My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!

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 hellfor 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 herself-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 conceptof 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 themain 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