What are your thoughts on villainess stories?

Cipiteca396

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The closest thing to a Villainess story I've actually read is probably Riku the Right Wing. I've also read a few I think that deviated strongly and changed genre? It's so hard to remember stories I've finished, lol.

Outside of that, my impression was that it was either the distaff counter to the revenge fiction(where the protagonist is betrayed and sent back in time to get revenge) or a 'unique' deconstruction of the otome genre. Why is the dumb generic heroine so lovable and desirable? Because they're the protagonist. Making the villainess the protagonist fighting against the undefeatable heroine was supposed to be a way to eliminate plot armor and change the situation... You were supposed to destroy the cliché, not join them!
 

Fox-Trot-9

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Fucking love them!
As long as she actually is a villainess and plays the role of villainess, and it isn't one of these "I'm reborn as vilainess but I'm going to act all nice to everyone and soon usurp the story of heroine"

unless it's called hamefura, I like hamefura a lot~
What's hamefura?
Why is the dumb generic heroine so lovable and desirable? Because they're the protagonist. Making the villainess the protagonist fighting against the undefeatable heroine was supposed to be a way to eliminate plot armor and change the situation... You were supposed to destroy the cliché, not join them!
Yep, my thoughts exactly!
 

SakeVision

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What's hamefura?

Yep, my thoughts exactly!

otome gameu no HAMEtsu FURAgu shika nai akuyaku reijou ni tensei shiteshimatta

also known as

I Reincarnated into an Otome Game as a Villainess With Only Destruction Flags..

also known as

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

also known as

Bakarina
 

Fox-Trot-9

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otome gameu no HAMEtsu FURAgu shika nai akuyaku reijou ni tensei shiteshimatta

also known as

I Reincarnated into an Otome Game as a Villainess With Only Destruction Flags..

also known as

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

also known as

Bakarina
Ah, thank you!
 

Zirrboy

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+ sociopath threat characters, the more unreasonable, the more entertaining
+ having to keep them at bay/steer clear of reasons for conflict with wits and word alone
- the point where the love interests frozen hearts begin to thaw by power of... whatever the MC has going for her
- making the heroine out to be the tragic victim of her actually villainous rival
 

RavenWolf

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I love villainess characters but I'm not so fond of that romance aspect that these stories have. I mean I like romance but it seems like most otomegame villainess stories are pure romance. I would want more stories which would have something more. More evilness.

Also if romance is big theme I prefer yuri more than hetero.
 

Fox-Trot-9

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I love villainess characters but I'm not so fond of that romance aspect that these stories have. I mean I like romance but it seems like most otomegame villainess stories are pure romance. I would want more stories which would have something more. More evilness.

Also if romance is big theme I prefer yuri more than hetero.
Me being a mystery / thriller junkie, I tend to like my villainess stories with more suspense and mystery, like The Holy Grail of Eris or even The Villainess Reverses the Hourglass.
 

Cipiteca396

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like most otomegame villainess stories are pure romance
Ahaha, that's sort of the point. Otome is a romance subgenre, after all. The whole point is a girl character trying to bag the best one of a bunch of different guys. It's the direct inverse of a gal game.
 
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i think it'd be interesting if they're based on otome games like hatoful boyfriend
 

RavenWolf

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Ahaha, that's sort of the point. Otome is a romance subgenre, after all. The whole point is a girl character trying to bag the best one of a bunch of different guys. It's the direct inverse of a gal game.

Yes, I understand that but but... Whole theme and settings of this type of setting could be so much more. Imagine villainess story without that romance. There could be so much more different types of stories then. Why can't there be isekai noble villainesses who are after something else than just romance? It just seems like whole genre is stuck with one concept. Just like general isekai is stuck with current limbo.

Also where are my otomegame villainess with yuri (I have read I'm in Love with the Villainess but I want more)?!!!!

BAsically what I want is:
  • Preferably isekai but not mandatory
  • Villainess MC
  • Who is a noble
  • She is plotting and backstabbing
  • Her goal is not romance but something evilness (romance should be only side dish (preferably yuri!)).
  • Maybe heroine/saintess trying to stop her or something
  • Aristocrats, royalties and all that shit and backstabbing!
  • A grand plot!
  • Not enough backstabbing!
  • In the end villainess archive her goal and rule the country!
  • Or in the end heroine will win and villainess face her doom! Sometimes I just really want to see villainess to face her judgement day!
Think about it. If I were villainess I wouldn't just throw that grand evil plan away just because some love! No that is foolish! Even Daenerys didn't stop her mad conquest because of love!

But I have to say, I'm not against romance per se but it seems that "villainess" today means a female who in reality is good person and is after love. Where are my true villainess, i'll ask? When we think about male villain we rarely associate them with romance genre like villainess today do.

Today we have basically three genres of isekai. General isekai which is mainly aimed for boys and 95% shows which airs are just similar power fantasy (Slime, Overlod etc.) or cgdct (Slime 300 etc.). Then we had something like 5% which are aimed for girls and they are purely romance isekais like The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent. Then we have this huge genre of isekai otome aka villainess which only has one anime so far: Hamefura. Whole villainess genre is mainly geared toward girls and it is 95% purely romance. I just can't comprehend this why there isn't mix of these two genres?

And have you noticed that isekais like Escaflowne and Two Kingdoms, what had prominent female MCs are basically dead.

PS. I just mean that today villainess is synonym to otome which just sucks.
 

Cipiteca396

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And have you noticed that isekais like Escaflowne and Two Kingdoms, what had prominent female MCs are basically dead.
Woah, now that you mention it... No, there have been a few good Female Protagonist fantasy romances. Not enough, but quite a few. The biggest name that comes up should be Violet Evergarden, though I didn't watch it since it looked like it would give me depression.
Think about it. If I were villainess I wouldn't just throw that grand evil plan away just because some love! No that is foolish! Even Daenerys didn't stop her mad conquest because of love!
Hah, maybe Daenerys is the reason everyone is avoiding the genre. Her losing her mind was a major blow to the ideal of averting an evil fate. Honestly, villains aren't fun. Nobody can sympathize with someone who's goal is death and destruction. It's fun to watch someone being affably evil, but only in small spurts, and eventually you want the hero to win. You might be better off looking for an Anti-hero story, where the protagonist does some villainous stuff but is still a good person.
Also where are my otomegame villainess with yuri (I have read I'm in Love with the Villainess but I want more)
There should be quite a few of these, though? I feel like I see a different one on every translation site I visit. The only one I can find immediately is called 'My sister the Heroine, and I, the Villainess." Which brought me to this list https://www.novelupdates.com/viewlist/30370/. I'm guessing you've probably seen it already, though. It's not hard to find.
villainess is synonym to otome which just sucks
Hmm, well, the counter to this is that every series with a female villain is technically a villainess. So you could say Otome stories just wear the name on their sleeve, or give their villains a chance to be the protagonist. If you filter out romance but keep the female protagonist and villain-like tags, you should find some stuff. Whether it's readable or not is another matter. XD
 

Not_A_Symphony

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I just found this thread so of course I want to add some input to it!

I devour Villainess-like type of novels and historical stories in general. I love them but there are certain things that tick me off in a lot of them.

Like it was said, these are the general categories of the novels.
Personally these are some of the problems I find in the majority of the types:

Reincarnation
MC's usually comes from a novel/book or videogame. It would be nice to see some variety within these lines.
Then 90% of the time the person comes from the modern society and ends up wanting to "be good". I would like to see a Villainess that sticks to being a Villainess, not just a "Heroine" in disguise.


Redo
I think this is the least seen genre since I haven't actually seen much Villainesses who end up being able to Time Travel.
So far I've only read "The Villainess Turns the Hourglass" and is one of my favorites so I can't exactly speak wrongly of him.

Redemption
Personally, I think this is the most interesting category since we see the character development while trying to change her ways.
Still, the MC's usually so focused on "becoming good" that loses focus on other important matters and, at some point, her other good traits are lost.

Even then, with very few exceptions, all the Villainess stories also tend to follow the same pattern.
"MC doesn't intend to attract attention = All the ML become interested in her".
"MC decides to become friends with the Heroine = *OMG the story has changed so much! What did I do wrong? :("

And this is to not mention the lack of Historical accuracy in the story itself. I mean, I am not expecting for the story to be as accurate as "Pride and Prejudice" but at least it should have a guideline within it.
In the majority of the stories you see commoners disrepect nobles and suffer harsh penalties but when, for example, a Marquess disrespects a Duke, nothing exactly happens. The same thing with Royalty.
Even if it is a fantasy novel there are certain things that need to be clarified.

Then you also have the part where all the characters are usually just the same. A narrow-minded MC, clueless about love, obcessed about surviving through the whole plot (that has already changed drastically), and usually extremely vanilla-like. Then you have the typical ML, cold and distant, but one way or another, ends up warming up to the Villainess and surprise surprise, babies coming soon.

Even then, I love Villainess novels, they are the best ~ :blob_melt: [that's why I am writting one too but shushhh...] :blob_melt:
 

Fox-Trot-9

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Even then, with very few exceptions, all the Villainess stories also tend to follow the same pattern.
One of those exceptions The Holy Grail of Eris. That one is a rare example of a non-isekai villainess story with a ghost-possession and a mystery plot line. Loved that manga.

Redo
I think this is the least seen genre since I haven't actually seen much Villainesses who end up being able to Time Travel.
So far I've only read "The Villainess Turns the Hourglass" and is one of my favorites so I can't exactly speak wrongly of him.
Loved that manwha. Besides The Holy Grail of Eris, The Villainess Turns the Hourglass influenced my own villainess story, especially the 'redo' part in Villainess, Retry!

Even then, I love Villainess novels, they are the best ~ :blob_melt: [that's why I am writting one too but shushhh...] :blob_melt:
:blob_wink:
 
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Not_A_Symphony

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Loved that manwha. Besides The Holy Grail of Eris, The Villainess Turns the Hourglass.
I have never read the Holy Grail of Eris but if I had to pick favorites from the ones I have read this would be my top:
  • The Antagonist Pet
  • The Villainess Turns the Hourglass
  • Beware of the Villainess
  • Death is the Only Ending for a Villainess
  • I am a Matial Art Villainess but I am the Strongest!
And for now I can't remember more 😂😂😂 At least from my top ofc
 

Fox-Trot-9

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  • Beware of the Villainess
  • Death is the Only Ending for a Villainess
I've read a little bit of Beware of the Villainess. I loved the comedy and the facial expressions in that one. I should get back to reading that one. Same thing with Death is the Only Ending for the Villainess. I loved the plot twists in that one, and the gaming elements create some really suspenseful and moving moments. I've only read a few chapters into the 2nd volume, but I loved what I read so far. Will definitely try to catch up on it when I can.
 

Fox-Trot-9

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Oh and I completely forgot two in that list!
  • The Villainess is a Marionette
  • When the Villainess Loves

You should, I truly love those two! And I don't wanna spoil it but it's like 10/10 :blob_nom::blob_nom: *giggles*
I've read a little bit of The Villainess is a Marionette. I'll try to get to reading that one, too. As for When the Villainess Loves, I LOVED that manwha! OMG, that prince Lavrov fucking tilts me, but Libertia actually has good allies. I've read up to the 40s chapters so far. I should get back to reading that one, too!
 

AryaX

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Umm... I don't remember many stories that fit the OP's description of a "villainess story" but...

The was one "Common sense of Dukes Daughter" novel I remember reading, which might sort of fit, although as I recall, the "avoid the bad end" was only a rather tiny part of it at the very beginning...

I also remember some Teamoon something manga, which seems to fit the formula... but while I liked what little I read, there weren't much translated...

In general though... If I read a story about a "villainess", I would certainly prefer if she acted or thinked the part... at least in some sense...
 
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