Master Villainess the Invincible!

[More info about my review style can be found on my profile] ▶Summary and recommendation: ----------------------------------------------------------------- [Master villainess the invincible] is a real female led power fantasy with action scenes and cathartic beating up of bad guys. It follows the protagonist's martial arts journey from disliked weakling daughter, to master of the sect. I recommend it, especially if you have read a lot of Otome Isekai or other romance manhwas and are looking for something fresh.▶Story: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The story follows a romance author as she is transported into the martial arts novel she was reading. Her being a romance author is not actually relevant to the manhwa beyond being used as an excuse for why she knows the martial arts novel's story so well. She takes advantage of her knowledge to gain an upper hand in her new life, but this does not last very long. The story quickly goes off track from what she knows when she gains powerful artifacts, inhuman strength and power. As you can probably gleam from this; this manhwa is a power fantasy. A female led power fantasy where the female lead actually gets to be badass and beat people up. The story is somewhat cliche, and there are not that many surprises, but it is well paced with a bit of romance sprinkled in. I used to be annoyed at the many cliffhangers, but those are now a non-issue since the manhwa has concluded. Lastly, despite a satisfying ending, there were a few unresolved subplots and some side characters I wish were given a few more chapters. ▶Setting: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The manhwa is set in an Ancient Chinese inspired fantasy setting (also known as wuxia). A setting focused on martial arts, chi, and chinese mythical beings. The Wuxia setting has a lot to offer, but this manhwa only skims the surface. It is rare for a female led isekai to be set in this setting. and it will likely be many reader's first foray into Wuxia. ▶Characters: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The protagonist Haweon is quite crafty, and she is a fun character to lead the power fantasy. She has some character development, and some moments of introspection, which is always nice to see in an overpowered protagonist. The original male lead (from the novel the protagonist had read) gives a less than a stellar first impression. Being both pretentious and small minded. That is usually not enough to stop a romance manhwa from pairing the protagonist with him, but rejoice! In this instance, he is actually not the male lead. The manhwa's actual male lead is a rare himbo. A very kind and caring one. ▶Romance: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The romance is quite sweet. It takes a back seat to the rest of the story and action, but it is ever present. The himbo male lead makes it quite different from most romances I have read. It has some of the standard romance tropes such as the couple misunderstanding each other, and that goes on for quite some time. However, as it is not the main focus of the story, it did not frustrate me. ▶Artwork: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would not say the character art stands out as particularly impressive, but it is consistent. The background art is primarily made out of 3D assets, but the artist does a good job blending together it and the character art. The 3D model horses look terrifying as always though. The action scenes look unusually great. Above even most action adventure manhwas. The scenes are very readable and easy to follow. The artstyle changes in season 3, it is different, but not worse. The action scenes still look amazing. Also the main character's eyebrow game is very strong. ▶In conclusion: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It is quite cliche, and there are not many surprises, but as a power fantasy I found it entirely enjoyable, and it is not every day you get to read a power fantasy with a female protagonist where she actually fights. We are not spoiled for choice in this genre quite yet.