So this year I’ve really grown to enjoy shows with Villainess in the name. It’s a fun twist on the isekai genre where instead of being reborn as the hero of a new story the main character gets reborn as the villainess. As we explore a new show with this premise we explore the story of Alicia who loved the villainess of her favorite game. Now reborn as this character she has decided to perform her duty as the villainess but in her own unique way.

The story we have here is a surprisingly complicated one. Now I expected it to be entertaining and it was but I was not expecting it to explore as much as it did. Alicia is a villainess in her own mind but it’s more accurate to say she is an anti-hero. Her goals often are about protecting people much like the hero of the game Liz the saint. The interesting part is what separates these two characters. Liz wants there to be peace and happiness for all but has no real plan of how to get there. Alicia on the other hand looks deeply at the problems the people are dealing with and looks for ways to improve on them. She has a brutally honest, and realistic perspective on the matter and with that a better understanding of the world around her. It really portrays how good faith alone doesn’t resolve problems and how these two ideologies differ is on beautiful display. So as Liz gains popularity by saying all the things people want to hear while Alicia garners attention by going out and addressing the problems at hand. The way people’s perspective of these two characters changes from how they influence the world around them is interesting to watch.

This leads perfectly into the next big theme of the series. Liz is beloved by all even though her ambitions of happiness have no real backing other than good intentions. Alicia constantly points this out and the need of a legitimate plan in order to make those ambitions a reality. The two are constantly at odds as a result. What ends up happening is supporters of Liz ostracize Alicia even to the point of violence. Where as the people who support Alicia, while far fewer in number, take a more rational and peaceful approach. The story does a great job in showing the consequences of following in blind faith while also showing how dangerous it is to be a person with influence with no idea how to handle that. Alicia is constantly dealing with Liz’s followers who look for ways to slander her name to no success or even any concern from Alicia herself. These conflicts add so much to the relationship between these characters.

Speaking of relationships what is a villainess show without a romance angle. Because Alicia is doing the villainess route her own way it causes significant changes to the plot of the story. Often inserting her in scenes that normally didn’t feature her in the game. So while Liz is supposed to fall in love with another character Prince Duke, he ends up only having eyes for Alicia. This romantic sub plot and the romance triangle it creates is beautifully done. I ended up being very captivated by the building bond between Duke and Alicia and loving the fact that I was invested in it. It’s pacing, execution and how it ends up at the end of the season is all well done.

One of the reasons why all of these story elements worked so well is due to the amazing characters. Alicia is very entertaining and one of my favorite villainess characters period. She has a unique charm, fun motivation and big over the top reactions to everything around her. Liz is equally over the top in a different way as she over does the sweet heroine angle to the point where it shows the flaws in her own outlook even more as the season goes on. The supporting cast is full of memorable characters that add incredible depth to the story.

Overall I was greatly impressed by this show. It’s very entertaining, incredibly in depth with captivating characters. Every aspect of this show was entertaining and it ends on a note that clearly leads to more story to tell. So I might have to flip a table or two if we don’t get another season to tell it.