By Hanako Arashi and Wan Hachipisu. Released in Japan as “Kitai no Akujo, Sandome no Jinsei de “Musai Munou” wo Tanoshimu” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Jeremy Browning.
As with the first book, it frequently feels as if our main character is in a different book from everyone else. This makes sense, of course. Here is a woman who loved as a princess and died young, then lived for 85 years in modern Japan before dying and being reborn as the granddaughter of… well, the backstory of the “villainess”, while a lot clearer than it was before, is still missing a lot of data. In any case, she’s got the mind of an old woman, and she also really does not care for all the drama that her kingdom wants to throw her into again. As such, it makes sense that she wants to spend her time writing smutty romance novels and avoiding anything to do with responsibility and consequences. Unfortunately for Laviange, there’s someone manipulating things behind the scenes, and they’re not done trying to screw everything up. And they get a willing accomplice in Sienna, who is simply terrible.
After the events of the first book, Sienna is rapidly becoming persona non grata, the second prince is basically no longer in this series, and Heinz has been reduced to huddling in his room and avoiding everything. Unfortunately, a mysterious hooded figure is still trying to manipulate things, and gives Sienna an egg that she promises will allow her to get all that she desires. As for Laviange herself, she’s busy composing new books, getting rare and hard-to-cook meat from her friends, and working hard to at least show up to school (if not bother to try to get good grades) so that she can get the lunch special from the cafeteria. Unfortunately, Heinz shows up looking near death, Sienna is in full “I am a bratty younger sister” mode, and students are dropping like flies, their magic appearing next to them like a ghost. How can this be solved? If your answer is “giant paper fans”, you get this series’ vibe.
I understand that this series is not for everyone. Laviange makes a lot of her own problems by her sheer willful desire to not care, and the fact that she’s turned her older brother into a tsukkomi factory does not really offset that. It also clashes badly with a lot of the vile abuse of children that appears in the pasts of several important characters, especially her own past. There’s also a section about 3/4 of the way through the book where the characters stand around for a good thirty pages while the plot is explained to them, and it’s even more irritating that it’s still not the whole plot. This series has not once flashed back to Laviange’s first life, and I suspect it really wants to keep it vague. On the other hand…; Christ, Laviange is just a HOOT. The paper fans and ofuda, as well as her desire to have everyone shout out anime catchphrases as they’re used, cries out to be animated, if this ever gets one. I’m almost ready to forgive her everything. As are a lot of people, really.
So if your need in a villainess book is “complicated but funny bitch on wheels”, this is for you. If not, reader beware.
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