I don't really go into these discussions much when new titles drop, but I'm pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the first episode. For people who say that this is a rip-off of "
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!": This is pretty much the framework for villainess isekai stories. As of right now, I've been reading or have read a little over 50 villainess stories, so I'd like to think I have a bit more knowledge compared to others who don't focus on the niche-growing genre. Now that that's outta the way, here are my thoughts (without reading the OG content):
The first episode was generic and simple-- but in a good, refreshing way to me. It wasn't overly complicated and the humor felt realistic and not forced. Aileen is a gem in my eyes and she has a level of self-control that I admire. Her response to Cedric's decision to end their connections
publicly was well executed and straight to the point, "I loved you once, but I'll move on" type of response. As an Otome player, I can understand how difficult that might be to see the character you've grown fond of-- a character you admire, just become nonexistent. Grieving over a living person and the death of who they used to be to you is incredibly real. We only get brief glimpses of her social life, her family, and her desires, but I believe that those will be at the forefront in the next few episodes. It's still too early to tell if this series will be a good one, but the first episode gives me a semblance of hope after laughing through about half of it.
