My Next Life As a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Vol. 11

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By Satoru Yamaguchi and Nami Hidaka. Released in Japan as “Otome Game no Hametsu Flag Shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei Shite Shimatta…” by Ichijinsha Bunko Iris. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Marco Godano.

I get the sense that the publisher may be telling the author “can we start to move towards the ending, however little”, because the first half of this book has Katarina finally admit out loud… and more importantly, admit to Jeord and Keith… that the reason she has been bouncing off their love confessions is not because she doesn’t like them or is afraid of their advances. Nor is it because love is not something that she can feel. It’s because she’s gotten so completely fixated on “if I fall in love I will turn into the Katarina of the game and get jealous and evil” that love terrifies her. As explanations go, it’s not too bad, and works within the confines of the series. She still puts them off, saying she has something she needs to do first. That being avoid the ending off Fortune Lover 2. That said, it’s no surprise that fans of Jeord and Keith loved the spoilers for this book much more than everyone else.

Of course, just because Katarina’s love life may be closer to resolution does not mean we still don’t have lots of plot points dangling. The mad relative in the attic that Katarina keeps running into when she visits the palace insists that she’s leading all her love interests on. And the King also wants to discuss Maria and Katarina’s grimoires, but also tell them about the kingdom’s bloody and brutal past, just in case. Fortunately, both handle it well. The second half of the book forcuses on Dewey, who is dealing with both a crush on Maria and guilt stemming from his family back home. The two come together when a letter calls Dewey home and Maria and Katarina follow along… along with Larna, who has her suspicions. Turns out Dewey’s upbringing manages to be even worse than Maria’s. Can Katarina work her magic? Or, for once, is this a job for someone else?

As with all books since the end of “Season 2”, if you’re a fan of Mary or Sophia, you really should give up (and you probably have, judging by what I see on Tumblr). Fortunately, as with the rest of the series, Maria is an exception. Here we see how, as with Katarina, she too is maturing. Sometimes this comes across when she deftly rebuffs any attempts to date her – Dewey asking her out to lunch becomes “and Katarina will come too” so fast it was stunning. She knows who she likes. More to the point, after resolving her relationship with her mother, and gaining confidence from simply being around Katarina, she’s able to try to resolve things with her father, who has been doing the old “I will make them look good by making myself look bad” shtick. That said… boy, that resolution took five seconds. A bit more conflict might have made more impact.

So even as Jeord fans rub their hands gleefully, and Mary fans bite their handkerchiefs, the series itself is caught up with Japan, and Book 12 is not scheduled yet. So it will be a while. Till then, enjoy Katarina using empathy as a superpower again.

Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte: Disc 2

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By Suzu Enoshima and Eihi. Released in Japan as “Tsundere Akuyaku Reijou Liselotte to Jikkyou no Endo-kun to Kaisetsu no Kobayashi-san” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Mikey N.

One complaint a lot of people have about villainess novels it that it seems highly unlikely that the heroine would really be so oblivious not to realize that the original premise of the series went off the rails the moment she started making everyone fall for her/becoming an adventurer or world leader instead/sipped tea in a prison cell while bullying her ex, etc. But let’s face it, when you know the script, it can be hard to improvise. It may be a bad end, but dammit, at least it’s a straight line. So I don’t blame Endo and Kobayashi for thinking that, even though they’ve improved Lieselotte’s life vastly, they still have to deal with the whole evil witch possessing her. Indeed, the first half of the book sets us up for just that. But what follows is… well, it’s a lot less satisfying from the perspective of a game fan, but it’s a heck of a lot funnier for us, the reader.

As I said, the start of the book makes it seem as if the Witch possessing Lieselotte and forcing a bad end is still very much in platy. Toward that end, not only does Sieg have to keep his fiancee happy, but they also have to recruit the other two love interests… only this time without them falling for Fiene, who already has a boyfriend. What’s more, they suddenly realize that if this isn’t a game and they aren’t limited to the school grounds, they can ask actual adults to help! Meanwhile, Endo and Kobayashi are also getting ready for the culture festival, and fending off the idea that literally everyone thinks they’re already a couple. Unfortunately, when Kobayashi’s older sister arrives we get one of those classic “I came in halfway through the conversation and completely misunderstood everything” moments. Can they save Lieselotte AND manage to confess to each other?

I’m trying not to spoil, but I have to admit, possibly the best part of the book is the appearance of the witch, and who she really is. As a climax to an otome game plotline, or a major supernatural battle, it’s abysmally awful, but I was laughing my ass off. This also helps, though, as it makes the final part of the book, back in Japan, be far more about Endo and Kobayashi’s misunderstood feelings rather than about the possessed Kuon trying to forcibly take back his long lost love even if it means destroying the world. I also appreciated the fact that in the end they get to have Lieselotte in THEIR heads explaining exactly what they’re missing… as well as the “witch”, who does sort of help. I guess. It’s a satisfying conclusion to a book that was always meant to be more fun than dramatic.

This is the final volume, which feels about right. Dragging this out would lose the impact. At two volumes, it’s a great read, especially if you’re looking for a villainess novel but also love Twitch streamers.

Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter, Vol. 4

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By Reia and Haduki Futaba. Released in Japan as “Koushaku Reijou no Tashinami” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Andria Cheng.

One problem that a lot of stories brought over from Japan or elsewhere have is that by the time they are licensed, there’s already a known number of volumes out – and many, such as this series, are already finished. Now don’t get me wrong, I know a lot of fans prefer this as they don’t want to get trapped in a “Japan has cancelled your favorite series with no ending, ha ha” scenario, but it does mean that it’s much harder to be surprised. Everything in this book seems to be leading to an ending. Not necessarily a GOOD ending, especially if you’re a romance fan, but an ending. The traitors have been purged, the throne war has been resolved, and Iris and Dean have… well, resolved to live in agonized pain for the good of their country. But of course this is Book 4 of 8, and so there’s always something worse coming along just to make sure that even a bittersweet ending is not going to happen.

The book starts off relatively normally, with Iris inventing Worker’s Compensation and getting proposals from foreign princes disguised as their own messengers. Unfortunately, bad things are happening as well. Her friend Mimosa is engaged to a pawn of Yuri’s, and seems to be very fatalistic about it. The king finally dies, meaning that the succession crisis is happening right now. And there’s a massive flood, causing one domain to be reduced to destitution, and the crown is demanding that over half the recovery supplies be donated by Iris’ domain. Then, finally, Edward makes his move to put himself on the throne. After all, the first prince isn’t even around. What can he possibly do? As for Iris, she’s just missing Dean.

So yeah, Iris finds out what the reader has known for a while, which is that Alfred = Dean. She’s not as shocked as I’d expected, possibly as she finds out in a meeting of all the noble leaders, and also as she’s not the type to faint dead away, but it also fills her with bittersweet feelings. She doesn’t see a path in her life anymore where she is allowed to control her own destiny. If she marries Dean she’ll be happy, but she can only see her own reputation and that of her family getting in the way. (Self-loathing is something Iris just can’t seem to shake off.) If she marries the foreign prince, she’ll basically just be a wife and nothing else. Everyone is trying to tell her “do what YOU want, not what the kingdom needs”, but she just can’t listen to them. Fortunately, something comes up that will postpone all these breakups. Unfortunately, it’s a war.

So overall, quite a roller coaster book, and I didn’t even get into the decline and fall of Yuri, who by the end of the book has lost her mind, but at least no longer has to pretend to be the sweet otome game heroine. Next time I expect a lot more battles and a much higher body count (which is disturbing given this volume already had quite a high body count to begin with).