

The supposed reincarnated villainess "Catarina Claes", does not face any real challenge or anything being called worthy of a flag of doom throughout the entire series. Even the ending doom flag, feels like it was kind of forced. The antagonist had no real purpose of going against the villainess. Revenge is stated as a reason but the object of revenge was not the villainess to begin with, so it makes little sense as for why she was targeted. The real problem of the series is the MC kinds of befriends every doom flag that is supposed to appear in the years before they actually appear. She wakes up at the age of 5 which is very early to harbor any kind of bad reputation or anything of that sort and proceeds to intentionally or unintentionally befriend anyone that will likely cause her to be flagged as a villainess in future. Thus when the actual plot, the academy story line beings, the situation is such that no matter what happens, she is not going to be cast away to begin with. This lack of challenge which you would kind of expect in this genre of stories, is what makes this series disappointing for me. So, a rare bad rating from me and obviously I will not recommend anyone to watch this series being fooled by the title.

Before I start, I want to say that there will be mild spoilers in this review. Worry not, these spoilers will be interest-catchers one way or another. As far as the clichés in the isekai genre and tensei category goes, when the protagonist dies and gets reincarnated to another world, he/she becomes a protagonist of some sort. It's the same with the game genre—when the main character logs to the game, he/she becomes the main character for that game. Not for this anime, though. This anime, "Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shiteshimatta...," takes the tensei isekai game genre into a perspective different from the usual: what if we spice things up a little and reincarnate our main character into the bad guy… well… bad girl? That's exactly what this anime did. Our unnamed main character dies like all other tensei anime, gets reincarnated in another world, only to find out that it's a world in the game she played on her past life. Unfortunately, she's not the protagonist—she's Katarina Claes—the main antagonist of the game. Her worries do not end there, because like the title—the main ending for her is not anything pleasant like getting flat-out rejected by the male route she is the rival for, for an antagonist, that is—she dies or gets exiled. Sadly. This is where the story builds itself—with our "protagonist" doing everything she can to avoid her "doom endings," using all of her knowledge on the game. This is one of the premises that is really unique to me, as I've only come to think about this because of this anime. This level of uniqueness is really praiseworthy—combining being young again, knowing what will happen in the future, and the isekai genre, going to a world different from what you were used to. They development in the story was excellent, not too fast, and not too slow. All 12 episodes of goodness to look forward to every week that passed by. The art was just amazing. From the characters' child forms to their young adult forms, the development in style is there—the attention to detail was superb. The backgrounds and sceneries were also amazing—the colors are vibrant, inviting, and just plan beautiful, even if those were drawn in a more cartoonish way than the usual anime. As for other art implementations, I don't think I can find eggplants more sumptuous that in this anime. This makes me want to cook another eggplant omelette. Ah yes, the music. From the time I heard the opening theme, I was just enchanted. The OP is one of the best OPs I have heard all of these years I have watched anime. The lyrics, rhythms, and individual parts were really catchy, embedded to my mind. I even went as far as singing it every time I am reminded of it, singing along as the sequence came out. The full version is even better. Of course, the OSTs also would not lag behind. One soundtrack I am particularly fond of is the Track 15 – Sonatina (Fast). It's the piece one of the characters played on the piano. I actually thought that it was a classical piece made by artists like Beethoven in the past, until I found out that it was actually an original one for the anime. I had to wait in anticipation of its release. The characters. The characters were very awesome! I really like their designs and their developments, especially the yuri baits going after the main character. I like how the anime for a total harem, comprised of both genders. It's actually a new take on the harem genre especially that the game where Katarina reincarnated it is an otome game—meaning that the main routes will generally be… male characters. I like how MOST of the characters do their roles properly and help this show to become the amazing show it is. The voice acting also really made it better. Well, except for one. There is one character that I came to hate with passion—I don't think the word "abhor" is enough. I really don't like that he exists in the story, or if he did, I would rather he did his role better. Geordo Stuart, Katarina's "fiancé" is introduced as a "sadistic prince with a black heart." This nonsense is very rage-inducing. I really hate how he shows up at every scene with his face hinting his non-existent "sadistic" personality which was done very horribly. I have no grudges against any other sadistic male characters out there, but it's the first time I really hated a character like this. Why? Just why? Even so, I still find this anime very enjoyable. This anime changed not only me, but also my relationship with my siblings. I was able to bring my younger brother and younger sister to the "anime" side, and we began watching this anime every week. From then on, they discovered their own tastes and watches anime independently now. It's just a very wholesome experience. Individually, I also enjoyed the premise, waiting week per week to see new episodes, laughing at the comedy and sharing the pain in the dramatic moments. This proves that anime can strengthen bonds, too which is very awesome, not to mention that I also really enjoyed this even if I was heavily spoiled by an upperclassman who reads the source material. Overall, this is an excellent anime. Excellent music, excellent premise, and excellent characters… well, except "him." It really made a permanent mark on how I watch anime, and for that, I will never forget it. Now that a second season has been announced, I am really looking forward to watch the additional things that happens after a pretty conclusive ending… which of course, my upperclassman also spoiled me too. Did that reduce my excitement? Let me repeat: NOPE. It makes my blood more excited for the upcoming season. But yeah, this anime reminded me that I really need to learn how to draw so that I can finally create my visual novel. No, I don't have money to hire an artist.

When talking about this show, it seems the natural place to start is the premise. I’m sure it’s what drew most people to the show initially, myself included, and I really think it’s quite good. The synopsis of the show is that Catarina hits her head and remembers her past life (I’m not quite sure how that works). In doing so, she comes to the realization that she has been reincarnated into her favorite otome game (again, I’m at a loss), and that she is none other than the antagonist of the game, Catarina Claes, who is doomed to a terrible fate of being either killed or exiled. Despite my nitpicks, I personally haven’t seen anything quite like this before and I was excited to see how Catarina would deal with this predicament. I was anticipating an uphill battle where Catarina tries to alter the inevitabilities etched into the game’s programming. I was expecting things outside of Catarina’s control to go wrong as the game’s way of fighting back and keeping up the natural order of the game. I thought that the story would feature Catarina going to great lengths to win over these characters who are meant to oppose her by design, particularly Maria, the game’s protagonist. Were my assumptions correct? I couldn’t have been more wrong. What does the show do instead? Simply put, things are much, much easier. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the show’s premise doesn’t matter at all. The inciting incident of this story happens when Catarina is still a young girl, before she ever truly went down the path of a villainess, and with plenty of time before she is set to meet her doom at the age of 15. Not that she needed much time at all because winning over these characters is easier than one could have ever anticipated. The pattern that dictates each and every one of these encounters is that Catarina meets a character in the game, she intentionally or unintentionally solves their problems simply by being nice to them, and they quickly fall for her. Now, if all the characters are in love with Catarina, how could she ever achieve a bad ending? Well, the answer is she can’t, but the show will continue to pretend there is some sort of danger present for the rest of the season. Despite everything I’ve just laid out, though, I do understand that the plot isn’t very important to the show. What this show really focuses on is delivering a reverse-harem rom-com. The characters in this show aren’t very interesting. I’ve heard it said that the characters are this way because they mimic the common archetypes of otome games, which makes sense, but when the focus of your story is placed this much on the characters, there should be more to them. On top of that, as a whole, I didn’t really find them all that likable either. First, there are the four conquerable princes of the game. There’s Geordo, who is Catarina’s overbearing fiancé. Then, there’s Keith, her clingy adopted brother. Next, you’ve got Alan, who is just your standard tsundere. Lastly, you’ve got Nicol, who is quiet and lacking personality. Once you get the Expanded Harem DLC, you receive Mary, the loyal best friend, Sophia, the shy and reserved one, and lastly, Maria, who’s sweet, pure, and with the importance of just another harem member, despite being the protagonist of the game. At the end of it all, Sirius, or Raphael, is also added to the list. Then, of course, there’s Catarina, herself, who is dense, kind, and simple-minded. She routinely friendzones up to seven people at once, commanding even the most seasoned harem protagonists to take notes and watch as she somehow misinterprets people just outright confessing to her. All in all, these characters work for the laid-back, wholesome vibe the show aims for, but there isn’t anything more. The drama attached to the characters in this show is very repetitive and quickly forgotten after it’s dealt with in their introductory episode. I think Keith’s really shines in particular, but the rest are forgettable. Mary, Sophia, and Maria each have a very similar backstory, involving them feeling isolated and lonely until Catarina offers them friendship. Oh, and Sirius also has a very interesting backstory to say the least. So much so that it really is a shame when it is resolved the same exact way as usual with Catarina solving all his issues simply by being nice. On the other side of things, the comedy in this show isn’t anything great. Almost all the jokes center on Catarina misunderstanding what another character says, which is expected from a harem show. I do think the comedy is serviceable to the appeal the show is going for, but it rarely ever got a laugh out of me. So, what is the appeal of this show? With everything I’ve said so far, I’m sure it must sound like I hate it. However, I do understand why people like it, and it was one of the few shows that I caught every week and never fell behind on. The reason is that, despite all the flaws I’ve mentioned, My Next Life as a Villainess invites you to just relax and not think about those things. This show delivers a wholesome and cute experience and a pleasant escape from the real world. This show isn’t really boring either. There’s always something new happening that isn’t ever very good, but just entertaining enough to satisfy you. Watching the whole show is painless save for a few eye-rolls and even some laughter at the show’s attempts at drama. After it’s finished, though, you know that there isn’t anything more to what you just saw, and it isn’t even clear whether or not you enjoyed it while it was on. With all that said, I will be catching the second season next year. I’m interested to see where the story goes from here now that it’s seemingly given up on acting like Catarina is in danger. Additionally, I’m planning on reading the spin-off manga, the Verge of Destruction Arc, when it is released in English. In that story, Catarina remembers her past life at the age of 15 rather than as a young girl. With less than a year left and her villainous deeds already done, she might actually be in some real danger in that story. Then again, if it’s handled by the creator of the original series, I’m sure Catarina will apologize or something and they’ll all forgive her instantly. All in all, My Next Life as a Villainess isn’t really worth seeing, but watching it isn’t a bad time either. Just don’t expect anything great or memorable.

Please note this review is intended to be read by those that have finished watching My next life as a villainess: All routes lead to doom and while care has been taken to minimise story related spoilers there may still be spoilers within character analysis. You have been warned. Based off a popular light novel series of the same name Otome Game No Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shiteshimatta which is better known by its much shortened English title My Next Life as a villainess All routes lead to Doom is a comedy, romance, school and fantasy genre anime that gives us the unique opportunity to see what will happen if one day a teenage girl were to after meeting an untimely demise be transported and reincarnated within the world of her favourite Otome game Fortune Lover. The overall story of the series takes place within the kingdom of Sorcier a country that while being able to provide safety and economic security to its people was also one that featured a deep social division due to the social struggles that exist within its society. In this world no matter what one’s ability was within society only those within the noble class can advance up the ladder that is society. While the Isekai genre in recent years has seen a massive boost in popularity due to the release of celebrated series such as Re Zero and Saga of Tanya such series while demonstrating well what otherworld knowledge and magical application can do on the field of battle these did little to show the kind of impact it can have on changing the social injustice that can also exist in class-based societies. In this, while My next life as a villainess’s story is one that focuses on romantic comedy in line with its genre and not a serious attempt to address the social issues present in its world I felt that its unique attempt to address this in the form of forging friendships and bonds that transcend social classes and in the process change the direction of not just their fates but also Katarina’s own was a unique idea that served to make me an instant fan of the series. The first episode of the series I felt was an interesting one that while doing well in introducing the series main premise and setting also did well to showcase the unique quirks that are present within the series main heroine Katarina that serve to make her an example of an atypical noble on account of her wiliness to take on hobbies that will be seen as strange for her as well as her desire to befriend others in an attempt to save both their lives a combination that served to make her pretty endearing in my eyes. Katarina Katarina portrayed by veteran seiyuu singer Maaya Uchida of Charlotte and Danmachi fame is one of the main characters of the series and is the main heroine of the series. A teenage girl from the prestigious Claes family Katarina on initial appearances and before the regaining of her alter self-memories was seen to be a mischievous and rather temperamental person that seems to take particular delight in taking advantage of people around her. However, after regaining her memories Katarina’s personality shifts for the better. While still maintaining her confident and determined nature Katarina also as a result of her realization of the truth of the world around her also began to treat those around her differently treating them with not the pasted on fake kindness and care that standard nobles would show but with kindness, friendliness and politeness that was genuine a fact that soon allowed her to meet and befriend many new friends among her peers. While kind and considerate to her friends Katarina was also shown to be someone willing to go the extra mile in helping them deal with issues that would often give people pause a fact that reflects well on not just her preference to deal with matters directly but also her determination to help those around her a fact that I felt was admirable of her. While Katarina’s personality shifts did well to make her realize the beauty that can come from having friends and comrades that she can count on within both school and society these shifts also served well to aid her in her efforts to improve her given route in the book called Katarina’s life. Within the series, this is perhaps best shown in Katarina’s sudden interest in gardening as well as her preference to learn more about the world and improve her innate skills by learning from others. While certainly aspects that will be frowned upon by both her fellow nobles and her mother these aspects, I felt served well to reinforce the fact that while Katarina may not be the ideal daughter that they want that to Katarina this was the kind of life and freedom that she wanted to experience in her life one that was full of smiles and happiness that was borne out of having an enjoyable time with friends that are linked together with genuine bonds of friendship and trust. Overall the character of Katarina Claes I felt was one that was both well designed and developed with her development from a mischievous child who had all the hallmarks of one that will grow up to become a terror to those around her to someone that was not only kind and caring towards her friends and fellows around her but someone that will go the extra mile for them to help them overcome their struggles being especially well done. While Katarina’s atypical hobbies of gardening and learning about the world by interacting with commoners on equal terms served to cause relations with her mother and fellow nobles to fluctuate I felt that this openness, when used in conjunction with her klutzy nature, served to make her not only more entertaining but also more relatable to both the audience and to her world’s inhabitants as well an aspect that served well to resonate with the series core themes of changing one’s fate by forging bonds of friendship. Gerald Gerald Stuart portrayed by voice actor Shouta Aoi is one of the main characters of the series and is one of Katarina’s circle of friends within the series. A prince of the kingdom of Sorcier and the brother of Alan Stewart Gerald on his initial appearances was seen to be a kind, calm and curious person by nature that had all the hallmarks of being someone that can be said to be a perfect example of royalty being both polite, honourable and someone that looked out for his fellows. While shown to have some degree of pride within him as can be expected of being a prince Gerald unlike his fellow nobles was seen to have little in the way of arrogance and was someone that treated others with respect regardless of their social class and was someone that preferred to work hard to achieve his aims that showed well both his determination and preference for honesty over the mind games that are prevalent within the nobility of the kingdom. After the time skip Gerald while still retaining his base traits starts to gradually change as a result of not only meeting Katarina but also his circle of friends as well. In the past, due to the training that he received as part of his prince duties, Gerald was noted to be someone that while calm and composed was someone that preferred to keep his true emotions and thoughts hidden and interact with others with all the grace and humility that is expected of a prince of the kingdom. While the training that Gerald was provided with proved sufficient for the task this also created a sense of loneliness within him as despite being a prince he had no real friends that he can count on for both advice and friendship and as a result while maintaining a surface mask that served to fool others in his heart Gerald saw his life as one that was both boring and tedious. However as a result of meeting Katarina and later her circle of friends this belief of his gradually starts to change as for the first time in his life he was able to not only meet but also befriend people who while being nobles treated each other not with false words but with genuine honesty, respect and tr…

The most disappointing thing about this anime is probably how the characters actually started out pretty fantastic. Having them all be around the age of 8 was a surprisingly ingenious idea. Instead of the entire cast just being harem troupes, the show throws us into an earlier stage in their lives which gave us the opportunity to see what kind of upbringing they all had as children that lead them into becoming the way they are as teenagers. We got to see how a guy that grew up to be the typical womanizer was overcompensating for how lonely he felt as a child who couldn't control his own power. We got to see how the silent broody ikemen with a sister complex developed such a condition due to the families around them treating his sister as a demon ever since they were young. The main character could actually interact with each of their backstories directly. This could've been great. It was a brilliant way of having troupes but also giving the cast some depth without resorting to flashbacks... Only for the show to ruin that when it does a time skip at around the 5 episode mark. Then all of the characters just grow up to become the exact troupe they were alluding to minus all the depth and charm. The only thing Catarina managed to change is that they're troupes who now also worship the ground Catarina walks on. woooooo Sure Catarina was still a mary sue as a child. But it makes a huge difference when the cast are more just genuinely happy about forming a bond with a friend as children than trying to get in her pants 24/7 as teenagers. I really do think the time skip was done for fanservice because obviously we can't have a harem anime without 4 guys (and some girls) slamming her against a wall seductively while she acts like every other oblivious harem protagonist. It's what appeals to the lowest common denominator. The show's momentum died sometime at around episode 5 or 6 just to become another slice-of-life harem where none of the characters have any personality except "wants to please Catarina." I hate that the show did this. It had some good stuff going for it in the beginning. The whole "would-be harem but from before all the characters grew up" proved itself to be a way more substantial premise than the whole "reincarnated as a villain" thing. The former actually presented some good storytelling beats. The latter was just a gimmick to try to differentiate this isekai harem from the 997317384 other isekai harem just to be exactly the same except for some 2-second running gags that got boring after the 30th time they happened. Of course, I'm not saying that the second concept can't make for a good series at all. In the hands of someone else, it could've been amazing. The issue is that this series in particular executes it horribly. First of all, the title claiming that all routes lead to doom is a complete lie. Only 2 of them do and both of them are resolved within the first 2 episodes. Second of all, Catarina being so perfect that she manages to fix everyone's problems just by being "nice" is power fantasy at its finest, sure, but offers absolutely zero rising tension for the remaining 90% of the show. I wanted to see her screw up at least once. I wanted to see her teeter around different routes based on her personality and growth, but nope. I think there was one scene with the prince-guy that I didn't bother memorizing the name of which perfectly summarizes this entire show. I won't go into specifics of the context to avoid spoilers. He was talking to Catarina about a certain type of magic that can manipulate people based on the hatred or jealousy in their hearts. This was one of the major plot points of the season. Then he goes on to say, and I kid you not, that Catarina "has no hatred or jealousy" which is why she's immune to the magic. That's it. That's the entire show and how it deals with every single one of its conflicts in a nutshell. That's what makes Catarina an absolutely horrible one-dimensional protagonist. If there's a problem, Catarina-jesus-sama will fix it. The first five episodes are around an 8 out of 10 for me. The last seven episodes are an easy mediocre 3 out of 10. According to weighted average where 5 episodes out of 12 is approximately 42% of the show, my final score would be 5.1 out of 10.

I started to watch this cause I read somewhere it wasn't a reverse harem shitshow. It absolutely is a reverse-harem with extra steps. Be it girl or guy. The main character "remember" her normal life in Japan and that she is living her life as it was in a game. The main character is basically an 8 year old mentally throughout the series. The isekai genre is just for fluff to the story and doesn't add anything. If you like good isekai/fantasy or romance series stay away from this trainwreck and dont be fooled to waste your time as I was. I kept thinking there's gonna be a twist. There is not. i repeat, there is NOT. There is no real depth to any characters, no real story besides taking turns fawning over MC. The MC is a dense moron that's all about eating sweets and enjoying her own hobbies. The animation is not bad, some of the artwork are pretty. Specially the garden ones. Sound are decent. There is alas nothing to save this horrible show. I rather stare at the door waiting for my dad to come home than ever watch this again. And he left 24 years ago.

The concept of this show was quite refreshing, the MC starts as a villain, and she has to save herself from the impending doom. Well, at least that's what you would expect when you read the title right? Well, not really. As for the main plot point. Well yes, the tittle is really misleading. I mean on paper our heroiness was the villainess, but she was never threated that way. (Honestly even the shield hero would have been better fitting for the title...) The thing is the show tried to sell her as a villainess, but she never was one (because of the usual isekai personality swap). She is the always smiling, dull, shallow, cute girl archetype. So she didn't do anything to prevent her doom. She gave only herself, and it was enough. I was expecting a redemption story, but this is not much more than just a dumb reverse harem. She didn't have any character development. She was the same dull, shallow character the whole time. Self-insert for teen girls? I suppose... In reality, it’s basically the story of what could have happened if you were a completely different person. Although it could have been a good story, but this anime lacks the depth to convey it properly. Usually I can't stand the harem anime. Sometimes it works though. This was not a problem in itself either.. It was well founded in the settings (dating simulator). What's the issue then? Let's put it this way. I can see why an edgy bad boy protagonist is attractive to a lot of girls. Similarly I can see why a girl with unique qualities are appealing to da' boys in the hood. I can absolutle understand why those protagonists has an army of simps. However what personality traits Catarina had? Well, yes she can eat a lot of sweets (such wow), and her hobby is farming (much depth), and that's about it. In a broarder sense she rejected the formality, and didn't care about the prestige or social status. Which basically every teenager ever. Who didn't rebel against the society when they were young? I definietly did. So it is a mistery to me what made her such a simpworthy person, not to mention that our resident heroiness was so dense, and dull it is unbelivable... As for the other characters. Well, they are not better either. All of them are painfully cliche cardboard cutouts. The only somewhat acceptable character is Alan, but even he is bellow avarage... The other parts of the show were fine. Visually and audiwise it was a correct work. It hits the standard of the recent anime. That's about it. There is not much worth mention about the show. Most likely I'm not the target audiance. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to laugh on this one, but it was painfully unfunny for me. What a simp attention race...

My Next Life as a Villainess is now my favorite anime of all time, and I honestly feel weird saying that. I've seen anime that are better in terms of objective quality, but I've never felt a connection to an anime quite like this one, and given that I'm not well-versed in the isekai genre AND I've never touched an otome game in my life, I think that really speaks to its strengths. One of Hamefura's greatest strengths is, of course, its characters, without a definitively unlikable one in the batch. The fact that there are so many great romance options for Catarina is great for a harem anime, but it's the fact that we get a firm understanding of why each and every character is attracted to Catarina that makes the story really shine. This is the first anime to make me tear up after the FIRST EPISODE. I went into Hamefura expecting another everyday comedy harem, but I ended up with a strongly-written, emotional story that struck a chord with me from the get-go. What really helps the show as an isekai is that Catarina isn't acting nice towards the other characters out of obligation. While the conversations in her head might give off that impression, that's just the kind of person she is naturally, and the juxtaposition between game events and real-life events as they happen makes this abundantly clear. Catarina's childhood arc was especially strong, giving me some of the best individual episodes I've ever seen. Add in plenty of actual character development, a plot twist that surprised me when it happened but was obvious in hindsight (perfect for a comedy anime), a complete absence and/or subversion of the tropes I despise from typical harem anime, story beats that don't depend entirely on the magical school setting to happen organically, and a mountain of heartfelt moments, and you get My Next Life as a Villainess, my new favorite anime that probably shouldn't be. While other anime I've seen like Kaguya-sama or The Promised Neverland are certainly stronger when viewed through an objective lens, there's never been a series that's pulled me in from the very beginning the way Hamefura has. It's definitely one of the most pleasant surprises I've encountered in anime so far, and it certainly gave me a lot to talk about. I'd easily recommend this series to anybody who enjoys the isekai genre... or the harem genre... or romance... or anime.

Ok this anime lot of female to watch this????(I'm just kidding) I think this anime i don't know why my crying this anime hahaha but i very recommend for you if you don't have any anime to watch I really like this anime (Keith is so cute) ok I'm kidding. Ok back to my review and drug label to my sister and my friends. I know lot of female will watch this anime of of course me too.I really like this anime beacuse i want to recommend for all female. ok end review (If i use English world wrong I'm sorry) Enjoy my review :)

I really wanted to love this show. There is so much potential in the concept of being reincarnated into a romance game that you know as the villan. Bonus points for it having a female lead, something not very common in Isekai’s and harem series. But, after finishing the season, I can only think about what could have been more than what actually was. By this I don’t mean that the content was bad, but that it ended up being so average that I needed to look over the episodes to even remember what happened throughout the 12 episodes. After the pretty solid first 4 episodes or so, it becomes almost a slice-of-life show where nothing really happens until the final 3 episodes. Now, I don’t hate slice-of-life shows, but I need to at least enjoy the characters (or at the very least SEE them as characters). One thing that this anime nails on the head is making all characters besides Caterina feel like 2 dimensional NPCs. Whether this was the intention or not, this ends up being a double-edged sword where I like it for sticking to the otome game concept but dislike it because now I don’t see the characters as anything besides NPCs with their own psychologies. Also, while discussing how the concept was handled, I disliked how there was never even an attempt to explain why the protagonist was reincarnated into a video game (or a world that follows the same story of the video game? The anime never explains which one it is or how this is possible). This gets even more confusing after an event occurs toward the end of the season that pretty much throws all the logic about the world out the window. I don’t want to make it sound like I hate the anime, I just want to show how it squandered its great premise to make something run-of-the-mill and average. The art was pretty typical. The music was pretty typical. The world was a typical magic high school world. All this can be ascribed to it being set in the world of an otome game where cliches are common and everything is standard, but that does little to make up for the lack of enjoyment I recieved at its expense. I did like Caterina as a character though. She is the thing that held the show together, although I did find her lack of intelligence/denseness a little annoying at times. All in all, after the initial appeal of its interesting concept My Next Life as a Villaness just ends up as an average anime leaving one to wonder what could have been. It is a solid 5.

when i first saw the title of this anime and trailer i thought this is going to be one of the mandatory isekai of the season. but out of curiosity i tried the first episode and i got hooked. every time i watch this anime it makes makes feel good and happy and you cant expain it why. also what is not to like about this anime. stories great, art is good and the main characters voice actor is doing a very fine job and she's hilarious and she makes this whole show even more awesome. the jokes are good and its a awesome show and its keeps getting better episode after episode. overall i love this show very much and hope everyone loves too.

An entertaining isekai, based around an otome game, with a rather simple narrative. Although the romance/harem side of the show doesn't really progress, if you came for the comedy, you are here for a ride. The story about our otaku main protagonist in school, who one day awakes as a small Katarina Claes, the villainess of a dating game, and decides to avoid all her doom flags, quickly becomes a show about "How dense can Bakarina possibly be?". That is, most of the comedy comes out of our protagonist spending so much of her time monologuing, which is represented by a council of Katarinas arguing in her head, that she doesn't even notice how much all of her friends, and I really mean "all of them", want to be in a romance with her. With that said, you shouldn't expect many school elements nor a well developed romance. Mostly because of the comedy, but don't get me wrong, even though the comedy overshadows most of the other characteristics of this show, it's really fun and entertaining to watch both her childhood and her teens as the show progresses. About the characters, even without much of a depth added to them, I would say that they do their job pretty well. It's pretty simple, the characters close to Katarina have a different personality from one another, which leads them to different kinds of approach towards our main heroine, being it romantic or not, as it's the case for Bakarina's maid, for example. You might find them a bit cliche, but, as I said, if you came for the comedy, there's no need to worry about it. All things considered, it's a really fun and entertaining comedy, with character fitting in their roles to the genre, but there isn't anything that stands out. Yet, if you don't know whether to watch it or not, I'd still encourage you to watch this anime. I hope this review helped you. ^^

Otome Game Flag is quite a good comedy. It is fun, the pacing is okay, the characters are charismatic, the production is okay, the intro is good, and the jokes and comedic scenarios are mostly good. That being said, I watched from episodes 1-7 in basically one sitting, but the second half of the show was much worse, because the comedy started to get stale and the focus from the series changed drastically to drama And, unfortunately, Flag does not work well as a drama nor as a romance; mostly because of three reasons: 1st - The heroine's personality. She is just too dumb and it is impossible to take her serious; 2nd - How the protagonist achieves so much just because of her compassion. She does not work hard, nor smart, nor strategically. Instead she just solves all her problems by being empathetic and somewhat nice to others, and this makes no sense and also removes much of the investment the viewers could have for her; 3rd - The extreme way most of the cast regards the protagonist is too absurd to be taken seriously. This works perfectly well for the comedic and slice of life aspects of the show; but it also makes the drama and romance very hard to digest. Overall, Flag is a solid comedy anime that fails miserably when it shifts its focus to drama and plot progression, as the show is unbelievably boring regarding its romance and drama. It is also worth mentioning that there is a clear disconect between the light-hearted comedy and the high stakes of some of the plot points near the ending of this season. I don't think this is a major flaw, and I believe that fixing other aspects of the show could definitely alleviate this problem I would recommend watching the show until episode 9, as it is quite entertaining. I would not recommend watching the last arc as it is bland, uninspired, and extremely boring.