The Villainess Is Adored by the Prince of the Neighbor Kingdom – Episode 1

What’s it about? Tiararose was reincarnated in her favorite otome game as the villainess who is eventually exiled from her kingdom.  She’s resigned herself to endure the public humiliation—until neighboring crown prince named Aquasteed proposes marriage to her seconds after her last engagement is annulled.  She doesn’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but she’s determined to take any opportunities thrown her way.  

Any villainess show that’s released after May I Ask for One Final Thing? is asking to fill in some mighty big shoes.  Scarlet not only did punched the smug nobles in her path, but she actively made sure to destroy systems that oppressed other people.  Scarlet truly didn’t care about being liked and she never apologized for being true to herself in any circumstances.  Tiararose isn’t a terrible protagonist; if anything, she’s downright realistic for being scared to face the public humiliation of her cancelled engagement with the crown prince in front of her friends and family.  The problem is that there really is no unique twist that makes this show stand out from the growing backlog of villainess anime.  The entirety of the premiere is focused on Tiararose accepting the fact that she’s in an otome game and that she didn’t have enough time to prepare for her life after the canon events.  

Tiararose is right to be afraid about dealing with an uncertain future, but it’s commendable that she still tried to defend herself from the accusations being thrown at her.  It was cute seeing Prince Aquasteed come to her rescue and propose to her on the spot, since he’s eager to shoot his shot while he can.  It’s the kind of stuff that’ll make every romance enthusiast smile and giggle, which is nice, if that’s what you are looking for.  Aside from that, the rest of this episode is kind of boring.  Everything just followed the usual storybeats and there doesn’t seem to be any indication that it’s going to reinvent the wheel.  That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and there’s certainly an audience that purely wants a standard villainess story that doesn’t have too much depth.  

I can understand that sentiment since I too often find comforting familiarity in watching shows I’ve already seen.  While I personally enjoy villainess characters that are consistently playing 3D chess in their heads (especially in revenge stories), there’s nothing wrong in wanting to simply turn off your brain and enjoy a simple story where the villainess is loved and appreciated by everyone around her.  

Studio DEEN can be a hit or miss in terms of animation quality, but I’m happy to report it looks fine.  Honestly, I can’t find much fault with this premiere so if you are looking for a simple isekai villainess story to enjoy then look no further than this one.  Sometimes it’s nice to stick to the basics, especially when the world is looking so grim right now.