I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History Episode 1 Review: Just Another Villainess Story

I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History Episode 1 did not showcase something entirely different. Let’s recap what happened in the 1st episode.

I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History Overview

I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History is a Japanese light novel series authored by Izumi Okido, with illustrations by Jyun Hayase. The company began publishing it as part of their B’s Log Bunko imprint in August 2019. A manga adaptation, illustrated by Akari Hoshi, followed in May 2020 on Enterbrain’s B’s Log Comic website.

Additionally, an anime adaptation was produced by Maho Film, and the show is directed by Yūji Yanase, with series scripts written by Sawako Hirabayashi. Character designs are handled by Yūko Watabe and Eri Kojima, while the music is composed by Moe Hyūga.

The opening theme, “Baddududu,” is performed by Liyuu, and the ending theme, “Wacchu Ane?” is sung by Rin Kurusu. The series is licensed by Crunchyroll for streaming.

I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History Episode 1 Review and Recap

Here comes another Isekai romcom that honestly isn’t much different than every other villainess anime out there. Our heroine has always admired villains rather than protagonists. Even in her favourite otome game, she liked the quick-witted villainess Alicia in place of the goody-two-shoes female lead, Liz, who only knew how to please the capture targets. Hence, when the protagonist finds out that she got reincarnated as the villainous Alicia, she is absolutely ecstatic.

Now, just like her contemporaries from other shows, Alicia, too, wants to train herself to stay prepared for everything in the future. Thus, the once lazy and misbehaving Alicia suddenly became a proper lady willing to train and study without taking a break. Not only that, but she also quickly gains favour from the primary and the secondary leads, that too only at the age of 8. So, you can already picture the scene where we witness the life of a character with unlimited hacks and big ambitions.

The male leads honestly felt pretty formulaic, and hardly anyone came out as unique. The actual hero gets smitten with Alicia from the first meeting, and you can just imagine how the rest of the story will go with the addition of the OG female lead, who, this time, might act as the antagonist. This kind of storyline, where the protagonist is built to win every challenge in their life, should also come with proper progress because there is not much for the audience to enjoy otherwise. As of now, I’m not seeing much plot, nor am I seeing complex characters or a decent build-up.

The animation here is also very average. But yes, just like we should not judge a book by its cover, one episode should not represent an entire series. This is why, I am definitely going to watch this again and see whether this is just another villainess story or something unique.

Verdict

Today’s episode was very average, and it might not be very enjoyable for someone who has seen or read this kind of anime or manga often. But if you are new to the anime scene and want to familiarise yourself with the villainess Isekai genre, then you should definitely check this out.

Also Read: Uzumaki Episode 1 Review: Junji Ito Horror Master Class